#so she learned to dodge around and get out of the way Fast but has zero interest in actually ever being On Top of one | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

cryptotheism · 1 year

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Lilly: Good morning New Babel, you're listening to Screw Loose, your favorite early-morning exo rig and rig maintenance rig show this side of the white river, I'm Lilly.

The Bear: And I'm the Bear, and you- are on the air. What can we help you with?

Caller: Hello! Hi! So, uh, first time caller. My name is Zuri. I run a barley and flesh farm about an hour south of Isin. I'm in the market for a new rig. My last rig kicked the bucket. But I have an, uh, odd request that I was hoping you two could help give me some guidance on.

The Bear: Welcome to the show doll, we'd be happy to help. But first, I gotta ask, what were you running before and what happened to it?

Lilly: Yeah! We gotta know what we're dealing with here.

Zuri [beginning to laugh]: So we had an Arcadia Y-400-

[both hosts erupt into laughter]

Lilly: And it broke!?

The Bear: Doll what in the hell did you do to this thing!?

Zuri: [laughing] Listen! Listen! It was my grandfathers! We had been replacing parts on this thing since before I was born! It was its time!

The Bear: Lilly, is she dodging the question?

Lilly: I think she's dodging the question, Bear.

The Bear: Okay okay, so what exactly did you do to destroy this extraordinary museum piece?

Zuri: [laughing] Oh gosh I don't want to say it now.

[The hosts erupt with encouragement]

Zuri: My sons will play this game, where I'll be out working in the field. You know, rigged up, focusing on tilling. They'll sneak up behind me with their rigs on, jump up, curl up into a little ball, and try to lock themselves to my back-jack in the cargo position...

[The hosts are howling with laughter]

Zuri: They're- They're damn good at it too! My oldest, Zair, can do it in on solid motion. Its like one moment I'm minding my own business, the next moment I have a whole kid in a 100 pound work rig locked to my back!

Lilly: What a riot! Oh this is just dangerous to put on the air.

The Bear: Ahem, to all the parents at home we apologize in advance, please don't sue us.

Zuri: So- So one day- One day my youngest tries it, but he doesn't twist around fast enough, and the aux battery on the left arm clips an exposed spinal neurohelix. Zap! Neuros are fried. My legs and arms lock straight like stilts! Now I'm swearing up a storm, you know- "You little rats!" But I'm hobbling like a circus performer trying to chase em down and they're just dying. Musta been the funniest damn thing they've ever seen.

[The hosts continue to laugh uproariously at this]

The Bear: Doll we gotta get to advice part of the show or the network is gonna give YOU a show.

Lilly: What a way to go! You hit an aux to the spinal braid? That's fried. Done. Kaput. You gotta scrap that thing.

Zuri: Yeah, we've already gutted it. Old girl is rusting in the barn for parts now. Zair is a whiz, so I'm hoping he can get some good use out of it.

The Bear: So we hear you're looking for a new rig?

Lilly: What's your price point love?

Zuri: We've got a good chunka cash built up. We're looking at something in the 600 to 700 washer range.

The Bear: That's pretty good for a work rig. You've got a lot of choices.

Lilly: I have a sneaking suspicion that this price point has something to do with your special request?

Zuri: So, my oldest, Zair. I recently learned that he's been uh. Well gosh now I'm embarrassed about this too!

The Bear: Doll c'mon don't hold out on us!

Lilly: You called, we can handle it!

Zuri: I learned that Zair had been using the Arcadia to race on the weekends. He and some of the local kids would run street races at night. He's been rigging a grapple harness to the waist-jack, and stripping it before I need the rig for monday morning.

[The hosts laugh at this, though not as hard]

Lilly: Ha! So what you're saying is you want the biggest, slowest, beached-whale rig you can get? Something just impossible to race?

The Bear: I'm thinking an HR&R Pauldron, Heavy Industrial. With that type of money you can get the new 900 series. Ask for the high-stability option-

Zuri: No no! No you don't understand! The damn kid keeps placing last because he's been racing in a junker! What I'm lookin' for is something I can use as a work rig for the days, that's easy to strip and good to race on the weekends. I want it safe, you hear me? I can't stop this kid from racing, so I might as well get something that'll keep his skull together.

[The hosts explode into laughter again]

Lilly: You! You're a good mom! What I wouldn't give for a mom like you!

The Bear: Ma'am, one day, when I grow up, I wanna be like you. I wanna be that typea mom.

Zuri: So, can you help me?

[The hosts can be heard stage whispering for a moment, followed by the sound of cracking knuckles.]

The Bear: Okay. You've got a lot of good options here. My friend here wants you to get a sport rig, but that's not gonna have the torque you need for farmwork: Here's what you're gonna do-

Lilly: Would to! Have you seen what the Roadrunner 600 can do? Six point neuro uplink! Eighty pneumatic helices per leg! Tell me that's not good enough to rig a plow!

The Bear: The dirt Lil! We need solid-body articulation! Using a pneumo-helix for farmwork is like pouring sand into clockwork!

Lilly: You replace the dermis with a synthetic sheathe! I get no respect around here!

The Bear: Zuri, doll, here's what you're gonna do: You're gonna go to your local Post Office outpost. You're gonna ask if they have any old courier shipping rigs. You want middlegrade. Ask specifically if they have an Albatross W-500, or if you're lucky, an LH-640. These are long-haul light-load shipment rigs. They're ugly, but they're sturdy as hell, built for carrying things long distances through rough terrain.

Lilly: The kicker here is that they're both light-combat certified. Built-in medical and shock response treatment. You'll need to replace the medical gel canisters every few months to make sure they're fresh... And if a certain someone wanted to maybe engage in a little bit of light illegal street racing...

The Bear: Well the Albatross line is built to be constantly refitted for different weathers and terrains. So someone, not saying who, might have a real easy time stripping the plating for speed. That sound good doll?

Zuri: That sounds perfect, thank you so much girls!

The Bear: Perfect! Thank you for the call, you'll have to tell us how it goes!

Lilly: Please love we beg you! Call again! Toodle-oo!

Zuri: Thank you again!

[The caller hangs up, the show transitions into a commercial break]

#Amber Skies #Screw Loose

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julieverne · 6 months

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Maura kisses Jane when she's had a few drinks.

Not in, like, a gay way. She just looks up at Jane with shining eyes and plants one on her. Sometimes it's followed with a slurred 'I freaking love you', and sometimes it's preceded by it. Jane learns her tells pretty quickly, but she never has the heart to dodge them.

---

The first time was in The Dirty Robber. They'd been drinking after a case, and Frost had joined them. They sat on the same side of the booth so women wouldn't think one of them was with him; they didn't want to ruin his pickup game. Jane hadn't noticed the little flush of histamines on Maura's cheeks. She hadn't noticed Maura leaning against her, so involved with the conversation with Frost about their case that she'd merely slung an arm over her and kept talking. When Frost got up to get another round, Jane looked over, and Maura pulled her in close, hand fisted in the front of Jane's tee.

It hadn't been passionate, it had just been a kiss. The sort that bridesmaids give each other on a hens night, the kind that straight women gave each other when they had good news. Jane had chuckled awkwardly, and Maura pulled away from her closed mouth, looking up at Jane with a grin.

"You're so smart. I can't believe you caught that guy."

"It's your evidence that's going to put him away," Jane said gently, a little unsettled. A compliment and a kiss. It was a little too soft and girly for her, but Maura had always been a little too soft and girly for her. That was part of what she liked about her. Jane had enough rumours about her sexuality flying around the precinct, and this was a cop bar. She looked around, but no one seemed to have noticed. Jane hadn't minded; Maura had nice breath and she hadn't mauled her. It hadn't been gross or anything. It hadn't even been particularly unwanted. Part of her wondered if she should mind, but it was hardly a confession of love or attraction. It was just something drunk straight girls did, wasn't it? Maura reached for her glass, but tipped it over instead.

"You're drunk," Jane realised out loud, tightening her arm around Maura's shoulders, glad Frost hadn't seen the kiss. Even though he'd know there was nothing to it, he would heckle Jane relentlessly.

Frost came back with three drinks, and Jane pulled Maura's out of her reach. "You've had enough to drink," Jane said gently, and Maura pouted, slumping against Jane. Frost chuckled, jumping in where he'd left off, while Jane pointed out pretty women at the bar giving him glances.

---

The next time, Constance was staying over. She'd brought wine, and Maura had had a little more than one glass. Jane had had one; she didn't mind a wine or beer, but she stayed pretty sober. PTSD and drinking didn't mix well; she'd learned that fast after Hoyt. Then there was Tommy and Frank, examples that alcohol addiction didn't look good on Rizzolis. Even Jane was feeling the buzz, though; not too heavy, but enough that she excused herself from the table to get some water. She didn't want nightmares later, and she still had to drive home.

Maura joined her in the kitchen, giggling as she stumbled and Jane caught her.

She looked up at Jane, who held her with one arm around her, holding her by the hip, then she looked at Jane's chest, then back up at Jane, her eyes shining, her smile glorious.

"You always save me," Maura said, her voice so low that Jane had to lean down a little to hear her. Maura leaned up a little and pressed her lips to Jane's, quick and easy. "Thanks," Maura said, her cheeks flushed from wine.

Jane held the glass she'd filled from the sink and held it to the lips that had just touched hers until Maura gave in and drank from it.

"You need this more than me," Jane mumbled, her voice low and amused.

Constance and Angela, at the table, looked away when Jane glanced over at them. It was fine. They knew they were just friends. It wasn't like either of them were homophobic either - Constance had been talking about a queer exhibit she'd defended in West Virginia last month, and Angela had shook her head.

"How can anyone hate love," she'd said, looking over at Jane.

Maura drank half the glass before pulling away, shaking her head. Rather than dirty another glass, Jane finished the water and poured another. Her thumb rubbed the crest of Maura's hip, holding her close in case she stumbled again.

"Am I embarassing myself?" Maura asked, sotto voice. Jane chuckled and drank some more water. She turned to look at Maura, who focused her intense gaze on Jane's eyes, seeking an answer. Jane brought up a hand and used two fingers to brush a lock of hair away from Maura's forehead, tucking it behind her ear, then let those fingers drift onto Maura's cheek.

"You could never," Jane told her. "But you're definitely tipsy."

Maura's brow furrowed. She took the glass from Jane's hand and sipped from it.

"I'm being a terrible host," Maura confessed. "Leaving my guests alone at the dining table."

"They're fine. They both love you."

Maura looked uncertain, and it hurt Jane to see just how much she questioned people's affection for her.

"Everyone here loves you, Maura," Jane told her, and Maura's uncertainty turned into a shy smile. Jane knew she'd gotten through to her. Maura's arm wrapped around Jane's waist and she leaned against her. "Even if you are a lightweight," Jane added, rubbing Maura's back.

---

The next time was a Rizzoli gathering. They usually didn't drink, but Tommy was out of town, so it was just Frankie and Jane and Angela in Maura's courtyard, catching up over Sunday dinner. Jane and Frankie fought over who worked the barbeque, and Jane brought Maura her plate first, sitting beside her. Maura's skin glowed in the dusk light, her smile luminescent in twilight. Jane ducked her head to hide the smile on her face, to hide the way Maura made her smile. Maura, caught up in the silliness of Jane and Frankie, stole Jane's beer, wrinkling her nose at the taste of it. God, she was so cute Jane could barely stand it.

So she didn't complain when Maura hauled her inside to get the fresh berries they'd picked upstate for dessert. Maura paused at the counter, looking up at Jane, and Jane was kind of expecting it this time.

Maura got up on her tiptoes in her flats, one hand on Jane's hip, and she pressed her mouth against Jane's.

"Today was perfect. Thank you."

Jane shrugged shyly; it had just been the usual Rizzoli chaos. Maura was still looking up at her like she was a sunset or a fancy painting that coat more than Jane's condo. "I really freaking love you," Maura added. "And your family. I'm so glad I have you."

"Me too," Jane agreed. She snagged a blueberry, chewed it, then pressed her mouth to Maura's, hoping she tasted as good as Maura always did. Maura's smile was shy but no less beautiful for the blue staining her lips.

---

The next time was after the election. Giovanni had been depressed about his candidate, and he'd joined them for a drink. He'd hinted again at a threesome, but Maura, after a single drink this time, had kissed Jane solidly without flinching.

"I'm not sharing her," Maura said possessively, holding Jane's hand on the table. Jane had rolled her eyes when Frankie and Frost and Korsak gave her raised eyebrows from across the room, but she'd tucked her arm over Maura's shoulders and kissed her temple.

"Never look a gift horse in the mouth," Jane said, shrugging.

"I'm hardly a horse, Jane,"

"Come on, I know you know the origin of that phrase."

"Typically a horse's age can be determined by the length and wear on their teeth. Are you saying I'm too old for you?"

"Christ," Jane said, exasperated. "Everything's an insult to you, isn't it? No, you're not old. You're not a horse. It's just something people say when they have something too good to be true. Something they don't think they deserve." Jane paused to realise the truth of that statement. Jane knew she wasn't good enough for Maura, but that was okay, because they weren't actually dating, just pretending.

Maura's eyes were big and teary, and Giovanni cleared his throat, uncomfortable with Jane's confession.

"I'm not something you need to deserve. I'm not something you need to earn."

"I know, but sometimes I can't believe how lucky I am to have you in my life." Jane wasn't surprised by the sincerity of her statements; she'd never felt good enough for Maura, and she knew she was lucky to have such a good friend. She'd taken in most of Jane's family, and Jane herself, in times of trouble. Maura's mouth trembled, a single tear spilling from her eye, and Jane caught it with the tip of her thumb, cradling Maura's face.

"Youse two are so sweet," Giovanni said. "I'm outta here before I gotta see a dentist." He joined Frost at the bar, and Jane pulled Maura closer.

"Don't cry," Jane whispered.

"I'm sorry."

"Don't apologise for crying."

"I'm not used to hearing that people - that anyone values me."

"You mean beyond your immense fortune?" Jane joked, and Maura gave her a watery smile. "Look, I know we put on an act for G, but I do value you. Our friendship is the most important relationship I've ever had in my life. I am lucky to have you. Most people don't like dead body talk at dinner, and you're the one that usually starts it. Most people don't like knowing their friends get shot at-"

"I don't like it when you get shot at. Or shot."

"But you haven't - people abandoned me, after Hoyt."

"I'd never." Maura shot Jane an incredulous look that she'd even suspect it of her.

"I know," Jane immediately reassured her. "Look, I'm not good at all the mushy feelings stuff, but I meant what I said. I'm lucky to have you. I don't know what I did right to have you in my life, but I'm forever grateful I do."

Another tear leaked from Maura's eye, and Jane caught that one too. Maura's eyes closed, and Jane let herself cup Maura's face.

"I think I'm the lucky one," Maura said, her voice low. Her eyes opened and she looked at Jane. Jane could see the lonely, neglected child Maura had been, could see the insecure woman she'd initially met. But she could also see the strong, independent Doctor Maura Isles that championed not just herself but Jane. The ire in her voice when she'd chastised a nurse for Jane's empty morphine pump. The way she'd stood between a woman with a knife and Jane. Maura blinked and her expression changed, something impossibly sweet in her eyes before she pressed her mouth against Jane's again. She pulled away with a little smirk, her confidence returned. "You're lucky I love you," she challenged Jane.

Jane let her hand fall from Maura's face, picked up her beer and took a sip, feeling a little regret that it was washing away the feel of Maura against her lips. She looked intently at her beer bottle.

"Yeah, I am," Jane admitted, hearing Maura's triumphant chuckle as a reward.

The next time was at Camille's wedding. Jane was wearing a simple dress Maura had chosen for her - one comfortable enough that she wouldn't fidget through the service, but elegant in its simplicity and the way it flattered Jane's lanky form. Jane had danced with Frost, and Cam, and Frankie, and even Camille and Robyn. Maura had been on her feet all night, always someone ready to take the next dance with her, even Angela and Susie. Jane looked over, saw her glowing under the fairy lights, and excused herself from the conversation she was having with Korsak.

"May I have this dance?" Jane asked.

"Only if we swap shoes," Maura said immediately, and a moment later Jane led her over to the chairs, examining Maura's feet. "I'm okay," Maura reassured her, but Jane pulled a band-aid from her purse and covered a blister on Maura's heel anyway, trading their shoes. She rolled her eyes when her toes got pinched.

"Great, it's not like I wasn't tall enough already," Jane complained, but she helped Maura to her feet. The additional couple of inches difference in their heights meant that Maura could rest her head against Jane's chest as they swayed more than danced to the song playing. "Have you had a good night?"

"I've had a lovely night. It makes me mad that they can't get married back home, that the state won't recognise their partnership."

"Sometimes the law sucks," Jane agreed, and Maura chuckled, her hand tightening on Jane's waist. The lights dimmed and Maura pulled back, seeking Jane's face in the darkness. She really had to stretch this time, to kiss Jane. She had a few drinks, but they'd been there for hours. She lingered there a moment this time, then dropped back down, resting her head against Jane's chest again. Jane looked around; the lights were coming up again, someone had plugged in the strand over the wedding arch again. Not that she minded, but they were at a lesbian wedding, and people might get the wrong idea.

"I really, really, freaking love you, Jane. Mostly for swapping our shoes, but also for your other contributions to my personal comfort levels."

Jane chuckled, holding Maura closer. She closed her eyes and felt Maura's head resting over her heart. As lovely a night as Maura might have had, Jane was sure hers had been nicer, because it was ending with Maura.

---

Even Casey being back in Boston didn't deter Maura. They'd come home, giggling and whispering, and Casey had come out, tousled, from Jane's bedroom. Jane liked how she felt with him. She liked that no one questioned their relationship, that no one thought she was too close to Maura. Because she had Casey. He eyed Maura, then sighed.

"Guess I'm taking the couch," he said, resigned, and she loved that he offered, loved him for offering. Loved that he knew Maura came first. She kissed him, then dragged Maura to the bedroom, still giggling.

Maura looked cute in Jane's pyjamas. Jane had bought them specifically for Maura; they had a pattern of crowns on the pants, and the top had the word 'Diva' in gold across the chest, with a little crown tilted over the 'd'. Maura used her toothbrush, then brushed her hair as she watched Jane brush her teeth. The giggles were gone, and the sombre mood had returned; they'd had a rough case, and it had been hard on both of them. Jane was glad Maura was here, because she'd hate to think of Maura all alone in her big bed in Beacon Hill, thinking too much about what she could have done to find the killer sooner so there wouldn't have been a second victim, while Jane lay awake across town in Casey's arms, feeling inexplicably like she'd gone wrong somewhere.

"I should have-" Jane started, seeing what she should have seen earlier. That poor kid would be alive if she'd seen it sooner. Maura took Jane's toothbrush and put it back in the cup. Jane and Maura's shared a cup; Casey's sat on the bench in a travel clip. She turned Jane to look at her.

"It's not your fault," Maura told her sternly.

"I could have done something," Jane said, aware her voice was shaking.

"You know you're not responsible. That awful man would have found some other way to-" Maura shook her head. "I could have-"

"There was no way of knowing." Jane tried to reassure her. "He covered his tracks. We were all taken in by him. I know we both feel like we should have seen it sooner, but you've said it before. Serial killers integrate incredibly well." Maura nodded sadly, and Jane's heart broke a little. Jane was allowed to blame herself, but Maura wasn't. She'd worked long hours, she'd worked tirelessly despite the minute amount of evidence she'd had. That she'd found anything at all was close to miraculous. Jane hugged her, and Maura clung to her, her shoulders shaking. Jane carefully helped her down the hall to the bedroom, sat her down on the bed. She took the left side, forcing Maura onto the side Jane usually slept on. She wasn't making Maura sleep where Casey slept.

"You did everything you could," Jane said, hearing Maura's uneven breathing in the dark. Maura rolled over and found Jane in the bed, hovered over her for a moment, her fingers finding Jane's mouth before her lips did.

"I didn't, but I love you for saying that, even if it's not true." Maura's breath ghosted over Jane's face. Her lips were always soft, but tonight they were salty with the tears that had fallen on them unchecked. Jane found Maura's cheeks in the dark, brushed her thumbs across them.

"How is it not true?"

"I could have found it earlier. He left it there for me. He was taunting me."

"It is so far out of standard operating procedure to check the upper intestines for the momentos of a serial killer. And the fact that the second victim died before we even found the first means there was nothing you could have done. You couldn't have stopped him. We have stopped him, and it's because your brilliant mind found his sick souvenirs."

"I appreciate you saying that."

"Everything that happened was because he was a monster. None of it, not the timing, not the second death - none of it is your fault."

"If it's not mine, then it's not yours either," Maura said, and Jane loved that Maura knew Jane was blaming herself. Maura had stopped crying, but Jane's hands still cradled her face. She pulled Maura down a little lower, too ashamed to ask, too scared to do it herself. But Maura knew her, Maura understood her. Maura placed a gentle kiss of absolution on Jane, and she felt the tension leave them both. Maura tucked herself up on Jane's chest, her hands gripping Jane like a teddy bear.

It was only then that Jane remembered Casey in the other room, the smell of his aftershave on her sheets. Shouldn't she want to be in his arms, after a day like that? He'd understand, wouldn't he? All the self-recriminations, all the things Jane saw on the job. He'd understand.

But he didn't know Jane. Not the way Maura knew Jane. He didn't know how to ease her guilt with a single kiss.

And that made her feel even guiltier.

---

Jane had been checked over by medics before heading to Maura's. She knew Angela was out, and she hoped no one had told Maura what had happened. Casey was gone again, and all Jane had to show for it was an email saying it wasn't going to work out.

It hadn't mentioned Maura.

It hadn't had to.

Maura was at the counter when Jane came in. She turned and stormed towards Jane so angrily that Jane backed up into the door behind her, swallowing.

Maura audited Jane now that she had her trapped, her fingers frisking her like she was a perp, pressing against Jane's ribs to find extra give or bruising, looking for bandages under her shirt.

Jane submitted guiltily to the search, pulling off her jacket and holding out her arm. She'd had a tetanus shot too, which was tender when Maura touched her ass. Barbed wire. She'd been shot at, but it was the barbed wire that got her.

Evidently satisfied Jane was relatively unmarred, some of Maura's ire dissipated. She held Jane's hand and stroked the line of the scar, then lifted her hand to Jane's stomach, where a bullet had gone through her. The other hand trailed up to Jane's throat, where a serial killer had cut her more than once.

Then Maura's lips were on hers, harder and angrier than they'd ever been. A fierce, scared kiss that wasn't the sort a friend would give a friend. Maura pulled away, her finger still on Jane's throat. She kissed the mark on Jane's throat too, the mark that matched hers. When she pulled away, Jane's fingers sought the matching mark, then she gently pressed her lips against the little scar Jane had left on Maura's life.

"Don't you know how much I-" Maura started. Jane pulled away, worried. Maura started to cry, and Jane held her. "Don't you know how much I worry about you?" Maura asked, and it hadn't been what Jane had been expecting to hear.

"I know," Jane reassured her. "I'm okay, I promise." She cradled the back of Maura's head, her other hand rubbing her back as Maura gripped her tightly, her tears wet against Jane's chest. "I came here so you could see for yourself. See? I'm okay."

"Next time you might not be," Maura said fiercely. "No going in without backup. You agreed."

"He wasn't a suspect."

Maura grunted with frustration. Jane ran her fingers through Maura's hair. It hurt when Maura was hurt. But it felt good to have Maura worry about her. It felt good to have that anger aimed at her, because it was easier than all the other things Maura aimed at her. The soft kisses and gentle words. The way she took care of Jane and her family. Maura was too soft and girly for her, and she wished she was softer and girlier for Maura in a way she'd never wanted to be for Casey. She wanted to be the sort of woman who could do Maura's makeup and kiss her in public. She wanted to be the sort of woman who didn't make Maura stay up late worrying about her.

"I never meant to scare you," Jane started. Maura sniffed and pulled away, wiping at her face, pulling away again when Jane reached for her cheeks.

"You have a partner for a reason. How can you expect Frost to watch your back when you take off on your own?"

"I'm sorry," Jane said gently. "He was at lunch, and I didn't think this guy was a threat."

"Can you at least let me know before you do something stupid like that, so I can tell you how stupid you're being?"

"I can try."

"Okay." Maura pouted once more, then gave Jane a weak smile. "Okay."

It was only then that Jane realised that Maura hadn't tasted of wine or beer. She'd been sober. Jane's stomach clenched painfully. It was too real. It wasn't something friends did. Friends didn't kiss - not like that - not sober. She headed for the fridge, grabbing a beer, hoping it would make her feel better. Hoping it would drown out the hope that Maura might actually mean it when she kissed her.

---

Maura smiled when Jane came in after parking the car, but Jane shook her head, serious and quiet. She approached Maura in the kitchen, seeing Maura's uncertainty as Jane advanced on her. Jane kept going until she had Maura pinned against the fridge, the sensor turning the light on, illuminating Maura with a tantalising glow.

Jane lowered her mouth, seeing how Maura's tilted up to hers, then skirted sideways, pressing her lips to the little freckles on the right side of Maura's throat that she'd always wanted to kiss, then around over those collarbones, to the scar she always felt guilty about when Maura didn't cover it in concealer. Maura started to ask a question, but Jane's mouth covered hers and swallowed it. Jane's mouth was usually closed when Maura kissed her; she opened herself up for Maura tonight, and Maura melted between Jane and the fridge. Jane drove on; Maura always had been too soft and girly for her. Jane was used to being forthright and direct, and her lips asked permission that Maura fervently granted, her mouth dropping open to welcome Jane, her hands pulling Jane closer, pressing her hips into Jane, a desperate little whimper escaping from her lungs into Jane's. Jane pulled away, worried she'd hurt her, then saw Maura's plump lips and mildly dilated pupils and flushed chest. She put a hand to Maura's forehead.

"Your temperature is raised," Jane said in wonder. Maura rolled her eyes.

"Did you think I was telling you the signs of female arousal so you'd know when men are attracted to you?" Maura scoffed, pulling Jane back to her, hand on the back of her neck. She matched Jane's energy with her own, hands scrambling at Jane's shirts, with her pants, giving up and threading through Jane's hair, grasping her scalp and making sure Jane didn't pull away.

The front door opened and closed, and Angela coughed as she placed something on the kitchen counter behind them. They pulled apart, flushed and trembling.

"I got takeaway, since you two prefer to eat out," Angela said, taking one bag and heading for the door with a smirk. Jane and Maura stared after her.

"Do you - do you think she knows what that means?" Jane asked finally. Maura shrugged, her attention back on Jane's lips - lips that weren't kissing hers. Lips that should be kissing hers.

Jane pulled away reluctantly.

"I got the rest of my life to kiss you, but that food will be cold by the time I'm done with you."

"How long are you expecting it to take?" Maura asked, following Jane to the food, hiking up her shirt at the back so she could palm her stomach from behind.

"Hmm?" Jane was distracted by dishing out the meals, but also by Maura's hand sliding slowly up her shirt. Maura could be asking how long Jane expected the rest of her life to take, which clearly neither of them knew, or she could be asking how long Jane expected it to take to thoroughly satisfy Maura, which she'd have to budget a few hours for - her lips were so kissable and addictive that she kind of wanted to just do that forever, aware as she was of the building tension as Maura's hand slid lower. Or she could be asking...

"How long until you think you'll be done with me?"

Maura's voice was coy, but Jane heard the question and turned, taking both hands so Maura had to listen to her.

"Just said. Rest of my life. Probably won't be long enough, but I'm never going to be done loving you."

Maura, stunned, freed one hand and pressed it over Jane's heart.

"I meant. You know. The, um. Are we going to?"

"Oh, the sex? When we'll be done having sex? Until neither of us can move anymore, I guess," Jane said casually, squeaking when Maura hauled her out of the kitchen, giving their deserted meal one last longing look before giving up and following Maura up the stairs.

---

Maura kisses Jane when she hasn't had a drink.

In, like, a gay way. She just looks up at Jane with shining eyes and plants one on her. Sometimes it's followed with an 'I love you', and sometimes it's preceded by it. Jane beats her to it more than half the time.

She wouldn't have it any other way.

#rizzoli and isles #rizzoli & isles #maura isles #rizzles #jane rizzoli #rizzles fanfic

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andydrysdalerogers · 5 months

Text

Presley ~ A Curtis Everett Au ~ Part Five

Curtis Everett x OFC Presley Adams

Synopsis:

Curtis Everett is a hard working man. As the head of the mob of Concord, he does everything he can to provide for his wife and children. His life is perfect. Until it's not.

After a devastating accident, Curtis is alone with his children and needs some serious help.

Presley Adams needs to find work and fast. Running from her past she just wants to lay low and earn enough to get her out of town. Until she starts working for Curtis as his live in nanny.

As she falls in love with this family, can she stop her past from finding her? Or will her past be the end of the Everett reign in Concord?

Book two of the Five Kings of Boston series

Warning: themes of a mafia lifestyle; SMUT; possessive tendencies; murder; death; age gap;

A/N: taglist is open!

Banners by me! Dividers by @firefly-graphics

I do NOT give permission for my work to be translated or reposted on here or any other site, even if you give me credit. DO NOT REPOST MY FICS. Reblogs, comments, likes, and feedback ALWAYS appreciated

Previous: Part Four

Series Masterlist // Main Masterlist

Part Five ~ Her HIstory

Unknown

I had never been an optimist. It was stupid to believe that everything would be alright. An example: thinking that Lloyd Hansen would be able to help me achieve the ultimate goal.

Marrying and breeding Amelia Giovanni.

Her father had promised me that girl when she was just five years old. He had been told that he wouldn’t be able to have any more children due to testicular cancer. Fitting for a bastard that beat his wife every month that she didn’t end up pregnant after Ameila. Sure, there was a 20-year age gap between us but that just meant I could be more experienced for her.

She was a little doll, an absolute princess in the cold hard world of the mafia. Her father needed a strong man to lead this family after he retired. There was no way to leave all of this to a woman. And after I had saved his nephew’s life, he chose me.

Amelia is beautiful, smart, and sassy. She was a brat at the best of times because her father spoiled his princess. When I approached Mario about maybe getting a sample of her, he had no objection. And I flirted and seduced the innocent Ameila. Brat that she may be, she was still innocent to the world. Very well protected by his men, especially one named Natalia Romanov. But, one night, I found myself alone with Ameila. I just wanted a taste, really, but when I touched Amelia, she screamed, and her mother rushed in with Natalia and threw me out of the room.

I was livid. Granted, I touched the girl around her pussy and that may have startled her, but that didn’t give the right for that bitch to touch me. When I told Mario what happened, he said he would take care of the problem. Natalia made it out before retribution could happen.

And she got Ameila out as well.

Mario was furious. He ordered his men to search for Natalia with orders to kill on sight and bring his daughter home. He also punished his wife.

He murdered her.

Actions have consequences.

It has been five years since Amelia disappeared. While I waited for my bride, I was sent to learn my trade from one of the best. Lloyd Hansen was a smart but delusional leader in Boston. He had a fascination in finding his bride that was promised to him by a rather stupid deal her parents had made for money. And we did find her. In a town Lloyd had no way of infiltrating due to its own mob boss: Andew Barber, his twin brother.

The day before Andy took the fight to his brother, I made a getaway. I could see the writing on the wall, and I had no intention of being there when the place went to hell. I still had my own empire to run after this mess. So, I left in the middle of the night on the guise of doing a run for Lloyd and got the hell out of dodge. Best move ever. Hansen was dead by daybreak; Barber had his queen safe and all of Hansen’s men were considered dead or detained.

Lucky for me, I had kept a low profile while I had been with Hansen, so I wasn’t on anyone’s radar. I made it back to Giovanni and continued with my training and kept searching for my Amelia. I wouldn’t lose my chance at being at the top. I wasn’t about to lose my chance to make Amelia heed to my will. I always won at whatever I tried to accomplish. Even if I had to set up the boss’s nephew so I could save him. Even if I suggested that Mario “take care” of his wife. Even if I suggested that I sample my bride before the wedding. I would do anything to win.

I am Charles Blackwood, and I don’t lose.

Presley

I watched as Curtis absorbed the information that I had just poured all over him. This wasn’t something anyone would be able to take lightly. Knowing that you let a person into your home who wasn’t even using their real name. I trembled slightly and that seemed to snap Curtis out of whatever he was in. “Presley... I don’t even know what to say.”

“Please don’t hate me,” I whispered. I couldn’t handle Curtis hating me at this point. I finally found a home I loved and people who loved me.

“Kitten, why would I hate you?” He brushed my hair back behind my ear and then cupped my cheek. “None of this is your fault.” He placed a soft kiss on my lips. “Baby, I don’t care about your past. I’ll protect you, I already promised but I’ll say it every day if you need me to.”

I felt the tear drop and he caught it on his thumb and brought it to his lips. “You’re still calling me Presley.”

“Because that’s who you are.” He searched my eyes. “You’re my Presley, my Kitten.” He took a breath. “Who were you supposed to marry?”

“His name is Charles Blackwood. He was this soldier that saved one of my cousins. My father wasn’t able to have more children after I was born so he set up Charles to marry me to pass the business on.” I shook my head. “My father is very traditional. Women are meant to serve and be bred and that’s it.” I looked away from Curtis. “When I turned 18, we had a big party. Charles, he... umm... he cornered me away from everyone and tried to touch me. But my bodyguard, Natalia, alerted my mother, and they stopped him.”

I remembered everything about that day. The exact rose pink of my dress, my long brown hair done in a beautiful updo. But when Charles touched me and I screamed for him to get away from me, I had no idea how my world would become upside down. “Father didn’t want to make a big scene in front of everyone, so he waited until the party cleared. My mother disappeared from the party for a few minutes and then had Natalia take me to my room.”

“Baby, you don’t...” I cut him off.

“I need to, baby, otherwise it’ll just stay here,” I pointed to my chest, “and I won’t be able to be open with you.” I took another shuddering breath. “My mom left me a bag she packed quickly for me and a couple of thousand dollars. She kissed me and told Natalia to get me to safety. We climbed out the window and were down the street when we heard the screaming and then a gun shot.”

“He murdered her?” I nodded. “That son of a bitch. I’m assuming you got away but what happened to Natalia?”

“I don’t know. We got separated in New York and I just kept moving. I headed north, thinking that my father and Blackwood would assume i would head west. I had always talked about going to California. I moved from town to town every three months until I made it to Concord. I met Cat, whom I knew from school and she got me the job at the law office. You know the rest.”

“Are you sure Cat won’t rat you out?” Curtis frowned at the idea.

“No, she won’t. Her father was killed by one of my father’s men due to a debt owed. She hated my father and when I told her my story, she was more than willing to help me. She’s a hacker, got me my fake ID and social and the paperwork I needed to work. Unfortunately, it got flagged when the law office was doing its checks for a big case. Mr. Weiss said he wouldn’t report me to the authorities, but he had to fire me right away. When you offered me this job and wanted to pay in cash, it was perfect. I could earn enough to move to Canada.”

Curtis was quiet for a minute, rubbing his thumb over my knuckles. “I’m going to make sure Weiss burns the information.” I looked at him, puzzled. “He’s one of my lawyers,” he explained with a smile. “Weiss always comes to my office to limit my exposure to other cases.” He chuckled. “The irony that you were always near me but I never found you.”

“Curtis, please know, if I need to leave to keep your children safe, I will.”

For the second time in twenty-four hours, Curtis had a look of fury pass on his face. “No, Presley, you will stay here. I will protect you and my children. You running would be more of a risk.” He kissed my forehead. “We can get the paperwork started to change your name and get you the documents you legitimately need to survive.”

I felt relief. For the first time, everything was out in the open and i was safe. I launched myself into his arms and cried. He ran his hands through my hair and held me tight. “I take care of what is mine, Kitten.”

Curtis

After everything Presley has told me, I’m not surprised at how strong she is. She’s been through hell and back. As I comforted my girl, i remembered what she said. “Are you still planning on leaving to Canada?”

She pulled back and looked at me with pink ringed blue green eyes. “I don’t want to but I can’t let them find me.”

I sighed, knowing my next statement could make or break us. “Kitten, I don’t feel comfortable paying you as the nanny when we are together.” She opened her mouth to object, but I stopped her. “Give me a sec, ok?” She nodded. “What I am saying is, allow me to take care of your expenses. Use the credit card I gave you for whatever you need. In the meantime, I will set up an account with your salary. If you feel like the time has come to leave, that you don’t want to be with me, I’ll give you the account.”

She looked at me with wide eyes. “Curtis, I can’t... I can’t let you do that. I don’t want to be some kind of “kept” woman.” She shook her head. “People will think I’m some sort of gold-digger.”

“Kitten, you are my woman. Yes, you are taking care of my children but maybe in the future that will change. And if anyone has an opinion on our relationship, I will take care of it. C’mere,” I pulled her into my chest. “I would never think you are using me for money. But I don’t want you to worry about it either. You are protected and cherished here.” I kissed the top of her head.

“Thank you, baby,” she whispered, and my heart just about burst with the pet name. I held my girl for a few minutes until I heard the patter of feet that had to belong to my son. I sighed and my Kitten giggled. “I think Josh is up.”

“That kid is growing up too fast,” I grumbled. “C’mon Kitten, let’s celebrate Christmas.” I got up and pulled on my boxers and pajama pants that I had ignored last night. I grabbed my robe for Presley. “Here baby, wear this and go and change. I’ll hold off the kids.” She smiled at me what feels like the first real smile that she’s given me in five years. Hopefully, when we keep talking, I can find out more about her.

Twenty minutes later, I see Presley coming down the stairs and smiled as she walks in with candy cane pajamas that match my daughters. Everly sees her and jumps up and runs into her arms. “Presley! Are you feeling better?”

“I am, Princess. Ready to see what Santa brought you?” She tickled Everly, who squirmed in her lap. I took a seat next to Joshua, who was salivating at the pile of presents under and around the tree.

“Joshua, why don’t you pass out the presents.” He looked at me with big eyes. “You’re big enough now that I trust you to do it, son.” I gave him a side hug and Joshua jumped up and got to work.

The chef that took over for Adam for the holiday came in with some pastries, cocoa for the kids and coffee for Presley and myself. The kids go wild, opening the gifts from me and from Santa. Presley had taken care of the wrapping and had wrapped the Santa gifts in different paper, which excited Everly to no end. I reached over to a gift hidden in the back of the tree. I got up to sit next to Presley as Everly and Joshua were now on the floor with their new gifts. “For you, Kitten.”

She took the present and looked at me with glassy eyes. “I didn’t get you anything,” she whispered.

“That’s not the point of Christmas, Kitten.” I kissed the tip of her nose. “Open it.”

I was kind of anxious to give her this gift, given everything we had spoken about. She didn’t want to be a kept woman. And that was totally understandable. Most woman, including my wife, liked to be independent. However, my protective instincts have kicked in on Presley and I will not stop until I know she is safe forever. Every solution is swirling in my brain right now. I can’t lose her, but I also have to go slow about this. She was practically a virgin last night and I took her to the limit.

I’ve had a taste of what my future could hold and there isn’t a chance in hell that I would let go.

I watched her unwrap the box and open the velvet box. The ring, earrings and necklace set was diamonds and blue sapphires, delicate but not ostentatious, the sparkle just understated enough to be worn every day. “Curtis,” she gasped.

“The color reminded me of your eyes, Kitten. I wanted to give you something that sparkles just like them. Do you like them?”

“Curtis, it's beautiful. Thank you.” She moves to kiss my cheek but I turn at the last moment and kiss her softly on the lips.

“Dad, why are you kissing Presley?” Josh and Evie look up at us with big eyes as I pull away from my girl. Crap. I wasn’t thinking. But this is good. This will prove to Presley that I want her and that she isn’t a dirty secret.

“Ok, you know I love you guys so much. And it's just been the three of us since your mother died.” I swallowed. “I like Presley a lot and she likes me, and I’ve asked her to be my girlfriend. Do you know what that means?”

Josh nodded but Evie scowled. “Does that mean she’s moving out?”

I knelt before her. “No princess, she doesn’t have to move. She’s still gonna take care of you. It's just, I’m going to take her to dinner or the movies when it's just the grown-ups. But she’s not leaving.” Evie burst into tears and ran into Presley’s arm. “Evie, princess what’s wrong?”

“I didn’t want her to leave because when Jenny’s dad had a girlfriend and she left,” Evie cries.

Presley picks up my sweet girl and clutches her tight. “I won’t leave you Evie. Never ever. I like your daddy a lot and even if I didn’t, I would still be here for you.” She pulled back to wipe away her tears. “Everything is going to be ok. I promise.” Presley kissed her forehead and then whispered something to Evie. My little girl nods and then climbs off her lap and into mine.

“I love you Daddy and I’m sorry I yelled.” She leaned into me and wrapped her tiny arms around my neck. I always loved when my kids wrapped themselves into me.

“I love you too Princess.” I kissed her head and pull back. “How about some breakfast?”

“Yay!” She runs into the dining room but Joshua waits. Presley looks at me and nods before leaving the room.

“Joshua, what’s wrong?” I sit back down and pat the seat next to me. He sits and thinks about his words for a moment.

“If you kiss Presley, does that mean you don’t love Momma anymore?”

My heart broke. I didn’t think about the consequences like these. I took a moment to compose myself before i answered him. “No. Joshua, I will always love your mother because she gave me two of my greatest gifts in the world. Do you know what they are?” He shakes his head. “Its your sister and you. But when a great love leaves before you are ready, you always carry their love with you. It doesn’t mean you can’t experience another love in your life.”

“Do you love Presley?”

“I don’t know yet. I like her, a lot. I like that she loves you guys so much. I think in the future, I might fall in love with her. We’re still getting to know each other.”

“Is she going to be our new mom?”

“I don’t know that either. But when I’m ready to find out I’ll come talk to you ok?” He nodded before wrapping himself into me. “Oh buddy, your momma will always be your momma. Would it be a bad thing if Presley became your momma too?”

“No, I just don’t want to forget Momma.” I can hear the sobs in his chest and my heart aches.

“I’m never gonna let that happen buddy. I just want my chance to be happy too.”

“I want you to be happy too Papa. Does Presley make you happy?”

I smile. “She does. She really does.”

After breakfast, the kids went for a nap, having risen early for Christmas and I led Presley into my office. “I just want to keep talking Kitten.”

Presley original sat in one of the chairs across my desk but then she moved towards me and sat in my lap, curling into me. I forgot how that felt, to have a woman pressed into my body in my office. I had never taken a lover after Anna had died. I hadn’t felt the need to. But having Presley here felt right and I wouldn’t ignore it. She signed as I played with her hair. “Curtis?”

“Yes, Kitten?”

“Why was Andy Barber looking at me weird?” She swallowed. “It was as if he knew me but I’ve never met him before.” She reached for her necklace again and I sighed. I knew I wouldn’t be able to keep this secret. I owed her the truth.

“Kitten, I had a background check ran on you by Clint. When he discovered that it only went back five years, we had to go to an expert.” I thumbed her cheek. “Its standard procedure for anyone who is this close to the family. I had to ask permission to use the best one on the East Coast. His boss is Andy Barber.”

Presley

Oh shit. No, this couldn’t be happening. They were going to find me now. I know it. I start to pull away from Curtis, but he holds onto me tighter. “Wait, Kitten, let me explain and then you can decide if you want to run away.” I nodded and he continued. “I told Andy about the situation, and he was more than happy to lend out the services of his tech guy, Jensen. Jensen was able to find out about you.”

Curtis reached into a drawer and pulled out a manila folder. He handed it to me. I trembled as I turned it over in my hands. “It’s still sealed,” I said with surprise.

“Yes. When Jensen emailed me the file, I didn’t open it. I guess Jensen has a way to see if something was opened. When it wasn’t, Andy brought it with him last night.”

I stared at the unopen envelope. “So, you had no idea what I was going to tell you?”

“Not a clue Kitten. I realized that if you were going to trust me, let me date you, let me fuck you, it had to be on your terms. You had to be ready to tell me your story.” He nuzzled into my hair. “I was going to tell you about all of this, I promise.”

I was dizzy from all of the information, all of the emotions, all of the changes that were happening in the span of 12 hours. I went from having an affair with my boss to being his girlfriend and sharing the history I was desperately trying to run from. My breath is coming in short spurts and Curtis can feel it. “Breathe, Kitten, come on, please breathe for me.”

“Will Andy say something?” I question Curtis, the fear curling in my belly, still gasping to fill my lungs. .

“No, I don’t think he will. When I spoke to him last night, he told Clint that the best place for you was here. That's why I know that he read your file.” Curtis ran his thumb on the skin of my neck. “Would you like to meet him formally and ask? We can make that happen Kitten.”

Do I want to involve myself with another mob boss. Not really, but Curtis seemed to trust Andy and I know I can trust Curtis. “Yes, I think that would be smart.” I turned my head to kiss his cheek, but he turned as well and kissed me like it was our first.

Two weeks later...

Curtis

I sat in my office, looking over the numbers of some of our legitimate businesses and marking where I needed answers from my managers and accountants when there was a knock on the door, “Yeah?”

Clint peaked his head in. “Sorry to disturb, boss, but they’re here.”

“Show them in and then get Presley, have her wait in the hall, and come back in. Wait 10 minutes before letting her in,” I instructed. He nodded and I went back to my report. The door opened again, and Andy walked in with two people. I knew Nick as Andy’s second but the woman with them was unfamiliar. “Andy, thanks for coming.”

Andy shook my hand. “I’m glad I can help with this. Doesn’t she know everything?”

“Not everything, no, but I was honest about the background I’ve done.” Everyone sat down. “Gonna introduce me to your friend?”

The woman made no movement. Andy chuckled. “Just wait Everett. I think your girl might like this surprise I brought.” He took out an envelope. “This is the other threat I mentioned. Someone has either seen her and recognized or you have a leak.”

I looked at the note and cursed.

Give us the girl or all five families will be at war.

“They know she’s around just not with who?” I asked. Fuck, this wasn’t good.

“Looks like it,” Nick said. “We’ve doubled our security, visible and otherwise. With Mrs. Barber in her condition, we didn’t want any surprises. Giovanni is notorious for not giving a fuck who they hurt or damage they do. An heir is a soft spot and we wanted to limit exposure.”

“Understandable,” I replied, still looking at the note. “Clint, we need to make plans for the same. For everyone.” He nods, looks at his watch and head back out. It was time to bring Presley in. I had no clue what was about to happen, but I knew I could trust Andy with my life.

The door opened again, and Presley walked in with Clint. She looked beautiful today in a white sweater, legging and boots. She had taken the children to school this morning and dressed for the weather. “Kitten, come on in, please.” She walked towards me and glanced around the room and stopped.

“Natalia?” My girl’s lower lip trembled as she stared at Andy associate.

“Amelia?” The woman stood up before rushing over to Presley and pulling her into a hard hug.

I know shock was all over my face, but Andy seemed... pleased? He looked at me and nodded. “Curtis, this is Natasha Romanoff or as Presley might know her, Natalia Romanov.” He smiled. “When Jensen started his background on Miss Adams, he found our undercover person.” He looked as the tears streamed down Presley’s face. “I figured if I brought a friendly face it might win her over.”

Presley pulled away. “How?”

“When we got separated, I was injured and found my way to Nick.” She looked at Andy’s second. “He took me in and helped me and I explained who I was and who I was running from. I’ve been looking for you everywhere but didn’t get a hit. At least until Jensen started looking.” She cupped Presley’s cheek. “I’m so happy you are alive, princepessa.”

“I was so sad for so long. I saw on the news about Mama, and I thought...” she dissolved back into tears.

I cleared my throat. “Needless to say, Barber, that we have an understanding about not making noise about Presley.”

Andy shakes his head. “Of Course not. After everything with Aurora, I don’t want to draw attention to this part of town.”

“Understood but we should have everyone on the lookout.”

“For whom?”

“Charles Blackwood.”

Taglist:

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@slutforchrisjamalevans

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@tinkerbelle67

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@lokislady82

#andy's shenanigans #andy's hea #chris evans fanfiction #curtis everett #curtis Everett au #chris evans au #chris evans smut #Curtis Everett smut #mob story #five kings of boston series #Presley #Curtis Everett x ofc #ofc Presley Adams #Presley - FKOB #chris evans

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sapphic-scylla · 1 year

Text

Things I’ve Learned about Malenia, Blade of Miquella, in the hours of time I’ve spent fighting her:

Her difficulty stems from her ability to heal from attacks as well as her agility. Her attacks hit hard, but they are very dodgeable as long as you don’t get greedy and always are prepared to back up.

People talk about how OP most of her attack strings are, but most are very telegraphed and only catch you if you’re greedy, your dodge timing is off, or you’re stumbling over your own movement.

Malenia has a few VERY blatant weaknesses. Her poise is truly horrendous because she’s a DEX fighter and hitting her enough times and hard enough will interrupt her basic attack strings. Most of her basic attacks also function in the exact same way, so keeping her at arms reach either forces her to get in close or will draw out some of her more easy to read attack strings that you can bait out for damage windows. A lot of her attack strings have hyper armor specifically for these reasons. She wouldn’t be NEARLY as hard as everyone makes her out to be if she didn’t have the hyper armor or we’d just be able to stunlock her out of existence. Believe it or not, this is good game design because it makes you think whether it’s worth swinging for more damage at the risk of all of the damage she can output.

Waterfowl Dance is just as much of a crutch as it is devastating. It deals out a lot of damage and tracks you like a mfer, but it also has the easiest tell of all of her attacks and it’s a lot easier to dodge IF YOU DONT GET GREEDY. Knowing when to get in and get out will drastically increase your chances of surviving Waterfowl Dance.

Any Waterfowl Dance you can walk away from is a good Waterfowl Dance.

Her second phase is a lot less scary than you think it is. The only changes she makes are that a few of her attack strings have after effects and she adds a few new special moves, both of which are easily dodgeable once you learn how to.

I’ve said this multiple times, but I really must emphasize: DO NOT GET GREEDY. Malenia is THE APEX PUNISHER OF GREED. Her poise may be bad, but that can be used as some pretty devastating bait if you are trying to rush through the fight too fast. A lot of her skillset is very adept at bringing down the katana on people that try chunking her for more damage than they really should be. Take her slow and steady. Rushing this fight will only get you killed faster.

Her arena is a perfect fit not her. It may not look like much, but she gives you MORE than enough room to run around, so do not be afraid to use the space to keep your distance. This is why randomizers actually make her harder. Because most other arenas in Elden Ring have cover, she becomes much more unpredictable and, like Godskin Noble, she can very much take advantage of the cover you use to upset her own attack patterns.

Her sword always has much more reach than you think.

#malenia goddess of rot #malenia blade of miquella #elden ring

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villainsandheroes · 9 months

Text

Captured

Thank you so much for reading everyone, @cupcakes-and-pain has the first part here and we will both be making masterlists which we will link here after! Let us know if you want to be on a taglist!

CW: alcohol mention, drinking mention, innocent person hurt?, fighting, restraints, beating, a bit of actual whump in this one!

Legend was in a nasty and obnoxious mood. He had spent the whole day in a head wrenching hangover and had been causing little catastrophes all over the city to keep the heroes busy. They were sporadic and without a plan, and so far he had seen four of the heroes helping, trying to keep up and figure out what he was doing. Seeing them busy and running around helped with his headache.

After causing trouble in the park, he flew over to a small supermarket. Anger boiling under his skin as he wanted to scream at someone. He wasn’t like this often but when he was, people knew to get out of his way. He went inside, trying to figure out what he was going to destroy before deciding to demolish nearly half of the store itself. He didn’t want citizens getting in the way, doing a good job scaring them off. Soon shelves were falling from the mini explosions going off left and right. He was unaware of the young adult with headphones in not knowing what was happening.

Ox growled as they arrived at the store at last. Icicle trailed behind them, and out of the corner of their eye, they saw her preparing to use her powers. They didn’t want to bring her, but she insisted. Ox was fairly good at keeping Legend in check by themself, but no one’s perfect. They might need the help. And the kid had to learn sometime.

The citizens seemed to be already out, and there were next to no injuries. No surprises there. Legend didn’t like hurting citizens. It wasn’t worth going inside since they could corner him once he left the building.

Ox and Icicle were still assessing the area, however, that’s when they heard a blood-curdling scream, followed by a crash and silence. Icicle glanced at Ox, but they didn’t even think before running inside as fast as possible.

Legend was staring across the side of the store at a citizen who had been crushed under a metal shelf. He had instantly stopped the destruction and was going to check on the citizen, but when Ox came in he stopped. Suddenly becoming indifferent as to not show weakness. He took a step back to assess the situation as reporters and a cameraman tried getting into the store to find out what was going on.

Ox took in the scene, assuring it was safe to make a move, then rushed to the person’s side. They could lift the metal off easily, but they had to do it gently and slowly to make sure the citizen’s injuries wouldn’t be worsened. Once it was completely off, they threw the shelf to the side and scooped them up. The person went limp in Andi’s arms and their eyes slipped shut.

“No, no, stay with me. Stay awake.”

They rushed to the nearest exit, already calling for help and blocking out everyone else as Legend stared at them wordlessly, worrying silently. Unaware that backup was even there.

Icicle stared down Legend alone. She couldn’t even bear to look at the person, or else she’d fall into her own terrible memories. Things she tried to keep far away from her job and her life, only talking about it with fellow heroes while off-duty. “You monster.” She spat while moving forward, “You don’t even care about the lives you ruin, do you? You’re all the same.” She fired an icy blast without warning, attempting to pin Legend to the wall.

He ducked, anger bubbling back up. He rolled his eyes, grabbing a broken piece of metal. “Oh please. Like heroes are any better.“ He threw the metal at her head. “You do it all for the glory.” He stepped forward.

They fought, but it was clear from the beginning that he was so much more advanced than her. Ducking, weaving, and dodging through her attacks, Legend was the superior fighter. Yet, something kept him from hurting her despite the fact he wanted to. When he got her in a successful pin he stared down at her in fury before shoving her to the side and spreading his wings as he flew off.

He was slower getting home, sighing tiredly as he shut the door. He took off his mask and dropped it on the table. Taking a deep breaths before checking the news about the civilian. All he could find was information he already knew. In the hospital. Critical condition. Attacked by Legend. His hand shook as he threw his phone at the wall. Cursing lowly as he tried to calm down. Drinking again was a bad idea but it was the only thing his mind produced to get off the injured citizen.

Little did he know, Icicle was not content with how things were left. There was a score to be settled. A wrong to be righted. A villain to be stopped. She crept after him, keeping a safe distance. She slunk along the alleyways, trying to slip in unnoticed by the light, but she was able to follow him to where he resided.

Perfect.

Watching through the windows, she saw him stalking towards his fridge. She slipped inside. It should be easy enough to catch him from behind, when he would be bent down, rummaging through drinks. With an icy blast, just like she had tried earlier, she pinned his legs to the floor. He wasn’t fast enough for her, and she knocked him out easily with some metal from the store. She smiled to herself. No longer would he be allowed to spread evil. And no longer would the others underestimate her, once she’d be able to show them what she’d done.

When Legend woke up, he was dazed. His head was aching, not from the familiar whiskey but something different. It reminded him of a feeling he had when he first became a villain many years before. Blunt object most likely. He didn’t want to wake up but eventually pried his eyes open, frowning heavily while inspecting his surroundings

Icicle glared at him from where she was leaning up against the wall. Straightening, she walked towards him slowly. “So, here’s what’s going to happen, Legend.” She spit out his name like a curse. “You are going to be nice for once in your life, and tell me what I want to know. After that, it’s off to prison. Behave, and I won’t be forced to hurt you.” She knew some heroes would feel conflicted over torturing someone, even if they were a villain, but she was only doing what had to be done. Legend had done worse, and he would’ve continued if she hadn’t been there to do what was right.

He raised an eyebrow. “And just how old are you? 17?” He yawned, feeling his hands in cuffs behind his back. Gently rotating his wrists as best he could. Trying to feel for any slack.

She seethed. Arrogant, vile thing. She wasn’t even thinking as she slapped him, though she smiled as she did. “I wasn’t lying, Legend.” Then she punched him in the gut, as hard as she could. “And I’m 22, thanks for asking.” She said sarcastically as he grunted while turning his head away, the same cruel smile spread across her face. It was nice to see a villain in pain for once. It was even better to be the one to cause it.

“You're welcome.” He spat at her shoe.

“Behave.” She took a breath. “Tell me, what are your plans? I’m not dumb, I know you had something up your sleeve. All those random attacks today, what did they mean?”

“Wouldn’t the pretty hero like to know.” He leaned back and closed his eyes. He looked far too comfortable for what was supposed to be a threatening interrogation. “Go ahead and hit me again, doll. You’re not getting anything from me.”

That was it. Icicle was not going to put up with this. She saw red, and before he knew it, her fists collided with his stupid face. Over and over, until she could finally calm down. His jaw was quite bruised, and she didn’t know if she could continue to interrogate him now. “Can you answer my questions? Or should I wait?” Might as well ask his input. He could lie, but soon enough this interrogation would be done, so it didn’t really matter if he refused to do it for now.

He chose not to respond at all. Wanting to cuss her out but think better of it. Not because he was afraid of any consequence, but because she was younger and she was Ox’s friend. He wouldn’t stoop to that level he knew other villains would do. He let out a quiet breath. He closed his eyes again while feeling blood drip down his face to his neck.

She interpreted his silence as either an inability to talk or a simple desire to stay silent. Either way, she was fine with it. It gave her more time to develop an actual strategy for an interrogation. “Have it your way. Oh, and by the way. I have no intentions of feeding you or anything until I get through all of the questions. So have fun down here. I’ll be back.”

Legend chuckled lightly as she left. She had zero experience. He thought it would be fun. Little did he know that she was a monster waiting to be released.

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valaenatargaryensdragon · 1 year

Text

The Lion and The Dragon

pairing: Fanon!Rhaenyra Targaryen x Male OC

summary: When a lion and a dragon love the thrill of mystery.

Word count: 1,9K

Warnings: Fluff? suggestive theme, no smut, heartbreak, rejection

Masterlist 1

Masterlist 2

Trevyr huffed as he glared at his brother. Jason grinned at his younger brother before swinging again at him. Trevyr dodged his brother's advances before pushing his sword against his brother's making him stagger back.

"You are learning fast, little brother" Jason teased, accepting his fate of losing his sword when Trevyr swung again and against his blade forcing it out of his hand.

"I learned from the best" Trevyr answered. The two brothers grinned at each other. The two turned to look to the side when a third male called their names and found Jason's twin, Tyland.

"Come on you two, it is almost time for us to leave "Tyland called. Trevyr rolled his eyes, they have been training since Trevyr woke up way before the sun rose, it still hasn't which meant that most of King's landing were still asleep.

"Speak of the devil" Trevyr teased nudging Jason's shoulder. Jason chuckled wrapping an arm around Trevyr as they made their way over to Tyland.

"You two smell like a swamp, go bathe" Tyland ordered the two. He pushed them inside the castle as the laughed at his disgusted expression.

"We will come over as fast as we are done" Trevyr promised his older brother. He stepped into his room to find a handmaiden filling his tub with steaming hot water.

"Thank you Mirian, you can leave now" Trevyr undid his belt that held his sword to his waist. He threw it on his bed. He looked up noticing that the door did not open and close to find Mirian smirking at him. He sighed in no mood for her games, he has never liked her and never will and she has been swarming around him for some time wanting the wealth of the Lannisters and their blonde hair for her children.

"I said you can leave" Trevyr repeated himself. Mirian ignored him and stepped closer to him not changing the smug expression on her face. She placed a hand on his chest attempting to seduce him. He grabbed her hand and pushed it away from him.

"Leave" Trevyr ordered. Mirian gave him a frown before leaving his room. Trevyr sighed and removed the rest of his clothes before getting into the tub. He was not planning on marrying ever, he wanted to become a kingsguard, his father already had two sons who can inherit his wealth. The sun was still to rise in the sky, Trevyr enjoyed training before sunrise and usually forced Jason to join him.

"Is it really necessary for me to be here?" Trevyr asked eyeing his older brothrer. Jason patted Trevyr's shoulder before they both turned as the doors opened and a young lady with platinum blonde hair walked in, it was no secret who she was, princess Rhaenyra.

"Why do you hate her so much?" Jason asked. Trevyr rolled his eyes at his brother's question. He was thankful that at least Jason was nice to him, Tyland did not like Trevyr for no reason other than he was younger and of course their father dismissed it as an older brother teasing his younger brother.

"I do not hate her or anyone, hate is a strong word" Trevyr answered. Jason laughed patting his shoulder again before making his way over to some maiden with a bright blue dress giggling with her friends.

"Why do you always look so angry?" Trevyr whirled around to see who had sneaked up on him to find Rhaenyra standing there with a smirk on her face and a cup of wine in hand.

"I am not angry" Trevyr answered shrugging his shoulders. He turned to watch his brother dancing with the maiden in a blue dress. Rhaenyra moved to stand beside him and took a sip of her wine eyeing the other people in the room.

"Kesan sagon waiting syt ao, Issa kēlio" Rhaenyra whispered, smirking up at Trevyr. He raised an eyebrow but kept his eyes on the dancing couples in front of him not knowing if he had the strength to look at her without doing the sins he was imagining in his head the second she stepped into the room.

"You know I do not speak that language" Trevyr hissed trying to hide his smirk. Rhaenyra placed a hand on his back sneakily in a way so no would be able to see.

"But you understood what I just said" She whispered before sneaking off to entertain some ladies in the corner of the room. Trevyr's eyes moved to the head table where king Viserys sat along with his wife and their children. Then his eyes swiped around the room to find Leanor who was stood in the opposite corner of Rhaenyra conversing with some lord.

Trevyr was not naive to Leanor's preffrences and he acted blind on them like Leanor acted blind to Trevyr and Rhaenyra's affair or whatever they had. Trevyr picked a wine cup off a tray when a server passed by and downed it down. He knew this was wrong, whatever Rhaenyra and he have. She was married to Leanor and he was hoping to join the kingsguard where he will swear an oath to never marry or father any children.

"Do you need anything else my lord? Maybe more wine?" Trevyr snapped back to reality and turned towards the person who spoke to find Mirian. She had a smile on her face while holding a wine pitcher in her hands. She attempted to fill his cup but Trevyr moved away just in time, ignoring the wine that spilled from the pitcher to the floor.

"No thank you Mirian, I wish to stay sober" Trevyr gave her a polite smile. Mirian's smiled wavered a little before she composed herself and fixed her posture.

"Of course, you have to protect the princess" She placed the pitcher on a nearby table with a small thud. Trevyr eyed the people who turned towards them to see what the commotion was about.

"I am not her sworn protector, it is not my job" Trevyr hissed trying to keep his voice low to not attract even more attention. Mirian's jaw ticked as she turned to look at Rhaenyra who was nodding politely to some lady's words.

"Right, then tell me why do I always find you around her?" Mirian's jealous shone through her nice facade.

"I do not see how that concerns you?" Trevyr glared down at the shorter woman. She crossed her arms in front of her.

"Can a woman not feel protective over her friend?" Mirian asked. She placed her hand on Trevyr's shoulder while widening her eyes. Trevyr's sighed disappointed in her actions, as if she was some common whore and not a respectable lady, yes she was not from a big house but she was still a lady.

"We are not friends Mirian, your are merely my handmaiden" Trevyr pushed her hand off his shoulder. He had tried to approach the situation nicely before, several times, but his patience was running short that night.

"Is that so?" Mirian took a step back while her eyes filled with tears. Trevyr felt guilty seeing her reaction.

"I will leave you then, my lord" She turned around and made her way through the crowd to get out of the filled ballroom.

"Mirian-" Trevyr tried calling after her. He was about to make his way after Mirian but a hand pulled him back. His head snapped in the direction of the hand to find Rhaenyra standing there.

"Leave her" Rhaenyra's hand trailed down until it touched his hand and started pulling him to the dance floor to engage in a friendly dance in front of the people's eyes.

"You heard, did you not?" Trevyr quizzed. Rhaenyra gave him a small smile and nodded. Trevyr sighed and avoided her gaze feeling conflicted on staying and dancing with the crown princess or going after the poor girl he broke the heart of.

"I will be retiring to my room, please do come over, Issa kēlio" Rhaenyra whispered in his ear. She slipped from between his hands and out of the door. Trevyr looked around the room making sure no ine saw before following after her as silently and quickly as possible.

He sighed in relief when he reached the door to her room and stepped in. He locked the door in case one of her handmaidens decided to show up unannounced. He turned around to find Rhaenyra sitting on her bed with a small smile on her face almost like she was teasing him.

"We cannot keep doing this" Trevyr stalked over to the bed and stood over Rhaenyra. She looked up at him with a raised eyebrow and a smirk on her lips.

"Why not?" She asked. She placed her hands on Trevyr's stomach making his breathe hitch in his throat. He hated how with one touch of her his entire body felt like it was on fire. He tried pushing down the lump in his throat.

"How long do you think it will take people to notice? Or catch onto us?" Trevyr questioned. He took hold of her hands and tried pushing them away but she swatted his hands away and begun undoing the buttons on his leather tunic. Trevyr's felt his heart beating faster and his hands begin to shake fighting the urge to touch her.

"Rhaenyra, people will find out, I am soon going to be joining the kingsguard, I cannot be doing this" Trevyr's words sounded as lies even in his own ears. He loved every second of her touch and seduction. In mere seconds the tunic was falling off his shoulders and her hands made their way down his abs, having earned them through training and sword fighting.

"Good, this way you will be by my side more" Rhaenyra smirked up at him. Trevyr finally found the courage to push her hands away. He kneeled down in front of the future Queen and the only woman he has ever loved in his life.

"Listen to me Rhaenyra" Trevyr took hold of her hands. She seemed shocked by his firm grip, no it was not painful but it shocked her, he has never been so adamant about something.

"I fear for you, my love" Trevyr whispered. Rhaenyra gulped trying not to show him how much that nickname had affect on her, she was almost putty in his hands but she was too far gone to let him step away from her.

"I love you, Trevyr" Rhaenyra whispered. She laced their fingers together. Her heart was still hurting from seeing him with Mirian, yes he had rejected, her but it still bothered her, how dare that girl believe she had even a slight chance with Trevyr.

"I love you too and that is why I do not wish to cause you harm, my dragon" Trevyr moved one of his hands to Rhaenyra's cheek. She closed her eyes feeling the blood flow in her head at a faster pace from his mere touch.

Before he could say another word she leaned down and smashed her lips against his. Trevyr's eyes widened in shock but only for a second. His arm rounded around her and pulled her down onto her knees in front of him at the foot of the bed. Rhaenyra pulled away from him only to attack his neck in kisses giving him no time to think or register what was happening around him.

#rhaenyra fanfic #rhaenyra fanfiction #rhaenyra imagine #house of the dragon imagine #rhaenyra targaryen #house targaryen #lannister #house lannister #house of the dragon #trevyr lannister #rhaenyra x oc

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readerleedigest · 2 years

Text

Rollercoaster

This is a tickle fic, don’t read if that’s not your thing. This fic is a little lighter on the tickling, and reader absolutely has a crush on Steve Harrington (because don’t we all?).

“My only goal is to get my hands on some of this carnival food,” you told Steve as he divided out the tickets to the kids.

Eleven, Max, Dustin, Will, Mike and Lucas wasted no time in running off to ride the only rollercoaster, leaving you behind with Steve and Robin.

“But you’re gonna ride the rides, yeah?” Robin asked, linking an arm through yours as you walked through the boots.

Hawkins-Palooza was a carnival they’d introduced after the mall fire in an attempt to boost community (and distract citizens from the true horrors of Hawkins). It happened in the fall, and after the turnout of the first carnival, the city had managed to book more rides for the 2nd.

“I don’t know, guys. I’m not really a fan of the drops and turns.” You almost felt sick at the thought of it.

Last time you’d been on a carnival ride it’d been one of the rides that resembled an octopus and spun you around and lifted you up and down. You’d sworn off carnival rides ever since.

“What if we start off easy?” Steve asked, ever the mother hen. “We ride the Ferris Wheel, maybe race around on the bumper cars, and then see if you’re up for the rollercoaster.”

Robin began bouncing up and down beside you. “Ooo I love the Ferris Wheel! And if we do bumper cars, you’re SO going down, Harrington!”

“Mmmm… okay.” You agreed reluctantly, trying not to think about what you’d gotten yourself into. Ferris wheels and bumper cars were no big deal. Rollercoasters? Yikes.

The Ferris Wheel was really an attraction designed for groups of 2, but you all managed to squeeze onto the bench, ignoring the questioning look from the ride operator as he secured you all in.

Sitting between Robin and Steve, you felt yourself grinning despite yourself at the view. The lights glimmering below you from all the booths, the faded sound of laughter and crowd noise, the smell of apple cider and popcorn, and the cool breeze as the sun sank out of view.

Robin must’ve been experiencing the same happy feelings as you, as she rested her head on your shoulder, and you found yourself doing the same to Steve, who huffed out a chuckle at the both of you.

“Dorks,” he teased, ruffling Robin’s hair.

Next was bumper cars, and you immediately felt the demeanor change in Steve and Robin from the Ferris Wheel friendship to intense competition.

“Y/L/N, I’m coming for you!” Robin joked, running over to a blue bumper car conveniently aimed directly at the one you seated yourself in.

“Don’t worry, Y/N! I got Buckley right where I want her,” Steve proclaimed with an evil laugh.

And just like that you were off. Robin wasn’t joking about having it out for you at the beginning, as you both hit each other head-on and Robin forced you out of her way.

“Rude!” You called over your shoulder, neglecting to look ahead.

“I had to get away from Steve!” She called back.

No wonder she did. When you turned your head back you saw Steve with a mischievous look he must’ve learned from Eddie. He was coming directly at you, and FAST.

“Crap crap crap…” you muttered to yourself, all but squealing as you tried to maneuver away from him.

He followed you relentlessly around the circle as you dodged and weaved other drivers, laughing to yourself at the absurdity of it.

And then the stars aligned. Robin was coming head on towards you, and Steve was following you closely, so you swerved to the right, sending the two crashing directly into one another as the ride operator announced the end of the round.

“Ohohoho I got you both soo good,” you teased as you left the ride and stopped for the small complimentary cups of apple cider.

“Yeah, yeah. You talk a big game now, but the roller coaster is next.” Robin noisily took a slurp of the apple cider, wigging her eyebrows at you.

You rubbed the back of your neck before wrapping your arms around yourself.

“I don’t know… I mean it’s getting late, and boy it sure is cold… maybe I’ll just-“

“Here.” In a flash, Steve had removed his jacket and held it out to you.

You definitely weren’t blushing. It was the cold.

“Uh.. okay,” you stammered, throwing on the jacket. “Thank you, Steve.”

“Cute,” Robin laughed, grabbing your arm and dragging you along behind her. “Come on, Steve!”

The line for the rollercoaster was the longest line in the festival. Max and the rest of the kids were just getting off the ride as you all approached.

“Have you ridden it yet!?” Dustin asked.

“Nah, Y/N had cold feet about it. But good old Steve warmed ‘em right up, didn’t ya, Steve?” Robin grabbed the fabric of Steve’s jacket for emphasis, and the kids laughed.

“It’s really fun,” Max said. “We’ve ridden it 3 times now.”

“But it looks pretty steep,” you said, mostly to yourself.

“It’s not scary though, and it didn’t make Lucas feel sick like some have. It was El’s first time riding anything and she loved it.”

El nodded enthusiastically, leaning into Mike.

“It wasn’t scary. The bumps felt weird though. They tickled.” She shrugged, and then jumped a little when Mike fluttered his fingers against her side.

“And El would know,” Mike joked, teasing her.

You rolled your eyes, your stomach flipping a little more at the mention and sight of ticklishness. You were nervous enough about this rollercoaster, you didn’t need to add more nerves about the group finding out how ticklish you were.

“You’ll be fine,” Steve said, knocking his shoulder into yours. “Besides, we’re all riding it this time together.”

By the time you had all made it to the front of the line, you were shaking out your hands at your sides and bouncing on your toes.

“Breathe,” Will encouraged you, before he and Dustin were led to a row on the coaster.

You were up next, and you pretended not to notice as Steve asked Robin quietly to let him move in front of her in line.

The row you and Steve were seated in was in front of Dustin and Will but behind Robin and Max, who both turned and gave you a reassuring thumbs up.

It was obvious you were on the verge of a freak out.

“Gonna be fine, it’s all gonna be fine,” you murmured to yourself as the operator lowered the bars to secure you in place.

“It’s gonna be fun,” Steve added. “And you’ve got all of us around you. Do you really think El would let anything happen to you?”

“My hope would be that El wouldn’t have to keep anything from happening to me to begin with,” you laughed nervously.

Steve looked over at you for a moment, studying the way your knuckles were white from gripping the bar so tightly.

With a sigh, and a playful look, he reached over and pried your right hand off the bar, securing it in his.

“Just try not to break my hand, okay?”

You laughed, and felt relieved just for a moment before the coaster began to climb the first hill. Then the panic set in again.

“Steve? Steve I don’t think I can do this.”

“Yes, you can. Just remember what El said.”

“What?”

“It just tickles a little, yeah? No harm, no foul.”

“I find that hard to believe.”

“Oh really?” Steve looked over at you, still holding one hand. Just as you reached the top of the hill, and you felt as if you were going to be sick, he reached over with his other hand and began squeezing your side.

“OHOHOHO MY GOHOHOSH AHHHHH!”

Your scream of terror quickly turned into laughter as you felt yourself plummeting down the track, Steve still squeezing your side.

“Whahahat is WROHOHONG WITH YOU?” You laughed, trying to bat his hand away and failing.

“Just have fun!” He quit tickling you, just for a moment to let out a quick ‘WOO’ as you went around a turn.

“Crap CRAP CRAP,” you panicked, noticing the next steep drop ahead of you. And once again, just as you began to drop, Steve reached over and squeezed your knee, making you kick out as your screams once again turned into laughter.

Hawkins-Palooza was small, and the rollercoaster ended after those two drops, leaving you to playfully smack the back of Steve’s head as you caught your breath from the whole ordeal.

“Ouch! What was that for?”

“You tickled me?!”

“You didn’t believe that the rollercoaster tickled. I had to convince you.”

“Yeah, but-“

“No buts. Besides, you seemed like you were having a pretty good time to me.”

You stopped at that, realizing he was right. You’d been so focused on the ticklish feeling you hadn’t been able to panic about the feeling of your stomach dropping.

“Shut up.”

“Nah, I don’t think I will,” Steve grinned. “I can’t believe I didn’t know you were ticklish.”

“Well it’s not information I go around volunteering.”

“Buckley is gonna have a field day with this.”

“No she isn’t, because you aren’t gonna tell her,” you countered.

“Tell me what?” Robin asked, turning around in her seat as you all waited for the operator to release the safety bars.

“Y/N is -“

You weren’t sure what compelled you to do it, but you cut him off the only way that you could think.

You kissed Steve Harrington.

And he was absolutely kissing you back.

“Get a room,” Max groaned, and you pulled away, looking at Steve.

He smiled, his arm curving around your waist as he pulled you in for what you assumed was another kiss.

Instead, he began squeezing your side once more, making you fold in on yourself as best as you could.

“Wahahait.”

“As I was saying Buckley, Y/N here is adorably ticklish.”

Robin rolled her eyes at your antics, turning back around in her seat as the operator came to let you out of your seats.

You began to let go of Steve’s hand, feeling self-conscious about the kiss, but he tightened his grip.

“What do you think you’re doing?” He asked, pulling you out of your seat with him.

“I just-“

“Oh no you don’t. I’m not letting you get away that easily.”

And then he kissed you. Again.

Hawkins-Palooza had never seemed so bright.

“So, you all up for another ride?” Robin asked.

Steve pulled away, giving you a mischievous look.

“What do you say, Y/N? You up for another ride?”

“I don’t think I really have a choice in this, do I?” You laughed.

“Not really,” Robin responded, poking you in the stomach. You flinched backwards, hard, giggling.

“You get that, Steve?” Robin asked.

“Noted,” Steve smirked, hand still secure around your own.

Needless to say, the rollercoaster became your favorite ride at Hawkins-Palooza.

#lee!reader #ler!steve harrington #stranger things tickle #tickle fic #ticklish!reader

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mad4turtles · 2 years

Text

big bro michelangelo

part 2/2

(part 1 here)

---

Mikey understands why Splinter gets pissed whenever they wake him up from a nap.

Sleep is amazing.

After rolling out of bed and treating himself to the longest shower he's ever had, he returns to the t.v room to find the toddlers and Splinter all asleep in the fort. They'd left it up overnight at the behest of the kids, and Splinter hadn't complained once about the room being overtaken or missing his shows as he'd sat with them, picking up from where Mikey had left off in the Wizard of Oz. Mikey had been herded to bed early by April after wolfing down a whole pizza courtesy of Cass—a not completely rare bout of kindness—and Splinter had still been in the fort when he left, the little ones taking up his lap and shoulders as they listened to him read with wonder in their eyes.

He's just in time to watch as Draxum carefully removes the book from where it'd fallen over Splinter's eyes and lifts the blanket to cover all four of them. Leo shifts in his sleep, brows furrowing until Draxum hushes him, gently stroking his head until the little slider settles down again, cuddling against Donnie. Automatically, Donnie shifts to cling to Leo. Draxum leans back on his heels with a smile.

Mikey has never whipped out his phone so fast in his life.

Draxum still notices, though, and the poisonous glare he sends the box turtle is dampened only by the pink blooming across his cheeks. He points a warning finger. “Not. One. Word.”

Mikey waggles the phone in his hand. “Get Dad to double my allowance, or this baby goes viral.”

Draxum splutters. “Wh—why in the—why in Spirits' name should I bend to the whims of—?”

“I took care of three screaming mutant ninja toddlers by myself four hours before your woolly ass got here,” Mikey says with dead eyes. Draxum goes very still. Good, 'cause Mikey ain't playing. “I deserve a little somethin'. Even if I gotta blackmail my way to get it.”

Draxum stares. “I'll talk with your father.”

“Thanks, Papa!” Mikey chimes, skipping over to give his step-father a hug and a kiss on the cheek he can't dodge fast enough. The sheep yokai rolls his eyes and pats Mikey's hand.

“I'd say I'm proud, but quite frankly, Michelangelo, you frighten me.”

“Dr Delicate Touch can be a petty bitch.”

“Language.”

“You don't really care.”

“I really don't.”

They leave the sleeping tots and Splinter in the fort and head for the kitchen where April and both Jones' are waiting. April smiles when Mikey steps through and pulls him in for a cuddle. “Sleep well, big bro?” she asks.

“Like a baby, sis,” Mikey says, squeezing her waist and lifting her off her feet to make her laugh before setting her down to take the plate of fresh pancakes Casey offers him, He knew he'd smelled something good. “Thanks, Jr. Damn, these look fine!”

Casey smiles in that shy, thoroughly pleased way that melts Mikey's insides like goop. “Learned from the best,” he says. “Figured you'd be happier going over a game plan with a full stomach.”

Hopping up to sit cross-legged on the table, Mikey takes a big bite out of the pancake stack and sighs, blissed. “A man after my own heart,” he says around the mouthful. “Bless you, Casey Jones Jr.”

Draxum huffs a laugh poorly disguised as a scoff. “Let us continue with the plan. As Michelangelo told April over the phone, Hypno-potomus supposedly picked up a book of spells and cast a random one during battle. He had no idea that it would result in... well, that,” he jabs a thumb at the doorway where their napping charges lie, “which means tracking him down and forcing him to reverse the spell would be pointless.”

“What if we persuade him?” Cassandra asks, playing with a kunai with a terrifying grin splitting her face. Mikey has learned to stop asking where she keeps them.

April glares. “Cass, put the knives away. We're not torturing him.” Cass obeys, not without muttering and pouting. “Drax just said there's no point. What would beating the answer outta him do if he don't even got the answer? The spell was random, and besides that, he's kinda hard to find.”

“He's roommates with the worm guy, is he not?” Draxum asks. “Or am I mistaken?”

“Pretty sure they're married now,” Mikey says after swallowing.

“Oh. Congratulations to them, then.”

“Back on topic,” Casey cuts in, hands splayed on the table the way Mikey has seen Leo do a dozen times, and it makes him smile. “Hypno might not know what he did, but we can find out how to undo it without him. All we need is the book of spells or another book on how to break this one spell.”

April perks up. “Oh, right! Then Draxum can do his Mystic thing and bring our boys back!”

“And bring an end to this adorable torture!” Cass declares, waving her kunai (again) until Casey puts her arm down with practised patience. Draxum rolls his eyes again, and Mikey—

Mikey feels torn.

He misses his big brothers. He misses Raph's big booming laugh and hugs, Donnie's dry humour and the tangents he goes on about whatever special interest he has that week, and Leo's stupid jokes and reassuring smiles. He wants all that back, so bad it hurts. But...

Mikey sets his empty plate on the table. He needs his team and his big brothers back. He wants them back. But not at the cost of their happiness, this new (old) innocence...

“Mikey?”

Mikey realizes with a start that everyone's looking at him expectantly. Except for April, her brows furrowed in concern.

Right. Game-plan. Get his brothers back, and get the team back.

He shakes himself and smiles. “Sorry, zoned out. What did you say?”

April regards him a moment before smiling. Of course she knows. Big sisters just know everything. “I asked if you knew where we might find a spell book like what Hypno used? Or something that'll tell us how to break it?”

Mikey freezes. “... I may have an idea,” he says slowly. “There's... um... there's always the Mystic Library—”

“Of course!” Draxum exclaims. “The fountain of all mystical knowledge! How could I forget? I know exactly which section to look... but I cannot accompany you there as I am still not entirely welcome in the Hidden City, let alone the library.”

Mikey feels sweat gather along his brow. “Yeaaahh, about that—”

Draxum's smile falls like bricks. “Spirits above, Michelangelo, so help me—”

“We maybe kinda sorta might be banned?”

Draxum sighs, slapping a hand over his eyes. “Of course you are. I'm surprised you've not been barred from the entire Hidden City at this point.”

“You're one to talk, goat man,” Cass snips. Draxum ignores her.

“I'm sure they'll let you back in for an emergency, right?” April ventures. “I mean, who bans someone from a mystic library?”

“Library?”

Every head spins to face the doorway. Donnie, rubbing his eye with the heel of one hand, the other holding a droopy-eyed Leo, stares up at Mikey on the table. He hadn't heard them get up!

Baby ninjas. No wonder Dad went grey so fast.

“Mike's goin' to library?” Donnie asks, more awake now as hope and excitement sparkle in his eyes. He hops from foot to foot, jostling Leo. “Can I come? Can I, can I, please, please? Can I see library, Mike?!”

Oh hell no.

Desperate, Mikey turns to the other adults and teens in the room. None of them look at him, suddenly very interested in their phones, claws or, in Cass' case, the damn kunai, whistling loud and tuneless.

Mikey feels rage.

He turns to Donnie with a beaming smile—“Sure thing, Donnie D!” he says through his teeth.

“Can I come, too?” Leo asks, which throws Mikey for a loop until Leo continues with a yawn, “don' wanna let Don go 'lone. Gotta... gotta stay together. Rahpie comes, too.”

That breaks Mikey's heart and warms its shattered pieces all at once. Now he really can't say no.

“Of course, Little Blue! Go wake up Daddy if he isn't up already and let him help y'all get dressed! We're goin' on a feildtrip, baby!”

Leo and Donnie cheer with their whole bodies, throwing their arms up and stomping their feet before running off to find Raph and Dad. Mikey watches them go, love and warmth in his chest.

He turns to the others and the warmth turns to ice. “Expect a visit from Dr Delicate Touch in the next twenty-four hours.”

The sound of four people gulping has never sounded so sweet.

~0o0~

The bat yokai librarian doesn't look overly happy to see him as she peers over her desk.

One look at the three wide-eyed, slack-jawed toddlers holding his hands and clinging to his back softens something in her gaze, but her soft tone is strict when she says, “I don't even want to know, do I?”

Mikey smiles and shrugs helplessly, shaking his head.

“If I allow you to browse, I trust you will be quiet?”

“Yes, ma'am,” Mikey whispers.

“And your young charges?”

Mikey looks down at the little ones. “Remember our talk, lil' bros?”

Three heads bob in rapid nods, putting their fingers to their lips. “Library voices, shh,” they whisper.

Mikey beams. “Rad.”

The librarian almost cracks a smile. No one is immune to turtle tot cuteness. “Very good. You may proceed. But one word and all of you will be in the Kiddie Room.”

Mikey's pretty sure he's the undisputed ruler of the Kiddie Room, but he's not going to chance it today. He salutes and turns to scour the shelves Draxum told him about, but Donnie hops off his shell and races toward the desk. Mikey bites his lip against a shout, but he hisses Donnie's name frantically. He goes ignored.

Donnie carefully taps the pedestal. “S'cuse me, miss library lady,” he whispers.

She raises a brow. “Yes?”

Donnie beams, hands flapping by his sides. With his glasses on, sizes too big for his face, he looks younger than he is and far cuter than he has any right to be. “Thank you very much for letting us come to your beau—bootiful—boot—pretty library,” he chimes quietly. “I love books so much!”

The librarian stares, eyes slightly wide. And then her smile is small but real. “You're quite welcome, young man. Take as long as you need to.”

Donnie flaps his hands again, excited. “Thank you, I love you, buh-bye!” he chirps and trots back to Mikey, hopping onto his back and clinging, muffling giggles against Mikey's hoodie.

It's all Mikey can do to keep from squealing, eyes welling up. The librarian doesn't seem to be faring any better.

It takes forever, especially with three excited babies all wanting to do their own thing and trying to run off, barely evading the Hush Bats' wrath, but he finds the section he's looking for and has the boys sit in a reading nook with colouring books he'd brought with him. Donnie forgoes them and settles in a massive armchair with Sherlock Holmes's complete collection on his lap.

Mikey finds the book he's looking for after half an hour, and by then, he's exhausted, eyes burning, limbs aching as he plops onto the floor with Leo and Raph. They're quietly discussing who would win in the ultimate fight between Lou Jitsu and Jupiter Jim, with Leo on the side of their father. He smiles as he skims the index and flips through the pages.

Ah-ha! There! De-Ageing Spells, hell yes!

Grinning, Mikey reads. And reads. And...

His smile falls.

Oh.

He lifts his head from the book, turning to face the toddlers smiling and softly giggling in their own little bubble, safe and sound from reality's sharp, unforgiving needle.

His heart sinks.

Oh, man.

~0o0~

The good news is the spell is easily reversible; no blood oaths or sacrificial virgins required. All they have to do is want to be big again, remember who they're supposed to be and let go of who and what they were.

The bad news is it's been three days since they went to the library, four since they were changed.

Mikey knew from the moment he'd read the article. They don't want to change back.

He doesn't blame them.

It's easy to forget sometimes that they're teenagers. Mikey is fifteen, for crying out loud. Raph is—should be—seventeen, a kid in a law that will never touch them, not really, as they are. They've saved the world from evils beyond comprehension, have nearly died on many occasions, and they're not even legally allowed to drink! Much as they hate to hear it due to whatever dumb hormones tell them otherwise, they're children. They shouldn't have to do any of this. That's why most superheroes in media are adults—severely messed up adults, but still!

Why should Mikey take this away from them? Why should anyone take it away or force them to want to let it go? The world will always be in danger, so why can't someone else 'rise to the challenge' and defend it? Why does the world have to fall on the shoulders of kids who barely get the chance to be kids? Why can't they be selfish for once?

Tensions were high in the two years following Splinter's decision to make Leo the leader—a position Leo had never wanted and Raph was doing so well in despite the challenges—and then things change after the Krang. Leo cracks fewer jokes and trains more often, Donnie triple-checks and quadruples his time in the lab pouring over defences, upgrades and fail-safes, and Raph is twice as jittery at night, can't sleep without a light on or checking on his family several times each night. Not that Splinter is much better—Mikey hears him every night, feigns sleep when his father tucks him in and kisses his cheek, lingering a moment before moving on to the next room.

This is the happiest he's seen his family in what feels like forever.

But as much as Mikey wants his brothers' happiness, his true wish is just as selfish. And he feels horrible for it, he does. But—

“I want my big brothers back,” he says, muffled in the folds of Draxum's robe on the night of day five. Sitting on his bed, he clings to his stepfather with all his strength and lets the tears fall. Draxum holds him with one hand on the back of his head, the other rubbing circles along his shell. It's a show of affection he's still getting used to two years down the line, and as much as it's appreciated it only makes Mikey cry harder.

Raph used to do this. Used to pick me right off the floor and crush me with all the love he had in him.

“I don't want them to hurt anymore,” he says through his tears, “I don't want them to fight or, or carry everything all the time 'cos they feel like they have to. I want them to be happy. But... I miss them! I miss my big brothers and I want them back! I don't wanna be the big brother anymore!”

“Hush,” Draxum soothes, holding Mikey tighter as he cries himself out. “I don't know your brothers as well as I'd like to, but I do know how much they care about you. A part of them knows and remembers who they really are. A part that knows this can't last, no matter how much they want it to. The past is in the past, and all that's left is the present and what we have to look forward to. They won't stay like this forever, Michelangelo.”

Mikey sniffles messily, not that Draxum seems to care about the mess he's made of his robe. “That's... that's prolly the wisest thing you've ever said, Papa,” he says. Draxum huffs fondly, but Mikey's smile dims quickly. “What if they do? What if they... what if they love being kids again more than—?”

“Don't you dare,” April hisses from where she's suddenly materialized in the doorway, “finish that sentence, Hamato Michelangelo.”

Mikey stares at her. Draxum loosens his grip and stands in time for April to take his place on the bed, taking Mikey's face between her hands and giving him a firm shake.

“Mikey,” she says, eyes burning like coals into his. Her worry is buried deep beneath, but Mikey sees it through the cracks. “Your brothers adore you. If you asked for the moon in a basket or the sun for a night light, you bet your little ass they'd find a way to make that happen. Ain't nothing in this world more important to them than you. No amount of Jupiter Jim marathons, bedtime stories or piggyback rides could ever hold a candle to having you as their little brother. They'll break this spell no matter what it takes or how long. You know this, I know this—hell, Draxum knows it!”

“Why do you sound so surprised?”

“So hang in there, okay?” She smiles, pressing a kiss between his eyes and wiping his tears away with her thumbs. “Give 'em time. They'll be back before you know it.”

Mikey breathes in deeply and tries to believe. He nods. “Okay,” he croaks, throwing his arms around his sister's neck when she pulls him in.

(Outside the door, a pair of tiny feet quickly scurry away.)

~0o0~

He takes his eyes off them for a second.

They're playing in the park, hanging off the monkey bars and the swing set, and Mikey, sitting on the bench, reaches for the buzzing phone in his pocket.

Then Leo shrieks his name, and terror freezes Mikey's blood.

Hypno has Leo and Raph by their hoodies. Donnie screams at him to put his brothers down, kicking the mutant hippo's shin to little effect.

“Aw, aren't you lot adorable?” the magician coos. “Can't believe you're still so tiny, but, I'll take what I can get. Which is you lot, to get Orange over there to come running right into my trap! You won't be much of a nuisance if you're all pint-sized tots!”

Mikey doesn't hear what the fat creature says over the ringing in his ears. His body moves on its own, faster than he's ever moved in his life, and even then, he's too late. Hypno vanishes in a puff of purple smoke.

Leo, Donnie and Raph are gone, too.

Mikey stares at where they'd stood. Donnie's glasses lie forgotten on the wood chippings, the lenses cracked. Carefully, Mikey scoops them up. He shuts his eyes and grits his teeth.

When he opens his eyes, the world is red.

~0o0~

He uses Donnie's tracker to find them—thank god for Donnie's paranoia and mildly invasive meddling tendencies. They're holed up in some run-down warehouse, empty save for boxes no doubt filled with Hypno's assortment of traps, support pillars that creak ominously to the time of dripping pipes.

And, of course, Hypno and his little-big brothers, tied up and crying out for him from the little cage behind the magician.

The world is still red around the edges, and Mikey ignores whatever villainous spiel the hippo spouts, nunchaku ablaze and spinning.

“Give. Me. My. Brothers.”

Mikey's voice sounds foreign to his ears, and whatever look Mikey has on his face makes Hypno stammer into silence and take a step back. “Whoa, nelly, that's quite the look you've got on your face! I-I'm actually starting to regret my decisions leading up to this moment.”

“Mikey's gonna kick your big fat butt!” Leo cries, struggling against the ropes binding him shell-to-shell with Raph and a sniffling Donnie.

“Yeah! He's gonna beat ya up, good, ya—ya big butt head!”

“B-Bitch!” Donnie says through his tears.

Hypno looks at them flatly. “Right, I'm over the regretting thing. Let's dance, shall we, Orange?”

Mikey scowls. “Gladly,” he hisses, and charges.

(He understands Raph's rage, now, barely hidden under layers and layers of love. He wonders if it's this scary to him, too, knowing how much of it he has and what it does to you when the people you protect are in danger.

Perhaps that's what ultimately freed Raph from the Krang that day. It's what led Mikey to Leo, after all.)

The fight is as messy and chaotic as usual. But Mikey's not having fun, and Hypno won't let him get close to the tots until he's one of them. He must've finally studied the book, which is just great, really, and adds fuel to Mikey's growing fire. Figuratively and literally.

An explosion gets too close to the kids, and Donnie wails at the loud noise.

Then Mikey gets angry.

He traps Hypno in the extended chains and swings him straight through a pillar. It's the straw to break the camels' back as the whole building crumbles around them.

Mikey remembers himself and nearly chokes on his horror. What did I just do?

He hears his brothers scream his name. He shakes himself and sprints to the cage, tearing it open with sheer adrenaline and slicing the ropes away with the jagged piece of metal that bites into his skin. He ignores the sting and pulls the crying tots into his arms.

“It's okay, guys,” he says, dizzy with relief—he's got them, they're safe, he'll get them out, and they'll be safe, they'll be okay—“It's okay. Big bro Mikey's here.”

Something gives above their heads. Mikey looks up in time to see the giant slabs of concrete hurtling towards them.

He doesn't think twice. He shoves the boys as hard as he can, and—

And he blinks awake to a ringing in his ears and copper in his mouth. He feels numb from the waist down.

He's buried under the rubble.

His vision is spotty with hints of actual red—blood, most likely—but he can see the boys. They're not hurt. Covered in dust and soot from the collapsing debris and crying their hearts out, but they're fine.

They're okay. Good.

“Go on, guys,” he coughs. Raph stops tugging his arm to stare at him with open horror. It's not something he ever wants to see on a toddler's face, but there's not much he can do about it now. “T-There's... not much time. Y'gotta get outta here, the buildings' comin' down...”

“NO!” Donnie shrieks, stomping his feet, big fat tears dripping down his chin. “No no no! Not leaving Mikey, no! Not leaving you!”

“Stay together!” Leo sobs. Mikey wants to reach out and hold him, but his left arm's buried under the rubble, the other clutched in Raph's trembling hands. “Gotta help, Mike, gotta—gotta get back to normal 'n be big together again!”

Ah. It was Leo who overheard. Heh. Baby ninjas.

Mikey huffs. “S'okay, Little Blue,” he says, words slurring together as it gets harder to stay awake. “You guys... It doesn't matter how big or small you are. I love you anyway. I'll always love you because you're still my brothers.”

He smiles big and wide, fighting tears. “Big Bro Michelangelo loves you. Always.”

They stare at him, masks soaked with tears. It's not the best thing to see right before you die, but Mikey thinks it could be worse.

He can't keep his eyes open anymore. He feels Raph drop his arm. Good. They're leaving. He hopes Donnie can still work a phone to call Dad. Hopes they don't blame themselves.

He hears another pillar give above him, and he knows it's over.

They'll be okay. Mikey did what every good big brother is supposed to do. He did good.

There's a familiar whirr of machinery, a crackle of energy that Mikey knows as intimately as his own, a flash of purple—

“FIBONACCI!”

Mikey's eyes snap open. He looks up.

Donatello stands over him—sixteen years old, a pillar of armour, defined muscles and gangly limbs—a mystic shield keeping the worst of the debris from crushing them. He meets Mikey's gaze and grins through the strain.

Mikey's jaw hangs. “... Donnie?”

“In the half-shell!” Donnie declares, and Mikey could cry.

Lightning crackles against the stones pinning Mikey. A circle of brilliant blue sparks to life beneath them and pulls them under. The world spins until it rights itself in the form of Leonardo catching him before the portal can spit him onto the asphalt. Mikey blinks the white spots away until the striped face of his grinning older brother remains, his smirk set at an angle that's equal parts arrogance and affection. Behind them, the warehouse collapses.

“Leo?”

“Were you expecting DiCaprio?” Leo quips. It's not even remotely funny, but Mikey throws his head back and laughs.

Then he freezes. “Wait, wait!” He squirms in Leo's arms, but Leo settles for dropping to his knees and setting him on the ground. Mikey paws at his shoulders desperately. “W-where's—?”

“SAVING LIKE A BOSS!”

A red goliath bursts from the rubble in a shower of brick and twisted metal and leaps out of the wreckage, leaving small craters in the ground as he lands superhero-style. He drops Hypno off to the side before re-calling his ninpo.

And then there's only Raphael, smiling right at him as he lumbers over to kneel before them.

Mikey shakes. Leo's arms wrap around his shoulders and hold him close. “Raph...”

“You did great, little brother,” he says, reaching out with one massive hand to gently cup Mikey's cheek in his calloused palm. His eyes shine with unshed tears and pride. “You really did. You saved us, buddy. I'm proud of you.”

“Same here,” Leo says, nuzzling his cheek against Mikey's. His mask is still damp. “Sorry it took us so long to come back, little bro.”

“Indeed,” Donnie adds, typing something onto his holographic before joining them on the floor. “Though my memories of being toddler-fied are hazy at best, I do recall enjoying elements of it. However, no amount of piggyback rides or weaponising cuteness for a mystic library pass could satisfy my need to reach the freaking kitchen countertop by myself and slice my own goddamn fruit, thank you very much!”

Raph rolls his eyes with a smile that's equal parts fond and exasperated. A smile that Mikey gets now. “I think what Don's tryin' to say, is that, yeah, being kids again was fun while it lasted. And spending time with Dad like that again was really great...”

“But Draxum was right,” Leo adds, drawing back enough to wipe the soot and blood off Mikey's face with his mask tails. He smiles. “We gotta let go of the past. That's done. What matters now is what we do in the present—”

“And the things we have to look forward to in the future,” Donnie finishes, reaching out to rub the top of Mikey's head. “For instance, I am most looking forward to wiping every single freaking picture and or video you've taken these last six days. Tech gods as my witness, I will leave no SD card unturned, no RAM un—oh. Oh, Mikey...”

Mikey doesn't realize he's crying until Leo pulls him back for a hug, holding tight. Then the floodgates burst as he gives way to heaving sobs, curling into Leo's chest. Donnie drops all pretences and joins the embrace, his snout nuzzling Mikey's head. Raph gathers them all up and squeezes.

Through the haze of bone-deep, exhaustion, aches, pains and relief, Mikey smiles.

They're back. My big brothers are back. April and Draxum were right.

Just when Mikey thinks he could stay like this with them forever, there's a groan near the mound of rubble. A ripple goes through the (now) older trio as they lift their heads and turn as one. Mike follows a beat after.

Hypno rubs his head and looks around him, rumpled and rough-looking as Mikey feels, but mostly intact save for a nasty black eye. Both eyes widen when he sees the turtles staring back at him.

He blinks. “Um. I can explain.”

Raph, Leo and Donnie narrow their eyes to slits at the cowering hippo mutant. Mikey stifles a giggle.

Oh, he 'bout to get it.

Raph looks back down at Mikey and smiles. “You sit tight for a sec, Little Man,” he says, kissing Mikey's forehead before letting them all go and standing, cracking his neck.

“Yeah, we'll be right back,” Leo pats his cheek and joins Raph. His claws peek out, hands fluttering at his sides.

“I've sent April a message. She and The Parents are en route, E.T.A three minutes, so keep an eye out, m'kay? Cool.” Donnie nudges his shoulder against his and extends his battle shell, hovering over Hypno.

Mikey, for once, is content to sit on the side and watch. He's already given Hypno a piece of his mind. Now it's his big brothers' turn.

“So,” Raph bumps his fists together, red armour encasing his arms. “You shrank us.”

“You kidnapped us,” Leo's swords flash into his palms.

“And you nearly crushed our baby brother,” Donnie's bo extends into a mini-missile launcher.

Hypno goes white. “A-Ah, hey now, let's not be hasty! It was all in good fun, we had a few laughs—!”

“Not only that, but you owe Mikey so much child support!” Leo cries, raising his swords. “You goddamned—”

“Big-mouthed—” Raph pulls his fists back.

“Blue gumball, simpleton—” Donnie spins his bo and lifts it high.

“Wait, wait, wait—!”

“SON OF A BITCH!” they holler and bring their weapons down in a burst of soot, brick and screaming hippo.

Grinning hard enough to hurt, Mikey throws his head back and cackles.

“That's my boys!”

#rottmnt #rottmnt fic #turtle tots #big bro michelangelo #weirdly enough i was listening to a slow reverb version of titanic while writing the last part #and i teared up XD #YOU'RE HEEEERE: just as Donnie turns back into a teen! POETIC CINEMA!!!#i really enjoyed writing this #Donnie in the library was kinda me projecting but actually little Donnie at the same time #my writing

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tastybluesprite · 1 year

Note

Okay, so M.K. could be sparring w/ Mei and then M.K. loses which causes him to feel very upset, expecting sm better from himself since he’s THe MonKie KiD. So Mei has just the idea on how to cheer him up ;) 💚💛.

You can do anything

THIS WAS SUCH A CUTE PROMPT!!! Thanks for sending!!! I love these two so freaking much. Literally my favorite duo in the whole series lol. Anyway this isn’t supposed to be ship implied but if anyone wants they can I don’t really care lol. I just see them more as super close sibling sort of besties.

Warnings: Tickling so if that makes you uncomfortable don’t read, otherwise it’s fluff overload :)

Summery: MK is feeling very insecure about his skills and ability’s as Monkey Kings student. It’s up to Mei to cheer him up!

——————————————————————————

Mei agreed to help MK practice his fighting skills in a sparring match. They usually sparred anyway, but this time it wasn’t necessarily for fun. MK wanted to practice the new skills and moves he learned with the Monkey King.

“Cmon Monkey Man!” Mei taunted (in a lighthearted way of course) as they went at it. She dodged a swing and was able to take him down, pinning him to the floor.

MK groaned as he pounded the floor with his feet. “Ugh! I’ll never get this right!”

“Aw don’t worry MK, you’ll get it eventually! You just gotta keep practicing.” Mei told him encouragingly.

MK got up and attempted to smile at the words, but he couldn’t help the gloom that fought it.

“But I’m the Monkey Kid!” He argued. “I’m supposed to be able to get it fast! What good am I as a hero if I can’t get simple fighting combos right.”

Mei gave him a soft and understanding smile. She knew how much saving people and being Monkey Kings mentee meant to him.

“Don’t be sad Monkey Man! I know just what’ll cheer you up!” She said with a grin as she wiggled her fingers at him.

Without warning, she attacked, tackling the boy to the ground.

“H-hey!! Mei wahahait!!!” Mei giggled at his slight panic. “I haven’t even done anything!” She told him. “How ticklish are you?”

“Shuhut uhuhup!!!” MK giggled, trying only a little to fight at her hands fighting him.

She managed to slip her hands through and began gently digging into his sides. MK erupted into laughter as he twisted around a bit and gripped her wrists.

“Mehehehei!!!”

“Mk!!!” She replied back teasingly, mimicking him.

MK in truth didn’t mind. He actually loved to be tickled. Mei knew this very well.

She went up, stuffing her hands under his arms, and his laughter went up an octave as he clamped his arms down in feeble attempt to protect himself.

“MehEHEheheii GEHEHehehetohOHOuhuhut!!!”

“No can do MK! You got my hands stuck!” Mei reasoned with a laugh.

“L-lahahaHAhahaHAIR!!”

Mei slipped her hands out and grabbed his wrists, pinning them above his head.

“Now Monkey Man. You will say “I am amazing and can do anything!”

“B-but I’m not… and I can’t…” MK argued.

“Ok then… you asked for it!” And Mei stuck her hand under his shirt, and dug her fingers gently into his stomach.

“WAHAHAIHIHIT NOHOHOHOT THEHEHERE!!!!” MKs whole body practically flopped like a fish as he cackled hysterically. The electric ticklish sensations taking over his nervous system had become unbearable, and he had no choice but to give in.

“OHOKAHY OHOKAHAHYYY IHIHM AHAMAHAZIHING AHAND IHI CAHAHN DOHO AHNYHYTHIHINGGG!!!!”

That was all she needed to hear. She smiled and stopped her fingers, allowing him to curl in on himself as he let out the rest of his excess giggles.

She stroked at his hair to calm him down. “You ok MK?” She asked with a grin.

“Y-yehehe ihihim ohohokay…” he breathed out in uncontrollable giggles.

He soon regained his composure and Mei helped him up.

“Feel any better?” She asked him.

Mk nodded “Yeah a bit… thank you Mei.” He threw himself on her with a big hug.

“No problem Monkey Man” she replied softly with a smile, hugging him tightly back.

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gladiatorofthevoid · 1 year

Text

Rise April Challenge Day 1: April O’Neil

Next - Masterpost

Ao3 link: here

Today, April had learned something very important, something that she was quite mad at her mom for not telling her. And that was that people were overrated and mean. They weren’t worth her time, and she was never going to talk to one again. Screw those stupid cartoons, the power of friendship was dumb, and she didn’t need it!

The first day of school had not been fun for April O’Neil. Turns out, that kids can be cruel and will easily turn on someone that is even slightly different.

She laid down on the grass under an old tree and watched the other kids run around the jungle gym with narrow eyes.

She was mad, enraged even, and if her mom thought that a trip to the park would cheer her up then April would prove her wrong. This was not the type of mad that went away with swings and ice cream. This was a life changing type of mad, the kind that made people wear black and laugh evilly. Yes, this was a supervillain mad. And April didn’t think she would mind being a bad guy, they were cool, and they didn’t need any friends.

They didn’t get lonely.

She wasn’t lonely. She was mad. She was mad. So mad that there was no room to be lonely. She-

Something fell out of the sky inches away from April’s nose. She jumped and scrambled back, fear and shock playing across her face. The thing lay unmoving on the ground as she tried to catch her breath. April looked up into the tree above to see where it had fallen from, but nothing was there. She looked back at it on the ground, and after a moment bent over to pick it up.

It was only about the size of her fist, round and purple, cold and smooth in her hand, and she turned it around. No markings or anything. Was it an egg? Could there be purple eggs? She put it near her ear and shook it. Nothing. April put it back on the ground and stared at it. What were you meant to do when things fell from the sky? Should she just leave it? Tell someone? Call 911? Did this happen a lot?

The egg-thing had apparently gotten tired of waiting for April to do something, and she watched as it sprouted legs. It was so sudden that it took April a few seconds to realize what had happened, she blinked down at its four limbs folding out of its body. Then the thing bolted away from her, towards the bushes that bordered the park.

“Hey!” She sprinted after it, “Come back!”

It was fast, scurrying across the ground like a spider. Dodging and weaving its way around rocks and sticks. It was too far for her to reach, and it was about to disappear into the scrubs, never to be found again. But she was April O’Neil, and it would not get away that easily. She flung herself forward, arms outstretched, and eyes shut tight as she dove into the bush. Her knees scraped against the ground as she slid, and the branches scraped and caught on her clothes as she broke through the wall of leaves. But her hand had closed around the sphere. She had it.

“Ha!” she shouted “Got ya!” She opened her eyes and stopped when she saw two tennis shoes at her eye level. April looked up and met two wide black eyes, framed by square glasses.

“Uh...Hi?” April said. The masked kid jumped backward, stumbling away from her and falling onto his butt. “Hey! It’s ok, I was just chasing this thing.” She held up the purple sphere so he could see it. “It fell out of a tree and grew legs!”

The boy did not respond, shrinking into his oversized hoodie, sleeves falling over his hands and the collar covering the bottom of his face. Silence stretched between them for a few seconds as April waited for the kid to talk. He didn’t.

“My name’s April, what’s yours?” Silence.

“Are you ok?” Nothing.

“Can you talk?” The boy shakily nodded. Well, that was a little better. She slowly sat up on to her knees, before looking at the other kid again. “Sorry it I sacred you, this thing was just super cool, and I didn’t want it to get away.” The boy uncurled slightly and leaned a little forward.

“You think it’s cool?” April blinked at the odd question but nodded.

“Yeah, it just fell out of a tree and grew legs all by itself!”

“Well not all by itself.” The boy reached into his jacket and pulled out a blocky remote control. He punched a few buttons and the thing in her hand wiggled out of her grip and ran toward the boy. April’s mouth dropped open.

“It’s a robot?” she asked, amazed.

“Yes,” the boy said sitting straighter and smiling proudly, “I made it.”

April’s eyes widened “Really?”

“But of course. I am testing out different joint attachments and its flexibility so it can climb and cling to different surfaces, that way-”

The boy sat up straighter as he talked, arms waving and gesturing to the bot as he talked. April smiled and listened. She decided that she liked this kid, he was weird. But in a cool way, and he was going to be her friend. But he had acted super jumpy before when she had tried to talk to him before, she would need to be sneaky.

The boy was lost in talking about wires and frequencies, legs kicking out in excitement. Perfect. April scooting closer, nodding and smiling even if he wasn’t really looking. Almost. Almost. He stopped talking when she shoved her hand in front of his face. He looked up at her, scrunching his eyes.

“My name is April.” She said with a smug grin, happy to have managed to confuse him enough that he wouldn’t just run away.

“Yes, you said that already,” he responded dryly.

“Yeah, but you need to tell me yours and shake my hand.”

“Why?”

“Because.”

“That’s a stupid reason.” He turned his head away defiantly.

“Well, I can’t be your friend if I don’t know your name.” She said. The boy’s body stiffened, and he slowly turned towards her.

“You want to be friends with me?” he asked shakily. She smirked.

“You have to tell me your name first.” she demanded. He hesitated and squirmed, April stood still holding her breath. It was all or nothing now. The boy took a breath and locked eyes with her.

“You can’t take it back.” The boy declared.

“Deal.” She reached to take his hand, but he pulled it back.

“And! You have to be my brothers’ friend too.” April shook her head. While more friends sounded exciting, she wasn’t going to just agree without meeting them. Kids could be mean after all.

“No, I haven’t met them. What if I don’t like them?” The boy paused to think.

“If you like them, then will you be their friend?” He asked. She nodded, that seemed fair. The boy reached out and took her hand. “I’m Donatello.”

April eyes widened as she staired down at her new friend’s green, three-fingered hand, and after a moment smiled at him.

This was going to be way more awesome than being a supervillain.

Next - Masterpost

Ao3 Link: Here

Please check out @zee-rambles who came up with this challenge. Also take a look at @rise-april-art-challenge for more submissions. Please give feedback if I need to work on something.

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