#th ink first

[kittlesandbugs]

Were you going to tell me

I think this was a dialogue prompt a couple people same-brained on for Chargestep.

"Hey. Can I ask you something?" 

You glance up to meet his too-brown eyes, finger stilling where it was tracing a nonsense pattern through the hair on his chest. Of course he wants to ask a question when you're relaxed and warm and pliable. One of these days you'll learn not to give him this opening. Maybe. 

Who are you kidding? You wouldn't give up the feeling of his hands on you for anything. 

"You can ask," you finally relent, because of course you do. It's fine. You can always choose not to answer. 

"Were you ever going to tell me?"

You stiffen in his arms and snort to cover your apprehension. There's a hundred possibilities he could be dancing around. A hundred secrets you still haven't revealed, the biggest still being it's you under Reckoning's helmet. You don't think he'd broach that one here and now though, if he's even figured it out. 

"That's not vague at all," you grumble. 

[kittlesandbugs]

late but i love riley's sunglasses. im low on brain tonight i love a lot of other things about her, too but that's the one i thought of.

They are very rockin' sunglasses, ty Pix!! 😘

[kittlesandbugs]

Please share something from soft smutty bullshit 💖

This is some post-tattoo reveal that is supposed to be some sweet sweet body worship if I can ever get my damn brain into gear. Nothing spicy yet, but I'll toss it under a cut anyway just in case.

He lays against your side, propped up on one arm. His fingers toy with the edge of your shirt.  Brown eyes fall to yours, eyebrows raised in inquiry. Maybe a little challenge. You're terrible at backing down. 

"You gonna shock me?" you murmur. 

"I turned them off," he says with a playful wink. 

"... okay."

His warm hand slides under the fabric— just the one shirt right now— up your belly, across your ribs. You suppress the flinch as best you can, but he feels you tighten and he freezes, palm splayed out over your pounding heart. Cold metal, warm fingers, both half-obscured by your bra, and you, shivering from more than just a temperature difference. 

"You okay?" 

"Y-yeah."

Too much? Too soon? He's known for two months and he still kisses you the same. Still holds you tight if you wake up screaming. Hasn't even tried to do anything more as you both adjust to him knowing.

He starts to pull back. "Riley, we don't have to—" 

"I'm fine," you blurt sharply as you grab his hand through your shirt, put it back over your heart, and it's maybe half-true. Maybe you can make it be true.

[kittlesandbugs]

For the end of year fic asks, 1, 5, 15, 25 💖

1. favorite fic you wrote this year

Uhhhhh probably either Too close (post-psychopathor smooch fic) or Words not spoken (post hb apartment clean out fic)

5. most popular fic this year

On AO3 by kudos, it was Rideaway relief (post nanosurge fic) (i hate that title now lol) and on tumblr by notes, it was this little unnamed thing I wrote when I was in a mood. (discussion of Ortega saving Riley from the Farm)

15. something you learned this year

Standard grammar is a farce and we should all have more fun with sentence structure.

25. a fic you read this year you would recommend everyone read

Ah fuck. Um. Hmmmm. Going off my previous question, @antigonick 's Splinters is a fantastic example of making grammar into a sandbox lol 💜 also her chargestep is chefs_kiss.gif

[kittlesandbugs]

🌹 <3

More birthday shenanigans fic for you!

"Eres hermosa," you murmur and her gaze slips to the side. She doesn't agree, never has, scarred by life, marred by tattoos. Doesn't understand how you can think someone so alien can be beautiful. She'd bury her face in her hands if you hadn't told her no moving them. 

[kittlesandbugs]

ok ok ok i can words: pressure, game, aaaaaand cruel

Pressure got a bite on Double Riley Shenanigans!

You try to quell the panic rising through your chest like bile. Swallow it down. Take in your surroundings. Looks like a warehouse. You're tied with zip cuffs, looped through a pipe mounted on the wall. Your shoulders ache, hands are tingling. You wiggle them to try and get some blood moving again. Trapped at too weird an angle, but at least most of your weight is on the floor. You curl your legs under you with a groan to take some more pressure off your shoulders. Your ankles are zipped too.

Fuck.

You were careless. Someone was ready for you. Maybe not the Farm though. You would have woken up in a cell if that were the case. You can still get out of this.

Game got a bite on... okay this isn't really a WIP but it sort of is? Old flash prompt I'm still kinda playing around with, the Villain AU one lol.

You're laughing. It's a bit broken by disbelief, mostly at yourself. You've been playing the hero game by proxy for how long now? And it isn't until the helmet is off that everything is laid bare, that it all comes together.

It has to be a joke.

Or you're a joke. Blind. Hard to tell sometimes. You should have figured this out weeks ago. When you took this job and he suddenly became cagier. Especially around you. Did he know you were hunting him on the side?

Nothing for cruel! Maybe I'm too fluffy lol.

[kittlesandbugs]

Tagged by @th-ink-first and @starrypawz, ty for thinking of me! I think most people i know have been tagged or done this but just to be safe lol @bearlytolerant @ellstersmash @ace-of-kings @antigonick @ you, if you want to play and haven't been tagged!

favorite color: a good sexy deep royal purple. But i also like most shades of blues, greens, purples, light bb pink, and monochromes lol

currently reading: 😅😅😅😅 fanfic? FHR? Is FHR reading or playing? 🤔

last song: Magnum Bullets by Night Runner & Dan Avidan

last movie: i... Don't think I've seen a movie since the pandemic started 😳 Birds of Prey in that case.

last series: currently watching The Blacklist with the intent of maybe actually finishing it this times LOL (i keep dropping out at season 4 and then forgetting about it for a year.)

sweet, savoury or spicy?: sweet or savory, I'm weak to spice lol

craving: pix i almost want to copy yours because it's about spot on, intimacy and domestic feel good bullshit lbr I'm a lonely creature lol. But I don't need chocolate, i had that for breakfast with my coffee 🤣

tea or coffee: coffee before 11, herbal tea after. I have enough trouble sleeping at night to give caffeine a chance to further fuck me up lol

currently working on: finding all the Secrets in retri. Writing a shameless amount of fanfic. Considering how i should tackle cleaning the house while working from home tomorrow lol, i slacked off last weekend. Sprinkling in actual work occasionally lol.

[kittlesandbugs]

WIP WEDNESDAY

Tagged by @th-ink-first ty for thinking of me!!! Tagging @ellstersmash @bearlytolerant @antigonick @starrypawz (if you want to play!)

Double Riley Trouble on the menu this week lol

Shit. Shit. She paces across the living room as she weighs her options. 

On one hand, she could just leave it. Riley is Reckoning, an active villain far outside this two-bit's league. Hell, they aren't even playing the same sport. Even restrained and potentially telepathically neutered, she could probably get away given time. And time she spent trapped was less time wreaking havoc in the city.

But it wouldn't be the heroic thing to do. And she does claim to be a hero. And leaving Riley to sit with this jackass just makes her stomach sour. Not to even mention she'd never hear the end of it if Ricardo found out.  

So that's definitely out. She has to stage a rescue. 

But should she involve Ricardo? He's almost ridiculously protective of Riley. Argent chuckles and shakes her head. If only he knew what she was really up to. Sometimes she suspects he has an inkling, but is too willfully blind to put the pieces together. 

It's awkward but not her business who Riley chooses to inform as long as she mostly behaves. 

Ricardo would make things complicated, no doubt. Rushing in blind, most likely. And again she's faced with, what if she keeps him out of it and he finds out anyway? 

It's probably not worth it. 

She sighs, grabs her phone off the coffee table. Dials his number. He must not be on one of his weird stakeouts because he actually answers after three rings. 

A big yawn. "Angie, it's like two in the morning...?" 

"We have a problem."

"Must be big if you're calling me about it now, what's going on?" He sounds still half-asleep and she wants to swear at him. 

"Our not-girlfriend got herself kidnapped." 

"What."