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#it's third cool adult show which people are missing
nwarrior777 · 4 months
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sometimes one episode is enough to start making fanart
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cozy-autumn-moth · 2 months
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💀 Scary Girl Headcanons 💀
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Personality & Interest Headcanons
-She’s pansexual though she finds it difficult to express love in general because her way of showing love is physical pain and that's a turn off for most people, though she doesn’t discriminate for any gender, race, or type of person because death doesn’t discriminate either.
-She owns tons of really ugly plushies, some of which she ended up making herself by ripping them apart and then stitching them back together so they end up as this Frankenstein Esque abomination in plush form.
-Loves Halloween a lot and has made home made costumes every single year. They freak out lots and lots of people and have made tons of children cry.
-If you couldn’t tell I feel like she’s fantastic at sewing and anything in that ballpark. I like to imagine she made her own dress.
-Likes to draw and has made her own really weird world with her super freaky OC’s that she probably kept around since she was extremely little. The lore and story is overtly complicated and the only person who is capable of even understanding or finding appeal in this is Lauren herself.
-She was totally obsessed with things like creepypastas and FNaF when she was younger. I feel like nowadays she still is very much into them but it got toned down a lot more as time went on and she found more horror related stuff to be obsessed with.
Family Life Headcanons
-She doesn’t actually live in a funeral home like she says in S2Ep4, but her family does own a family run funeral home which acts like their family business.
-At home she basically only lives with her single mother with her dad being out of the equation for the most part. Though on occasion some members of her decently big extended family visit for a few days if it's a holiday or something but they mostly meet at the Funeral Home more often than not.
-At work she is usually the family embalmer, which means she disinfects and dresses the bodies before putting them in their caskets, and has been practicing it for years. She finds it very fun and has had interest in it since she was able to properly think and walk.
-Her family holds a sacred form of respect for the process of death as a part of life and they see a funeral as a celebration of how someone lived and not a mourning regarding how someone died. Lauren is the outlier as one who is almost obsessed with the ways people die and feel pain and has taken incredible special interest in it as a whole, though I like to imagine that she has one elder family member who acts very similar to her and they bond a lot.
-Lauren genuinely does love her mother and expresses this love really weirdly, basically she makes really weird and creepy gifts or says some super suspicious stuff. Her mom is fine with it because in her head it’s just how Lauren operates, though she is mildly freaked out.
-Anyone who is closer to Lauren's age or younger legit hates her so she more or less has become more comfortable talking to her mom, aunts, uncles, and grandparents rather than people her own age even though the adults in her family find her just as weird but they tolerate it thinking she’ll grow at if it despite acting like this since she was very young.
-Lauren used to be bullied and isolated a lot at her elementary school and because of it her mom never properly enrolled her into school after like the third grade and so she was just homeschooled for the rest of her life.
-Joined a circus at one point in time for some inexplicable reason to the point where her family thought she was missing and there were just people trying to search for her. Anyway she did lots of weird things there and ended up blowing up a clown which was completely by accident, also she got really good with athletics and acrobatics so that’s cool.
Total Drama Experience Headcanons
-Was always the first to wake up in her team's cabin and totally got close to peoples faces just to spook them when they woke up.
-Since Damien was the person to give her the name of Scary Girl, which she actually loves a lot, she took it as a form of friendship and only harasses him as much as she does as a sign of affection and respect. She totally believes Damien is her best friend.
-Knows a lot more about the contestants and their lives not out of them telling her but because she just stalked them.
-The skull she got in episode four is now just in her room and the major reason why she even thought about giving it a makeover was out of compulsion from being her family's embalmer for so long.
-Once she got home she totally made a tier list based on how fun the contestants were to hurt or how good their screams were. It’s also basically just a ranking of the contestants from favorite to least favorite.
-Respected and liked Emma for how enthusiastic she was in wanting to hurt Chase.. She got sad when they ended up getting back together and then was very happy when they broke up again. Would love to beat the shit out of Chase with Emma someday.
-Least favorite contestants were Ripper and Millie and that’s by an incredibly wide margin, her feelings for Millie became mixed after the whole slide incident with Damien.
-When Lauren came back after season one and her mom watched the first season she realized her daughter’s behavior in full and obviously needed to say something but is so overly scared to upset her that she basically is like, “Lauren, not that it’s my place to judge and you totally don’t need to take my advice but maybe just tone down your scariness a little bit, it’s not your fault but maybe it will help”.
-Lauren and her mom definitely went to the store to buy some “normal clothes”. Her mom found it fun but Lauren probably hated every last selection her mom gave her and only wore them because she loved her mom so much and desperately wanted to be normal so she could be liked.
-Since she got eliminated super early the second time around she did a lot of introspection and basically came to the conclusion that she wasn’t going to let people influence the way she acts because to her it just isn’t worth it if she can’t be who she is in her own life and people aren’t even going to like her for it. She also realized that she couldn’t stand most of the cast members and by the end most of the contestants just made their way into the bottom tiers.
-Was probably forced to get a therapist when the second season finished, it’s up to you to figure out how well that experience is going for her.
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wtfwhy · 1 year
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SPOILERS!!!!!!! Unorganized Teen Wolf movie review basically
I actually... really liked it??? Like it's not that good but I enjoyed watching it! A lot of parts were genuinely funny and the plot was like passable! (Quite a few unanswered questions tho)
There were some things I found confusing or weird, like idk wtf Harris had against the pack (his reveal was funny af tho) and a few other things, but they were mostly just because of the lack of Stiles, Kira, and and Isaac
The Kira 'stand in' girl (I think her name was Hikari??) Was pretty cool, obviously sucks that Kira herself wasn't there but that's a whole different conversation 👀
Honestly, as a huge Stydia shipper I was hoping they wouldn't break them up and just have him like watching their kids or something (I think I saw a funny post of that once) but they way they broke them up? Not actually that bad? Like Lydia left him because she loved him and I was just worried that they wouldn't love each anymore so I'll take what I can get! Tho not expanding on the dreams she was having is a bit of a lost thread, but since it wasn't really apart of the main story, I'll let it slide lol.
I did not like how they just pretended Issac didn't exist, that was pretty fucked up. Like I predicted that Scott and Allison would get back together by the end, but damn rip Isaac for real 😔
Anyways, about Derek's death... Honestly, since I wasn't taking the movie that seriously in the first place, I didn't really feel anything about Derek dying? Like don't get me wrong, I love the man and if they killed him off in the actual show I'd be bawling, but the movie to me is just a silly little suggestion to canon than law. There's real canon, fanon, and the third secret canon that lives inside my brain ☺️
But like, I don't really care that he died in the movie, I was just surprised tbh. Rip king you deserved better 🙏 (I don't understand how he just like, disappeared, after being burnt?? Like maybe I didn't notice it but his body was gone like huh???)
I never liked Scott and Malia together so I'm glad they broke up, but Malia and Parish was weird as hell and was just so random. I think that ever since Malia and Stiles broke up the writers just couldn't figure out what to do with her? Which is a total shame cause Malia is queen. But none of her relationships post stiles make sense or work out so rip (I do love me some stlia on the side ngl)
Jackson was GREAT, funny af and just like how I would imagine the redeemed adult version of the asshole from season 1, 10/10
Lots of missed opportunities for interactions, (like Liam and Mason) but it's only a 2h movie so I get it
I thought both Scott and Allison were great, tho I'm not sure how I feel about her staying alive afterwards. Plus I always shipped Scira more but you know 👀 love that Scott was the same great guy ☺️ when he hugged Chris I literally cried it was so cute 🥺
UNEXPECTED TWIST for me!!! I came into the movie, very lightly shipping Chris and Melissa, and came out of the movie shipping Chris, Melissa, and Peter 😳 I didn't expect that! But they were such a cute trio omg it was amazing
Eli was cute and I don't think that he was that much like stiles, but there obviously similarities
And Jackson and Lydia brotp??? Absolutely!!!
So that's basically it, I'll give this a solid 7/10
PS: saw some people legitimately mad that sterek didn't happen, fuck those people. You are not allowed near my blog...unless you want to send funny hate anon that I can roast
(like one person brought up the whole, sterek was "queerbaiting" thing, which is such bullshit. They literally never fucking liked each other, even platonically. I would say by the end of the show Derek just barely tolerates Stiles. The real queerbaiting was the writers being to scared to confirm that Stiles was Bi because it's ridiculous how many scenes pointed to that, especially in seasons 1-3 smh)
I might take about more later but it's bedtime!!!
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lem-cup-rev · 2 years
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4.8 | Boys’ Night Out
She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
🌸🌸🌸
Ooooh now this is the clunky, awkward, baffling She-Ra content this season has been sorely missing!
Have I mentioned how much I’m not interested in Sea Hawk? I literally never have because he isn’t important. But I liked his first episode! Maybe it’s because in that story he was the adventure the girls were on, navigating a harmless funny egomaniac to get what they want. But he’s never been connected to the story since, and he never feels grounded in the stakes.
What I really liked from him in this episode was his elaborate poses and song sequences. He has such a great macho-fae flamboyant energy.
I love when Bow gets frustrated about being the only one working on their friendships! That was such a great reveal of depth, the way he’s super positive and reasonable the whole time but he’s like ‘Yeah, I do that on purpose, but I have feelings too!’ I also loved how he was really dejected until Sea Hawk managed to get him singing an enthusiastic shanty and he was like ‘Yeah okay I love this.’ I did think his characterization overall was more messy and hard to follow than I made it sound though.
The song about being friends had such a surprising return to kindergarten vibes, and I would love for the show to play more with that but right here it feels pretty out-of-nowhere. There was the makings of an idea I really liked where this could be a very nostalgic, childish episode about the value of friendship, which breaks into sudden depth in the third act where Bow reveals his very adult feelings about how hard it is to be the only one trying to do the work. Such a clever, interesting bridge between the show’s cartoonish sincerity and the harsher emotional themes.
Swift Wind didn’t get to do anything lmao. It could have just been a Sea Hawk and Bow mission, that might have had a little more resonance since they had such a senpai kohai thing in the early episode. It’s funny that Bow seems completely over his crush on Sea Hawk and he’s basically as tired of his bullshit as all the princesses and I am.
Aaaaaughgjffjfhh Glimmer and Adora are talking past each other! It feels so forced! Maybe I would like it more if I understood why they got so ready to kick each other to the curb. It’s hard to believe! I’m really trying to figure out if there’s a way to enjoy it and I’ll come back in like a year and be like “Oh this is awesome actually! The tension!!” There’s definitely a really fun concept here for these extremely self-righteous hero friends, who usually feel like a badass team and pride themselves on their kindness and closeness but really have a lot of personal issues, to kinda have one bad day and end up turning all their most bitter, uncontrolled feelings on each other, and have no idea how to get out of their own heads before they start to hate each other. There’s so much painful emotional waste to splash around in, like the Horde arcs. This show is about knifes and the twisting thereof! But yeah it’s not really hitting for me.
Oh I liked seeing the pretty Salineas village! That immediately made the threat from last episode more impactful. I love the squid people!! I love that the Flutterina people were moths too! There's a lot of neat furry species in the civilian towns that we see, and it also really makes it stand out how this show has the classic fantasy thing of nonhumans are only on the evil side. The Rebellion has no furries! The Horde has many!
Seeing Mermista in her little depression bath right after seeing the refugee evacuation was so funny, it’s the first time any of the princesses have seemed like despicable spoiled royals.
Octavia was here for basically the first time! I love the hot octolady! Also it isn’t brought up at all but it’s cool to think of what it’s like for her to burn down presumably her homeland.
I love that she lost her eye to a child and she was like ‘Yeah I’ll reclaim this. I’ll tell it to the enemy like it’s cool and just shows how badass our leader is’
It’s so wild to see Hordak ‘in the field’! He was always so cool as a secluded menace but now he’s so cool on the battlefield and the good guys get to see it! Could he have done this at any time? What a legend.
Catra is starting to chill out! We see her give orders in a calm, reasonable way. I love that she’s settling into her position. I LOVE that she talks to Scorpia’s phone for minutes without noticing that she hasn’t heard anything back. I love that it takes her this entire episode to realize Scorpia’s gone. That little understated arc has gotta be the best written part of this.
Omg Mermista’s rock remix???? God I love musical numbers so much. I had to stop myself from giving the episode an extra star for it. I want there to be a proper musical episode SO BAD.
Next time: Time is like a bagel…
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dolphs-world · 2 months
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Komm Susser Todd is the best scene despite every other one with Kensuke
Evangelion. I think I love Evangelion. I know I like the Rebuilds. 3 sucks, despite the piano stuff. And I was really worried because the subverted Toji from getting injured but then you see he worked with Nerv. Thankfully, it was explained well in 4, but that gutpunch still sucked in 3. None of the new characters, besides Toji's sister, were needed. They also bog down 4 a bit. And Shinji did ruin everything. Not at the end of 2 but at the end of 3. 1 is superfluous and got rid of the best Kensuke moments. Lame! Although I preferred the Netflix VAs, I thought they were all good. Especially Shinji, he did not sound like an adult man, and Hikari as an adult. There's this annoyance I have with VAs of each sex, cool generic tough male in video games, and girlboss in cartoons. Hikari sounded completely realistic, like a random woman you met on the street, and I loved it. Misato's VA fucking sucked. She was decent when she was gruff in the later films but my god she sucked. I liked 2, I really liked the aquarium scene although it was sad that they hadn't set up Hikari at this point. 2 was a very good rebuild, although I missed a lot of Asuka's characterisation and the episode where Shinji and her had to get on the same wavelength. I think 4 was great. I've heard people say that Gendo doesn't really have a motive and I can't agree with that. But it is weaker and much more obvious. But they actually humanise him! And it's good! That whole segment is good. The literally staged battle with him and Shinji was the only good fight in the Rebuilds. 4 stood out because of how much unique characterisation they gave everyone. And it started to get a little confusing, which is good. The rebuilds did explain way to much, which doesn't really make sense after the first one. The people who know everything are the ones watching the Rebuilds. You can't really watch the Rebuilds without watching the original, I thought about this a lot. Whilst they try to explain a lot, they don't show enough for the these movies to make sense. The only good bid of worldbuilding is Gendo and Fuji going to to the moon. This can then explain how they got Kaworu on their side in the original as well. (Also, whilst it sucks that Asuka is now a clone as well, that's not how I interpret Kaworu. Intertwined with Shinji, not made for him. His consciousness moves between universes.) But, all the fights sucked. The fights were never a strong part of the original, it's like watching The Sopranos for the cunningness of the mafia, except for EOE because of high tightly that was connected to the characters. And all the new music sucked, especially that Third Impact song. What a joke! Speaking of jokes, Mari is a good "fuck you" to the weebs but she does suck. Isn't funny how she has big boobs? Also, whilst you can justify the sexuality of the original, it's just gratuitous in this one. Isn't it great how one of the last lines in all of Evangelion is Shinji talking about how big Mari's boobs are? Despite not really getting the ending of EOE, I think I did find this one more depressing. And it is mainly because of Asuka. She is the second most important character in the original, the only person who it makes sense for Shinji to end up with. And besides her relationship with Kensuke, she has nothing. No Hikari, no mother complex, not Kaji, no relationship with womanhood. She is more of a husk than Rei, a doll for Shinji. And she gets tossed aside for one with bigger boobs. Her ending is somehow sadder than in EOE. She has been given no second chance. I prefer the original.
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transboysokka · 9 months
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How did you first get into Avatar/why do you like it? I love to see how different people answer this question!!
Wow, let's see it all started when I was ten years old and my family JUST got cable television, so I was excited to be a Cool Nickelodeon Kid, and I saw a preview for this Cool New Show that was gonna premiere on a Friday and I remember asking my mom if I could move my bedtime to see it because it looked cool
That show was Avatar if you didn't guess lol. And it was SO good. It was the exact kind of fantasy I loved, and the worldbuilding and aesthetics were SO good, and I just kept watching every single week because I was HOOKED.
I remember my mom would watch it with us which was interesting to me because she usually thought kids shows were boring.
I also always would talk to my friends at school about it the following Monday, which was definitely the first show I'd ever seen that people would have that sort of watercooler discussion about.
Anyway I think in the original run I only missed the Jeong Jeong episode and the Fortune Teller episode.
When it was originally airing, I remember the show teaching me a lot about the world, and also how to process different difficult emotions and deal with adult stuff. Growing up in America, there was a war going on at the time for us too, and it was everywhere, and I remember watching 9/11 on live TV and my third-grade teachers made our class watch the US invade Iraq and bomb Baghdad on live TV.
This was all stuff adults had never bothered to help me process (they probably thought they didn't need to, but I actually still have PTSD about 9/11) and anyway it was just really cool to see stuff like this on TV that could also challenge and develop my own morality as a kid.
Like even the idea of a bad guy turning good?? That was hard for me.
Anyway even when the show ended I still loved it. I was always drawing it or thinking about it or talking about it. I rewatched it a lot through the years.
When I moved to China in 2018 I rewatched it again because the show reminded me of where I was living and I thought that was cool.
And yeah as I've rewatched it more and more I've found new things to appreciate about it each time, and it's really cool to see how I've grown and changed alongside it.
Anyway, in the last like six months somehow I got clued into the fact that there's now a really decent-sized online fandom surrounding it, which I really think I started to notice when I was just reading way too much ATLA fanfiction as I do every few years and realized WOW a lot of these things have been written really recently!
So I decided to come back to Tumblr and check it out and here I am!
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shivada-jade · 3 years
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reply back
modern!au/idol!au
characters: aether, lumine mentions: venti, xiao, kazuha, barbara, azhdaha warning(s): swearing because lumine and aether are siblings
notes: i've been lACKING these idol au's so im gonna write more idol au's because i nEEED it
You were seven when you were introduced to the twins. Coming from a foreign land, you struggled with the language they spoke in, but they were patient with you and taught you their language and much more. The twins were multilingual and explained it was from their frequent traveling and relatives from different places.
You and the twins were close, but Lumine spent more time with you, making Aether whine a lot. He would always poke sticks at you and hide your legendary, full art Pokemon cards to catch both Lumine's and your attention. It does work, but Lumine's mad.
"Aether!" She'd scream with a lisp because of a missing tooth. "Stop doing that!"
Oh, but Aether is a sibling, meaning he'd play the 'innocent' card. "Stop doing what? What am I doing?"
In the end, you'd always have to call their parents when they fist fight at the sand pit. "Aether and Lumine's mom! They're fighting again!"
"Again?" The tall blonde sighed. "Thanks for telling me, hon."
After a good scolding, Aether and Lumine would be totally okay the next minute like nothing happened. You were used to their banter and rightfully took your Pokemon cards back. Lumine stuck a tongue out, blowing a raspberry at Aether when he turned his back, grabbing three large sticks.
"Fight me!" He cried with glee, giving one stick to his sister and one to you. "I will be the grand king of the sand pit!"
You vaguely remember the rest. Maybe you lost the 'sword duel,' or maybe you didn't, but what you did remember was this tall kid playing with his cat and eating the sand. Forget the kid, the only thing you remember is his cat's name called Azhdaha.
Your hands close your story book. You would never admit to your friends, but Lumine and Aether that you still read fantasy. The other kids in the neighbourhood would laugh saying what you were reading is a kid's story.
"So what if it's a kid's story? If you like it, read it," Lumine says aggressively while Aether opens the door for both of you.
"Lumi's right. They think they're all grown up, but they're kids too," he closes the door behind him, waving goodbye to your grandma rocking on the porch. "What's the story about anyway?"
You walk ahead, leading the two to a local mall. Every week, Aether, Lumine and yourself would spend Fridays and Saturdays together.
You and Lumine often joke how Aether doesn't do 'Saturdays are for the boys.' To which, Aether would scoff and reply with, "Boys who say that are stupid, not all but most. Saturdays are for spending time with people you care about. I don't care if they think I'm weak."
You step foot in the bus, tapping the card to pay for your admission. The twins, walk behind, doing the same and sitting next to you on the bus.
"It's called 'Songs of a Siren.' It's cool, you should check it out." You say, scooting a bit closer to the side so Lumine could have more pace to sit. The bus is packed. Teenagers littered inside, only a few adults were there including the bus driver. "Let's leave. Teenagers stink."
"...But you are one."
"Well-"
After the next stop, you push yourself through the crowd, trying to exit. Lumine pushes people, muttering a few 'excuse us' while dragging her brother. Your feet land on the concrete sidewalk and you finally breathe freely.
You see the twins finally get off the bus and tilt your head, "Let's go, the mall isn't gonna wait for us."
Entering the mall, the first thing you pass by is a clothes shop. You and Aether share a look, quietly doing rock-paper-scissors behind Lumine who's beaming to go inside.
Rock.
Aether chooses paper.
You droop to the floor because you're dramatic, knowing that once you go in the shop, you'll be the one carrying Lumine's purchases.
"Alright, Lumine," you say sighing. "Let's go shop."
You see Aether in your peripheral vision, pumping his fist laughing a quiet, "Yes!" when Lumine takes out her wallet.
"I know you did rock-paper-scissors." She counts the bills from her wallet, "But I'm buying for Aether which means even if you carry the things I buy, Aether's gonna have it much worse because he will be trying on everything I tell him to wear." She grins, settling with a black debit card.
After hearing this, Aether tries to walk in another shop to avoid dressing up for Lumine, but his sister quickly catches on and pulls him by the ear and walks in the clothes shop.
"Let's go!" She says to you, "These clothes won't shop themselves!"
...
"This one?"
"No, you look like grandpa in that outfit."
"Well what if I like looking like grandpa, huh? What are you gonna do about it?"
"Some people can pull off the sexy grandpa look. You're not 'some people.'" Lumine pulls out another outfit from the rack. "Try this one," she laughs, seeing Aether's horrified face and pushes him in the dressing area.
This is the ninth clothes shop you three go to, and you were starting to feel bad for Aether who had to wear every outfit Lumine wanted him to wear.
"Lumi," you say calmly, having trouble holding five shopping bags on each arm. She's on a shopping spree and you wonder how she gets all the money to buy these things. "That should be enough shopping for the day. I'm hungry."
The blonde lifts a hand. "Hold on a second," she smiles before banging on the changeroom door, "AETHER LET ME SEE THE FIT."
You can hear the loud sigh from the other side of the door as it slowly opens. He only peeks his head out, shyly mumbling, "This is embarrassing. I don't want to walk out like this."
Lumine rolls her eyes and pulls the door open, revealing Aether in a white dress shirt and dark pants.
Aether lifts an arm, inspecting the design. "It's a bit..." he pauses, thinking of a way to not offend his sister. "It's not my style." His eyes seek for your help to back him up, but you couldn't. The style on him looks so ethereal to him, and Lumine has the same idea.
His twin ran up to an aisle and picked out two accessories: a silk cloth and a floral pin. Lumine shushes Aether who tried to punch her.
"Shut up Aether, you'll look great." She pins the black rose onto the front of his shirt and ties the silk cloth around his neck. She steps a few steps back, making a rectangle shape to symbolize a picture frame and elbows you lightly. "He looks okay for once."
Okay is underwhelming, but to describe Aether better, he looks celestial. The warm studio lights hug every angle of Aether from head to toe. His golden eyes seem to brighten more and the outfit only accentuates his physical traits more.
From the corner of your eye you spot a tall-ish man who has been wandering past the same aisle but never picking anything up. He wears ordinary clothes- a T-shirt and jeans (rather stylishly), but you know from his incoming aura he's more than just an ordinary person.
You tap Lumine discreetly while still holding onto her shopping bags and tilt your head towards the man.
Aether, who keeps picking on the cloth around his neck goes frigid when the strange man walks up to him.
"Hey kid," he says cooly. He looks Aether up and down, lifting his shades to see clearer, and pulls out a small business card from his pocket. "You look like idol material. Ever thought about being a part of a boyband?"
Out of politeness, Aether takes the card and laughs nervously, "Not really" He looks at Lumine and you for help, but you two pretend to not know him when he turns to you.
The man shoves his hands in his pocket, blowing a bubblegum and popping it. His hair slightly tousles when he turns, waving a hand.
"If you ever do decide if you wanna be an idol, auditions are held next week at 10AM," he saunters off. "If they ask who recruited you, tell them a man by the name of Valentin did."
His lavender irises looks back once more before leaving the store, "The people from Teyvat Entertainment are introduced by my very hands. Don't disappoint me."
The automatic sliding doors open for him and he waves the store greeter a goodbye.
You see Aether's eyes scanning over he card Valentin gave. His lashes flutter quickly, signaling you and Lumine he was either shocked, or confused.
Lumine grabbed the paper, a habit she picked up due to being a twin and having to share everything with Aether who won't share. Her lips part, showing the card to you.
Teyvat Entertainment.
A company who created the world's famous DCKZ and the idol, Barbara. Teyvat Ent. has one of the youngest, top rookies of the year because of a group called TVT Dream. A company with many celebrities' and the business card is legit.
A store worker no older than your age meekly walks up to the three of you and asks, "Hey, uh. Are you ready to purchase your clothes?"
...
Aether shoves Lumine (don't worry she shoves him 10x harder) on the stairs while you watch from a safe distance.
You wave hello to their mom before waltzing into their home like you did many other times. You were their third child in their mom's eyes.
You slam the twins' room open and lay yourself on the bottom bunk of their bunkbed. "So do you wanna check Teyvat Entertainment?"
You fish out your phone from your pocket and hand signal for Aether and Lumine to come close to see. Your phone turns on, showing the lock screen of the twins in their embarrassing toddler moments then unlock it. Quietly laughing at the twins who have their faces beet red from the photograph.
"Why do you have that pic? DELETE IT."
"Did mom give that to you..."
You ignore them, opening up Google and typing in the Teyvat Ent. website and search their contacts. You ask Aether for the business card, comparing the two numbers side by side, and Valentin is indeed one of the scouts for the company.
You shut your phone off, hugging the two siblings together tightly. "Whether Aether decides he wants to be an idol or not, we'll still be the best of friends."
Lumine grins, squishing your cheeks, taking a closer look at you. "Well, duh. Are you scared we'll fall apart? No, if anything you should be scared we're never going to leave you alone even if you're 60 and married."
You pinch her cheeks and start to say something until you hear sniffles and coughing. You turn to Aether who was hiding his tears.
"Shut up, I'm not crying." He harshly wipes away the water falling from his eyes, "When I go famous, I'm going to give you my autograph so you can sell it and eventually get 20 cars and houses."
...
You were a teen when the dark-haired Valentin scouted Aether to be a trainee in Teyvat Ent.
You note that without Aether, their home is extremely quiet. It's odd not seeing Lumine scream at Aether for taking her hair clips. It's odd not seeing Lumine aggressively pull on the colourful flower hairclips on Aether's hair, just to get the clips back. It's so odd not seeing Aether is general.
Lumine scrolls through her phone, looking for furniture to add to her new apartment she shares with you. The only thing in the newly bought apartment is three mattresses, three plates, and three cups, just in case Aether visits. Though, Aether visiting is rare. His visits only happen during December for Christmas, but even then he had not visited. It's been two years since you and Lumine last saw him.
You stare at your last sent messages to the blonde boy.
▶ hEY. (threatening)
YO
▶ take care okay? lumine's worrying all the time for ur health bc she keeps watching yt vids on how idols over-do themselves from training
haha thanks for telling me
are you sure it's not you who's worrying 🧐🤧
the last thing lumi sent to me was "FUCK YOU"
▶ well the last thing you sent to her was "U BUTT"
▶ and she took that seriously
are you siding with her?
▶ yes
oh okay, frick you too seen three months ago
Your feet pad against the wooden tiles, grabbing a glass of water while scrolling through twitter. You lift the glass to your lips and almost choke from the water you drink.
You click the link on the phone with the title "Debuting boy band already claiming the hearts of many! Please welcome 4nemo!" Four boys stand in the picture, one being Aether.
You place your glass to the sink and run to Lumine, sitting next to her and who her your phone. She reads it over and visibly shakes. You swear she was about to cry until she takes the phone from your hand and starts throwing it, "AETHER THAT BITCH. HE DEBUTES AND SAYS NOTHING."
You're mortified and pull your friend away from your phone, "THAT'S A NEW PHONE, STOP." You push her away and run to your device, clicking on the link.
"One, two, three! Hello we are," Aether, the familiar blonde says.
His group members follow after him. "4nemo!" They say in chorus. One by one they start introducing themselves.
"Hi I'm Aether!"
"Kazuha," one says with a raise of a hand.
An energetic member steps up with a grin, "And I'm Barbisabeto!"
"He's Barbatos, forgive him." Teal undertones make it's way to the camera, "Hello, I'm Xiao.
The one with twin braids step up, mischievously grinning. "Please take care of us and support us during our journey through the music industry."
His teal eyes squint behind the camera, whispering to the member behind him. "Psst, Xiao. I can't read I'm blind."
Xiao rolls his eyes and steps up, slightly bowing, "Please support our debuting group, we will see you in our music videos."
But Lumine and you never paid attention to what they were saying. Both of you just started crying insults of endearment to Aether because he looks so... different. His face had mature and he's a real idol now.
Reality sinks in.
Now that Aether had a growing fanbase, it's going to be harder to contact him.
"Lumine, how are we going to talk to him now?"
Lumine ponders a bit, resting her chin on her hand before smirking. "Let's create an Aether hate page."
"Yes, let's do it."
After a quick recording of Lumine and yourself, you posted the video online, and soon enough, it goes viral.
Lumine laughs, replaying the video.
"This one's for the boys with the booming system," You say monotonously in front of the camera like what you said was a speech instead of a song. "Top down, AC with the cooler system."
Lumine comes on screen, flipping her middle finger at the camera. "When he come up in the club, he be blazin' up. This one is actually not for the boys with the booming system. This is for the BITCH, AETHER WITH THE BLONDE BRAID. Look at you with your ugly ass smile," She speaks in one breath and it amazes you. "Make sure you get millions of hits or it's all for nothing. Oh Aether's an ass."
The screen shows your hand scooping the phone up and waving good bye with Lumine still dissing Aether.
You nudge Lumine, showing a comment written at the bottom of the video, covering a laugh.
"who's aether?"
"huh??! aether?"
"lOL Why Does The Person On The Left Look Like Aether?"
"OH 4NEMO DABUTE. SHUTUP YOU ANTI. THEY'RE GORGEOUS. YOU'RE THE ONE UFLY" ➡ "ahisfdh you obvi didnt watch the whole video. she said "make sure get millions of hits"
Lumine grins, commenting at the people calling her ugly and Aether way better looking. "Lol, IKR. the one on the left is trying too hard to look like Aether. it's like shes tryna be a twin or smthn"
Though, because of your viral "hate" video, 4nemo's popularity sky rockets because of the unknown 'Aether' of the group.
...
Aether watches the video on the news channel, because that's how popular the video got. He looks at his manager, "Can I send a hate video back?"
"Aether, no."
But the winds are troublesome as the ocean, because a boy with teal tips on his hair snatched the managers phone, running and giving it to Aether. "AETHER. DO IT RIGHT NOW."
...
It was a shock to you seeing people follow your twitter account.
"LUMI, [NAME], IM SRRY I LOST MY PHONE AND DIDNT WANNA TELL ANY1 OR THEYLL GROUND ME," said the tweet, tagging you in comments.
Lumine doesn't have twitter, so when she looks over your shoulder seeing the tweet with her name on, she grabs the phone and locks herself in the bathroom, "R U FR AETHER?U DIDNT REPLY TO MY HAPPY BDAY. WE SHARE A BDAY DUMBASS"
She calmly unlocks the door, giving your phone back casually while you whine, "Lumine! This is twitter! They're gonna cancel me!"
"I'll cancel them back."
Ding! You receive a post with you name under the comments again.
hello, i have to apologize for our member stealing the manager's phone to tweet that. i swear that kid's the most responsible, but he's been triggered. #kazuha
You quickly type back, under the hashtag 'kazuha.'
"@/4nemo sorry uh thats one of ur members twin & shes mad that aether never gave her a bday present when she gave 1 to him #kazuha"
notes: psst here's where i got aether's outfit inspo when they were outfit changing at the mall
300 notes · View notes
emyluwinter · 3 years
Text
Yuu endures to the last drop of his patience and explodes when Vargas says he doesn't believe in the monster
- NOW LISTEN HERE, MR. VARGAS!! - Yuu raised his voice very much and was very on edge because of which the students next to them took steps away from him.
Taking several photos from their pockets, Yuu approached the teacher and literally glued the photo to their face.
- And what do you say to THIS?! I understand correctly that you took all the sports clubs and blackmailed them by disbanding them because of some "training tasks" so that they would go to your camp. At the same time, having lost one student for the whole day???
Ace and Deuce look at each other.
- Does Yuu have proof in the form of a photo?
- Hah..and the herbivore isn't stupid - Leona said with a grin.
Grimm pursed his ears and hid behind the others
- Yuu scares me..
- I haven't lost a single student!!All my beautiful muscles were extremely careful not to miss one. - Vargas replied.
- So you accept the fact that you are not going to be responsible for our safety, given that there are very important people among the students. For example, the PRINCE of one of the countries? Do you accept the fact that the camp participants had to fight back without magic pens, thereby increasing the risk of overblot by maximum marks?
Director Crowley decides to step in. - Ahem..Prefect..I don't think that ...
Yuu interrupts them abruptly in a hard and authoritative tone.
- Either you two take full responsibility as adults who are responsible for us, or stop acting like two adults who are not incompetent, not even bothering to do what their own students tell them.
Leona whistled - it was as if I had just returned to my homeland for a couple of minutes.
Ruggi is smiling awkwardly - this...does the Prefect always do this?
Ace swallowing nervously - I have no idea.
Vargas cleared his throat and immediately decided to fight back.
- I don't agree with you at all, Yuu. I didn't lose a single student, and as you know, no one was hurt.
- If you're so adamant about denying the truth, why haven't you bothered to simplify your task?
- Did Simplify The Task? - Vargas and Crowley asked in unison.
- We could have sent Deuce body to his family right away. What an amazing scandal it would be that the teacher did not bother to check the mines where most of the camp participants visited. Knowing that the mine is abandoned first, there is a risk that students could get lost, and secondly, the fact that it is abandoned does not guarantee its safety. Third, when I, Deuce and Ace, and Grimm came here the first time we needed the stone, there was already a monster case. You probably have so much muscle pressure since no gyrus is straining?
Floyd laughed merrily and began to applaud along with Leona.
- Bravo Shrimp!!That was awesome!
- Not Bad herbivore.
Yuu crossed his arms in displeasure. Deuce asks Ace in a low whisper
- What's wrong with them?
- I have no idea, but it was really cool.
Floyd is putting the phone away.
- And I filmed it. Jade and Azul will love it.
Sebek - Floyd, please pass this video to me as well, and I'll show it to the young master and the Lilia as proof.
Riddle looks at the first-year students, taken aback.
- Talking to the scarecrows like that...how many rules are broken in a couple of minutes.
Leona - Close your eyes to this, Riddle, agree these two hard talk that they would put their brains on the spot is very lacking.
***
After that, Yuu knees are shaking.
- I'll be expelled now, right?
Leona - I could have sworn they'd already forgotten about it.
Epel - but Prefect it was very cool!I didn't know you could do that.
Yuu awkwardly smiling - sorry...I'm constantly on edge and sometimes I have to let off steam or something like this happens.
Ace - if by letting off steam you mean that chopping wood with such force that you broke an axe in half, then even for you it's too much.
Yuu - I am an ordinary person who lives in a very dangerous environment..let's not lecture for me
376 notes · View notes
scandalsavagefanfic · 3 years
Note
Hello! I am a huge fan of ur writing. I've loved everything I've read of yours. I've read alot of what you've posted, except for a couple of the tags that are squicky for me (so I'm very thankful you tag very thoroughly). No judgement for the squick, it's just not for me. & when I'm having a bad day, I usually just go thru ur ao3 and find something to reread. I think about Therapy's Bruce & Jason every damn day. While I obvs appreciate ur darker more "problematic" content (I really vibe with some of the themes you write about bc of my own trauma, & so it's very cathartic to read about in a fictional setting), I am truly a sucker for ur more happy content. The Happily Ever After verse also lives in my head rent free. Idk more wholesome stuff just seems more special when you write it. Anyways. I would die for you. But the point of this ask is cause I'm curious as to why you don't like Urban Legends? I'm sorry if you already talked about it here or on twitter and I missed it. I was just wondering because I really enjoy your take on things and would love to hear why you dislike it. I've been enjoying it so far personally, but I am always open to DC comics criticism.
Aw thank you so much! I'm so flattered by everything you just said. You're so sweet ❤❤❤❤❤
I haven't talked about Urban Legends here or twitter (I haven't been very active in either place lately. Just a lot going on and no energy 😔) but I'm happy to do it here.
Before I start though, I just want to add a standard disclaimer and make it clear that if you like it, there's nothing wrong with that and you don't have to let me ruin it for you lol. Like what you like.
That said, since you asked...
I said this when I was talking about it on discord, that there is a difference between hope and expectation. I always hope that a new story centered on Jason (or anyone really, but things have been especially egregious for Jay for 15 years) will be good or at least treat the character with a minimal level of respect (to be honest, the bar is super fucking low). But my expectations always temper my hope, to keep it from getting unrealistic. Because my expectations are based on experience.
The long history of Jason Todd, since even before his resurrection, has been one of retroactively trying to make him "a bad seed" in order to absolve Bruce of any responsibility in his death.
I don't even expect DC or their writers to start honoring the fact that Jason was not an angry, reckless Robin (and less of the later than Dick or Tim and definitely Damian). There plenty of ways that retcon can be folded into his history and be compelling and sympathetic. And if they're going to stick with that retcon, I'm only asking that they do it in one of those compelling and sympathetic ways because Jason was 15 when he died, heroically, in one of the most selfless acts in comics, to save a woman who literally handed him over to be brutally murdered. He was 12 when Bruce plucked him off the streets, he'd been homeless and fending for himself for at least two years. I personally think that Jason's story hits harder for him and Bruce if their original, canon relationship, of Jason as starry-eyed and eager to learn and absolutely devoted to Bruce and Bruce to Jason, is preserved. But Jason's origins does leave room for a meaningful interpretation of him as angry and frustrated at the lack of meaningful results of Bruce's methods.
And that's really where my irritation at stories like Batman: Urban Legends, Cheer and Batman The Adventure Continues has it's roots.
Every time one of these stories comes out, I think (or hope, rather) that this will be the one that remembers and respects the origins of the Jason and the Red Hood, that takes into account the changed sensibilities of comics readers in the 30 years since Jason's death and the subtle, 20 year, retroactive campaign to make him the "bad Robin". The "born bad" trope is played out and literally no one likes the message it implies. That some kids are just bad eggs and there's nothing parents or the adults around them can do. Especially when it's played as the kid's fault. If Jason's time as Robin is going to be characterized by anger, then it should be rooted in anger at the social injustices he witnessed as he grew up in an impoverished, crime-ridden, area and the horrors he faced raising himself when every day was a battle for survival. There are topical, meaningful, stories to tell with that backdrop.
But those are never the stories we get.
⚠⚠ Spoilers for Batman: Urban Legends, Cheer ⚠⚠
I'm particularly disappointed in Urban Legends because for the first issue, it looked like that was the kind of story we were going to get. I was put off by the first flashback of Jason being mesmerized by Bruce's guns, and I got that feeling in my gut that it was a bad sign. Jason depicted as impatient and overconfident and the scene with the guns is heavy-handed foreshadowing that got my spidey-sense tingling. I had a inkling then (in the first three pages) of how this story was going to play out, but it was early and I could still see many narrative paths that could lead to a satisfying story. My concerns were soothed somewhat and the little flame of my hope fanned, with the flashback of Alfred scolding Bruce, with Barbara's concern for Jason. A bit of worry returned with the way Jason ruthlessly pursued an addict who didn't appear to be a dealer and with the ending of the issue. The stuff with the addict sat wrong with me but the ending was tempered some by how despicable Tyler's dad was written. The scene was clearly set so that the reader could sympathize with Jason's decision and the scene with the addict could be brushed aside as a side-effect of comics over-the-top need for constant action, so I still held hope.
Issue 2 made me uncomfortable and it's where my hope starts to take a backseat to my expectations. I can dismiss Jason's self-deprecating internal monologue as unreliable narration, except that the flashback reinforces his thought process to explicitly show that it's not unreliable narration, and should be taken at face value. Jason faces physical abuse at the hands of his mother's drug dealer and when the flashback continues later, Jason kills the drug dealer. To be clear, this is a pre-Bruce Jason. His mom is still alive. He's like... 10. He kills this guy for shoving his head into a wall and implying Jason's mother paid for her drugs with sex. This is a scene that serves a single purpose. To show that Jason has always been prone to violence.
In the spirit of full disclosure, there is the small chance the drug dealer might not be dead. But the story obviously wants the reader to think he is, and it hasn't done anything to change that yet.
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Starlin already did this story with The Diplomat’s Son in 1988 and he did it infinitely better. AND that’s still technically canon. So now I’m supposed to believe that Jason lost his cool bad enough to kill two douche bags before his sweet 16? Like it’s totally normal for abused kids raised in poverty, who’ve led hard and heartbreaking lives to just... haul off and kill people? That’s bullshit, and when taken with the Jason in the third issue, who is little more than an idiot thug, this story is really doubling down on some fucked up stereotypes.
Which brings us to the most recent issue. I went into this installment with very low expectations. I thought this story was going to be about Jason, through this experience with Tyler, a young boy with a similar background to Jason's, coming to the realization that Bruce's way is the best way and that Bruce did his best by Jason.
That would be annoying (in no small part because it takes increasingly absurd levels of plot armor to keep Bruce's no kill rule relevant, let alone irrefutably right). But I can probably live with that, if only because maybe if Jason officially falls back into line with the Bats crusade, maybe I'll get stories that treat him with respect, stories that don't relegate him to comic relief, dumb brute, or a background body with no lines in a story about the Joker burning Gotham (like Jason would just fucking stand there quietly for that).
And that may still be where the story is going, Jason realizing Bruce is right.
But holy shit do I not have the right words to describe how fucking insulting and gross issue three is.
From start to finish--including the flashback--Jason is written as cruel and fucking stupid. Like straight up dumb.
The entire issue is Bruce explaining the fucking basics to Jason like it's his first day. And Jason flies off the fucking handle and terrorizes a doctor he knows isn't a part of making the Cheerdrops, beats the shit out of some random addicts, and finally, when he can't accomplish anything on his own because he's a dumb brute he calls Barbara for help and rushes in with no information where he's promptly incapacitated and must now wait to be rescued by Batman.
This panel is the least of the issues sins but I can’t screenshot the entire story but it’s representative of the tone for the whole issue (and retroactively tainted the prior two issues).
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This is beyond insulting. The only conclusions Jason comes to in this issue are the ones Bruce leads him to by talking to him like he can’t make the simplest connections. And like... in this story Jason can’t make the simplest connections.
This (and the Jason throughout the entirety of this issue) is a far cry from the Jason we fell in love with in Under the Red Hood, who was competent and strategic and intelligent enough to seize control of Gotham’s underworld from Black Mask (who’s no fucking slouch, he’s the first and only person to unify organized crime in Gotham) AND elude and manipulate Bruce until the time and place of his choosing.
This is a far cry from even the Red Hood and the Outlaws Jason who is competent enough to fight the League of Shadows and Ra’s al Ghul (among very dangerous and skilled others) and smart enough to create antidotes for mind control nanotech viruses.
As he should be, by the way. Jason Todd is one of the best, most comprehensively trained fighters in DC’s stable of non powered vigilantes. He’s not irrational or hot headed. He’s pragmatic, tactically minded, and patient. He’s a detective. Right now. Has been since he was 12. Bruce doesn’t have to make him one because he already is. 
Jason is not a stupid thug who uses his fists because his brain doesn’t work. And I can’t tell you how so very exhausted I am by this narrative. 
This is actually the most egregious example of Jason’s skills and intelligence being not just undermined but dismissed entirely. Even Morrison’s Jason had some degree of competency. 
The one, single redeeming factor of this story is the art. It’s beautiful. And Marcus To is a godsend he seems to be one of only a couple of artists who remember that Jason was a child when he was Robin and I’m literally only buying this book because of him. 
Anyway, I’m sorry. I didn’t want that to come out so... um... passionately lol. I’m just very very tired. My intention with this isn’t to ruin it for you, if you like it, that’s fine. 
But this issue shot this story to the top of my "Vehemently Despise” list. 1) Batman: Urban Legends (Cheer), 2) Battle for the Cowl/Morrison’s Batman and Robin, 3) Batman The Adventure Continues.
I hope the next issues somehow salvage this dumpster fire. But I’m not expecting it.
(Damnit. That sounded harsh again. To reiterate, I’m not trying to judge anyone who enjoys it, I just personally hate it and you asked me why lol 😅)
320 notes · View notes
thetaoofzoe · 3 years
Text
Fic: Syverson the Protector pt 5
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*   Syverson The Protector - Part I (pairing Syverson x YOU)
*   Syverson the Protector - Part II (pairing Syverson x YOU)
*   Syverson the Protector - Part III  (pairing Syverson x YOU)
*   Syverson the Protector - Part IV  (pairing Syverson x YOU)
Author note: Finally part 5! Thank you so much for hanging in with me through this delightful journey and I hope that this part quenches your desire.
Summary:  Henry has invited you to spend a few weeks at his cabin in the mountains and of course you agree. 💖NEW💖
Rating for this part:  Sex, fluff, discussion of trauma (minor) Everyone has a good time and Aika is there too :)
I’ve picked ‘Henry’ as Syverson’s first name and he’s grown his hair out :D
Must be read in order, no part can stand alone.
Word count: 7500
Want to read more? Click for my Masterlist
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‘Well,’ said your nurse as she watched you sort and pack your belongings. ‘If you want him to know how you feel, you have to tell him.’ 
She folded her arms and leaned against the narrow door frame to your hospital room. You glanced up at her. 
‘I’m not twelve, Barb,’ you scoffed, nevertheless feeling pleased with her observation.
‘Well you were the one asking me to pass notes to him like you were in school.’ 
You raised your brows in surprise and then pointed an accusatory finger at her. You had resorted to note passing because you couldn’t see Henry face to face and communicate with him like an adult. It wasn’t an ideal situation, but you made it work. 
‘You, Nurse Barb,’ you started, about to say something caustic and then relented, deciding to be sweet. ‘Did a great job passing notes, and I thank you.’ 
You flipped closed your small travel case and crossed the hospital room to grab at one of the slowly deflating helium ‘Get Well’ balloons which still listed lazily around the silver weight that held it in place. With a small pair of scissors, you cut the ribbon tether and lanced the mylar in an inconspicuous place. Pressing the balloon to your chest, you squeezed out the remainder of the helium air mix and added the now flat balloon to the pile of other flattened balloons. 
‘So? Then what are you going to do about it?’ Barb continued to press.  ‘Leave and regret never having said anything?’’
You stopped compacting the pile of deflated balloons and turned to look at her. 
This whole budding romance thing between two war torn lovers must have been the most exciting thing that had ever happened to the nurse, you thought pleasantly. It was certainly exciting to you. So, you cut her some slack. 
‘I just happen to know that he’s outside in the pool area right now. And, you have some time before your flight.’ 
The look on her face was both encouraging and infuriating. 
Smiling, you walked to the door and patted Barb’s shoulder. 
‘All right. I’ll go.’
She waggled her brows, turned and walked with you down the narrow corridor and then through the half-empty dayroom. She stopped at the double glass doors that led to the pool area and used her weight to press open one side.
‘I can’t tell if you’re a really good matchmaker or a really bad matchmaker,’ you said absently. 
She shrugged.  
‘Good luck, and don’t be too hard on him.’ 
‘I won’t. Well, I probably won’t. Well...I can’t promise.’ 
She chuckled and quickly gave you a one-armed hug. 
‘I’ll have them bring your bags to the car when it turns up. There are a few people going to the airport with you. So if I don’t see you… keep in touch, ok?’
You nodded and walked through the open door. 
The pool area, as they called it, was really just a collection of beach umbrellas shading colourful inflatable kiddie pools, some blowup flamingos, and an odd assortment of mismatched lawn chairs. There were several men camped out around most of the medium sized pools, with their feet in the water and enjoying each other’s company. You spotted Henry right off the bat, as he was the only one still in a wheelchair and paused a moment to watch him laugh at something the man next to him had just said. You were loath to interrupt them. 
I’ll just leave a note, you thought, turning your back to the men in order to return to the day room. He won’t mind. I’ll leave a note and my business card so he won’t feel pressured to say anything to my face.
A little lost in thought, you lingered there for a moment, with your hand on the door handle when your thoughts were interrupted by a chorus of teasing male voices calling out your name, accompanied by whistles and several coquettish sounding ‘yoo-hoo!’s. 
A wave of heat rushed into your face and you hunched your shoulders in a self-conscious cringe. 
Jesus Christ you hated military men sometimes.
 But you had been caught and you had no other choice but to turn around and face them. 
One of the men kicked out the empty lawn chair closest to Syverson and waved you over. Taking the invitation, you drew the chair close to the circle, lightly rested your hand on Henry’s shoulder and sat down next to him. It was good to see him looking so well. 
‘I read your new article,’ said the man, and by deciphering his medical wristband you learned he was called Solensky. ‘That was a damn brave thing you did.’ 
You shook your head and looked at Syverson, hoping that he didn’t think you were trying to steal glory.
‘I didn’t write it to showcase what I did. I had to tell people what really happened. How heroic the men were. And my partner. The sacrifices that they all made. What I did wasn’t important.’
‘Saving my life wasn’t important?’ 
Syverson sounded a little bit hurt and turning to him you were at a loss to read his suddenly cloudy expression. 
You opened your mouth to protest. 
‘I-- I didn’t mean that you… of course you are important. I just did what I had to.’
You held his incredulous gaze and continued, ‘you know that, Henry.’
Didn’t he believe you?
‘He don’t mean it like that,’ said Solensky. ‘He means that, you doing what you did, was important. Even if you don’t think it was.’ 
Henry obviously agreed with the man’s assessment, for a smile lifted the corner of his mouth and you cut a relieved and fondly exasperated  look at him. Sitting back in the creaky lawn chair you kicked your feet out in front of you and rested them against the cushy rounded pool edge. 
‘Thank you,’ you said finally and nodded to Solensky. ‘I had hoped to get it finished and published before I left.’ 
It felt good to hear some praise from the men you were trying to uplift. 
‘You leaving soon?’ he asked. 
‘Yes. Today. In a few hours in fact.’
You turned to face Henry again. 
‘I wanted to say goodbye before I did.’ 
His face remained unreadable and you feared that you had upset him in some way.
The door to the dayroom opened and Barb called to you. 
‘The car is here early. They have to do more stops, so you’ll have to leave now, I’m sorry.’
You shot Syverson a panicked look. 
Now? But you didn’t say all you wanted to say. You didn’t have time!
‘Ok,’ Henry said finally. ‘You don’t want to keep them waiting or they’re gonna have you walking home.’ 
He pressed himself up and out of the wheelchair and breathing a little hard from the exertion, he faced you when you stood as well.
‘I’m in your debt. Whenever you need me, for whatever reason, I want you to call on me. It don’t matter, you got that?’
‘I got it,’ you answered, feeling a deep pang of agony and regret in your gut. Leaving was harder than you had expected. 
Henry smiled then and curving his arms around you, he pulled you against his sun warmed body. 
And what torture it was for him to hold you like that! 
You put your head on his chest and embraced him in return. And, when you lifted your teary eyes, he leaned in and  kissed your forehead. But that wasn’t good enough. Not nearly enough and you squeezed him when his lips met yours. 
‘Ok… ok,’ you giggled, feeling hot faced and aroused. ‘You gotta stop that or I won’t be able to leave.’ 
He didn’t release you. 
‘You can stay and come home with me,’ he said, moving in for another kiss. 
You ducked your head and stepped out of his embrace. 
‘If you behave, maybe I will.’ 
Barb cleared her throat, a signal that you were out of time, and kissing him quickly, you turned to leave. 
‘Barb’ll give you my card. It’ll have my info on it.’
‘I will?’ she asked, glaring at you and then at him. ‘Boy, I’ll be glad when you leave and I can stop all of this note ferrying back and forth.’ 
‘See ya,’ said Henry. 
‘Soon,’ you promised and went through the day room doors. 
**
It had been six months. Six months of convalescing at home, writing columns and binge watching all of the television shows you missed while you were deployed. It had also been a pleasant six months of regular correspondence with Henry, which culminated in him asking you to come to the mountains with him for a few weeks. He had a little cabin in Montana which he had been renovating and now that Aika was finished with her mandatory quarantine in the States, he was going to go there and relax. 
A few weeks in the fresh mountain air was just what you needed and once you agreed, he made and paid for your travel arrangements. 
 **
It was refreshingly cool when you shuffled into the noise and chaos of the airport arrival terminal on your way to the baggage claim. However, you walked a little more leisurely than the hustling crowd, taking in the sights and idly people watching. As a journalist, although you had trekked through more airports than you cared to count, the peculiar culture of tiny, and expensive indoor pseudo-cities like this was still so compelling. It wouldn’t be strange to see a bleary eyed man chowing down on a stacked burger and swilling his third bourbon on the rocks at 6:30 in the morning. Or seeing a grown woman tucked into an awkward corner, and clutching her carry-on bag protectively in front of her as she tried to catch some sleep during an unexpected flight delay.
You had been both of those people at one point or another in your travels. But there was another reason why you were strolling and taking your time examining the mass produced keychains and tee shirts proclaiming the name of the state you were in. You were nervous and your heart banged painfully against your ribs. You could feel it galloping and straining against its internal tethers and you had to stop occasionally and pretend to look at overpriced pizza slices in order to catch your breath.
You were nervous about seeing him again. That sweet, unfairly handsome Captain Henry Syverson.
The thought of him made you smile but you pressed it into a straight neutral line in the event someone was watching. You didn’t want to seem crazy, grinning down at a display case of heat-lamp warmed slices of cheese pizza. 
When you finally reached baggage claim, a man, dressed in a dark suit and white shirt was waiting for you. He stood  with the rest of the chauffeurs looking bored and holding an open tablet on which your name stood out in bold block letters on the screen. You walked expectantly up to him and he smiled and greeted you by name.
‘How was your trip?’ he asked, as he walked  with you to the baggage carousel.
‘It was fine, thank you.’
And the two of you stood side by side watching the conveyor belt start to move and roll out the luggage.
‘Which one is yours?’ he asked, moving closer to the belt, ready to snag your bag as it tumbled by.
‘The red one, with the white stripe. It has the camera shaped luggage tag.’
He nodded and when that red bag came by, he grabbed it by the side handle. He then put it down, pulled up the telescoped handle and indicated that you follow him to the parking lot. Outside, the cool air woke you from your flight induced stupor and you took in a long cleansing breath. 
‘First time in Montana?’ he asked, grinning as he watched you stretch your arms and back. 
‘Just tired,’ you said. ‘Long flight.’ 
He opened the door to the glossy black SUV and helped you step up into the high spotless interior. Through the back window you watched him stow your suitcase in the trunk and followed him with your eyes until he climbed into the truck.
‘So,’ he said and fiddled with his tablet. ‘It’s going to take a little while to get to the destination. Is it warm enough for you? Too warm? There are snacks in the centre console and water under the seat. Do you mind if I have the radio on?’
The questions seemed rehearsed and you assured him that everything was fine before you sat back into the plush leather seats and he drove off.
Taking out your mobile, you switched it off of airplane mode and it immediately pinged that you had a message.
Making sure you landed safely.
You smiled and replied that you had done just that and were already on your way.
I’ll be waiting. I hope you’re hungry.
The driver was right. It took two and a half hours to get to the cabin and the last mile or so was on a dirt road so pitted and bumpy that you weren’t sure you were going to come out of the ride in one piece.
But it was all made better when you spotted Henry standing with Aika on the broad porch of a gorgeous mountain cabin. When he said that he wanted you to spend time with him at the cabin, you immediately pictured it to be a one or two room Little House on the Prairie type place. Which was absolutely fine with you, as you wouldn’t be there to admire the decor. However, you were not expecting the beautiful structure that stood proudly amongst the trees.
The driver slowed, made an awkward k-turn in the dirt and deposited you directly in front of the tall man approaching the truck.
The sight of Henry made you feel weak and proud to show the driver that you had been chosen by a superior specimen. Henry briefly spoke to the driver through his open window and the trunk popped open. With hands clasped in your lap, you waited. Henry grabbed your suitcase, slammed shut the trunk and then opened your door. He positively beamed at you and when you took his outstretched hand, you felt like a princess being rescued from a high tower.
When the SUV made its way back down the dirt road and the two of you were finally alone, you were faced with one of two decisions.
One: behave in your usual awkward way and shake his hand or pat his shoulder and thank him for letting you come and visit.
Or
Two: press into his arms and give him the biggest hello I fucking missed you, kiss he’d ever received.
With some internal dismay, you found yourself leaning towards option one. You didn’t want to lead him to the wrong impression about you and slowly you extended your hand.
A look of surprise drifted across his face, but he was apparently willing to follow your lead. Before he could take that hand, you had a change of heart and instead ran straight at him and clamped your arms about his waist.
‘Hey, baby,’ he murmured, kissing the top of your head and enveloping you in his strong arms.
Oh God, you thought. I’m gonna start crying.
Tears pricked your eyes and before you could stop yourself, you heaved with a desperate sob.
‘What’s the matter?!’ he asked, sounding alarmed with the sudden change in your attitude.
You clutched him tighter and put your face against him.
‘I’m… I’m so happy to see you standing right here,’ you gasped.
The last time you’d seen him in the flesh, he had still been mostly confined to a wheelchair, still healing from his terrible wounds and unable to look after himself. But there he was now, strong and whole and so warm in your arms that you felt an overwhelming sense of affection for him. 
Henry held you tighter and you felt infinitely safe in his embrace. Everything was right with the world. 
‘I thought about the moment I could do this,’ he said, gently stroking your back. ‘And now I made you cry.’
‘I’m just so happy to see you well,’ you said, pulling back and looking at his wryly smiling face. ‘And not hooked up to wires and IVs.’
‘Ok,’ he drawled. ‘Me too. In that case…’
He curved one hand about your cheek and lifting your face, he kissed you. It took a few more moments of cuddling before you eventually stopped trembling and having an existential crisis. He drew back, bent down and picked up your bag. 
‘You hungry?’ he asked, slipping his hand down to your lower back and guiding you to the glorious cabin. 
‘Famished!’ you announced and stopped at the bottom of the stairs. 
The dog on the porch sat up and wriggled with pleasure, her thick furry tail whapping excitedly on the wooden boards. 
Henry dragged his fingers through the thick brown and black scruff and scratched her angular head. The dog bowed and flattened her ears softly and approached you. You put both hands on her head and massaged her fluffy ears. 
‘I remember you,’ you said to the dog who continued to eagerly lick at your hands.
‘This place is different than where she’s from, but she loves it.’ 
Then to Aika he said, ‘stay on the porch.’
And the dog promptly flopped down on the cushiony bed made from folded quilts and began her surveillance of the surrounding tranquil woods. 
Henry opened the cabin door and ushered you in. 
The inside was just as spectacular as the outside and your mouth came open with surprise. 
‘I know you did all of this, didn’t you. It’s so… beautiful.’
‘I had help,’ he answered modestly. ‘It’s been a work in progress for years. Still got some things to do, but it’s liveable.’
Liveable, you scoffed silently. That was an understatement. The place was an obviously handcrafted masterpiece. From the matte blonde wood flooring and the warm caramel panelling, it was a masculine tribute to a rustic lifestyle. The appliances were new, but understatedly retro and wood burning. The main living room was broad and comfortable with soft couches and homespun appointments. You followed Henry down a narrow hallway to the left. Off of that hallway was a short staircase that led to the upper floor. 
‘There’s a guest bedroom down there,’ he said pointing to the door at the end of the corridor and the master is upstairs.’
He gestured that you go up the stairs and you complied. Opening the door at the top of the stairs, you found yourself walking into a bright warm room with a large bed facing a broad clean window that overlooked the trees and the lake behind the cabin. It smelt of pine and you wondered if he picked that scent because he thought you might like it. You did like it. 
Henry put your bag on the floor by the bed. 
‘This is your room.’ 
He rested a hand on the glossy dresser top which had been pushed against the far wall. 
‘You can put your stuff in here, or hang them up in the closet.’ 
He opened the door next to the dresser to show you the empty closet space. 
‘Bathroom’s over here.’ 
He crossed the room, opened the second door and you poked your head in, pleased to see a full bath and tub.
That tub might come in handy for sexytimes. 
Once the tour was completed you smiled at him, but left the question of where he was going to stay to burn on the tip of your tongue. 
It didn’t stay there long for Henry beat you to it. 
‘I’ll be downstairs… in the guest room.’ 
There was hesitation in his voice and he trailed off seeming suddenly shy and awkward. 
Was he as nervous about your visit as you were?
 He didn’t look at you as he put a hand against the back of his head, which you knew  was an unconscious self-soothing gesture. But you didn’t want to put him out of his misery just yet. You were enjoying it too much. 
‘If… when you need me,’ he finished.  
The implication of needing him, at night, hung heavily in the air and trailing a finger up his bare forearm, you squashed a smile. 
‘And you’ll be downstairs…’ you said, keeping your voice serious and your expression neutral. ‘If… I mean when I need you. You’ll be downstairs? In the guest bedroom? Downstairs?’
He looked at you a moment, his own expression a mild mix of confusion and then that sweet slow bloom of understanding in his eyes. You saw the exact moment that he realised you were teasing him and you couldn’t help laughing. 
‘C’mon you,’ you said, slipping your hand into his. ‘I’m starving.’ 
***
Once downstairs, he packed a big red-topped cooler with vegetables and potatoes and steaks that had been marinating overnight, as well as cutlery, plates and other sundry items. Carrying only a chilled six pack of bottled lager, you followed him down the winding gravel path to the lake. There was a rustic firepit down there flanked by two dark wood adirondack chairs and a picnic table. 
You wondered if he made all of that himself and then chuckled. Of course he did.
 You watched him dump the cooler next to the grated firepit and go to grab a few already split logs from a nearby pile. Clutching the thin cardboard handle of the sixpack in both hands you felt unbearably girly and unwilling to admit that watching him start a fire with a small pile of tinder and a magnesium firestick, aroused the fuck out of you. It didn’t help that his jeans stretched nicely across his thighs when he crouched lower and gently blew onto the young flame before quickly adding additional fuel until the fire was stable enough to tent the logs over it. 
Henry rose and dusted his hands against the seat of his jeans and you cleared your throat. 
‘That was sexy,’ you said and laughed at your own audacity. 
He glanced at you over his shoulder, clearly appreciative of your praise, but instead of addressing it, he pointed to the short pier. 
‘Do you see the green nylon sack over there?’
You looked and nodded. 
‘Take the bottles and put ‘em in the sack and lower it into the water. That’ll keep ‘em cold.’ 
Feeling helpful, you did as you were told. When you returned a few minutes later, you hoisted yourself up onto the top of the picnic table and rested your feet on the bench seat.
‘Do you want some help?’ you asked after a moment. 
‘Nope,’ he answered, and cast another amused look at you over his shoulder. ‘You just sit there and be pretty for me, ok?’
You preened, and lightly patted your face. It was as pretty as you were going to get. 
‘I think I can do that. Sure.’ 
And you sat there thinking about having children with him. You imagined taking them on camping trips and teaching them all of the survival skills they needed to fend for themselves in the event the zombie apocalypse drove your family into the woods. So you asked him if he was prepared for the apocalypse and sat there rapt as he explained his six point plan and how he had been planning and storing for the last three years. 
When dinner was ready, the two of you ate at the picnic table and drank most of the beer and discussed the pros and cons of wasting ammo to achieve a head shot as opposed to just disabling the zombie so that you could escape it. 
‘Yeah, but you are the one who’s gonna get the successful headshots. I’m just out there swinging a rake or something.’ 
‘Can get you a katana if you like.’
You laughed and swigged your beer. Pointing the mouth of the bottle at him you scoffed. 
‘A katana?? I’d more likely slice myself up before I’d do any damage to a zombie.’
‘I don’t think so,’ Henry replied easily and stood up to stoke the fire. 
He helped himself to another few spoonfuls of vegetables, which when offered, you declined. 
‘A little training and some practice, you’d be fine.’ 
‘You have a lot of misplaced faith in me, sir,’ you teased him. 
Henry was quick to answer. 
‘You’re wrong. You already proved to be capable, ingenious and tougher than you think. I wouldn’t be here if you weren’t.’
Your chest tightened at the traumatic  memory and you stared down at your empty bottle.  The helpless tears started to threaten again. 
But biting them back, you reached across the table and put your hand over his. Henry took it, curved your fingers over his and brought your hand to his lips.
Henry’s open emotion made you feel just as raw and vulnerable as you had that fateful day. The day that entwined your lives together forever. 
You reached for him with your other hand and stroked his cheek, trailing your fingers through his beard which continued to amaze you with how soft it was to touch. He captured your other hand and kissed that one as well and then held them both. And when he smiled, you smiled in return. It was all right now. 
It was starting to get dark and across the lake,  you could see the setting sun disappearing behind the mountains. Henry got up and began clearing the table. 
 ‘ Go and sit by the fire,’ he instructed you when you tried to help. 
If he wanted to do all of the work, who were you to stop him. You slid onto the cool chair and drew your knees up and to the side to get comfortable just as Aika came trotting out of the woods. She went immediately to you and put her slobbery chin on your thigh. You rubbed her furry head until she was tired of the attention and went to beg scraps from Henry. 
‘Coffee?’ he asked a moment later and lifted an old battered tin percolator to show you that he meant coffee and not anything else. 
‘I could have one, sure.’ 
You had got used to black coffee during your time on the front and really never bothered to change it when you went back to civilian life. The cup he gave you was hot and tasted fresh with a hint of vanilla. 
‘Vanilla,’ you said and he chuckled, seating himself in the chair next to you. 
‘I ah… I got used to it over there, now I can’t drink any other kind.’ 
You didn’t mind it. Not at all and the two of you sat in companionable silence. 
‘It’s a beautiful place, Henry. A beautiful cabin. I am amazed that you did all of this.’
‘My friends helped. This is their place when they want it too.’
Aika flopped down on the space between the chairs and Henry reached down to pat her head. 
‘Are you glad I’m here?’ you asked finally, admittedly fishing a little for compliments. 
‘Yes,’ he said. ‘I’m very glad you’re here.’ 
You were going to say something else but a yawn caught you off guard. Now that you were full and content and safe, sleepiness began to creep in around the corners. 
‘You had a long flight,’ Henry offered as explanation, holding out his hand to take your cup. ‘If you want to go on in to sleep, I’ll take care of things here out here.’ 
‘No! No, I don’t want to leave. I’m not too sleepy.’ 
‘Awright,’ he chuckled and leaned back into the chair. 
Aika yawned then and you did the same. You put the cup on the flat arm of the chair and closed your eyes. You had never felt so happy and before you knew it, you had drifted off. When you woke with a start later, it was dark and the fire had been extinguished. A glimmer of faint stars reflected by the lake was your only anchor point that confirmed where you were. 
But it was the type of dark that could only be achieved when there was no light pollution from nearby cities and you felt a twinge of panic. 
‘Henry?’ you called sitting up. 
He wasn’t in the chair next to you and Aika was gone. 
Shit! What if the killer was still out there?
You heard footsteps approaching on the gravel path. 
‘I’m here.’ 
His voice was warm and steady. 
There was no moon and standing, you blindly searched in front of you as he came closer. He put his hand around you, resting it low on your back then pulled you to him. At his touch, a jolt of welcomed pleasure spread out from your core. 
‘Why are you out here lurking in the dark?’ you giggled softly, pressing your hands flat on his chest.
‘Making sure nothing carries you off,’ he replied just as quietly and gave you a squeeze. 
Henry was clearly feeling for the edges of your boundaries and you deeply appreciated that about him. He hadn’t forced your hand and he was eagerly playing by your rules. 
‘I’m glad to have my big strong protector to save me from the monsters. Are you… gonna take me inside now?’
‘Yeah. C’mon.’ 
God, his voice was so unbearably soft and alluring and you knew that if you weren’t careful, you would find yourself beneath him in his bed tonight. 
You had to be careful, so once inside the cabin, you kissed him and bade him goodnight. Admittedly, that probably wasn’t how he expected the evening to end but you knew you were going to make the wait worth his while.
After showering thoroughly, you changed your clothes and sat down on the edge of the soft bed. The cabin was quiet except for the normal sounds of the woods coming in through the open window and the sounds of Henry moving around downstairs. 
I could get used to this. 
After a moment you heard the shower running downstairs and you immediately worried that you hadn’t left enough hot water for him. Stretching out on top of the quilt you listened and imagined his naked body, his wet, soapy naked body and a tingle raced up your thighs and pooled insistent heat in your groin. You bit your lip and pushed your hand between your legs. You held your hand there, still and unmoving and listened until everything had fallen silent on the lower floor.  
You breathed quietly, in and out and in and out again and relaxed, drawing your hand away and tucking it across your midsection. 
Sleep, you thought. It was all going to be more rational in the morning. 
**
Bright sunlight and sweet bird songs greeted you the next morning. After washing up, you followed the scent of coffee and breakfast downstairs. 
The front room was empty, but there was food and a still steaming coffee pot on the stove. The sound of Aika barking outside led you to the door and then out onto the porch. Henry stood at the bottom of the steps holding a red ball which he launched into the air for the dog to chase. He turned when you came to stand next to him. 
‘Morning,’ he grinned and kissed you when you lifted your face to ask for it. 
‘Hi. How did you sleep?’
‘Yeah, good, good. You?’
You stretched in the warm morning sunlight and fondly watched Aika race back to you. She dropped the ball and danced away, to wait for the next missile. Henry obliged and the dog took off again. 
‘It was better than I expected,’ you admitted happily. ‘It usually takes me a couple of nights before I can get comfortable in a new place.’ 
He nodded and took a drink from his flowered cup. 
‘Good. Hungry?’
‘I love that you’re always feeding me,’ you said joyfully. ‘Can we eat down by the lake?’
‘Anything you want, baby,’ he agreed. 
The air by the lake was warm and fresh and a few metres out on the water was a group of ducks having a morning swim. Basking in the sun with a hearty meal and an intriguing and funny man was the most indulgent thing you could have possibly done. And you held onto the moment for as long as it presented itself. 
You even agreed to a short easy hike after breakfast and in a sun drenched meadow you lay in the sweet smelling grass and talked about nothing in particular. 
The day passed in uneventful bliss and again, Henry prepared dinner over the fire and afterwards the two of you sat side by side on the top porch step to watch some unexpected fireworks in the eastern sky. 
During a lull in the colourful explosions, you went inside to grab a seat cushion.
When you came onto the porch, you were careful not to kick the cup at Henry’s side. Instead you picked up your own cup and gesturing for him to make room, you tossed down the cushion and sat on the step right between his knees. A little smile blossomed on your face, a response to the feeling of peace spreading through you, and you leaned back against Henry using his thighs as arm rests.
‘I like this,’ you said quietly and relaxed into the warm hands gently kneading your shoulders. 
‘Yeah.’
The sound of him, low and husky behind you, filled you with pleasure. You pressed harder between his open legs and he went still. This was the moment of truth.  Your heart thrummed with anticipation against your ribs and when he relaxed, so did you. 
A beat of silence drifted between you and then he spoke. 
‘You wanna go inside with me?’
There was a loud scratching sound of your nails raking along his jeans, evidence of your involuntary reaction to his clear invitation. 
‘Yes. I-- want to.’ 
The breath he let out was audible. 
‘C’mon then.’ 
Henry pushed himself up from the step and effortlessly lifted you in the process. It was like floating on air, reckless yet safe in his strong arms and when your feet finally hit the porch, you were loath to be released. You turned around to face him and slid your arms about his neck. The force of his kiss surprised you, and you clung tighter to him, opening your mouth to take all of him in. Henry pulled you against him and walked backwards towards the cabin door. 
You cried out with delight when he crouched and swept you up into his arms. Just like the charming prince he touted himself to be. 
‘I love this,’ you murmured, nipping at his lower lip and then suckling it between your own. ‘Why don’t you fuck me in your bed.’
‘Fuck,’ he groaned and clutched you to his chest. ‘You’re gonna drive me crazy, baby.’ 
‘I promise I’ll drive you crazy.’ 
Henry didn’t waste time in carrying you to the small bedroom at the end of the hall.  
His room was clean, and quiet. Not as fancy as the master bedroom, but it was  enough with its bed and bureau and the small adjoining shower. Aika, who had been napping on the floor at the foot of the bed perked up and cautiously thumped her tail as if wondering why the hell the two humans were making so much noise. 
‘Aika,’ said Henry desperately. ‘Out!’
With a groan of a petulant child, the dog heaved herself up and reluctantly left the room. Henry booted the door shut behind her and then set you down onto your feet. There was enough gloaming light coming in through the windows for you to see him grin. 
He cupped your face between his hands and kissed you gently, thoroughly and then let his fingers trail down over your shoulders, your arms and then across your waist where he curled his fingers beneath the hem of your baggy tee shirt. Instinctively you raised your arms when he lifted the shirt up and over your head. He tossed the shirt onto the chair in the corner. He then  turned you around and unhooked your bra which was also tossed to join the shirt. And still keeping your back to him, he kissed your shoulder and then the other and then kissed the space between them. The light scratch of his beard on such an unexpectedly tender place made you shiver and your nipples harden. He hummed quietly, a sound of absolute satisfaction and he nipped you lightly where your shoulder sloped down to your collarbone. You sighed voluptuously and leaned into his muscular chest, turning your upper body slightly and reaching back to smooth your hand over his head. 
Henry slipped his hands up from your waist and cupped your bare breasts and kissed you deeply as if trying to drink in every bit of you. You felt utterly possessed, and helpless in the face of his overwhelmingly masculine sexual power. You would give him everything, anything and all he had to do was ask. 
He slid his hands down your belly again and into the elastic waistband of your shorts. He eased them over your hips and chased your curves to the warm, velvety space between your legs. Highly aware of his two thick fingers beginning to work into your wetness you arched and moaned breathlessly, your voice rising sweetly into the warmth of the room. A dark knowing chuckle rumbled behind you and Henry dragged his tongue across your lower lip. 
All of your attention narrowed to that single delicious focal point of those deft fingers stroking your quivering clit and sliding deeper inside you. 
‘I want you,’ Henry murmured and the demand behind his words made you shudder. ‘I want you so bad.’ 
Yes, you thought. I want you. The moment I met you, I wanted you. I’ve always wanted you.
You turned in his arms and a wave of lust crashed over you at the sight of him. He slipped those two previous busy fingers into his mouth and sucked off your juice. You crooked a finger at him, beckoning him closer as you backed towards the bed. Henry whipped off his shirt and took his time unbuckling his belt and shoving down his jeans until he could stand beautifully naked before you, his thick beautiful cock hard and standing at the ready. 
You were ready for him indeed. Henry closed the space between you and grabbing you about the waist, he hoisted you up and sprawled you messily across the bed. You sat up, reached for him and dragged him down atop you. He was heavy, and pressed you steadily into the soft sheets and you never wanted to escape him. Henry kissed you hard, punishingly, muffling your sudden cry of pleasure with his mouth. You hugged and kissed him and swore under your breath, eager for the soft velvety feel of his  blood-hot cock sliding up along your inner thigh. 
‘Come inside me, Henry.’ 
It was all the invitation he needed. 
The newness of him sliding into you hurt just a little, a small but  welcomed reminder of what it meant when two lovers finally joined. Henry stilled then, and breathed quietly, as if fighting his urge to cum. You stroked his shoulders and kissed his face, encouraging him to focus only on you. He lifted his head and held your gaze as he rocked up into you again, then again, slowly and deliberately, stoking that fire smouldering between the two of you. You arched against him, vaguely aware of your own lusty sounds and Henry increased the intensity of his thrusts and in turn heightened the ferocity of your pleasure.
Henry lit your fuse and it consumed you. It crackled over your sensitive flesh and along every nerve ending and you responded eagerly to every slow drag of his cock in and out of you.  He made you feel alive, more alive than ever before and at the moment of your orgasm you closed your eyes and let his name escape your lips, offering it up as a prayer, as praise. As thanks. 
You held onto him when he finally completed the circuit and poured himself inside you. 
It took several moments of panting beneath him before Henry moved off of you and you immediately felt the loss. So you lay there, sweat cooling on your skin and basking in the warm feelings of well being. When your senses returned, you got up and went to the bathroom for  a quick pee and wash up and when you returned, the bed was turned down and you crawled gratefully beneath the soft sheets. 
‘That was fucking amazing,’ you murmured to the man next to you. ‘That was the best sex I have ever had.’ 
Henry chuckled and sounded pleased. 
‘Yeah. I waited a long time for you.’ 
‘Oh yeah? The moment I put my hand in yours outside of the barracks, you what? Wanted to carry me off to fuck me?’
He grunted. 
‘Yeah! Something like that. I would’ve at least got your name first, /then/ put you over my shoulder and carried you off.’ 
You smiled to yourself and imagined the scene and how shocked the men would have been to watch their stoic captain haul off the journalist for a little fun. You closed your eyes, only intending to get more comfortable to continue the conversation. However, again sleep had other ideas. 
Light burst behind your eyelids and the sound of shouting male voices filled your ears. You struggled to open your eyes, but something was holding them sealed shut. Another explosion and then the sound of rocks raining down all around you. I’m on fire, you thought, desperately trying to claw your way out of burning clothes. Your hands were already seared into talons of fused flesh and bone and there was nothing you could do to stop the pain. Sand blasted your vulnerable flesh and you opened your mouth to scream, only to be choked by tiny merciless shards of hot glass. You continued to scream and scream barely aware of the hands on your arms and the voice calling you name. It was Henry and he was shaking you out of your nightmare. 
‘You’re all right, baby. You’re all right,’ he murmured pulling you against him. ‘It’s just a nightmare. You’re all right now. I’m here.’ 
As the dream melted away, you curled up into his arms and burst into tears. Henry gentled you until you quieted and even beyond that until eventually you were able to speak. 
‘I’m sorry. I’m sorry…’ 
‘Don’t be sorry, baby,’ he whispered. ‘Don’t be. I’m here. I’ll protect you.’ 
You lifted your tear wet face and kissed him. Then again and again, rolling onto your back and pulling him with you. 
‘Make love to me, Henry. Please. Make love to me.’
‘I’ll take care of you,’ he promised.
And you trusted him to do just that. 
**
The morning rain kept the two of you inside the snug cabin and in bed where you took your time exploring and delighting in the mystery of each other. 
‘Does it still hurt?’ you asked, pulling back the sheets and stroking your fingers along the thick jagged scar that cut across his lower belly.  
Henry looked down at where you were touching him and shook his head. 
‘No. Not anymore.’ 
You fell silent, listening to the rasp of your dry fingers gliding across his skin. Henry curled an arm about you when you put your head on his shoulder. 
‘You never went to talk to someone about it, did you.’ 
It wasn’t a question and as much as you wanted to feign ignorance, you couldn’t shut down your immediate and visceral reaction to his observation. 
No. You had buried yourself in work the moment you got back to the States and didn’t want to think about the trauma that had befallen you. What was the point? It was over, wasn’t it?
Henry felt your body tense and he rubbed your back. 
‘That’s why you’re still having nightmares.’ 
Your voice was small when you spoke, hoping to be heard against the lashing rain. 
‘I thought I could handle it.’ 
He chuckled. 
‘I know. I thought I could handle it too. They don’t let us go home without group therapy. I fucking hate it, but I do it, because it works.’ 
You stopped the back and forth motion of your hand and just rested it on his scar. It was the thing that drew you together, the thing that reminded him of you.
Henry turned his head and kissed your forehead. 
‘You’re so strong. And you’re carrying this weight. But you gotta let it go, baby.’  
‘I know. I… dream about you dying in the explosion and then burning to death. I can’t stop it. I can’t help you.’
Henry held you close. 
‘You’re alive and I’m alive. I’m right here with you. You don’t have to worry when you’re with me.’
 You slept against his chest for most of the day and dreamed, not of violence in a desolate place but of a bright new future. 
-end part 5 you naughty little things. I love you ;D Please consider helping me to broaden my audience by reblogging this fic and sharing. Thank you. 
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Ask the Stars [Spencer Reid x fem! Reader]
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Find my masterlist here. Requests are Open.
Requested: Yes l No
A/N: I’ve had this idea floating around for a while and finally decided to write it and it flowed liked nobodies business! I LOVED writing this so I hope you enjoy reading it. Special thanks to the angel @dreatine who gave me the title for this fic and showing me the beautiful song the title is from (lyrics for which can be found throughout). Set pre-BAU.
CW: swearing, drinking, mutual pining, friends to lovers, age gap between consenting adults, virgin! Spencer, penetrative sex, unprotected sex, fingering, groping. I think that’s everything!
Plot: growing up together, best friends Spencer and the reader have always been secretly in love with one another. But a night together under the stars might be too little too late and with Spencer moving to DC and you to Idaho, that one night may be all you ever get.
WC: 12.2K
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Ask the stars up in the sky,
Ask the stars they’ll tell you why.
Stars know ev’ry little thing you do,
There’s a little star that’s watching you.
Ask the stars when you’re with me,
Ask the stars then watch and see.
Las Vegas, Nevada - 2003
Spencer didn’t think he would have made it through the last ten years of his life and been where he was now if it hadn't been for the family next door.
He was just twelve years old when they’d moved in, struggling to cope with high school bullies and his mom's schizophrenia all on his own.
They would help out with his mom in any way they could, they had him round for dinner when it was too tough for him to go home and they took him along on their annual camping trips every year.
They had been there for him when he’d had to have his mom committed when he was eighteen. They were kind, friendly people. They treated Spencer like their own son.
He liked to pretend when he was with them that they were his family. He liked to play pretend, that he had a loving father and a mom who wasn’t sick.
He lived in a fantasy world whenever he was with them.
But Spencer’s favourite part about the family next door by far, was their daughter, Y/N.
You were four years Spencer’s junior, just an adorable eight year old when you’d moved in next door to the young genius and his mother. The two of you had grown up together and somewhere along the way attraction and feelings developed.
Of course neither one of you had ever said as much. You were best friends, you didn’t want to risk destroying that by confessing your feelings for him.
And besides, at the end of the summer the two of you were going your separate ways; you were off to college in Idaho and Spencer was moving to DC for his illustrious new job at the FBI.
This was the last chance the two of you had to spend time together before everything inevitably changed. So maybe going on a camping trip with your parents at eighteen was a little lame. But there was one reason and one reason alone you were going on the trip.
Spencer Reid.
***
Just as you were lugging the last of your bags out of the front door, you heard the front gate creak open.
Your eyes shot up and landed instantly on his as he slipped through the gate.
You immediately dropped the bag on the floor and were dashing down the front steps and down the path.
“Spence!” You squealed, running at him at speed.
He caught you in his arms and the two of you almost went tumbling back to the concrete but he managed to steady you both.
“Whoa Y/N,” he laughed, wrapping you tightly in his arms. “I missed you too.”
You clung to your best friend, breathing in his scent. He’d only been gone two months finishing up his third PhD, but it felt like forever.
The last few years Spencer’s studies had taken him away from Vegas much more than you would have both liked. He’d missed the last two family camping trips and they had been so dull without him.
You were so happy to have him back for one last trip.
“It’s so good to see you.” You smiled, pulling back from the hug to get a proper look at him. Of course over the years you’d memorised every sculpted curve of his face, those sharp cheekbones, deep set eyes and sinfully plump lips but you would never tire of looking at him.
“Y/N, Spencer, it’s time to go!” Your mom hollered from the street, breaking you out of your thoughts.
“Give me a hand with my bag?”
“Of course.” He smiled, following up the path to the house.
You felt lighter when Spencer was around, like all of your worries and fears just melted away.
You had no idea how you would cope with him in DC while you were in Idaho. But that was a problem for another day.
For now you were just revelling in Spencer’s presence.
***
Admittedly camping with your parents was never a terrible experience. Your dad was the outdoorsy type, your mom was not. So they compromised.
Yes you were in the woods but your mom would not allow sleeping in rustic tents. Every year she booked up the most glamorous of tents for your stays. Wood flooring, real beds, even nightstands and lamps.
So technically you were sleeping in a tent, but it was just as comfortable, if not more so than your bedroom at home. The site was equipped with showers and real toilets. It wasn’t really like camping at all.
“Oh Spencer sweetie,” your mom called to him as you were unpacking the car several hours of driving later.
“Yes?” He looked up at her with a smile.
“Did Y/N tell you, we weren’t able to book three pods this year, I must have called late. I hope it’s ok for the two of you to share?”
Wow. Your mom was a better liar than you pegged her to be.
Even your dad seemed to fall for it.
When she’d told you a few days ago, you’d seen right through it.
You knew your mom had known for a long time of your crush on your genius neighbour. She’d probably known before even you did.
So you didn’t question it when she’d told you she’d only been able to book two camping pods, but you were sure your blush gave away exactly what you thought about it.
“Uhm yeah I guess that’s fine.” He shrugged and was that a blush you saw spreading to his cheeks? “I’ve got my sleeping bag, I can just sleep on the floor.”
Not if I have anything to do with it, you thought but his response seemed to appease your father.
Once Spencer went back to emptying the bags from the car your mom gave you a look and a small smirk.
You tried not to blush. Your mom had always been pretty cool for a mom and you had never been more grateful for that until right now.
You finished unpacking the car and took your stuff to your allocated tent to change before heading down to the lake.
Spencer took some clothes to the toilets to change and you spent longer than was necessary picking out the perfect bathing suit.
The last time Spencer had seen you in a bathing suit was two years ago and boy had your body changed in two years. You couldn’t wait to show it off to him.
You just hoped he liked what he saw.
***
Thankfully Spencer had already dived into the water before you took off your summer dress and unsheathed the glorious body you were hiding underneath the fabric.
The water made for a great way to hide the erection that almost immediately grew when he saw you in that bathing suit.
He tried not to look at you, mostly because your parents were there and he was sure they wouldn’t be happy with him gawking over their daughter.
But he was in essence, a cold blooded male. He’d had a crush on you for about as long as he could remember, you’d grown up together, surely it was only inevitable?
But you were his best friend. You were the only real friend he’d ever had. And he didn’t want to ruin that by sexualising you. But god that would be so much easier to do if you weren’t so damn hot.
When had you stopped being the adorable girl next door who used to play with her pony toys in the front yard? When did you become this drop dead gorgeous woman standing before him in a scantily clad bathing suit?
You had changed since the last time he’d seen you in so little clothes. You’d developed curves in what Spencer thought was all the right places.
You looked up and your eyes met his and you gave him a bright smile that made him feel a little weak. You walked to the edge of the lake and he couldn’t tear his eyes away from you.
You walked with poise, a sense of a confidence Spencer could never muster. He watched as you dove into the water so gracefully, and re-emerge a few feet in front of him.
You pushed your wet hair off your face and waded closer to him, wiping the water from your eyes.
Spencer felt a lump forming in his throat the closer you got. His eyes betrayed him and they fell to your chest, the water droplets rolling over your skin shimmered in the sun.
How I want to lick those beads of water off your skin.
“You ok?” You laughed, coming to a stop in front of him.
“M-me? Y-yes why wouldn’t I b-be.” He stuttered at the close proximity he now found himself in to you. He could reach out and touch you. He could reach out and kiss you.
He did neither.
“Come here,” he raised your hands out of the water. “Your hair is going to get in your eyes.”
You gently stroked a strand of Spencer’s wet hair out of his face and it sent a shiver racing up his spine.
His cock was aching. He’d never been touched by a woman in such a way. He’d never been touched by a woman in any way and honestly it felt like he could blow his load just from you stroking back his hair.
“Much better.” You smiled at him, leaving him feeling a little downtrodden when you withdrew your hand.
“Uh thanks.” He croaked, feeling light headed.
“You’re welcome.”
For a moment the two of you stared at each other, eyes locked as though communicating subconsciously.
Spencer wanted to grab hold of you and kiss you like there was no tomorrow. He wanted to pull you close and feel your body pressed up against his own, run his fingers over your every curve.
He wanted his hands to get lost in your hair. He wanted to bury himself between your thighs. He wanted to feel you, to taste you.
Honestly you were thinking the same, he just didn’t know it. His white t-shirt cling to his skin now soaked in water and you could just make out the soft skin of his chest underneath. You wanted to run your hands over that skin, through his hair, over every part of his body.
You wanted to feel him inside of you, his fingers, his cock, anything. You wanted to stare deep into his eyes while he made you come.
All of a sudden Spencer snapped out of his trance before he did something to make a fool of himself.
“I’ll race you to the next dock!” He dove beneath the surface before you had time to register his words.
You watched him go, splashing a lot as he swam, gangly limbs flailing.
It took you a few seconds to pick your mind up out of the gutter and start swimming after him.
Being the much more adept swimmer, despite Spencer’s head start you managed to beat him to the next dock.
He was much more out of breath than you when he arrived.
“How did you get into the FBI again?” You laughed as he gripped hold of the dock for dear life.
“They ultimately had to make exceptions to allow me into the field.” He panted.
“Clearly.” You teased. “Ohh and look, we’re right by the jet ski hire!” You pulled yourself up on the dock and sat on the edge looking down at Spencer.
“You know I hate those things. Did you know there are around seven hundred jet ski related accidents every year which results in approximately forty deaths? I don’t like those odds, I’ll wait on the dock.”
He tried and failed to get out of the water and in the end you had to help hoist him up.
“No way, you're coming with me.” You stood up and pulled him to his feet as well.
“I most certainly am not.” He made the mistake of looking into your eyes. Those beautiful expressive eyes that could probably make him commit murder.
“Please?” You asked softly and he was like putty in your hands.
“F-fine.” He grumbled.
“Yay!” You squealed a little, throwing yourself into his arms.
Your body pressed up against his and he tentatively wrapped his arms around you.
Your wet bathing suit and his wet t-shirt clung to each other and he could feel your every curve.
Thankfully you pulled away before he got too excited. You took hold of his hand now and started leading him towards the hire booth.
Honestly he’d let you lead him anywhere.
***
Spencer was still shaking almost ten minutes after pulling up in the small alcove a way up the lake and dismounting the jet ski.
He’d enjoyed the close proximity with you it had involved but it didn’t make up for the sheer terror of your haphazard driving.
“You look like you’ve seen a ghost.” You laughed staring down at him as he laid on the grass.
“All I’ll say is, if you drove a car like that I would never let you drive me anywhere.”
“It’s a jet ski Einstein, they are supposed to go fast.” You nudged his ribs with your toe. “Get up, we need to head back.”
“I would literally rather swim back.” He groaned.
You rolled your eyes, nudging his ribs again.
“It’s probably almost a mile back, don’t be so dramatic.” You leant over him and took hold of his hands, pulling him into a sitting position. “How about you drive? That way we can go at a granny pace.”
“Funny.” He grumbled, getting to his feet. “But I will drive actually. I’d rather not die of a heart attack on this lake.”
You slid the rubber band over your hand that the key dangled from and tossed it at Spencer.
He flapped about trying to catch it and just managed to stop it falling to the floor.
You got in your positions on the jet ski. You wrapped yourself tighter around him than was necessary, your arms snaking around his waist and resting on his stomach.
Spencer shuddered but he hoped you would think it was due to the wind.
It could have been the wind but the timing seemed a little too convenient. Did your touch really have that effect on him? He’d never given you any indication that he liked you in that way, but could it be possible? Maybe you would have to test that out.
Spencer took a tentative breath and started the jet ski’s engine. You tightened your hold on him as it started moving.
Spencer was slow to start with just like you had assumed he would be. It was quite nice actually. You had a chance to revel in the way the water felt as it splashed onto your bare legs, the way the wind felt in your hair.
But mostly you were wrapped up in the way it felt to be this close to Spencer.
You pressed your chest into your back, making sure he could feel your breasts on him. You started by gently moving your fingers over the fabric of his t-shirt, round in little circles on his stomach.
As he picked up the speed a little you dared to let your fingers drop a little lower, over his hip bones. You felt him tense a little but due to the sound of the jet ski you didn’t hear the way his breath hitched at your touch.
You moved your hands again, your fingers gently grazing the waistband of his swim shorts.
Spencer practically jumped at your touch so near his crotch and he inadvertently swerved sharply, so sharply that it sent the two of you flying off the seat and crashing into the water.
The engine cut off when the key attached around Spencer’s wrist was yanked out with him.
You both broke the surface, spluttering a little.
“What the hell Spencer?” you pushed your hair back off your face. “Why did you do that?”
Because you have no idea how long I have wanted you to touch me like that.
“You uh...your...I don’t know. I just lost control I guess.” he didn’t want to tell you that your touch had sent him into a tailspin and he had completely lost his focus.
But you had a pretty good idea that was what had happened. And if that was the case, why? Why had your touch affected him in that way? Surely he did not feel for you the way you felt about him?
It couldn’t be possible. But it surely did seem that way.
“I’ll drive the rest of the way.” you told him, rather than pushing him. You didn’t want to make him uncomfortable.
But you might have to test this more, maybe on stable ground.
You both climbed back up onto the jet ski, Spencer slightly less gracefully than you, and he handed you over the key.
You made it back to the jet ski hire with no further incident and Spencer was happy to be back on dry land. Although he did miss the closeness the jet ski brought.
“I need to use the bathroom, I’ll be right back ok?” Spencer told you while you returned your life vests.
“Sure, I’ll be here.” you gave him a soft smile.
He couldn’t help but give your body a once over again, it was accidental, he couldn’t stop himself. The feeling of your fingers on his waistband and your chest pressed up against his back were imprinted in his mind and by the time he reached the bathroom he was hard again.
Making sure there was no one else in the bathroom he shut himself in one of the cubicles. He leant against the closed door and exhaled a shaky breath.
It wouldn’t be the first time he had touched himself while thinking of you but this seemed dirty. This wasn’t the comfort of his own bedroom where no one would catch him.
But he knew he needed to take care of this otherwise it would plague him all day.
With another shaky breath he relieved himself from his swim shorts. He closed his eyes, taking his length in his hand and started stroking himself. He bit his lip hard to stem his moans as he pictured you in that sinful bathing suit.
He imagined your fingers moving from his waistband inside his pants and tried to imagine it was your fingers wrapped around him.
He was panting and mumbling your name in no time and it didn’t take long at all for him to come.
He cleaned himself up as well as the tiled floor he had dirtied before using the facilities and heading back outside.
God he hoped you wouldn’t see his deed written all over his face, he would be mortified.
But by the looks of it, you were too busy to notice anything.
The guy putting the moves on you was shorter than Spencer but much more broad and muscular. He had sun kissed skin and beach blonde hair. He had a charming smile and it was clearly working its magic on you.
Spencer approached slowly, you didn’t seem to notice. As he reached your side the man looked over at him with a frown.
“Can we help you?” he asked Spencer.
“Spence, hi.” you smiled at him before turning all your attention back on the other man. “Greg, this is my best friend Spencer. Spencer, this is Greg.”
Best friend, of course, because that’s how you saw him. Friends. Only ever friends.
You hadn’t had any intention of talking to someone while Spencer was gone but when Greg had approached you, you engaged in friendly conversation.
He was attractive, sure, but in your eyes he had nothing on Spencer.
But there was something in Spencer’s eyes that looked a lot like jealousy. Maybe you could use Greg to your advantage?
“Greg invited us to a party at the lake tonight.” you spoke when neither man said anything.
“I actually invited you to a party.” Greg corrected you.
“Oh.” Spencer squeaked a little.
“I’m only coming if Spencer does.” You told Greg with a seductive smile.
Greg smiled at you and stepped a little closer.
“How can I say no to a face like yours.” He ran his finger over your cheek and Spencer wanted to smack him. “I’ll see you tonight babe.” He winked at you before sauntering away.
“He seems like a complete jackass.” Spencer grumbled once Greg was out of ear shot.
“You didn’t even speak to him.” You frowned at your friend.
“Neither did you, not really. I was only gone five minutes. I don’t think we should go to that party.”
“And why not?” You folded your arms over your chest.
“Because we don’t know him. He could be some creep for all we know.”
“I don’t think that’s what’s bothering you.” You stepped closer to Spencer making him swallow. “Are you jealous Spencer?”
“W-what?” He croaked. “Jealous? W-why would I be j-jealous?”
It was written all over his face. He was jealous.
“I don’t know Spence, you tell me.” You stepped even closer to him now, so close he could feel your breath on his face.
You let your hands drop to your side.
“Do you want me for yourself Spencer? Because you know all you’d have to do is ask.”
Good god, what are you doing to me?
Of course he wanted you all to himself, it’s all he’d ever wanted. But that didn’t change the fact you were his best friend and you were moving to different states.
Telling you he wanted you was completely pointless.
“Of course not.” He tried to scoff, forcing himself to step back away from you. “If you want Greg that’s fine by me.”
“Fine.” You spat.
“Fine.” Spencer mirrored.
And with that you turned on your heels and stormed away.
Maybe you’d been wrong after all. Of course Spencer didn’t like you. What a stupid thought that had been.
***
That night your dad allowed you and a very reluctant Spencer to use his car to head back to the lake and meet Greg and his friends.
You and Spencer hadn’t said much of anything to each other since that afternoon but if your parents had noticed they didn’t say anything.
You felt foolish for thinking he could have possibly been jealous. Of course there was no way the brilliant Spencer Reid looked at you that way. There was no way he would deem you smart enough or interesting enough.
It had clearly all been in your head. Or so you thought.
But of course it hadn’t.
Spencer had wanted to scream at you that of course he was jealous and of course he wanted you all to himself, but he didn’t want to make a fool of himself. There was no way he was confessing his feelings for you. He’d done a good job of keeping them hidden up until now and he certainly wasn’t going to let Greg be the reason he told you.
He would take his feelings for you to the grave. It was easier that way. It was easier than ruining your friendship.
You drove to the lake in stifled silence. Normally small talk wasn’t an issue for the two of you, you could talk about anything and everything for hours on end. But for the first time, neither of you had anything to say to one another.
Thankfully it wasn’t a long drive to the lake and you pulled up soon enough and exited the car as soon as you shut off the engine.
Spencer sighed loudly once alone in the car. This was the last time the two of you would be together in god knows how long and you were in a fight already on the first day of the trip.
He didn’t think the two of you had ever fought, not properly anyway. Was this a fight? Spencer wasn’t even sure. He hoped not. He spent a few minutes alone in the car just collecting himself.
He got out of the car and followed in your footsteps. You were already down by a bonfire near the lake edge with none other than Greg. Greg had his arm around your shoulders as he handed you a bottle of beer which you took with a smile.
Spencer took a deep breath before heading towards you. He really didn’t want to be a third wheel with the two of you but he also didn’t have the kind of confidence it took to go and talk to new people.
Third wheel it is.
“Hi,” you barely acknowledged him as he joined you and Greg and if Spencer wasn’t mistaken you moved your body closer to Greg.
He gave you a half-smile and nodded in Greg’s direction.
“Can I get you a beer?” Greg asked him.
“No thanks. One of us is going to have to drive back and looks like that’s going to be me.” Spencer shrugged, trying not to sound annoyed but he clearly did because he saw you roll your eyes.
“Want to take a walk Greg?” you smiled at the other man who gave your shoulders a squeeze as he eyed you up and down.
“I would love that.” he chuckled and before Spencer knew it he was leading you away from him.
It had been all of two minutes and you had already abandoned him. Great.
He turned away from the lake and started back up towards the car assuming he would just wait for you there while you were off doing god knows what with Greg.
He made his way towards the car but didn’t get very far before someone ran into him, knocking him to the floor.
“Ow.” he groaned as he hit the ground, someone landing roughly on top of him.
“Oh my gosh, I am so, so sorry!” she pushed herself off of him, standing up before holding out a hand to help him.
Spencer took it and allowed the stranger to pull him to his feet.
“I was chasing after a frisbee and I wasn’t looking where I was going. Are you ok?” she was smiling sweetly at him and Spencer couldn’t help but think it was a very pretty smile.
Maybe not as pretty as yours but pretty in its own right.
“It’s ok.” he told her, shaking it off. “These things happen. I’m uh...I’m Spencer.”
She smiled again and nodded.
“Rose.” she replied. “Would you care to join me for a drink Spencer?”
“You know what?” Spencer smiled. “I don’t mind if I do.”
***
You and Greg had walked further up the lake and found a spot near the water's edge to sit. It didn’t take long before his lips were on yours and his fingers were in your hair.
It was...nice. It was nothing special but it was ok. And you couldn’t help but wish it was Spencer’s lips pressed against your own.
When Greg’s hands moved from your hair down to your breasts, palming them through your top a little roughly, you pushed him back.
“Nuh uh.” you shook your head frowning at him. “I don’t think so.”
“Oh come on babe, we’re just having a little fun.”
“We can have fun without you groping me.” you picked up your beer bottle and swigged from it.
“I didn’t peg you as a prude Y/N.” he raised an eyebrow at you.
“Because I’m not. I prefer the term selective.” you scoffed.
He didn’t take your reluctance as a no however and he moved in again, his lips latching on to your neck and his hand finding your thigh.
He moved his hand higher up your bare leg, over your denim shorts and soon his fingers were toying with the button.
Once again you pushed him, harder than before.
“Hey asshole.” you spat. “I said no.”
He rolled his eyes, picking up his own beer, downing the contents and then tossing it away.
“You’re a drag.” he groaned. “Is this because of that pipe cleaner friend of yours?”
“No.” you pushed yourself up from the ground, grabbing your beer. “This has nothing to do with Spencer. I just don’t like pushy men who think they’re god's gift to women.”
You turned away from him and started back towards the bonfire you could see burning brightly in the distance.
“Girls like you are a dime a dozen.” he called after you.
You flipped him the bird over your shoulder but you didn’t turn back to look at him.
“Asshole.” you muttered to yourself.
You should have listened to Spencer, he’d always been a good judge of character. Maybe you’d have to apologise to him.
You made your way back to the bonfire to find him and make up but you didn’t have to look far.
He was sitting on one of the logs next to the fire but he wasn’t alone.
He had a petite redhead sitting in his lap, her arms wrapped around his neck. And her lips were hungrily exploring his.
“Oh god.” you felt like you’d just been kicked in the chest, like all the air had been forced from your lungs.
You lost your grip on the beer bottle and it fell to the ground.
His hands were gently on her hips, holding her place while he explored her mouth.
Your tears came out of nowhere, alarming you as they started heavily cascading down your cheeks.
Just as a sob wracked your body, you took off running up the bank and towards the car.
You couldn’t watch anymore. Seeing Spencer kiss that girl made your heart feel like it was shattering into a thousand tiny pieces.
You got back in the car and sobbed. Every time you closed your eyes, all you could see was Spencer and that girl, locking lips.
And all you could think was, it should be me.
***
“Sorry if that was really forward of me.” Rose blushed a little when the kiss ended.
Spencer was blushing too, but he had been since their lips first touched.
“I-it’s o-ok.” he stuttered, completely baffled by what had just happened. “I-it was n-nice.”
“I hope it was a little more than nice.” Rose giggled.
But it wasn’t. It was simply nice. It was a nice kiss but it wasn’t with you. He’d kissed girls before but it never felt quite right. And he knew it was because he wasn’t kissing you.
He didn’t speak, he couldn’t find the right words to say.
Rose’s face fell a little and she slid off Spencer’s lap onto the log next to him.
“I know that look.” she chewed her lip. “That’s the look of a guy who is thinking about someone else.”
He wanted to argue with her but it seemed pointless.
“I’m sorry.” He shrugged pathetically. “You’re beautiful and you have no idea how much I wish I wasn’t thinking about someone else. But I am. I always am.”
“It’s ok.” She placed her hand gently on his knee. “It was nice to meet you Spencer.” She pushed herself up from the log.
“You too Rose.” He stood too, needing to find you before you did anything stupid with Greg.
Just as he had this thought, Greg came wandering towards the bonfire alone.
“Where’s Y/N?” Spencer rushed over to him.
“How should I know?” Greg scoffed. “That girl is a cock tease. Not worth my time.”
“Don’t say that.” Spencer practically whined, making Greg chuckle.
“What are you gonna do about it?” Greg snarled at him.
“I uh...I need to find Y/N.” He changed the subject. He did not want to get into a fight because he would most certainly lose.
“Whatever.” Greg scoffed, turning away from Spencer.
Spencer scanned the crowds but couldn’t see you, he knew he’d be able to pick you out of any crowd.
He practically sprinted back to the car, hoping to find you there and as luck would have it, there you were in the driver's seat.
But even in the dark he could see that you were crying.
He ran to the passenger door and flung it open.
“Oh my god Y/N, what’s wrong?” He threw his arms around you, pulling you closer over the console.
“Get off me.” You pushed him away, sniffing back your tears.
“What’s wrong? What did Greg do?” He asked clearly not noticing your hostility towards him.
You sighed, not wanting to tell your best friend you were crying over seeing him kiss another girl, you shook your head, fixing your seatbelt in place.
“Nothing. I just want to forget all about tonight.” You started the engine.
“O-ok.” Spencer chewed his lip.
Neither of you spoke again on the drive back to the campsite or once you were back in your pod.
You slipped into the bed and Spencer in his sleeping bag on the floor.
Neither of you got much sleep that night, you both had too much on your mind. Namely, being in love with your best friends who were seemingly oblivious.
***
The next morning when you awoke you decided today was a new day. You weren’t going to allow yourself to spend the whole trip being mad at Spencer.
You’d never seen him with a girl before, it had been a shock. But he was twenty two, he must have had girlfriends before you guess he’d just chosen not to tell you. And it wasn’t as though you’d never been with a man.
You resided yourself to the fact that you and Spencer were destined to be friends and that was ok. At least it would be ok. It had to be.
You knelt down on the floor next to his sleeping bag and watched him for a second. He was sound asleep, his breathing soft and even. His plump lips were parted ever so slightly and his hair was draped over the pillow. His eyelashes grazed the skins under his eyes.
Maybe it would be a little harder than you thought to just see him as a friend.
Suddenly his eyes fluttered open and landed on you.
He frowned a little, rubbing his eyes with the palms of his hands.
“Uh...good morning.” He croaked, voice riddled with sleep. “Were you staring at me while I slept?”
“No.” You scoffed, standing back up. “I was just wondering if I could free your hand and put it in a glass of water, see if that peeing thing really works.” You started rummaging through one of your bags to hide your blush from Spencer.
“Mature.” He laughed a little as he sat up. “Hey Y/N, are you ok?”
You took a few deep breaths and turned back to him with a large, fake smile on your lips.
“I’m great.” You beamed. “Now get up sleepy head, we’re going for a hike!”
And with that you took your clothes and stepped over him, undoing the front of the tent pod and disappearing.
Spencer ran his fingers through his hair with a sigh.
He wished falling out of love with you was as easy as it had been falling in love with you.
Not being in love with his best friend would make his life so much easier. But life never was good to Spencer.
***
Spencer loved your family but you were all much more athletic than he could ever hope to be. After a five mile hike, Spencer was exhausted. Sweat made his shirt cling to his body and his hair stick to his forehead.
When your mom had suggested stopping for the picnic she had packed, he was more than happy to oblige.
He practically fell to the grass on his back, panting and sweating.
“If it wasn’t for that huge brain of yours there is no way you would have gotten into the FBI.” you laughed as you flopped down next to him.
“Be nice Y/N.” your mom scalded you to which you rolled your eyes.
Your mom set some food while your dad poured glasses of soda for you all. You spent an hour sitting in the sunshine eating while Spencer worked on getting his breath back.
They still had a five mile walk back.
Spencer found himself stealing glances at you as you ate, like he usually did. He never grew tired of watching you.
You were wearing cargo pants and a vest top. His eyes caressed the side of your neck and the curve of your shoulder and your collarbone. Your skin glistened a little from the heat.
His eyes grazed up to the side of your face and the stray strand of hair that fell onto your face. He wanted to lean in and tuck behind your ear but that seemed too intimate.
He must have been watching you for a long time because when he resurfaced from his thoughts your mom was packing up what was left of the picnic.
“Spence and I will make our way back.” You stood up and brushed down the back of your cargo pants.
“Don’t get lost.” You dad shot you a sarcastic look.
“We’ll be fine. Come on Spence.” You encouraged to which he stood too.
“See you later.” He waved at your parents before following where you had already started walking.
“Do you even know where you’re going?” He asked once he caught up with you.
“No idea.” You shrugged.
“Oh good, just what I want. To get lost in the woods with you.” He rolled his eyes.
“Yeah I’m sure you’d much rather get lost in the woods with that redhead from last night, right?” The bitterness was seeping from your words.
Spencer stopped in his tracks.
“Uh...what redhead?” He tried to lie, he didn’t know what you’d seen so he didn’t want to give away too much.
“Don’t play dumb Spencer.” You stopped too so you could look at him. “The one who was cosied up on your lap, eating your face.”
“Oh. That redhead.” He chewed his lip. “I uh...didn’t realise you saw that.”
“Well I did.” You shrugged. “Looked like you were having fun.”
“It w-was...she was nice I guess.”
“Good.” You spat a little more harshly than you’d meant to.
Spencer frowned, stepping closer to you, leaves crunching under foot.
“Are you annoyed?”
“What? No. Why would I be annoyed?” You scoffed, giving him your best eye roll.
“You seem annoyed.”
“Well I’m not.”
“Good. Because you wouldn’t have any right to be.” It was like he was poking a bear with a stick. He was trying to get a rise out of you.
“And why wouldn’t I?” It was working, you were rising to it.
“Because you left me alone while you went off to do god knows what with Greg. I had to pass the time somehow.”
“By sticking your tongue down some random girl's throat?”
“I’m sure you were doing much more with him.”
“And what’s that supposed to mean?” You growled, stepping closer to him now.
“You know exactly what that means.” He stepped closer to you too, as though you were challenging each other.
“You really think I was off fucking him?” You raised your voice. “Is that what you think of me?”
“Weren’t you?” He shrugged.
“I most certainly was not! He tried to get fresh with me and I pushed him away. He was a jackass! And then I come back to find you making out with that girl!”
“So you are annoyed about that?”
“Yes, happy? Yes I am annoyed about that.” You yelled.
Spencer closed the space between you but you stepped backwards away from him. He backed you into a tree where you collided with the bark.
He put his hands either side of your head pinning you in place.
Where had this side of him come from?
“Why are you annoyed Y/N?”
“I don’t know.”
“Yes you do.”
“No I don’t.” You tried to insist but you knew he could see right through you.
“Tell me. Tell me why you’re annoyed with me for Christ sakes Y/N! What did I do that was so wrong? I was just having some fun.”
“Without me.” You pouted.
“I can’t have fun without you?”
“No, it’s not that.” You shook your head, very conscious of how close Spencer was to you.
“So what is it then? Tell me.”
“I don’t like seeing you with another girl ok?” You raised your voice again.
“But I have to see you with another man?”
“I offered myself to you Spencer. I said all you had to do was ask. You said no. What was I supposed to think?”
“Y-you…you meant that?” His facade faltered and his hands fell to his sides.
“Of course I did.” You spat.
“You...you…” he swallowed.
“It should have been me you were kissing. Asshole.” You mumbled pathetically.
Spencer didn’t know what came over him at that moment but he couldn’t hold back.
He took your face in his hands and pushed you back against the tree trunk before pressing his lips to yours.
For a moment you kissed him back but then your anger returned and suddenly you were pushing him away.
“Stop it!” You yelled. “It’s too little too late Spencer. I don’t want to be your second choice. I don’t want you after she’s had you.”
“S-second choice? Y/N you could never be my-“
“Save it.” You pushed passed him and started walking again. “I don’t want to talk about this anymore. We need to get back before it starts getting dark.”
You didn’t know what had come over you. All you’d ever wanted was to feel Spencer’s lips on yours. But when he kissed you, all you could think of was that redhead from last night.
And it broke your heart all over again.
***
“Spence?” You whispered into the dark. “Spence are you awake?”
It had been a long, awkward walk back followed by a long, awkward evening back at the campsite with your parents.
You and Spencer had said barely two words to each other before you called for an early night and crawled into your bed.
“Yeah I’m awake.” He whispered in reply from the floor.
“I’m...I’m really cold.” You felt foolish but you were freezing, you couldn’t seem to warm up.
And the only thing you could think that would help would be Spencer’s warm body next to you.
You heard him sigh followed by some rustling. Then you saw his silhouette beside the bed.
“You want me to warm you up?” He asked softly.
“If it’s not...too much to ask.” You didn’t deserve him being kind to you but that was the thing about Spencer, he was always there when you needed him. No matter what.
He sighed again before lifting the covers and sliding into the bed.
“Come here.” He held his arm open for you and you slid closer to him, his arm wrapping around your waist and you rested your head on his chest.
As suspected, he was radiating warmth. You snuggled into him sighing in content. He ran his fingers up and down your side.
“I’m sorry about earlier Y/N.” he spoke into your hair.
“Why are you sorry?”
“I shouldn’t have kissed you, not like that. It was wrong of me and I’m sorry.”
You shifted a little so you could look up at him.
“I’m the one who should be sorry, Spence. I shouldn’t have acted the way I did. I just...I don’t like the way I felt seeing you with that girl.”
“It didn’t feel great for me seeing you with Greg either.” he cupped your face with his free hand and stroked your cheek with his thumb.
“I don’t want to ruin our friendship, Spence.” a tear escaped your eye. “You’re my best friend and I don’t want to do anything to change that. But I can’t pretend that it didn’t hurt to see you with another girl. And I suppose that means I have feelings for you that go beyond friendship. But I can’t lose my best friend Spence.” a few more tears fell and Spencer tried to wipe them away with his thumb.
“I know Y/N, me too.” He agreed, chewing his lip.
You settled back into his chest and he tightened his hold on you. If this was as close as he could have you then he was going to soak in every moment.
Eventually you both fell asleep, into peaceful slumbers brought on by being wrapped in each other’s embraces.
***
For the rest of the week you and Spencer avoided unnecessary touches and glances each other’s way.
You tried to act normal. You tried to act like you hadn’t kissed and spent the night in each other’s arms.
You knew your parents suspected something was amiss with the two of you, you weren’t quite as pally as you usually were but neither of them said anything.
You spent days at the lake, you went for hikes and sat around the campfire in the evenings as the sunset around you.
On your final night your parents retired to their pod but you remained sitting on one of the logs, a blanket wrapped around your shoulders.
“Are you coming to bed?” Spencer asked you softly.
“Not yet, I might watch the stars for a while.”
“Want company?” He smiled at you and you nodded.
He laid his own blanket out of the ground and motioned for you to come over.
You laid side by side on your backs and you draped your blanket over the top of you both as you stared up at the sky.
“I can’t believe you’re leaving for DC when we get back.” You sniffed back any tears that might fall. “I have to spend the rest of the summer at home without you.”
“You’ll be off to college in a few weeks. You’ll forget all about me.”
You rolled your head to the side and he did the same so you were looking at each other.
“Spence, I could never forget you.” You reached for his hand and entwined your fingers.
He sighed in content at your touch. It was the most physical contact you’d had in almost a week.
“I’m going to miss you so much.” He gave your hand a gentle squeeze.
“I’m going to miss you too Spence.”
You laid like that under the stars, just staring into each other’s eyes for some time. There were so many things you both wanted to say but nothing seemed good enough.
Somehow you ended up closer together on the blanket, you’re not sure how it happened. You weren’t sure if you’d moved closer or if Spencer had or maybe you both had, but somehow you ended up with barely a few inches between your faces.
You could feel his soft breath on your face and you couldn’t tear your eyes away from his lips. That kiss had burned itself into your brain and you couldn’t believe you’d pushed him away before you got to really enjoy it.
“Spence,” you whispered after a long stretch of silence.
“Yes Y/N?”
“All you have to do is ask.” You repeated what you’d said to him at the lake your first day.
He knew exactly what you meant and it made his chest tighten at the mere thought.
“Y/N?” He whispered, edging even closer to you.
“Yes?”
“Can I...c-can I kiss you?” He stuttered.
“I’d be disappointed if you didn’t Spence.”
He let go of your hand so he could cup your cheek and slowly closed the small space between you.
This time when your lips met it was slow and soft. You revelled in the feeling of his plump, pillowy lips pressed against yours for a moment before you cautiously parted your lips.
Spencer was tentative in his movements as though you may push him away again at any moment.
But of course you didn’t. He slid his tongue in your mouth and started exploring you, slowly at first but soon an animal instinct took over.
He explored your mouth hungrily, holding your face delicately in his large hands. You wrapped your arms around his neck and helped him roll on top of you.
He was hard already, you could feel it pressing against you and you knew a kiss wasn’t going to be enough.
You played with his hair, tugging it a little and he moaned into your mouth, subconsciously grinding his hips into yours.
You dared to let your hands roam his back until you reached the hem of his hoodie and slipped your hands under the fabric.
He moaned again at the feeling of your hands on the skin of his back. It spurred you on to rake your nails lightly over his flesh. You were met with another hard roll of his hips.
The kiss ended so you could both gasp for the air that had left your lungs. Spencer chewed his lip nervously, scared of what might happen next.
“Should w-we uh...do you want to go into t-the tent?” he was so unsure of himself. He didn’t want to sound as though he was being presumptive.
“No,” you whispered, but you were smiling. “I want to stay out here.”
“B-but your parents…”
“Sleep like logs.” you laughed, stroking back his hair. “Spencer, I want you to make love to me under the stars. Do you think that’s something...something you can d-do?” you suddenly felt nervous telling him what you wanted. Maybe that’s not what he wanted? Maybe it was just a kiss?
But the hiss that slipped from his lips told you it was exactly what he wanted.
“I-I...there is n-nothing in the world I want m-more.” he swallowed. “B-but I...I’ve never...done this before.” his cheeks turned crimson in an instant.
Your heart swelled. You had no idea. You assumed Spencer was just quiet about his exploits. You had no idea he’d never been with a woman before.
“Oh,” you didn’t really know what to say. “Is this...have you ever pictured, you know, what your uh...first time would be like?”
His blush deepened and he gnawed heavily on his lip.
“All the time.” he confessed. “And it’s always with you.”
“Kiss me Spence.” you smiled at him, pulling him closer again by his neck.
Your lips met again but this time it was much more frantic and desperate, now you both knew exactly where this was going.
You hooked your fingers under the hem of his hoodie and pulled it up his body. He sat back so he could pull it over his head.
“T-shirt too.” you told him with a smirk while he was sat up.
He looked a little nervous but he complied. In all the years you’d known Spencer you didn’t think you’d ever seen him shirtless before. He was always conservative, insecure about how skinny he was. But in that moment he didn’t have time to worry about his insecurities, all he wanted was you and that was all that mattered.
He discarded the items of clothing, pulling the blanket tighter around his shoulders. Your eyes raked up and down his torso and soon your fingers followed suit, running over his flesh. He hissed again, telling you he liked it.
“W-what about you?” you swallowed nervously.
“What about me?” you smirked. You knew what he meant but you wanted to hear him say it.
“Y-you uh...can I...your dress?” he was blushing again and it was so adorable.
“Spencer, you can do whatever you like to me.” your voice was dripping with seduction and it made his cock twitch achingly. Oh how he’d dreamed of this moment.
His hands were shaking as he reached for the bottom of your dress. He was slow to raise the fabric, making sure you weren’t going to change your mind.
He inched it up your thighs and paused when he got it to your hips. The black pair of lace panties you wore underneath made his head spin.
“Oh gosh.” he panted a little as he spoke.
You smiled, arching your back so he could continue undressing you. Inch by inch the fabric got higher and higher, revealing more of your body.
Once you had discarded the dress, Spencer sat back again to take you all in. Your panties had a matching bra, cupping your breasts magnificently.
“Do you like what you see, Spence?”
“Are you kidding?” He smiled. “You are perfection Y/N.”
You raked your nails down his chest once more and came to a stop at the waistband of his trousers. You toyed with the button a little.
“Can I?” You whispered.
He chewed his lip and nodded.
You unbuttoned his trousers and tugged them over his hips. He wriggled out of them and tossed them in a pile with the rest of the clothes.
His cock was straining at the front of his boxers, begging to be freed.
You allowed yourself to palm him through his underwear. His head fell back and he moaned deeply.
“Oh gosh.” He panted. “I’m sorry, no ones ever touched me like this before.”
You smiled to yourself, loving that no other woman had been here before. But you could also tell if you were to touch him properly, he wouldn’t last to the main event.
You moved your hand to his wrist and guided his hand between your legs instead.
You panties were soaked already.
He looked at you with large, uncertain eyes, but you nodded in encouragement.
“Please Spencer?”
He swallowed.
“What if I’m no good.” He whined a little.
“It’s ok baby,” you cooed. “You could never make me feel anything other than amazing.”
You let go of his wrist and his fingers shakily played with the lace fabric.
He took a few deep breaths before he moved the fabric aside enough so he could get to your heat.
He was so cautious with his movements, trying to ensure he was doing everything right.
He’d read books. He’d watched porn. But he’d never had the real thing.
He started slow, circling your clit with his fingertip in gentle movements. It was enough to make several moans leave your parted lips and he took that as a good sign.
You pulled him down by his neck so you could kiss him again and his confidence built a little, moving his fingers faster between your legs.
“Oh god Spence,” you mumbled into his lips. “That feels so good baby.”
Spencer felt a swell of pride that he was able to make you feel good, but he wanted more, needed more.
“Y/N,” he panted. “C-can I...can we…”
“Yes Spence. God yes.” You kissed him again and he reluctantly removed his hand from between your legs.
You arched your back and unhooked your bra.
His mouth fell open at the sight of your breasts and he moaned viscerally.
You smiled, taking hold of both of his wrists now and placing his large hands on your breasts.
“F-fuck.” He moaned feeling you beneath his hands. “Jeez Y/N.”
You laughed, now working on sliding your panties down your legs.
Spencer gave your breasts a small squeeze, tweaking your nipples a little between his fingers.
You moved your hands to his hips and cautiously slid his boxers down his hips. You couldn’t stop the small moan that left your lips as you freed his erect member.
“Fuck Spence,” you groaned eyeing him up.
He removed his hands from your breasts so he could shimmy his boxers off.
He laid back down on top of you, his cock nestling between your legs. He kissed you softly, stroking back your hair.
“Y/N, I need to tell you something before w-we...you know…”
“You can tell me anything.” you encouraged him.
“Y/N, I have been in l-love with you for as long as I can remember. I need you t-to know that. I need you to know h-how inconceivably in love with you I am.”
You felt tears spring to your eyes at his words. You pulled him close for another kiss.
“Spencer, I love you too baby.” you whispered, making him sigh in relief.
“I have waited so long to hear you say that.”
“You should have asked.” You smirked, kissing him again. “Are you ready baby?”
He nodded with a deep breath. You wrapped your legs around his waist and he kept his eyes firmly on yours he slowly pushed his way inside of you.
His eyes widened and his jaw fell slack. Nothing in the world could have prepared him for the way you felt. Honestly, he almost came as soon as your tight heat was sheathed around him.
He pushed all the way inside you, filling you up beautifully. He paused to take a few steadying breaths.
“Are you ok?” You traced your finger along his bottom lip.
“Yeah,” he panted. “I just need a minute. I don’t want to uh…f-finish too soon.” He blushed.
“Take your time Spence.” You smiled lovingly at him.
He took a few more breaths and captured your lips in a kiss before he started moving slowly.
He was careful in his movements, slow and gentle as though you were made of glass.
He withdrew almost all the way, before slowly plunging back inside you.
His eyes rolled back in his head and the two of you moaned together under the starry sky.
“Jesus Y/N.” He gasped. “This f-feels so...so…”
“I know Spence,” you kissed him harder, messily exploring his mouth, your hands roaming his body and he moved in and out of you.
“I’m r-really not g-gonna…l-last long.” He spoke into your lips.
“Touch me again Spence. I want to come with you.”
He exhaled, moving his hand between your bodies and his fingers started circling your clit once more as he continued his slow thrusts.
The feeling of being inside you was otherworldly. Spencer had never dreamed in a million years it would feel this magical.
He wanted it to last forever. He never wanted this end. If he could feel one thing for the rest of his life he wanted it to be you wrapped around his dick.
He was getting closer and closer to the edge but now his fingers were working deftly on you, so you were you.
You found it hard to believe he’d never done this before because he was amazing at it. He seemed to know just what to do to bring you to your orgasm.
“I’m s-sorry Y/N…I can’t...I’m g-gonna…”
“Me too Spence.”
Hearing you moan his name was all he could take and with one last thrust, Spencer came, filling you with his load.
You came too, clenching around his spasming cock.
He fell on top of you, panting and moaning into your neck.
You wrapped him in your arms and kissed his messy hair.
“God damn Spencer,” you panted. “That was incredible.”
“R-really?” He lifted his head so he could look at you.
“Absolutely.” You held his face and kissed him gently. “I love you Spencer.”
“I love you too Y/N. So much.”
“Shall we go to bed?”
“Five more minutes under the stars?” He asked to which you nodded.
He gently pulled out of you and rolled onto his back on the blanket. You curled into him, resting your head on his chest.
He wrapped one arm around you and held your hand tightly.
“Beautiful isn’t it?” You sighed sleepily, looking up at the night sky.
“Not half as beautiful as you Y/N.”
***
It didn’t take long at all for you both to fall asleep like that. Thankfully you woke up before your parents and managed to sneak back into your tent before they found you.
Your dad would have a coronary if he found the two of you like that.
The drive back was long, it seemed longer than on the way. Maybe because you knew your time together was coming to an end.
Tomorrow Spencer would be leaving for DC and who knows when you would next see each other again.
At least you had your night together under the stars.
You were both exhausted when you arrived home so retired to your own homes to rest, Spencer promising to come and see you before he left the following morning.
Your night together had been magical, but the air between you was now stifled. It was what Spencer feared most. Giving into his urges had probably ruined your friendship.
And now he was leaving and didn’t have time to make it up to you.
As promised he showed up at your front door the following morning, his car already packed up.
You stepped out onto the porch and closed the front door behind you.
“I can’t believe you’re really leaving.” you wrapped your arms around your body as though shielding yourself from the pain that was going to be caused.
“I know, me either. I never imagined leaving Vegas, not permanently anyway.” he shrugged sadly.
“Don’t forget about me when you’re a hot shot in the FBI, Agent Reid.” you gave him a half smile.
“You and I both know it’s Doctor Reid.” he tried to laugh but it came out as more of a sigh. “Look Y/N, I need to know. After what happened the other night…”
“Spence-”
“Where do we stand Y/N?” he cut you off. “What...what are we?”
You sighed heavily and tried to smile even though your heart was breaking.
“We’re best friends, Spence.” you shrugged. “Always.”
“Best friends.” he muttered sadly. “That’s what I thought.”
“Spencer, we’re moving to different parts of the country, I’m not sure exactly what you thought that night was.”
No, neither am I.
“What was it to you?” he said instead.
“I guess...it was a perfect way to say goodbye.”
Spencer couldn’t keep his resolve any longer and his tears broke free, falling down his cheeks.
“Of course. Goodbye.” he whispered.
“Spence, please don’t cry.” you reached for him but he stepped out of your touch.
“I need to uh...g-get going. It’s a long drive to Quantico.” he rubbed the palms of his hands heavily over his eyes.
“Spence,”
“Really, I n-need to go.” he turned away from you and jogged down the front steps of your house and down the path.
“Spencer, please don’t leave like this.” you called after him, dangerously close to tears yourself.
“Goodbye Y/N.” he turned back to you when he reached the front gate. “I’ll always love you.” he sniffed but before you could say anything more, he was gone.
He ran to his car and seconds later he was inside and you were watching him pull away.
You fell to the ground on the porch and you sobbed. What else could you possibly do? You’d lost your best friend and the love of your life in one fell swoop.
All because of one stupid night under the stars.
Ask the stars up in the sky,
Ask the stars they’ll tell you why.
Stars know ev’ry little thing you do,
There’s a little star that’s watching you.
Ask the stars when you’re with me,
Ask the stars then watch and see.
***
Quantico, Virginia - 2020
Seventeen years seem to pass almost in the blink of an eye. One day Spencer was walking into the BAU for the first time and seemingly the next he was almost forty with a lifetime of trauma behind him.
He thought about you every single day for the longest time. He wondered what you were doing with your life. Were you happy? Had you met someone and got married? Had kids?
Honestly he probably still thought about you every day of his life until he met Maeve.
Maeve was a wonderful reprieve from thoughts of you, and for the first time in almost ten years you hadn’t been the first thought on his mind when he woke in the morning.
But he’d never loved her the way he loved you. It was probably for the best that he and Maeve never got to be together properly because it would have inevitably ended when he couldn’t give her his whole heart.
No, he’d left a piece of that in Vegas years ago.
After Maeve he thought about you from time to time but not everyday like he once had. When he was incarcerated he thought about you a lot. He wondered what you think of him if you could see him sitting in that cell, becoming a man he didn’t recognise. Surely you wouldn’t recognise him either.
Then he met Max and once again he thought maybe, just maybe he would finally be able to give his heart to someone else. But his hopes were dashed. They dated for a few months but she always knew there was someone else. Someone else occupied his mind and his heart and it wasn’t fair on Max to stay with her in the hopes that one day he might be able to love her like he loved you.
You hadn’t fared much better in the love department.
You met a man in college and the two of you married at the tender age of twenty one. You knew you were over compensating. You knew this wasn’t the man you were supposed to be with. But he helped take your mind off your lost love and you were sure in time you would stop thinking about Spencer all together.
But of course you didn’t.
The marriage lasted three years and you were divorced soon after your twenty fourth birthday. There had been other men over the years, but none lasted very long.
They scratched an itch. They filled a void in your life that had existed since Spencer walked out. But inevitably you couldn’t commit so each one ended quicker than the last.
You stayed in Vegas all those years, maybe hoping one day Spencer would come back to you, but of course that had been foolish. Spencer was off living his own life, he probably hadn’t given you a second thought in years.
And then, at the age of thirty five, the job offer came that changed everything.
***
“It’s so quiet around here.” Luke mused as he and Spencer walked through the bullpen.
“Yeah I know what you mean. How is Garcia getting on at her new job?”
“She’s enjoying it but she misses the BAU.”
“Tell her we miss her too. Isn’t her replacement meant to be starting today?”
“She is and she’s settling into her new office.” Emily’s voice caught Spencer and Luke’s attention.
“I guess we should go and introduce ourselves.” Luke shrugged.
“Sure,” Spencer shrugged too and the two of them made their way out of the bullpen towards Garcia’s old office.
“I bet it’s going to be so drab.” Luke laughed.
“No more unicorn mugs or fluffy pens.” Spencer agreed.
“Penelope is one of a kind.”
“Undoubtedly.” Spencer swiped his card on the door and pushed the door handle before stepping into the office, Luke just behind him.
“You must be our new technical analyst.” Luke spoke as the door closed behind the two agents.
The woman sat in Garcia’s old chair tapping on the keys turned in the chair to face them.
She seemed to move in slow motion.
“I’m SSA Luke Alvez and this is Doctor-”
“Spencer Reid.” she cut him off, the words falling from her lips.
“Y/N Y/L/N.” Spencer croaked, glaring at the woman in front of him as if he’d seen a ghost.
Luke frowned looking between the two of them who seemed to have forgotten his presence.
Spencer and Y/N stared at each other without saying a word. Spencer’s chest tightened, constricting his breathing. Was he having a heart attack? Was this how he was going to die?
“You uh, know each other?” Luke spoke up.
“Uh...did know each other.” you croaked not tearing your eyes away from Spencer.
“A long time ago.” Spencer added, not looking away from you either.
Sensing the tension in the room, Luke backed up towards the door.
“Maybe I should let the two of you get reacquainted.” he said but neither of you acknowledged him.
He pushed his way back into the hall just as JJ was heading his way.
“Hey, I was just coming to meet the new tech analyst.” she smiled at him.
“I would give it a minute.” Luke told her, making her frown.
“Why?”
“There’s a lot of unfinished business in that room, trust me.” he put his arm around her shoulders to lead her away from the door.
“Spencer and the new Garcia?”
“Yeah.” Luke sighed. “If my profiling skills are accurate, I would say they were in love once. Probably still are.”
Back inside Garcia’s old office, you and Spencer were still staring at each other.
“I had no idea you still worked here, I swear. I wouldn’t have taken the job if I’d known.” you chewed your lip awkwardly.
“You look different.” he spoke as though ignoring what you’d said.
“Well yes, it has been a long time Spencer.”
“Seventeen years, three months and fifteen days.”
“Precisely.” you frowned at his recall. “I’m not eighteen anymore.”
“No and I’m not twenty two.” he sighed and ran his fingers through his hair.
It was longer now, curlier and messier. He sported stubble on his cheeks and dark circles under his eyes. He’d gained weight, somehow gotten even taller you were sure.
He was most certainly not the twenty two year old Spencer Reid you had spent a night with under the stars.
“You look different too. Good different.” you told him.
“A lifetime of trauma will probably do that.” he nodded stiffly.
“Spencer? Strange question for you…”
“Yeah?”
“Did you uhm...did you ever tell Penelope about...that night.” you felt yourself blushing.
Spencer closed his eyes for a moment with a sigh.
He hadn’t been this drunk in a really long time. Maybe ever. Spencer never had been a big drinker. But they’d had a tough case and Garcia had suggested they all spend the evening at her apartment drinking.
Spencer couldn’t recall who exactly had suggested the drinking games, possibly Kate, but they had been Spencer’s downfall.
“You never did answer the question,” Garica helped Spencer into his jacket after everyone else had left.
“What question?” he slurred, narrowing his eyes on her.
“During truth or dare Morgan asked you how you lost your virginity. You didn’t answer.”
He swallowed, stumbling over his feet a little.
“I uh…” he sighed. “It was with my best friend. On a camping trip under the stars.”
“How romantic!” Garcia swooned.
“Hmm not really. It doesn’t have a happy ending.”
“I don’t remember,” he opened his eyes. “Why?”
“I met her a few times before she left, she was training me up while you guys were away on cases. She told me about the team and that’s when I figured out you still worked here, but I’d already accepted the job by then. Anyway I told her I used to know you, that we were best friends. I didn’t really think much of it until I found this today.” you fished in your pocket and pulled out a brightly coloured post it note. “It was slotted between the desks. I recognise her handwriting.”
You handed the small folded up note to Spencer who took it and unfolded it. In Garcia’s signature handwriting, it read, “You’re in love, just ask the stars.”
“Ok so maybe I did tell her about my best friend who I lost my virginity to under the stars.” he confessed.
“Ah then the note makes sense.” you took it back from him and slid it back into your pocket.
“Yeah.”
Silence followed, heavy, palpable silence.
He thought maybe after all this time he didn’t feel as strongly about you as he used to. But looking into your beautiful eyes, all those feelings came flooding back to him. He didn’t have a shadow of a doubt that he was still in love with you.
The question was, did you still feel the same?
As if reading his mind you stepped a little closer to Spencer, cautiously at first but when he didn’t shy away you came even closer.
You took hold of his tie and played with it between your fingers.
“I know what you’re thinking Spence,” you smiled coyly. “I always know what you’re thinking.”
“You should have been a profiler.” He smiled softly, making you laugh.
“I’ve said it once, Spence and I’ll say it again. If you want to know if I’m still in love with you...all you have to do, is ask.”
When they twinkle, twinkle,
Wedding bells will tinkle, tinkle.
You’re in love, just ask the stars.
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Coraline analysis
Okay so I may be obsessed with Coraline and fallen down a rabbit hole of the lore behind it and I find it super interesting and very cool. I’ve seen and heard a lot of theories about it and I wanted to talk about it. Most of these theories aren’t my original ideas. This will mostly be a mix of other theories I’ve seen that I like the most/make the most sense. Because some of them are just completely outlandish and make no sense. This will probably be a multiple part thing and I’ll probably add onto it as I delve deeper into the universe and have more thoughts. Don’t take these as facts as they are only theories. I just think it’s cool to delve deeper into the meaning behind these things. I would also be happy to hear some of your thoughts as well! Also trigger warning because I will be discussing death in parts of this so don’t feel pressured to read this if that makes you uncomfortable. That being said, get ready for some extreme over analyzing and a very unnecessary essay that I started at 4am. But if you follow me, you should know that I do that quite a lot. Essays are fun when you actually care about the subject.
Okay the first thing I wanna discuss is the idea of three universes of sorts. In which Coraline never returns to the real world. We know of the existence of the real world and the other world but what about the existence of a third world that you enter once you go return through the door? I’ve seen the third world called a limbo so that’s what I’m going to calling it as to be as clear as possible. In this limbo, the other mother still controls but doesn’t directly intervene as she does in the other world. We know that the doll that Coraline gets in the beginning is a spy for the other mother so she can see what’s wrong with Coraline’s life and manipulate the other world to solve those problems. But Coraline didn’t have the doll with her when she went clothes shopping with her real mother so how would the other mother know that she wanted interesting clothes? Also consider that Coraline never interacts with her neighbors until after she enters the other world for the first time. I believe that once she enters the other world and travels back through the door, she enters a limbo of sorts where the other mother can see her at all times. She only needed the doll in the beginning. And at the end, we see Coraline’s ideal world. Where her parents are loving and spend time doing things with her and her neighbors are eccentric but overall lovable. They pretty much do a complete 180 from the beginning of the movie. What caused the change of heart from her parents? They aren’t as perfect as they seemed in the other world. They’re just flawed enough to seem believable while still making her want to stay in the limbo. I hope that makes sense.
Now for the reason the other mother wants children in the first place. The film makes you believe that she eats the children after she sews buttons in their eyes but that’s not true. She doesn’t eat them in the physical sense but feeds on their souls. The reason she tries to lure them in by being their ‘mother’ is because she feeds on the love they feel. And that’s why the other mother is fine with Coraline staying in the limbo. Her ‘real’ mother doesn’t exist there but Coraline still believes she does and loves her like a child would love a mother. And the reason she doesn’t lure adults in is because they a) have more common sense and b) don’t rely as much on feelings like that. They’ve outgrown them for the most part. I’m not saying that adults can’t love their parents. But they don’t feel the same love for them that they did as a child. She of course would rather Coraline stay in the other world with her because it’s easier to feed on her that way but she is still content with her staying in the limbo place and puts up a big fight to make Coraline believe she’s going back to the real world and she can’t feed off her anymore.
I also want to discuss the button eyes. I think the main reason for them is so Coraline thinks she can tell the other world from the real world. There’s a point in the movie where the other mother poses as Coraline’s real mother with normal eyes so we know she’s capable of producing people with normal eyes. It’s all a trick. Now I don’t think that other than the trick the buttons are useless. We’ve established that the doll Coraline is given is a spy and uses the button eyes as a look into the real world. But once they’re in the other world, the buttons are just used as a trick so Coraline thinks she can distinguish the real world from the other world. 
Now for my second theory that’s pretty much confirmed if you actually pay attention to the movie but still a theory technically. That the well is another portal to the other world. Wybie says in the beginning that the well is so deep that if you fall down it that you’ll see a sky full of stars. It’s always night in the other world. Also the well is surrounded by mushrooms in a circle. There’s a belief from some people outside of the Coraline world that a formation of mushrooms in a circle is supposed to be an entrance into a magical world. It also has a negative connotation that it’s an evil magical world and it’s referred to as a fairy circle. So the other mother doesn’t actually die/get defeated in the end. Coraline essentially gives the key back to her. This theory is probably the most plausible one supported by the movie and general common sense that I’ll talk about here.
My next theory is about the other mother. I have a lot of those. The idea that she has complete control over everyone in the other world. Even the ghost children. Now you’re probably thinking, “but the other father, Wybie and the ghost children warn her about the other mother and help Coraline”. That’s kind of the point. The other mother is very smart and cunning. If she didn’t want that idea put into Coraline’s head that she was evil, why would she deliberately put her in the mirror with the ghost children? Why would she not stop Wybie from letting Coraline escape? And if you accept those, it’s extremely likely that the father was also under her complete control. She purposefully made it seem like they had free will so Coraline would trust them. Coraline would think that if the other mother controlled them, it wouldn’t make sense for them to rebel against her. The other father gave Coraline one of the eyes but we all know that even if she fullfilled the rules of the game, the other mother wouldn’t let her go.
I also think that the cat is under her control for the most part as well. I don’t think she fabricated him as she did with all of the other people but I think he serves as a sort of double agent, more so than the other father and other wybie. As with the mice but I won’t get into that now. The cat is there to trick Coraline into thinking the other mother has limitations to her powers. He takes her across the world and shows her that the pink palace is all she can make. But if you accept the limbo theory, you know that she can also fabricate the town/shop Coraline and her mother go into and the well which she seemed incapable of making in the other world. It makes the other mother seem less powerful and more easily beatable even though she had a grasp on Coraline as soon as she entered the other world. He is also the one to show Coraline the mirror with her parents in it and the doll of her parents to lure her back in the other world. He says that the other mother tries to keep him out of the other world but we never see this happen. There are a lot of theories about who the cat is. A lot of people think she might have been a human at some point. Which I’ll discuss in my next point.
Now I want to discuss the bowls of taffy that Miss Spink and Forcible show Coraline when they give her the seeing eye thing(I don’t know a better term for it). There are three bowls and all have different dates. 1921, 1936, and 1960. These are the dates the ghost children were taken. The pioneer girl in 1921, the boy in 1936, and Wybie’s grandma’s sister in 1960. Now a lot of people believe that there must have been another child between 1936 and 1960. That’s where the cat comes in. A lot of people believe that the cat was the fourth child but the other mother couldn’t successfully feed on him for some reason. So she turned him into some sort of spy. Some people speculate that it was Wybie’s great grandfather since we know his grandmother grew up in the pink palace and it would explain why the cat is so close to Wybie. He’s protecting him. I’m not sure where I stand on this as it makes the timeline a bit messy but I think it’s interesting nonetheless. 
Wybie says that his grandmother won’t let families with kids move into the pink palace. So why would she let the Jones family live there? I think the most plausible and most easily understandable theory I’ve seen is that she’s protecting Wybie. He is around the age that her sister went missing and while I don’t think the grandma knows about the other world, I think she does know that there’s more to it than her sister running away. So she was willing to let another child, Coraline, be taken if it meant that Wybie was safe. 
Now for the origins of the other mother. Some theorize that she’s a fairy, of course not in the traditional sense with wings and a magic wand, and that she created the other world. Others believe that she was once human and discovered the other world. The human theory is the one I find the most interesting. We know that the pink palace was built around 150 years ago when the movie takes place. It was confirmed that the story takes place in Ashland, Oregon and we can assume that the town was settled around 150 years ago. A lot of people believe that the other mother was the original owner of the house. It would explain why the garden is in the shape of her face which later takes the characteristics of Coraline. She was obviously very wealthy. Some believe that picture of the ‘boring blue boy’ that Coraline finds in the study is a picture of the other mother’s son. Some believe that he died and the other mother either was called to the well by some magic of the other world, accidently fell in the well, or purposefully jumped in the well. And we’ve established that the well is a portal into the other world. And the reason she lures kids in by pretending to be their mother is in part because she is trying to replace her dead son. She discovered the other world and took it over.
And now for the parents. The other mother seemingly ‘captured’ Coraline’s parents. Yet the parents have no recollection of it. And while her parents seem a bit neglectful, it’s unlikely that they would write the ‘help us’ message on the mirror. They wouldn’t put their 10/11 year old daughter in danger on purpose like that. She made it seem like she kidnapped the parents to give Coraline more incentive to go back to the other world. And again, if we accept the limbo theory, the snow on the parents’ clothing when they return would’ve been put there by the other mother to make it seem like she really did kidnap them. If she can control the limbo word, she would have been able to do that. 
Okay, that’s it for now. I have a lot more theories but this is very long already. I hope this was comprehensible. A lot of these are very complicated but I did my best to explain them. 
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taki118 · 3 years
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Go watch Final Space
This poor series that has been jumping from platform to platform is releasing its third season this march on adult swim and HBO maxx and by god it deserves to go the 6 seasons it’s creator Olan Rogers thinks it can go. 
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One of the main reasons this show got a bad rap at the start was people insisting that because of its art style and genre it was a Rick & Morty clone let me say it loudly for the people who still think this 
FINAL SPACE IS NOT A KNOCK OFF RICK & MORTY
Rick & Morty is a Sc-Fi comedy series with action Final Space is a Sci-Fi action series with comedy now that might seem like very little difference but it is. Final Spaces in series history and lore is its own unique thing that gets built up and expanded on as the series goes on. It is not a backdrop for things to happen to our protagonist.
Another issue people had when this series came out early was the main character Gary being annoying, and yes he was, and this was done so intentionally as the series goes on he drops a lot of these annoying tendencies as he develops and grows (also he was alone for like 5 years yeah he was desperate for interaction)
But let me tell you some reasons I love Final Space and I’ll try my best to not spoil things, cause you should really give this show your time. While season one is a little rough season 2 really shines and season 3 looks like its going to tear my god damn heart out. 
1: Found Family 
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Final Space seems to really love this idea that family is not just the people who share your blood but the people around you who stay. This series showcases both good parents and bad parents BUT also shows good surrogate parental figures AND bad ones and thats something i rarely see. The series goes out of its way to show how vulnerable people desperate for a place to belong will attach themselves to the wrong people. All the while our main cast develops and strengthens their bonds over the seasons making a weird family that is always has room for one more. 
2: Character Growth
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I am a sucker for good character growth and Gary Goodspeed gets some get great character growth as well as Little Cato and Knightfall (who was very unexpected as she seemed like one of those character types who wouldnt). Like let me tell you if you think Gary is just a happy go lucky idiot who doesnt have a bunch of emotional trauma you’re wrong, trauma which the show address and he grows from dealing with in healthy ways. 
3: Using the Multiverse as Character Study
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Now i could talk forever about this because this show uses the idea of multi realties in a way not many pieces of media do. See normally the idea is just this play ground to explore how characters or the world could be different or as a means to cheaply bring back a character to maintain staus quo. But Final Space does something interesting it explores how this people both are and are not you. They may look, sound, and act like you but they have experienced a live different from your own, and in this way will never fully be you.
Ex. A character comes from an alternate realty the person they loved died there but is alive in this one and while they play with idea of being with this person instead but finds that they just can’t because this just isn’t the person they loved and they never will be. 
They also use this a means of almost existential horror with the inevitably of fate, if in hundred different timelines you tried to do the same thing but failed each time would you still try? Would it even mean anything if what happens after is worse? Like this series really does hit you with these moments and ideas to ponder and it never feels out of place.
4: The Humor is Really Weird and Fun
Like its really hard to pin down exactly what this humor is but I’d say its very character based like these jokes just would not work anywhere else or with anyone else. The series has a very odd sense of humor that you just cant pin down, from like witty dialogue delivered in just the funniest ways, to a literal piss war to a deadpan AI talking about death to an alternate version of yourself telling you you’ll never grow a mustache to a guy who wants to be stabbed cause he thinks it’d be cool to silly background gags you might miss, the shows comedy is just very enjoyable and fun. 
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Like honestly there is a lot more I could talk about but its all so specific and spoiler filled like you have no idea how hard this was till now. Anyway I hope this helps some people take the time to give Final Space a chance. Like I said the start is slow and Gary is a bit much at the start but by the season 1 finale you definitely wont feel like you have wasted your time. Final Space is a hell of a ride that’ll go places you definitely did not expect. 
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katsukikitten · 3 years
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WARNINGS Adult themes and hinted at sexual assault. This is an 18+ AU  @bakugotrashpanda I finished
Your vision blurs from both the side effects of a quirk and the dam of tears threatening to burst. You throw your black hood up over your head, huffing as you rush to an apartment complex. 
"Fifth floor. Fifth floor room 5C, right?" You mumble to distract yourself from the pain coursing through your body as you force yourself up the stairs, looking over your shoulder out of paranoia. 
Finally you reach your destination but suddenly the urgency in you dies out. Fizzling away in your veins as you stand frozen wondering just why you were here? 
Standing in front of the door of the very hero who has almost caught you time and time again. Having only narrowly escaped with a quick witted quip and a trick that barely worked. 
Just as you're about to turn to leave, a hot head yanks open the door. His garnet eyes are sharp before widening in surprise. He takes you in with a slight horror as he takes in what he can in seconds. Your eyes are blown wide, dilated so unnaturally large that only a drug or quirk could induce a pupil of that size. The veins in your left eye are ruptured while a faint purple hue blooms on your lid. Your plush bottom lip is split down the middle, swollen even and the blood is barely dried. Your hoodie is torn down the middle as shaking hands clutch it closed while your tights and skirt are tattered beyond repair, your outfit threatening to fall away from your body from a small gust of the cold winter wind. 
The last thing those molten eyes notice is the faint bruising around your tender throat and with the angle of your hood he can just barely make out the shape of fingers. Something hot forms in his chest and seeps out into his fingers causing them to twitch. 
You answer the question he left unspoken.
"I didn't know where else to go." 
He watches you sway on unsteady feet as you speak, eyes fluttering as you fight off losing consciousness. He grabs onto you, causing you to flinch even as you're half out of it. That odd burning sensation blooms beneath his ribs again, he grits his teeth. Voice low, hushed even; missing the normal gruff venom. 
"Let's get you inside." 
After that your memories are a blur of warmth and a soft crimson gaze that holds with it malice towards someone unknown.  
As you lie on his couch flickering in and out like a dying flame he debates with himself. Wondering if he should take you out of those clothes, well what is left or them, that are covered in blood and possibly vomit.
But what he cannot fathom is how you a high ranking villain, probably the top female villain who has eluded him for months could end up like this. 
He has seen your power, the grace in which you hold yourself and the feats you have done. And he's been dying to turn you in since the first time you punched him in the solar plexus. 
As he crimson eyes linger over your frame he feels that way now, as you had delivered a well placed blow as he studies the bruises in the low light.  
He decides he should at least rinse you off. You're awake enough to cling to him as he gently guides you to theshower, cranking it high enough it could scald but he knows you need it. Still you sway on your feet, shaking as he slowly removes your ripped hoodie leaving your breasts exposed to the steamy air and your worst enemy Bakugou. 
But he hardly notices the way your tits sit or the color of your nipples, all he can see are the scratches and bruising. Unzipping your skirt with care you didn't know he possessed to reveal a pair of ragged tights with a hole ripped between your legs. Disgust fights to rise up his throat with a shout that he swallows down as he slowly removes them and your torn pair of underwear. You're shaking harder now as he pauses to collect himself, getting his teeth as he stares down black bruises on your inner thighs. He lets out a rush of air through his nose before he gently guides your bare feet to the cool tiled floor. He gestures to the shower trying to give you some privacy but suddenly you cling to him.  
"Fifth floor. 5c. Fifth floor. 5C." You murmur fisting his shirt as you look up at him. He can tell that you're frustrated, fighting through the haze of whatever has you under the influence but all you can force Your or remember is his apartment number. Your broken voice echoes through his head as he stares down at you.  
"I didn't know where else to go."
So you, a highly wanted criminal, showed up at the doorstep of the number one hero, or at least one of the men who owned the title. And the least compassionate one at that. His chest feels odd, as if one of his explosions ruptured a lung or worse as he realizes what that means for you. Usually when someone found themselves at rock bottom they went to someone they knew they could truly trust but you, you had no one to turn to? 
Just someone you avoided, half attempted to kill and vice versa. He was your last stitch effort.
"P...please…."A tremor runs through you before he quickly scoops you up to set you on the counter of the vanity. He removes his shirt with a grimace before shoving himself free of his shorts and boxers. Gently guiding you to your feet as his callused hands held onto yours. He hadn't realized that how much he dwarfed you until now. Especially now, his stomach churning as he realizes just how fragile people can be. 
He hates seeing fragility on you. He places you beneath the stream, grabbing onto something hidden beneath the vanity. The small set of women's toiletries his mother had given him for "just in case", silently and reluctantly he thanked that stubborn hag. 
He offers you a bottle and when it is evident that your mind is lightyears away he sighs deeply, lathering his hands in flowery body wash. He holds his broad hand out to you and you grant him silent permission as you offer him your wrist. Hands sweeping up your arms, over your shoulders and pausing for a moment, unsure if he should touch your chest although you desperately needed it. Another tremor moves through you as you guide his hand down, resting it over your heart. His jaw tics as he feels how rapidly it is beating, a combination of substance abuse and whatever the hell just happened to you.  Still your eyes linger on his body wash and your mind wanders aloud. 
"I thought you smelt like caramel because of your body wash." Voice barely there when you were normally boisterous. Instead you notice that the spicy smell comes from his soap, the burning sugar was all him. You had smelt it moments after entering his home. He says nothing, not that you wanted him to reply. You move his hands to give him permission to care for you before going numb. 
Totally numb to the water and his touch, although it is much more comforting than the last set of hands that touched you. 
Your vision blurs, the tears fall silently and he allows you to grieve before your mind goes numb again. 
"Fifth floor." You whisper, voice breaking as if you bore bad news. He washes your hair and conditions it as best he can as he watches your mind begin to slip. A surprisingly plush towel caresses over your skin as Bakugou pats you down gently. Making sure you are dry before he moves to your hair,  squeezing the water from it softly. Finally he is done, scooping you to him, princess style, before he decides you're going to stay here tonight. 
He takes you to his room, setting you on the edge of his bed, forcing you to sit for now. He throws on a pair of boxers before he rummages through his closet to find an old pair of basketball shorts and a long sleeved shirt.
"Arms up." A gruff voice pulls you closer to the living and you obey. Arms burning as you lift them into the air only for comfort to envelop you. 
"Step into these." Bakugou growls as he is bent over with the shorts held firmly in his hands. You nod furiously, sliding off the side of the bed to allow your feet to fall into the holes. One hand steadying yourself on a broad back. 
"Strong." You whisper, patting him gently before he comes up, he hates how your breathing hitches, coming in short bursts now that he is full height. You even push away from him a bit before your glazed over eyes register that it is only him. 
"5C." You mumble, touching his chest and he nods, fingers gripping onto yours. Katsuki eases you into the bed and wrapes you in his comforter. It's large and warm, reminding you of strong arms eveloping you. You deeply inhale the dark fabric and it smells godly. Like caramel, a burning sparkler and a spice you can't place, your eyelids become heavier. Just as he is about to walk away your eyes snap open, chest heaving as the night tries to return. 
"FIFTH FUCKING FLOOR!" You shout, grabbing onto that callused hand that soothed the rage, the raw fear and the utter self loathing from something you couldn't control. Could never dream that it could have happened to you.
But it did.
The same fucking hand that kept you from shattering, at least for the time being. 
"I'm here. I'm right here." He coos in a husky tone, hand smoothing down your damp hair. He squeezes your hand tightly and like a switch you go limp, all but your death grip on him as you fall into a deep sleep.
He stands there until your breathing is even, turning the lights down low but not completely off as he leaves the door to his bedroom ajar. 
Angrily he searches for his phone with an idea in mind. A threat turned promise, that he repeats to himself over and over again.
When he finds out who did this to you, he was going to kill them. No questions asked, no second thoughts. Wholeheartedly he was going to commit murder for what they had done to you and what will continue to haunt you for years to come. 
Finally he finds his phone and dials one of the few numbers he knows by heart. The recipient answers after the third ring. 
"Oi, Deku, remember that favor you owe me? I think it's time I fucking cashed it in." 
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decepti-thots · 2 years
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Okie u can ignore this if u want of course but I'd be curious to hear abt why u hated Netflix WFC so much? Bc that seems to be a Super common fan opinion of the series but I don't rlly have any context as to why bc I'm a rlly new TF fan and WFC was actually my first ever TF media (unless u count the 1st Michael Bay movie when I was like 10 or whatever lol). And tbh I ended up rlly liking the netflix trilogy! But I have a feeling that's bc its literally the first thing I ever saw lmao. Thanks <3
Hey, first off, welcome to the fandom anon, since that wasn't that long ago and all! I hope you have a great time with us in Robot Hell TM! :)
Secondly, my dislike of WFC is definitely in part that WFC just... isn't really 'for me', I'll be honest. Like literally, I'm not the target demographic they had in mind for this show. Which probably sounds kind of weird, because WFC definitely targeted a) adult fans and b) people who are Nerdy TM about TF, both of which are me. However, when it comes to TF cartoons, I'm like... here for the kid stuff. I really like when TF, at least on television, is for kids first and foremost! So that element already just personally didn't vibe with me, and that's really a subjective thing.
In terms of why I really disliked it rather than just going 'eh', it's... mostly the pacing. Honestly. It's a much slower paced series than I really enjoy, and I felt like if they had halved the run time per series, or maybe even done it as three 'TV movie' style specials, it would have worked a lot better. Now, a lot of people can look past that, which is cool! However, as someone who almost never watches TV series because they take too much of my time, pacing is like, one of THE biggest dealbreakers for me in any show, so again, that's as much a me thing as anything else, haha.
I honestly can't really speak to the overall 'quality' of the show because the above means that all I really bothered with were 2 episodes of the first series, 1 episode and a couple sporadic scenes of the second, and... I think the same for the third. IDK. Not my bag! When I bounce off something I just go watch something else, haha, life is short.
(Still want the Ratchet stuff from s1 to come back somewhere though. Neutral Ratchet... that was a REAL nice idea.)
Also, just wanna say, it can sometimes suck to love something it feels like most of the fandom hates, but there's definitely other WFC fans out there. I promise not everyone hates it, anon, haha. I don't think you're 'missing' anything, you just like something some other people don't. (As someone who insists the Unicron Trilogy is mostly fun ACTUALLY, FANDOM, trust me, I can relate!)
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JJK Woman Appreciation Post II! ⚠️ Spoilers (duh)⚠️
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Shoko Ieiri:
I’m torn between simping for her and begging her to adopt me.
Shoko Ieiri, the ultimate third wheel. She was in the same year as Gojo and Geto, and the three of them became fast friends. Of course, though, Gojo and Geto became even faster friends. The three of them are legit parallels to Nobara/Fushiguro/Itadori in terms of their friendship. She and Utahime also have a good friendship as seen in one of my favorite manga panels. Shoko is extremely special because she can used Reversed Cursed Techniue which allows her to heal people, and based on Volume 0, may be able to REGROW MISSING LIMBS?!
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She’s extremely valuable to the story because of this ability and during the Shibuya Incident Arc, Principal Yaga expresses this importance. She is situated away from everything because if the enemy knew where she was, they would kill her first.
Shoko prefers alcohol over sweets, and stopped smoking for five years before starting again during the Shibuya Incident Arc. Because... yea I’d do the same. She is pretty serious and focuses on getting the job done. She is pretty laid back and chill, and presents a blasé attitude. In high school, she always avoided conflict and after seeing Geto after he, you know k!lled a bunch of people, she mocks him almost. I hope we get to see more of her and her character and that maybe the whole thing of her avoiding conflict gets overcomes. Her and Utahime will be the only adult mentors left in the series really, and I want to see how she would react in that role.
Utahime Lori:
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Yes I do personally Headcanon these two as girlfriends. I honestly love Utahime because of the fact that she’s like the mother hen of a bunch of juvenile children who project their issues on other people.
When first introduced, she’s pretty calm and reserved. She stops the rival school from their battle of petty insults and gets easily irritated... when Gojo came. She has good intuition and when Gojo asks her to investigate the spy at Kyoto, she reminds him that she could be the spy before being insulted for being ‘weak’. We don’t know her cursed technique but obviously it must be pretty strong if she is the opposing teacher to Gojo. And speaking of the annoying idea of weak and strong in the Jujutsu world, Utahime also has a scar on her face. We don’t know where she got it from but she has it.
Momo talks about how a scar on a woman is a disadvantage for a female Jujutsu Sorcerer. I personally think that her lectur might have been influenced by seeing her teacher be put at a disadvantage due to this. We still don’t know too much about her, sadly, but she shows herself to be an entertaining character. Her attempt an a inspirational speech at the begining of the sister school exchange event displays her to be rather awkward when it comes to being comforting. However, it’s been established that the Kyoto school is like a family and that probably wouldn’t be possible without Utahime. Her caring nature is on display when she notices Miwa passed out in a dangerous zone.
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Same thing with Shoko, I’m torn between simping and begging for adoption. Gosh I want Utahime and Shoko to be my moms dkekekek.
The fact that she loves Karaoke and wants Shoko to quit smoking 😭😳💙
Mei Mei
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First thing first: her relationship with her brother will always make me uncomfortable-
Mei Mei is a grade one sorcerer who is on the side of money. Mood. I honestly don’t know her character that well, but she is really chill and has good inuition. She notices Maki’s strength and quickly realizes that Fake!Geto is.. well fake.
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Okay but her cursed technique?? Allowing herself to control or share senses with animals, specifically crows is so cool and so convienet. Like during the Kyoto event, her skill was very useful and same thing during the Shibuya Incident Arc.
Although I don’t remember much about her character, I do know that she is very chill and laid back, but can be caring in her own special way. Well, by caring I mean complimenting Itadori on his skill, which is something that she didn’t have to do but did.
This reminded me that I need to reread the manga, and not just Gojo’s past arc because I miss Riko Amanai and I’m working on a nice post about Star Plasma Vessel Sus stuff, but Mei Mei is also just like... hot 😳.
Yuki Tsukumo:
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She’s so cool, but so suspicious. A lot of people have pointed out that she was insturmental in Geto’s decline by introducing the idea of a world without jujutsu to him. Her Aethstic is cool with the motorcycle and the “what kind of woman is your type” question. I love how she is really cheerful but at the same time badass, two traits I feel like aren’t more commonly coexistent within female characters.
In the last or second to last chapter, she exposed herself to be rather... funny? Like funny in the fact that she’s kind of clueless half the time? Like the facial expressions she makes and how when things goes more downhill than she thought they would, she started to freak out a little.
I do think she is really interesting in the fact that she actively researches way to make the world a better place and protect people from curses in the best way possible. But... she’s still so suspicious.
Fun fact: her surname has the Kanji for 99... she got 99 problems-
Riko Amanai:
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Missing you 😭
She’s probably one of my favorite characters. She was just a teenager who was lonely and for some reason kept on surviving while others didn’t. She was okay with giving up herself to... basically be the vessel, the puppet, to a powerful entity who’s been alive for over a 1000 years. It’s really bittersweet because the way I saw it, she was okay with being the vessel because of the fact that she believed that because she was the vessel, she had to be lonely in her life leading up to the Merge.
Riko has no cursed technique but was responsible for the Jujutsu world as Master Tengen’s vessel. She was spunky, cheerful, and... confused. Riko thought she had everything figured out but after forming close connections with Geto and Gojo and realizing how important Kuro was to her, she realized that she wanted to make more memories and not lose everything.
I’ll talk more about her in my Star Plasma Vessel post 😉.
Tsumiki Fushiguro:
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Omg another one of my favorites because I love characters who are low key plot tools.
Tsumiki is Megumi’s older step sister who took on a very maternal role in his life. Megumi is very protective over her while at the same time very annoyed at what he believed was the hypocrisy of ‘good people’. Tsumiki is shown to be kind, caring, and well... just your normal teenage girl. She threw milk at Megumi after scolding him for getting into another fight. She just wants to see her little bro get the best life he could possibly get.
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Tsumiki only did the test of courage because she ‘was worried’ and I feel like that just says so much about her character. And now? Well now she’s a vessel for some unknown vengeful spirit. And... do all vessels just get their hair pulled back??
And That’s all for now folks! Thanks for reading!
I didn’t edit this at all oh well, some times the first draft is all we have the energy to do-
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