#(( bella seems like the kind of person that Charm would get along with really well ))

[thecarnivorousmuffinmeta]

what if right after Bella touched down in Forks and met her dad, she got the personality of Utena Tenjou from Revolutionary Girl Utena? How would the story change, and would Bella-Utena be able to survive the Edward yandere simulator? (You can probably tell I just binge watched revolutionary girl Utena for the second time…)

Oh boy.

Well, first, I think we have to go over how Utena would even react to this.

Utena and the Real World

One of the things I love about Utena is that we have no idea what the real world or adulthood is. It's less magical, less beautiful, presumably than Ohtori Academy but it could also be a post apocolyptic wasteland due to Anthy's decision to have the prince stop sacrificing himself for them.

We never get to see it and I love the show for that.

It's a nebulous, terrifying, place that the characters know they must reach or else perish without ever having been born.

And then, of course, there's the fact that those who leave Ohtori don't seem to be able to take much with them just as those who enter Ohtori. What I'm getting at is that memories are a fuzzy thing in the Utena universe and characters very much shrug and go along with it.

Back to the Ask

For my sanity, we'll say that Utena has not entered Ohtori yet. She has not remembered why she wanted to become a prince, she is still searching for her prince unaware of who he is, and she hasn't been pierced by the swords in Anthy's stead.

Utena finds herself waking up on a plane and getting off. She's a little confused, but not overly much so, and figures she must be traveling somewhere, likely in search of the prince who she's been wanting to meet.

In the bathroom she notices her face looks different. Everything about her is different, she's older, her eyes are now brown along with her hair, and she's shorter too.

Utena's annoyed by this but doesn't think much of it as she didn't in canon when she body swapped with Anthy. Shit happens. Probably because of whatever curry she must have had on the plane.

My point is Utena takes being 'Bella' in stride though she likely corrects Charlie to 'Utena' and gets really really really weird about having parents of any kind as she is decidedly an orphan.

Also, she wants to be a prince.

Charlie doesn't say anything to that.

At school Bella immediately clocks the Cullens as the student council people of note but would not find them to be prince candidates. While she wiffle waffled on Touga being the prince or not when she was uncertain was when he acted like what Utena thought to be a prince, gallant, chivalrous, brave, and kind. When he was an ass she paid less mind to him. Akio happened to be what was left of the prince, which helped him out, and also oozed seductive evil charisma.

The Cullens are too standoffish, too snobby, and Edward later too hostile for Utena to have interest in them. After Biology, for all Edward wouldn't notice the first time, he gets the Saionji treatment.

(Not to mention, I'm sure, that Utena actually likes Jessica Stanley as someone very reminiscent of Wakaba, good intentioned if a bit of a loud mouth who focuses on the wrong guys for sometimes the wrong reasons. Utena would be appalled that Edward acted so cold to her when Jessica was being brave.)

When Edward returns and tries to be charming...

The thing is that Edward is ultimately pulling a Touga. He would find Bella (Utena's) desire to be a prince, to meet a prince, bemusing and later irritating (as Edward is certainly not that prince and knows it). More, he would want to be the prince, not her, in which case Utena would have to be put in her place as the rose bride er damsel in distress in the relationship.

Ultimately, because of this, Utena while perhaps wavering on Edward for a little bit would staunchly reject him when all of this makes itself clear.

Now, that said, Utena is beloved by the gods.

It's unclear what, exactly, the power of Dios is and when Utena started embodying it (was it only when Anthy noticed) but there's a chance that it could be there out in the real world and could keep her alive in any surreal confrontation with Edward (presuming this still is, in some way, the Utena universe).

This means that Utena will survive against all odds only to be pulled towards Ohtori to fight for the rose bride.

[aloudplace]

Dirty thoughts 1

"I cannot begin to express how much I resent your presence here."

I sighed, pretending to feel martyred. "It's been three months, Loki. Get over it. Seriously."

He was sprawled on the long, curved couch in the private lounge reserved for the Avengers and...associates? In the kitchen, I turned with a canister of coffee beans and caught him giving me a venomous look over the counter that separated us. He was in his usual armored leather getup, which I found both a little flamboyant and...admittedly, sort of sexy.

"Do you want coffee?" I asked, ignoring his glare.

"Please."

I turned away, repressing a smile. It really gave me a kick that he could be so rude and so polite at the same time.

Anyway, his thoughts weren't nearly as resentful as his attitude. In fact, he radiated amusement, which I had learned early on was pretty typical, day-to-day Loki. He could look at you like you were nothing more than an insect, cut you down like he hated your guts, and all the while be silently thinking that you were really quite charming company. And vice versa.

I'd also learned that the best way to deal with him was to simply play along–-although I did like to call him out, on occasion. Unlike most people, it seemed to amuse him.

And his insults rarely bothered me. Having lived twenty-nine years with the ability to read minds, I'd developed very thick skin. People tend to think way worse things than they say. Loki was the other way around most of the time.

In fact, everything about his behavior was kind of backward.

Personally, I found it refreshing. More than refreshing. I genuinely liked the God of Mischief. We got along like toast and butter.

I scooped some beans into the grinder and set about making a pot of dark coffee, aware that Loki watched me intently the whole time. He was good at controlling his thoughts–there were times I found it difficult to read him–but lately, he'd been letting his guard slip. I kind of suspected he did it on purpose though.

At the moment he was admiring my figure.

He'd discovered the week before that his attraction to me made me incredibly uncomfortable, and he'd been exploiting it ever since.

"What's on our agenda today?" he asked in a low, silky voice.

That voice was like a finger up my spine.

Keep it together, Bella.

I cleared my throat and made myself speak casually. "Same as always. You do your thing and I follow you around making sure you're not going to stab anyone."

"Tell me, if I did decide to do something...nefarious, how, exactly, would you plan to stop me?"

"I wouldn't," I said, pouring coffee into two white mugs. "Not in my job description. Besides," I added cream and sugar to his and cream to mine, "You're not going to stab anyone."

When I brought him the mug, he gave me a resentful look. He actually did want to be good, although he enjoyed pretending otherwise. Well, he wanted to be good enough that the Avengers would let him stick around and not throw him into a jail cell for the rest of his insanely long life.

"Are we permitted to leave the compound today?" he asked, taking a sip. I paused a moment before responding, waiting for the little psychic pulse of his pleasure when he realized I had made his coffee exactly the way he liked it.

He wasn't used to being treated with care and consideration. I liked giving him that, in mundane little ways.

I liked it a lot.

"We can't go out in public yet, but yes. We are cleared to leave the compound for a few hours. Congratulations, by the way." I sat next to him on the couch and folded my legs beneath me, ready to enjoy my coffee... and a day in the company of the God of Mischief.

"Yes, it's an enormous accomplishment. Truly momentous," he replied, with his signature lazy sarcasm. The resentment was real. However, he had felt a little spurt of pleasure when I congratulated him.

The Avengers had set particular rules about Loki's freedom–-hoops he had to jump through in order to gain their trust. Three months under my supervision with no incidents, and he could leave the compound. Another three and he was up for 'graduation review' as they called it. If he behaved out in the world with me for those three months, I'd be off Loki duty. Permanently.

I had to admit, I would miss the job.

And the trickster.

"What do you want to do?" I asked, sipping my coffee and ignoring the way he gazed sidelong at my legs, eyes hooded.

He liked my legs a lot. I'd stopped wearing dresses to work for exactly that reason. His attention made me feel jittery and awkward.

Apparently, he liked me in skinny jeans, too.

Noted.

"Perhaps you might suggest something appropriately mundane for us to do," he said dryly.

He was playing bored, but he was actually excited to get out. Poor man had been cooped up too long.

"Well, we're pretty limited, since we can't go out in public. Do you have any friends we could visit?"

He gave me a look that would make most people shrivel with shame.

"Okay, stupid question. No human friends. Um..." I thought about it.

"Where do you live?"

I blinked in surprise. "You want to come to my house?"

"Do you have a better suggestion?"

He was doing that thing–blanking his thoughts so I couldn't read him. He couldn't hide his emotions as easily, though. He was a bit anxious. Afraid I would say no?

My heart did a little jig. The God of Mischief wanted to hang out. With me. At my house.

"It's really small," I said–rather stupidly.

He arched a brow. "It's not here in this godforsaken tower. That alone makes it a veritable paradise."

I couldn't help but smile. "Do you like cats?"

[charmiier-archive]

♡ :o if you're comfy with that

pre-established relationships || accepting

FRIENDS.   childhood friends  /  work friends  /  family friends  /  recently friends  /  turning antagonistic  /  turning into something romantic  /  stable  /  falling apart  /  friendship of need  /  friendship of circumstance  /  pen - pals or internet friends  /  coworkers  /  partners  /  other .

ROMANCE.   childhood sweethearts  /  newly entered  /  soulmates  /  skinny love  /  unrequited from my muses side  /  unrequited from your muses side  /  friends with benefits  /  awkward  /  fading  /  turning  toxic  /  toxic  and  destructive  /  other .

FAMILIAL BOND.   sibling bond  /  older sibling figure to your muse  /  younger sibling figure to your muse  /  parental figure to your muse  /  parental figure to my muse  /  guardian figure  /  legal  guardian  /  other .

ENEMIES.   dangerous to themselves  /  dangerous to others  /  unpredictable  /  passionate  /  rivals  /  petty  /  developing into a sexual tension  /  developing into a romantic tension  /  based off family matters  /  based of circumstance  /  based of professional matters  /  based of misunderstandings or lies  /  other .

[chericarlisle]

You asked for Carlisle Cullen requests and I am here to deliver❤️ can I ask for a fic where the reader finally confesses to Carlisle they are in love with him? Preferably fluffy with some kisses 😌, I would also prefer the reader not be a doctor or nurse if possible! Thank you so much!

𝐌𝐲 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐃𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐌𝐞 || 𝐜.𝐜

𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠: carlisle cullen x human reader

(𝐫𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐝)

𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭: 2k

𝐚/𝐧: i hope you enjoy this! i tried to think of a way to get the two to meet, but have it still correlate! so the reader will be Alice’s friend :) thank you for requesting <3 please know that the reader is NOT a minor!!!

For the years that you had attended Forks High, you had grown close to a certain Cullen daughter, Alice. Her personality was that of a pink rose and its symbolism. She was more than one could want in a best friend, and between her amazing advice or sense of fashion, there was never a dull moment. 

Unlike a majority of the students, Alice was genuine and welcoming, causing the two of you to grow close as friends. It made you feel like high school wasn’t so bad after all.

As you talked more and more with Alice, you often wondered why the rest of her family was so reserved. They rarely interacted with any one else who didn’t share the last name ‘Cullen’. Alice, though, was the exception, having branched out to you.

 It seemed that being friends with Alice was something that was a package deal because on occasion, she’d bring along her boyfriend Jasper. You didn’t question their family dynamic as Alice had already explained in simplest terms who they were. It was a much better definition than what Jessica had told you and the rest at that table on the first day. Looking back, it was more petty gossip than it was useful information.

For the first summer, you didn’t see much of Alice and rather texted her much more. You’d invite her over, but it appeared that they were on a long family vacation that summer. It was then that you truly realized that you knew nothing about Alice, let alone the Cullens, aside from what you had been told at school. 

There was something that constantly affected Alice’s decision making, along with her siblings, but you didn’t yet know that factor, and you wouldn’t for a while. Instead, you let your mind consume the harsh option that Alice wasn’t exactly the person you thought she was. Maybe she really was just like the rest of the Forks High students. 

Fortunately, your fears were consoled that next school year.

After much consideration, Alice eventually invited you over to her house where you officially met the rest of the Cullens. Edward, Emmett, Rosalie, and Jasper acted so much differently than they did at school in the way that they even acted at all. Normally, they would just go through the school day rarely interacting with any one or anything else but themselves. It made you curious as to why they weren’t like this at school. They seemed to be such lovely people so why would they be so monotonous for eight grueling hours of the day. 

You were able to see where they got those characterful values from. Well, more so who.

Dr. Carlisle Cullen, their adoptive father who looked too young to be a father at all and was so perfect that he must’ve been a hallucination. 

Since that moment three years ago, you’d gone over almost every other weekend to do whatever extravagant thing Alice had planned for you. She hadn’t had a real friend in so long that she wanted to make up for all the missed time. 

Over the course of time, the man, who you knew only as Dr. Cullen, had caught your eye. His compassionate mannerism and old fashioned style was something that just seemed to make you fall head over heels. At the mere sight of Dr. Cullen, the heat of your cheeks would make itself known and you wanted nothing more than to slap some sense into yourself. Whenever he spoke, you shamefully latched onto every word, his voice ever so comforting. The small smile resting on his lips whenever he spoke to you added even more charm and there was no hope left for you. This man made you swoon and you were so embarrassed over the fact that he was the adoptive father of your best friend. 

High school graduation arrived in no time and along with it a huge family secret. A family secret that wasn’t yours, but once again, relating to the Cullens. 

The family revealed it at a dinner, which was a rare occasion, considering that you hadn’t ever really seen them eat. You came over to their house like any other visit, except this time, the inviting smell of a freshly cooked dinner greeted you at the door. 

The lovely dinner and charming smiles were all just the calm before the storm. Playful conversation ceased and suddenly Carlisle was speaking on behalf of everyone at the table. In a matter of seconds, it went from ‘casual family dinner' to ‘game show questionnaire' that was borderline an interrogation with the lack of feedback you were receiving. None of the Cullens, not even Alice, would confirm or deny any inquiries that left your mouth, leaving you to your own judgment. It was almost like your speculation was crucial to ending the slew of questions. 

Eventually, you drew up the conclusion that they were vampires. You said this with such lighthearted intent that you were waiting for the big joke until you scanned the tables and saw their emotionless expressions.

All that you could really remember was falling from your dinner chair with Carlisle, who was sitting right beside you, catching your fall before you became close friends with the hardwood floor. 

Needless to say, it took a moment to process this information, but you still continued on with Alice and her family. They were still the same Cullens you had known since the beginning and a small sliver of their real life wasn’t going to change who they were to you.

A couple of months later, you were spending the night with Alice for the weekend. She wanted to go visit Seattle for the day and do some holiday shopping. You readily agreed, remembering that you had to get some gifts for your own family. Shopping with Alice was always an experience, but an entertaining time nonetheless.

You had gotten there Friday night as both you and Alice planned to leave the next morning. There was no point in leaving now as the stores had been closed for at least a couple of hours. 

Walking in the living room, you saw Emmett and Rosalie thoroughly invested in a comedy on tv. You had invited Rosalie to go shopping, but long hours with Alice in a store was not an activity for the less patient and she knew this. Edward was apparently missing from the scene, but Jasper, who was standing afar, greeted you and said that he was out with Bella. Jasper had finally loosened up around you, and after the family’s confession, you understood why he looked so uncomfortable all the time. The willpower these people had astonished you. 

Alice had disappeared after letting you in and it wasn’t until she returned with Dr. Cullen in tow, that you truly noticed she was gone. You bashfully greeted the doctor to which he returned with his signature smile that could make you melt. 

“I know this is bad timing, (y/n),” Alice walked to stand beside you, “But I have to go hunt, as do my siblings. You’ll stay here with Carlisle. He doesn’t need to go with us right now and we can't leave you alone.” By the end, the petite vampire was smirking and you jokingly scowled at her little plan. She knew of your silly crush on Carlisle and would relentlessly tease you about it, as a best friend would. 

Before you could even answer, Emmett, Rosalie, Jasper, and Alice were out of the room without so much as a peep. You shook your head at Alice’s sneakiness, forgetting for a second that a certain someone was left with you.

“How about I make you some dinner, (y/n)?” 

The way he said your name was something you could never handle. It just rolled off his tongue like any other word would, but with the hint of his accent, it sounded so lovely.

“I don’t mean to be a nuisance. Dr. Cullen.” 

Already flustered with the whole situation, the last thing you wanted was to bother Dr. Cullen any more than you thought you’d already done. 

As if he could read minds, the blonde stopped in his tracks to face you. “Please, call me Carlisle and you are never an inconvenience, (y/n). Besides, I’ve already hunted so I’m more than happy to be here with you.” 

Carlisle, being kind as usual, shouldn’t have said such words because your brain was currently going into a frenzy as his thoughtfulness. If it was possible, your heart must’ve been beating faster than what would be considered healthy for someone actively working out. 

You weren’t able to find the words, but instead able to offer what you hoped was an endearing grin.

In the kitchen, Carlisle searched the desolate fridge in hopes of finding some food. The kitchen and its appliances were more of decor than they ever were useful. 

After a minute or two, Carlisle closed the freezer door of the fridge, a pack of steak in his hand. 

“It seems steak will have to do tonight.” 

You shot him a pleased look. “You can’t go wrong with steak.” Famous last words.

While you insisted on cooking your own food, Carlisle returned the same persistence and eventually you gave in. 

The two of you carried on a conversation while he cooked. Talking with him seemed so natural that for a moment, you weren’t nervous about talking to this man.

Carlisle plated the steak and brought it before you, an excited look painted on your face. He sat down beside you and eagerly waited to see how the steak turned out. At first, you felt a bit bad that he wasn’t going to eat anything, especially after all the trouble he had gone through.

“Carlisle, are you sure you’re fine? It just feels so wrong eating in front of you like this!” 

He chuckled, quickly placing his hand on your own to reassure you. “I’m fine, truly. I just hope it’s edible.” 

You grabbed the steak knife, jokingly rolling your eyes at his statement. Upon cutting into the steak, an unpleasant rush of cow blood came out revealing that the steak was far from even being rare. 

Immediately your plate was being scooped up and brought to the kitchen counter where you joined Carlisle. 

“I’m sorry, sweetheart, it’s been some time since I’ve cooked anything and it seems that I haven’t caught up with modern cooking principles.” Carlisle looked a bit sheepish at the moment and you couldn’t help the giggle that slipped from your lips. You weren't sure if it was the unintentional term of endearment or his adorable attempt at cooking. Either way, Carlisle was relieved to see that you weren’t upset, but rather enjoying this moment. 

You stepped up beside Carlisle at the stovetop, shoulders touching as you reached across for the seasonings. “Here, we should probably season the steak a bit and clean off the pan.” 

As you continued to do your own thing and guide Carlisle in cooking, he carefully took each word of your advice.

“See, you did everything right, Carlisle. It was just the heat and time that threw off the doneness of the steak, a bit.” Your words ended with a small twinkle as you turned to face the man who’d been so intently watching. He seemed to be so entranced at the moment… and by you. 

It was like time was frozen and everything moved in slow motion, something you’d only see in a cheesy movie scene, except you were living it. Suddenly, life sped up and Carlisle’s cold hand was cupping your face and bringing you in for a kiss. You were happy that this was how you’d “confess” your love to Carlisle because words weren’t exactly your strong spot given the circumstances.

You two stayed lip locked for the longest moment in time, just pure bliss. It seemed like the kiss would never end until the smell of burnt oil hit your nose. Carlisle could feel you smiling against his lips and you began to peep out a small laugh. 

“I think we overcooked this one a little too much.”

a/n: i’m sorry if this is cringe-worthy, i wrote this at 12:30 am. i swear it will get better lol i just need to stop writing at ungodly hours of the night--

[mrsgiovanna]

The Escape Route (Yan! Don Giorno x Fem!Reader)

A request from a lovely nonnie mouse asking how the Don would handle his darling attempting to escape from his home. A bit of a drawn out scenario... I really hope you enjoy the read.

TW: Manipulative relationship dynamics, possessive behaviour, yandere behaviour

Word Count: 2.7k

Your brisk walk was slowly turning into a run as you worked your way through the busy streets of Naples. With your breathing ragged and eyes darting around to make sure nobody was on your tail, you tried to think about how best to put your escape plan back on track.

You knew that Giorno’s influence extended further than most, but you hadn’t expected him to have the power to derail every single option you had thought of to escape from his overpowering grip. You had been running around for hours now, from station to station, none would book you a ticket to anywhere, every cab ride was hastily halted after a dubious phone call… resulting in you being unwillingly ejected from the vehicle each time. So there you were, running into the more dangerous parts of Naples, frantically looking for some kind of shelter to house you while you thought of what you would do next.

Thankfully, you found a tiny inn, sparse amenities, small and far removed enough you thought, to not be on Giorno’s radar. The kindly old lady didn’t ask many questions, and you paid with the cash you had been slowly hiding away for such an event.

You couldn’t pinpoint when your relationship with Giorno had descended to this but you knew that if you stayed any longer his charming brand of captivity would best your common sense and you would be trapped forever. With Giorno, you had access to anything, no request was too demanding… in exchange though he required you to be within his confines at all times, listen to and obey his honeyed instructions with minimal fuss, and to not run off in the occasions when he did take you out of the mansion. I’m just keeping you safe he said… little did you know that the most dangerous one of all was the Don himself with his hypnotic gaze.

To give him the benefit of the doubt, it could have been much worse, he never harmed you physically, never pushed the intimacy boundaries further than you allowed… in your moments of weakness, it was you who had sought out his embrace. The absurdity of it all- vacillating between love and hate for this man, and so to protect the fraying thread that held your sanity together, you decided to make a run for it. It was not an impulsive idea, you had spent the better part of the year planning your grand escape, trying to imagine every way in which your plan could go awry and possible solutions to the problems. Ironically, this was a habit that you had picked up from Giorno himself, and should your plan actually work, it would be quiet poetic- escaping using the traits of your captor against him. You had gathered small amounts of cash here and there, not enough to rouse anyone’s suspicion, and made sure that any and all evidence of you memorizing the layout of the surrounding areas was completely erased. Perhaps the most difficult task of them all, was to lure Giorno into false sense of security regarding your disposition towards your situation. In the weeks leading up to your escape, you had flawlessly played the part of the dutiful ‘wife’, listening attentively, spoiling him with gentle touches and loving gazes, making sure to build up your affections gradually, as if they had been blooming naturally so as not to trigger any suspicion.

Finally, you saw your opportunity to make your move that morning. Giorno had to leave early to meet with a few associates from Japan, so you rose with him, and watched as he got ready, helping him with his hair and doing up his tie. Looking up to meet his crystalline eyes, you noticed he considered you with an expression you haven’t seen on him before.

“What is it tesoro? Why are you looking at me like that?” you asked in a gentle tone.

“You’re… just so beautiful… would you like to come with me today? I’m sure they would love to meet you… I call them associates but in actual fact one of them is a relative of mine. You’ll only be bored for a little while; after that we can do whatever you would like to,” he asked with a gentle smile. You thought about how you were going to answer, ultimately you knew you didn’t want to go, favoring your grand escape instead, but denying him that quickly would definitely set off alarm bells in his mind.

“Ah! Perhaps next time my love, I’m not going to be good company today, I woke up with a bit of a headache… I’ll probably go back to bed and sleep it off after you leave,”

“Are you sure there’s nothing I can do to make you feel any better bella, I hate the fact that you’re hurting,” Giorno cupped your face in his hands and gently stroked your cheeks with his thumbs, “get some rest bella mio, I’ll be back to check on you as soon as I can,” kissing you on the forehead he left without another word. Waiting for him to be completely out of the villa, you watched as his car exited the driveway before quietly packing what you could, mentally going over your checklist more times than you cared to count. Since your change in attitude, the staff at the villa were more accepting of your whims, partly to do with the fact that Giorno had instructed them to do so - within reason, but also, because you had won over their trust and if you had to be honest with yourself, there was nothing you could fault them for. The dynamic Giorno had with them was not ruled by fear, but rather by admiration… all of them being drawn in by his charisma. Managing to maneuver your way through the mansion and out an exit that saw you climbing over a hidden portion of the eastern wall surrounding the villa, you had finally been outside the confines of the villa on your own for the first time in well over a year.

In the car on the way to meet with his guests Giorno was preoccupied. He had noticed the gradual change in your behavior and as much as he would have loved to give you the benefit of the doubt, a nagging inclination that you might be lying always clouded his thoughts. He loved you- entirely- even though there were days in which you rejected his affections, he was patient with you… eventually you’d understand, the dangers that lurked in every corner made your captivity, as you so unceremoniously called it, a necessity. He had grown so accustomed to making decisions with little to no advice, he had adopted that stance in his personal life as well. He rationalized that once you had accepted the fact that his actions were all borne from his desire to protect you, your lives would be peaceful, until then, he would be patient, enduring your tantrums and snide remarks with the grace of an aristocrat… which only upset you further. To Giorno, you were to be looked after, protected- treasured, and so no matter how much you had tested his patience in the beginning, not once were you ever hurt or taken advantage of. Violence and shackles were much too unrefined for a gem like you, so to correct your behavior, the young don resorted to other, less threatening means of discipline.

“Don Giovanna? We have arrived,” shaken out of his musings by his consigliere, his attention was drawn to the fact that they had arrived at their destination ready to discuss the matters at hand.

“Thank you Lorenzo, would you check if the staff has everything ready while I greet our guests?”

“Of course, excuse me,” with that, Lorenzo had left, hastily attending to a call as he walked.

“Ah, welcome to Italy, I take it you and your associates have settled in well?” said Giorno with a polite bow, being mindful of the cultural conventions of his esteemed guests. Drinks were ordered and everyone present had settled down in the private lounge, except for Lorenzo who had been animatedly conversing on the phone for enough time to make his absence felt. Frustrated by what he was tasked to do, he abruptly ended his conversation and sought out Giorno to give him the news, finally, the staff at villa Giovanna had realized you were gone.

“Don…”

“The expression on your face can only mean one thing… when did they notice?”

“A few minutes ago, she couldn’t have gotten too gar given the timeframe… what would you like me to do?”

“You stay here and keep our guests company, I’ll handle this…” not even bothering to alert the driver, Giorno collected the keys from the valet and zoomed off. Making a short drive even shorter, he arrived home in foul mood, although he did assign some of the blame to himself, recognizing his fatal error when he ignored his gut feeling, he was disappointed at how easily you had managed to slip from his grasp and wondered if his staff had been plotting with you all along. He would have to address that later on though, his primary concern now was to locate you and bring you back home.

“Mista, I have a special request to make, please come to the villa, bring Fugo with you,” said Giorno in a quick call, there were few who he trusted more than his underbosses, and this task was something that required only the most competent people. After a short explanation of the situation at hand, both men had already started making calls to the relevant people in an attempt to thwart your plans.

You would think the most frightening thing about Giorno would be his god-like requiem ability. But over and above the raw power he possessed was his reach, the world seemed so small, as if it had rested comfortably in his elegant hands- and you had been getting reminders of this inescapable fate over and over again. By the time you had given up on the idea of escaping through any traditional means of transportation, you must have tried fifty different avenues, each attempt failing more spectacularly than the last. Having had enough, you resigned yourself to the fact that you would not be leaving Naples immediately, and found refuge in the outskirts of the city. You climbed the rickety staircase behind the lady as she prattled on about her day.

“Shall I get you something to eat dolcezza? You look like you could use something warm and comforting in your system. In fact, let me do just that, you get settled in so long,” said the innkeeper before you had a chance to interject. Deciding to take a shower to wash off the day, you took comfort in the fact that this place was so remote, you were almost certain you were safe for the meantime. The tiny bathroom was a far cry from the palatial one you had grown accustomed to while being in Giorno’s villa, but it served the same purpose, only this time, you had your freedom. The place was peaceful though aside from the sound of what must have been a car backfiring and the small creaks from the natural expansion and contraction of the dwelling, it was quiet enough for you to calm down and organize your thoughts. Now that you were comparatively more at ease than before, you felt the strain of the day in your body, aching muscles, sore feet and cuts and scrapes that began to smart affixed a slight grimace to your face as you rummaged through your belongings to find some sort of pain relief.

A sharp knock on the door disrupted your search. You stayed silent for a moment, contemplating if you should ignore it or answer.

“Dolcezza, I’ve brought you a small snack, you’re going to enjoy it,” you just wanted to crawl into bed and forget the day you had, but you also didn’t want to snub her kindness, you reached out to unlock and open the door.

“Buongiorno tesoro… enjoying your little excursion? Marina here was kind enough to show me to your room so I could surprise you… seems like it worked, look at this charming expression,” turning to the smiling woman, Giorno nodded for her to leave. Your heartbeat thundered in your ears, you wanted to cry, to run, to jump right out through the hazy window but your feet were rooted to the ground.

“Well (y/n) … you’ve been running around Naples for the entire day, have you found what you’re looking for?” his usual honeyed tone was laced with derision as he critically eyed your surroundings. “is this what you were so desperate to escape to? Look at this place… look at the condition you’re in… how is any of this better than everything I’ve given you?”

“I have my freedom here…” was all you could muster as your mind raced thinking of how he had still managed to find you despite all the precautions you had taken. “Giorno, how…”

“How did I find you? I always have my ways…” he said, sauntering over to the window, opening it just enough to make eye contact with whoever was outside, dismissing them with a nonchalant wave of his gloved hand. Pulling out his cellphone, he showed you the opened application, explaining that he had been using it to track your location, following the signal from the diamond earrings he gifted you on your birthday, carelessly left on when you had made your hasty escape. In all fairness, you hadn’t considered that the dainty gems were anything more than that. Feeling your legs starting to give out under you at the revelation that you were the cause of your own undoing, you sat on the bed hanging your head in defeat.

“Freedom, you say? Tell me how has that worked for you?”

“That’s not fair! You’ve basically controlled every single encounter I’ve had, and even when I thought I had escaped you by coming here, you still somehow managed to manipulate the situation…” you shouted, tears of frustration running feely down your face.

“Stop being dramatic, the world is full of horrible people, everyone is looking out for themselves, I wish you would realize that… tell me tesoro, how many people turned you away? Threw you out of their cars, made up excuses to deny your requests? Not one of those people looked into those pleading eyes and thought you were worth helping. Why? Because people are selfish…”

“You… you threatened them all, you…”

“You give me too much credit, it’s not like I was going to kill them, I hate violence, despite your disappointingly low opinion of me, even you have to admit that I’ve never done anything to physically harm you… all I want is to protect you, you don’t understand how things work out there,”

“It’s not like you’ve ever given me the opportunity to find out how things are… I”

“Some people are just meant to be loved and protected tesoro, isn’t that enough? Why would you want to risk being hurt to get a taste of something that’s actually not even worth it… you’re not cut out for this life… I’ve been here so I know this isn’t what you deserve. You’re coming back home with me,”

“But, I- “ you attempted to interject but his intense glare halted you.

“(y/n), I’m very patient under most circumstances, but please don’t test me now, I won’t say it twice…” said Giorno with a slight bite to his voice, it was clear he was growing tired of this conversation, and you were losing your will to fight back. With a quivering lip and misty eyes, you moved to gather your belongings but was stopped by the young don, arguing that he can replace whatever is there, wanting no other reminders of this transgression to follow you both back. Resigning yourself to this fate, realizing there was nowhere beyond his reach, you grasped his outstretched arm and followed him to the car to return to your life of opulent captivity. Months and months of planning all resulting in nothing, it became glaringly obvious to you that escaping was futile…

[millenialfanfictionaddiction]

Go Go Nekoma! Push it, Push it Nekoma! Coaches Chemisty (pt. 1)

Warnings: Angst, breakups, mention of virginity loss, Swearing

⚠️THIS FIC IS 18+ NSFW, MINORS DNI ⚠️

Word count: 6000+ (split into 3 parts)

"I'm really sorry Y/N. I just don't see this going anywhere. We are both leaving for college soon and going to different schools at that" your boyfriend of the past 2 years, Naoi Manabu said as he looked down to the ground kicking the dirt below his feet.

Your eyes watered as you drown out the words he's saying.

"B-but we can make this work. I can come see you on weekends and we can still see each other over holidays and school breaks" you plead trying to save a relationship you know is doomed.

The past weeks had been rough to say the least. Manabu had been growing distant from you. Making excuses and staying later for volleyball practice to avoid walking home with you. To say it hurt would be an understatement. It broke your heart.

"Y/N I'm sorry, I just can't do this" Manabu said as he looked up seeing tears welling in your eyes.

"I love you. Doesn't that mean anything?" You say sternly as tears roll down your cheeks.

"Y/N-" he starts saying as you place your hand in front of his face.

"No. Don't. I gave you everything. I stuck by you through it all! I stayed late to walk with you home from volleyball practice. I came to as many games as I could! I stayed up late helping you study! Fuck I gave you my virginity!" You scream.

The emotions are just too overwhelming.

"Y/N-" Manabu tries to say as you turn.

"No. I'm done. Good luck with your life Naoi" you turn away letting the tears flow as you start to jog away.

Almost on cue the sky opens up and rain pours down on your head. This is just like one of those awful romance novels. The girl gets dumped by the love of her life only for rain to continue to dampen her day. Just fucking fantastic.

This was quite literally the worst day of your life.

*8 years later*

"Y/N darling can you please water the flowers outside. I forgot to have Vee do it this morning" Your boss asks you politely with a smile.

"Of course! Let me just finish this arrangement and I'll get to watering. You can head home if you like Bella. I know your poor husband must be starving waiting for you" you giggle as Bella rolls her eyes.

"Let him die. No good worthless piece of crap. Couldn't even take the garbage out last night like I asked him too" Bella huffed as she walked over to your table.

"Stay single Y/N, trust me getting married is for the birds. Sure you meet some handsome young man and he charms his way into your life but the MINUTE he says 'I do' its all down hill from there" Bella says to you as she sternly shakes her finger.

You can't help but laugh. Bella is in her 70s and has been married to the same man for 50 years. He's really very kind and helpful in the shop when he comes and visits. Sometimes you think Bella expects too much from her husband but she's quick to shut you up.

"If you don't establish dominance Y/N, these men will walk all over you! You are young and beautiful. You don't want any man. And if you do, find one who will worship the ground you walk on. A man who will lay his coat over a pile of manure for you to walk. A man who will put your pleasure before his own" she says as she lectures you for the 10th time this week.

Bella loved you like her own daughter. Her son had moved away years ago and wasn't around much. She often invited you and Vee to have dinner with her and her husband. The dinners were entertaining to say the least. Usually ending with Bella ranting about how naive women now a days are or how shallow men are.

You enjoyed your time with Bella and her husband even if you didn't share the same sentiment as Bella did.

You hadn't been on a date in over a year. Every relationship seemed to go the same way. There was never a connection. You tried hard through college and after to find someone but always managed to come up empty.

After you graduated college, you took a high paying job in Tokyo. While you were more than qualified for the job, it provided you with little pleasure. It wasn't until you stumbled into Bella's flower shop that you found yourself truly happy.

Surrounded by beautiful flowers and arrangements. It was like heaven. You returned to Bellas weekly to get a bouquet. Soon you found yourself becoming friends with Vee and Bella. It wasn't until Bella mentioned needing help that you made the decision to quite your job and start anew. While the jobs pay was much less than you had become accustom too, your lifestyle really didn't change. You sold your suits in exchange for overhauls, shorts and t-shirts. You got accustomed to dirt below your fingers rather than finely manicure nails. Sure it was a big change but you were so much happier.

You're days were long and busy. Often starting early and closing late. You didn't have family close by, and no significant other so you often took extra shifts and offered to help so the other two ladies could enjoy their husband's.

Both ladies knew about your past dating relationships and the "one that got away" as they so ironically referred to it.

You couldn't lie to yourself. You often thought of Naoi Manabu.

What was he doing?

You were sure he had to be married by now. It had been 8 years since you had last seen him.

After you broke up, you avoided the man like the plague. It helped you only had a week before school ended and you graduated. It didn't seem like he was too worked up over your break up. You had spent far too many nights crying over him.

You felt like you had lost the love of your life.

You, in fact, had.

💐🏐💐🏐💐🏐💐🏐💐🏐💐🏐💐🏐💐🏐💐

"KENMAAAA" Coach Nekomata screams "stop running from the ball! We've been over this a million times!"

"I'd like to keep my limbs thanks" Kuzome Kenma whispers as he turns back to see Kuroo Tetsuro snickering.

"Kenma you act like you've never blocked a ball in your entire life" Kuroo teases the setter mercerously.

"Well I wouldn't have to if someone had read into the switch" Kenma glares at Kuroo who's smile drops.

"Alright that's enough" Naoi shouts as the boys return to their practice match.

He sits next to Coach Nekomata as he sighs "do you think they will be ready for nationals? We've only got a month before we leave. They've still got a long way to-"

"Naoi have faith. They will be ready. They are strong" Coach Nekomata smiles as he watches the boys continue to practice.

The game ends as the boys begin to pack up the gym.

Yaku Morisuke sighs as he finishes his stretches.

"Yaku what's got you bothered" Kuroo says as he kneels down to the team libero.

"I'm just thinking about Mai. I really like her but how do I even tell her. Confessing isn't really my strong suit" Yaku says as he rubs the back of his head.

"How about chocolates? Or maybe flowers?" Kuroo says with a smug grin "girls love flowers!"

"Tsk like you'd know Mr. Periodic Table" Kenma says non-chalantly as he walks by.

Yamamoto Taketora and Haiba Lev laugh at the rooster headed team captain as he glares at the 2nd year setter

"Are you even sure she likes short guys Yaku?" Lev laughs as the team shakes their head.

Yaku runs up to Lev kicking him straight in his back.

"Dumbass" Yamamoto shakes his head as he puts the remaining volleyballs away.

"Why don't we go check out that flower shop on the way home? What's it called like Bella's or something. It looks pretty nice" Kuroo says as he gestures to Yaku.

"Kai, you coming?" Kuroo says to his fellow third year and co-captain, Kai Nobuyuki.

"Sure I'll tag along" Kai speaks softly with a smile.

"Alright guys good practice! Remember we have practice this Saturday as well in preparation for nationals" Naoi shouts as the boys groan.

"And Kenma no skipping out. I'll have Kuroo drag you here if he has to" Naoi glares at Kenma who shakes rolls his eyes and huffs.

The boys showered and change, preparing to head to the flower shop as they wave their fellow teammates off.

Naoi boards the train heading home to his small apartment. To say things have gone to plan in his life would be an understatement. While he was doing what he loved, his love life was lacking to say the very least. He had tried numerous relationships, only to have them fail because he could never fully commit. He often found himself in a one-sided relationship where his partner would confess their love but he couldn't.

It became draining for the people he was with so he ultimately stayed single. He knew, in fact, what the problem was. The problem was that he had messed up the only relationship that mattered to him. He'd blown his chances with the only person whom he ever truly loved.

He had blown his chance with you.

When he decided to break up with you, he really thought it was for the best. He knew you had a bright future ahead of you and he couldn't help but feel like he was weighing you down. He thought it would be best to let go before it became impossible. Not that it wasn't hard to do. It broke him.

He found himself unable to date for years. You had been his first everything and you had been it. He eventually forced himself to move on. Having one night stands and short term relationships but never more. Commitment was hard when it wasn't you. He still kept the ring he had wanted to give you for your third anniversary.

Unfortunately he never got the chance to after he inevitably broke you heart. He often found himself staring at it, wondering how life would have been if he had in fact stayed with you.

By now you must be married with babies he thought to himself. It hurt to think about but he knew it would never be. You'd never be his. And he'd never be truly happy.

[dizzydancingdreamer]

The Daughter of Aphrodite | Leo Valdez

Hello Lovelies! So I was inspired by my classics class and figured hey, what better than to write about Leo Valdez to make the cravings go away? This is my first Leo fic and I decided to take up a third person perspective because it felt right. It’s really fluffy and I hope you all enjoy! Until next time, all my love!

Description: Leo and y/n have been pining after each other for too long. Her friends help her come up with a plan to get close to him, now she has to cross her fingers that her mother, Aphrodite, doesn’t step in.

Pairing: Leo Valdez x Female!Reader

Warnings: Absolutely none

Word Count: 2.7k

Tags: FLUFF

(Pics not mine but mood board is :) )

Her hands were covered in dirt, a trait most uncommon to a daughter of Aphrodite. Somehow, though, she wore it like a pair of silk evening gloves. Her hair was messy, thrown in a bun atop her head, but every strand that fell around her face seemed as though placed by the gods themselves. Even in chaos she was perfect.

Leo leaned precariously against a two by four, watching the daughters of Aphrodite and Demeter replant the gardens around camp. Well, more like the daughters of Demeter and one daughter of Aphrodite. The rest of the Aphrodite sisters were lounging in the sun, avoiding the mud. He couldn’t help but smile when one of her friends gingerly rubbed some dirt off her face. He could almost hear the girl scold her. Always getting your hands dirty, hun.

“Just talk to her already man.” 

“I have, multiple times. At least a couple times a day.” 

Jason ran a frustrated hand through his hair, watching as his friend watched the girl he loved from a distance. Everyone at the camp knew how Leo felt, everyone except her. She was every bit as pure as she was kind. Not to mention loving, gentle, and patient. She was everything he knew he needed and, even more so, everything he desperately wanted. 

“You know what I mean.”

Leo turned to his best friend, a lazy smile plastered on his face, “I know, man. I will.”

Jason only grumbled before heading off. Leo always said that. Clearly he hadn’t followed through yet. Not that it mattered. No one was exactly raring to go head to head with the boy who could light his entire body on fire. His girl would remain his girl until he could work up the courage to, well, make her his girl. Still, Jason just wanted his friend to be happy. 

Leo watched her for another moment before heading off to do what he was supposed to be doing; fixing the door for the sons of Ares. 

Across the green, musical giggles filled the spaces between the chatter. Her laughs were contagious, the Demeter girls rolling around in the plots they were supposed to be filling with hydrangeas, clutching their stomachs with red faces. The other girls, her sisters, also laughed, just a little more contained. They sipped on pink lemonade, twirling the straws in dainty fingers.

“So you’re telling me,” Arabella, a Demeter daughter with wayward curls, barely contained a chuckle, “you have never been kissed.”

Dawn, one of y/n’s sisters, chimed in with a few of her own runaway giggles, “don’t forget the best part: she’s never been kissed because every time a boy gets close, mother steps in!”

They collapsed again in another fit, filling the camp with some much needed life. She smiled sweetly, cheeks blushed like an angel, giggling right along with them. It was funny after all. She liked making her friends smile, it made her feel warm inside. 

“Is it really true? Every time a boy has gone to kiss you Aphrodite has stepped between it?’

Her voice was pure honey, slow and sugary, “oh yes. One time, right as a boy leaned in, a bolt of lightning struck the ground, right at his feet. I’m not sure what she told Zeus to get him to do it. Mother has her ways, I'm sure.”

“Well,” the giggles died down but the atmosphere remained light, “if you could kiss any boy here, without Aphrodite striking him down that is, who would it be?”

Her eyes widened a touch at the question. One boy immediately swam to her mind but she brushed it away quickly, her smile still neatly in place. She knew for a fact that he wasn’t interested in her like that so there was no reason to offer his name to the group. Regardless, though, her heart still fluttered for a certain son of Hephaestus. 

She coiled a loose strand of hair around her finger, her charm bracelet jingling gently on her wrist, “hmm, I’m not sure.”

Her sisters eyed each other cheekily before peering around the camp. When their gaze landed on precisely who they had been looking for, they giggled a collective hum. 

“How about him, hun? Would you kiss him if you could?” Daisy nodded her glass across the field.

Her eyes wandered with her sister’s gesture, past a couple of younger campers playing a game, to a boy fixing what looked like the door to the Ares cabin. Silly boys, always rough housing. That cabin had to have the window fixed just last week. Her eyes lingered on him a little longer than they should have considering she was trying to convince her sisters that she didn’t like him. Her soft lip pulled between her teeth as he ran a hand through his hair. 

Giggles erupted around her again, pulling her from her daze with heated cheeks, “Leo? He would never kiss me.”

The giggles only increased. Her eyes shifted quickly to the Ares cabin, hoping to Zeus that her group wasn’t causing too much of a scene. She wasn’t so lucky. Her eyes met Leo’s brown ones from across the lawn, her nose instantly burning. She tried to look away, she wanted to. Well, she thought she wanted to, at least, but his eyes held hers in a way that made it impossible to look anywhere else. 

She bit her lip again and he smirked, his lips pulling tight in a way that should be a crime. His skin caught the light like a gem, shining from his labour in the hot sun. When he noticed her eyes, drawing over his face and arms, his grin widened and her heart stuttered dramatically. When he winked at her and went back to work, her heart stopped. 

“Oh, hun,” Arabella’s hand swept under her chin, pulling y/n’s focus from the fire boy, “you’re clueless, aren’t you? Have your sisters taught you nothing? That boy is smitten.”

Sarah Beth, her eldest sister, huffed indulgently, a teasing smile on her rosy lips, “oh we tried, Ara, trust us we did. Sis is helpless. Blame it on mother.”

Y/n whined, the sound like one of Apollo’s harps, “what do I do? I’m cursed!”

Even in her torment she giggled, rubbing her cheek affectionately in Arabella’s palm. Arabella smiled lovingly, an idea sparking as she pulled y/n’s face back up. It was a foolproof one, too. Arabella looked at her wide eyes, watching them dart across the green to the boy she was clearly head over heels for. Yes, it needed more than anything to be foolproof.

Arabella poured a fresh glass of lemonade, taking extra care to mix enough ice with the pink liquid. She plopped a straw in it, stirring it once, twice, three times before shoving it in y/n’s perfectly polished nails. 

Her eyebrows scrunched, a cute confusion laid over her features, “I have lemonade, Bella.”

Arabella had to stop herself from rolling her eyes, “it’s not for you,” her eyes tilted to Leo, “he looks thirsty, hun. I think he wants a drink.”

“I don’t think lemonade is what he’s after,” Sara Beth didn’t look up from her own drink but her cat like grin said it all.

Her sisters had to stifle another wave of giggles as she gingerly passed the lemonade back and forth between her hands, contemplating whether or not to go to him. When she looked over at him for the hundredth time in an hour, she made up her mind. It was now or never.

She stood, much too gracefully for a girl with a heart racing a mile a minute, and took a deep breath, “please, mother, do be nice. He’s a lovely boy. I really like him.”

“Go get him, tiger,” Arabella nudged her gently towards the mechanic, a proud smile on every girl in and around the flowerbeds.

The walk across the green felt like it was never ending and much too short all at the same time. Every step that she took towards his crouched figure she debated downing the liquid herself and then running away. But no, she couldn’t. He was like a magnet, drawing her towards him with ridiculous ease. He didn’t even know he was doing it, that was the worst part. The tips of her ears felt hot, her feet stopping a few feet away from him. Oh, gods, what did she get herself into this time?

Leo’s hands stalled, a flowery scent curling around his face and clinging to his skin. He closed his eyes, breathing in as much of it as he could. That had to be what heaven smelled like, he just knew it. Like chrysanthemums and honeydew. Yes, he knew for certain. He drew another breath. Gods, he couldn’t get enough. 

“Hey, Leo,” her voice went high, her words like unintentional poetry, “whatcha working on there?” 

Why did she say that? She squeezed her eyes shut for a moment. So silly, what did it look like he was doing? When she opened them Leo was looking at her, a loose grin on his lips, a glint in his chocolate eyes. Her chest squeezed fervently.

“I’ll give you one guess,” his eyes glanced to the door before landing back on her, peering at her from his seat on the ground.

She scrunched her nose at him, trying not to giggle as he stood to face her, “oh ha ha, very funny.”

Leo laughed easily, a sound less honeyed than her own but still so sweet, “that’s my job. Well, when I’m not picking up after Ares’ sons. Can you believe they split the door in half?”

She glanced up at him, her doe eyes dancing over his tanned skin and black curls, unable to fight the butterflies that bounded inside her chest. He really was something. She held the glass a touch tighter when she breathed in his motor oil and nutmeg scent. She was certain this was what Olympus smelled like, not that she’d ever been.

“Honestly yes, I can,” she met his eyes again, sucking in a small breath when they drew down her body to the drink she had yet to hand over.

His eyes flitted back to hers and darkened a touch, a knowing smirk plastered on his lips, “say, is that for me, cariño?” 

Her cheeks flamed and she knew if she lifted a hand to them they would be hot to the touch. How fitting. 

“Erm,” she stalled, pulling her lip between her teeth once more, her eyes shifted to the grass at her toes, “I thought you might like some lemonade? If not that’s ok! It was silly of me, I’m sorry, I can just-”

Leo’s hand closed around hers, pulling the glass, and by default her, closer to his heady nutmeg chest, “I’d love some, thank you.”

His voice had lost its playful edge, only the soft warmth remained. He lifted the glass to his lips, drawing her hands with his as he took the first sip. She could practically hear her sisters swoon from across the grass. Wow, she’s really doing it isn’t she? Way to go, sis! Her whole body heated this time, her neck to her toes consumed by lapping flames. It was intoxicating.

Leo took the glass from her hands and set it on the step beside him, the taste of strawberries pungent on his lips. When he glanced back at her, he ran his tongue across his lip. The light hit her in a way that was entirely ethereal, clinging to her skin in a way that defied the laws of physics. It was maddening, like standing next to one of the muses themselves. God’s when did this ever happen to someone like him?

“It’s my sister’s recipe,” she fiddled with her fingers, lost with what to do without the glass to hold onto, “I hope you like it.”

He closed the small gap between them even more, pulling her fingers into his. Her heart skyrocketed, his hand was warm and calloused. His fingers fit too perfectly into the spaces between her own. Was it normal to be this breathless?

“It was sweet,” he squeezed his hand in hers, his voice carefree but low.

He slipped his other arm around her waist, thanking the gods for wherever his courage was miraculously stemming from. She practically buzzed in his arms, her melon and flower perfume melting around him. He bit the inside of his cheek. Was it perfume, or was it just her supple skin?

“I like sweet things,” he mused, revelling in the way her eyes widened, catching his innuendo without missing a beat. 

Her mind was stuck on his hand. It was on her back, low on her spine, his fingers lightly tickling up and down. She avoided arching into his fingers. It was heavenly. He was good with his hands and it showed.

Her eyes brushed over him once more, stopping on his lips for a millisecond too long, “she makes muffins too.”

He tightened his arm around her, drawing the daughter of Aphrodite against his chest. Gods, she was soft.

“I don’t want muffins, cariño.”

Now or never, Leo. He leaned his head down, his nose brushing hers sweetly.

Please, mother, let me have this. She tilted her head up, her hands sliding up his chest. 

Leo’s lips found hers at the same time her hands circled his neck. His lips were slow, testing to see if she would kiss him back, as if it was even an option for her not to with the way the flames, his flames, were licking at her skin. How did he do it? She felt like the sun; his lips tasted like fire and recklessness. And strawberries, a bushel of them.

She took his sweet kiss, savoured it, and then slammed her lips back against his, slipping her hands into his raven locks and tugging-- hard. He moaned softly against her sweet lips, giving in to every demand her mouth challenged. How could her lips be sweeter than the lemonade? He clutched her harder against him. 

She pulled back only when her lungs demanded it, leaning her forehead against his heaving chest. She took the staggering lack of lightning as a good sign as a dizzying warmth filled her chest. He pressed his face against her hair, nuzzling against her sweetness lovingly. He had been waiting forever for that and he wasn’t about to let her go just yet.

Her fingers slid back down his chest, curling around his shirt, “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to distract you, Leo.”

What? He pulled his head away from her hair, staring into her doe eyes confused. And then he laughed, a full laugh that had his whole chest shaking and hers as well, before drawing his lips back to hers. He tugged her bottom lip between his lip, his hands squeezing her hips fiercely. She’s mad, beautiful but out of her mind. Gods.

“Cariño,” his lips brushed over hers, his words mingling with her breaths, “I kissed you. And trust me, I wanted to. Believe it or not, I don’t owe anything to the Ares’ brothers. You, on the other hand, have all my time at your disposal.”

He didn’t wait for her to answer before closing his lips over hers. There was a lot of lost time he was more than ready to make up for.

Meanwhile, across the green stood Jason, Sarah Beth, and Arabella, their heads close together but their eyes glued to the Ares cabin.

“I’m taking credit for this,” Jason and Arabellas’ voices mingled, proud and in sync.

Their eyes flashed to each other, “no, I did this!”

Sara Beth just giggled lusciously, twirling the straw of her own lemonade in lazy circles.

[troquantary]

Didyme, Part 2: Something, Something, Plato's Allegory of the Cave

Continuing from here, and we’re doing sub-parts for this bit. I’m genuinely surprised I had this much to say. (And fun fact, I almost lost the entire goddamn post, but fortunately I was copy-pasting into Word just in case. Not today, Satan.)

2.1. What Canon Tells Us

Didyme’s murder by Aro (and with Caius’ apparent assistance, either during or afterwards), is only mentioned on the page in Life and Death, the 10th Anniversary gender-swapped version of Twilight. Edythe/Edward mentions it briefly when discussing the painting of the leaders Carine/Carlisle brought back from Volterra, but it’s just background information with little narrative weight. I bring it up just to highlight Caius’ involvement and knowledge -- I’ll get back to that.

Now, here’s the “canon” backstory we have to work with. Per the illustrated guide, Didyme was Aro’s younger sister, and he turned her at some point after meeting Marcus, Caius, and Athenadora. Interestingly, the Guide doesn’t say anything about Aro returning to Didyme out of brotherly love; apparently he just wanted to see if she would have a powerful gift like his, only to be underwhelmed (”disappointed,” according to his Guide entry) by her actual ability -- she made people happy just by being around them. Then she and Marcus fell in love, sharing “the strongest romantic bond of any of the Volturi” (from Marcus’ Guide entry), and this prompted a suddenly very single Aro to seek out his own mate, Sulpicia. The Guide says Didyme “distracted” Marcus from Aro’s goals, and that the pair eventually made plans to split off on their own, leading Aro to murder Didyme so he could hold onto Marcus and his valuable gift. Although nothing written so far suggests that Aro even liked his sister, the Guide does state that Aro “truly loved her” and that his grief upon killing Didyme was genuine.

Apparently Caius’ role in all is was something Meyer thought up later, because none of the leaders’ Guide entries mention him being in on it. (You can’t see me, but I’m staring pointedly at Part One.)

2.2. Fuck Canon, Actually

(This just seemed like the funniest place for a cut. Continued below~)

I’ll be honest with you, person who’s persistent/unfortunate enough to still be here: very little about this murder scenario makes sense to me. I’m going to start with the “disappointing” nature of Didyme’s gift and that it was supposedly much less useful to Aro than Marcus’, because that’s just...stupid, frankly, and there’s no way Aro would have missed the inherent utility of Didyme’s gift. I don’t even have to read into anything to get this idea -- the Guide itself shows us how useful it is! It says right there in Marcus’ entry that Aro went off to turn Didyme, and returned with his sister, “along with the first members of the guard -- vampires who were drawn to Didyme’s aura of happiness.” That is a direct quote.

Just -- I practically shrieked when I read that. You’re telling me that Didyme’s gift was the stated reason their coven got its first subordinates, and I’m supposed to believe that Aro thought that was disappointing? Fuck off! Fuck off!! Even if Didyme’s happiness aura isn’t as powerful as Corin’s opium haze, well, Aro doesn’t have Corin yet, does he? He has every reason in the world to want to keep Didyme around, drawing other vampires to his cause -- even if most of those vampires aren’t gifted or skilled enough to join the guard, it’s still good PR.

At this early stage in the Volturi’s rise to power, it isn’t a good time to lose Didyme -- or any of his inner coven, really. Yet Aro apparently considered her disposable enough that he killed her. I can’t square this with what we know about Aro: that he’s still coherent despite holding god-knows how many people’s lives in his head; that he’s very intelligent; that he’s cunning, charming, and persuasive. Aro, once he learned they were thinking about leaving, would have tried to talk to Didyme and Marcus and done everything in his power to convince them to stay just a bit longer, until the Volturi’s position was more secure. And maybe he did; the timeline of all this is hazy, but nothing in the Guide suggests that Aro jumped straight to duplicity and murder. Clearly, though, whatever negotiations or arguments he presented failed. So what does their desire to leave the Volturi at this critical stage say about Didyme, or Marcus for that matter?

2.3. What It Says About Didyme and Marcus (Mostly Headcanon)

Brace yourself, because we’re into full headcanon territory now. To follow me, please refer to @therealvinelle ‘s meta about the larger mission of the Volturi and why they’re necessary, because I’m starting from the perspective that the Volturi are ultimately a force working in vampires’ and humans’ favor. While Meyer and the Guide would have you believe that Aro’s just power-hungry, actually looking at the impact of the Volturi and the benefits of enforcing secrecy shows that his broader vision isn’t just world domination, but establishing a world in which vampires and humans can both thrive and endure. There’s no way the rest of the inner coven was unaware of this goal; we know Aro talks a lot, so he’s certainly talked his coven’s ears off about this.

Now, we know very little about Marcus and what he was like before he was all dead inside. Based on what would be a logical balance of personalities, with Aro as lead decision-maker and Caius as ruthless enforcer, it seems likely that Marcus was originally the voice of reason and/or mercy. I also think Marcus would have had a strong sense of duty. The Guide says that Aro was the first friend Marcus had as a vampire, and I believe that Marcus cared about him very much and was committed to the Volturi. I think he would have been genuinely conflicted about leaving, especially considering the stabler, safer world the Volturi have been striving to build, and which they haven’t yet secured. Again, it’s a very bad time for any of the leadership to split off -- but in the end, Marcus and Didyme are going to do it anyway.

What for, though? Why leave? @theoriginalcarnivorousmuffin has an interesting take on that question here: that Didyme saw that she and Marcus would be locked into the Volturi life and a thankless existence for eternity and tried to opt out while she still could. I like it a lot, it’s a great post and that scenario makes sense, but the tone of it feels...too forgiving. Maybe that’s because I’m evil. But the way I see it, given the magnitude of the Volturi’s mission, and its (at best) very tenuous grip on power at the time Marcus and Didyme plan to leave (they haven’t even defeated the Romanians yet), jeopardizing the entire operation so that they can pursue their romance unburdened strikes me as...well, fundamentally selfish on some level, so much that I find myself side-eyeing Didyme and Marcus for it. Although to be clear, it’s not the desire to live their own lives apart from the Volturi that I find selfish, just the timing of their departure.

Honestly, I’d like not to vilify another female character if I don’t have to. Given everything I’ve just said, I see Didyme in much the same way as I see Bella: not a bad person, but someone with definite selfish tendencies. At best, she’s likely short-sighted or naive if she doesn’t see how leaving the Volturi at this stage is fucking them over in a big way. However, I hesitate to read into the happiness aura as a straightforward indication of Didyme’s fundamental goodness; I think she probably was kind, charming, and delightful to be around, hence the nature of her gift -- but that capacity for selfishness is still there. (I’m certain Meyer wants us to take her gift as proof of Didyme’s goodness, to reinforce how evil Aro is for killing her...but I think I’ve made my disdain for what Meyer wants me to think pretty clear.)

2.4. MURDER MOST FOUL

I am not saying it was justifiable or okay for Aro to murder his sister. I’m really not. It’s actually better, from a character standpoint, that it isn’t okay -- that Aro has to carry this with him for the rest of his life while Marcus sits in the throne next to him, reduced to a husk, so that in effect Aro has lost them both after all. It’s got that Greek tragedy element @theoriginalcarnivorousmuffin​ mentioned in her post. (Even better from that standpoint, the Guide implies that Aro found Chelsea relatively soon after killing Didyme, which compounds the tragedy.) I mean, it’s terrible, and it hurts me because I love Aro, but it’s compelling stuff.

What I am saying is, I can see how their insistence on leaving might have deeply hurt and offended him. And that brings me to my issue with the calculated murder scenario the Guide gives us -- I still think Didyme’s gift is too valuable for Aro to throw away by killing her in cold...venom (or whatever), even as the price for keeping Marcus in the fold. Plus, there’s the fact that Aro does love Didyme, and I imagine her gift makes it very difficult for people to think of harming her...when they’re calm, anyway.

Yeah, the only way I can really see the murder happening is if Aro killed Didyme in the heat of an argument about her leaving, possibly even by accident -- except you can’t accidentally kill a vampire, can you? It’s a very deliberate process wherein you have to dismember them and burn every piece, which also means it probably takes long enough that any irrational, overwhelming rage would wear off before you were done. But now that you’ve started....

I mean, at that point it would certainly be awkward to put your half-rubble sister back together, and Aro would be in a whole other load of shit even if he did. It’s possible, given what we’re told, that Aro could have lashed out and yanked Didyme’s head off before snapping out of it, only to realize that his sole option now is to finish the job. If he doesn’t kill Didyme now, she and Marcus won’t just leave, they’ll be sworn enemies of Aro from then on. And thanks to Didyme’s gift being the draw for a lot of the guard, and the inherently bad look of a leader who would brutally attack his own sister, a chunk of the guard would probably leave with them, destroying Aro’s plans. No, the only way to salvage it is to follow through.

Then Aro has to call in Caius for help with the cover-up, because it wasn’t actually planned and it’s just pure luck that no one walked in on the murder as it was happening.

And maybe Aro learns a hard lesson about learning to let people walk away, leaving the possibility open that they could be drawn in again. Because if Aro had just waited, he would have found Chelsea, and with her gift he could have had Marcus and Didyme back again.

Assuming everything didn’t fall apart as soon as they left, of course. But that’s a whole other what-if scenario.

[fellowstrangetownappreciator]

Playing Favorites (part 2)

Here we go again! Another 4 TS2 premades that really strange my town! (I’ll see myself out.) Anyway, I have to preface this with saying that so far I’ve only played the 3 base game hoods and although I really enjoy PV and VV, I added them to Strangetown just recently, so I’m still getting acquainted with their casts. That’s why my Playing Favorites posts are so dominated with desert-dwellers - but I definitely plan on including more non-ST Sims once I got to play with them more!

And I also low-key love everybody in Strangetown.

TOP 15 TS2 Premades (according to my personal tastes somewhere in May 2021) (not in any particular order) (and I can’t guarantee I stop at 15 either)

Tank Grunt (Strangetown)

Yes, I am one of them. I am a Tank Grunt apologist. Brace yourself!

Similarly to the Pleasant twins, I view Tank as a victim of his father (Buzz Grunt, the esteemed Strangetown's Worst Parent Award nominee). Of course, that's not to say he's innocent. He is absolutely guilty of bullying Ripp and Johnny and equally guilty of being a bigot. And, most importantly, totally guilty of casually wearing camo face-paint. (that he canonically gets tatooed on his face down the line, which is... its own kind of tragic.)

But that is exactly why I like him so much!

Let me elaborate.

Tank is a very multilayered character, albeit a bit cliché. He is very artistic a eager to always do his best, whether that is in school or home where he competes for his father's affection and approval. Buzz provides both of that but it always feels conditioned – if Tank was to stop getting A+, stop parroting his opinions, stop working out, stop following in his footsteps, would that go away? Even though the answer depends on your interpretation of Buzz and his levels of horrible, Tank definitely thinks so. Just take a look on how his father treats Ripp!

I read Tank as somebody who believes firmly in order and good but has a very twisted understanding of both given his militaristic and hyper-masculine upbringing. He has an enormous potential for character growth. Can he gain (psychological) independence of his father? Can he follow his dreams and become a dancer? Can he free himself of his father’s biases now that he’s out on his own? Can he mend his relationship with Ripp and Buck? (...or maybe even Johnny?) It makes him so fun to play.

Also, I think that it was indeed very cowardly of the developers not to set his gender preference as gay.

Conclusion: Tank is fun! (Although he would probably resent me for saying that.)

Dina Caliente (Str- wait, Pleasantview)

Finally someone who doesn't live in the desert! Both Nina and Dina are such interesting characters, with their connection to Bella’s disappearance, their alien bloodline and their opposing personalities and ambitions.

I feel like the sisters are often getting unjustly demonized. (or mixed up together, I’m looking at you, TS3 and TS4) They’re young, very attractive and in unconventional relationships, thus often labeled as predatory. They’re not.

Dina is a very nice Sim, with Nice points above the average and many Playful points and she tends to roll wants to start a family by the start of the game, although she is not a Family Sim. She’s actually a Fortune Sim, smart and business-oriented. She’s a widow who wants to remarry and has her sights set on the husband of her missing former sister-in-law.

I know that doesn’t make her sound that nice but there is nuance. First of all, the man in question is Mortimer Goth, well in his twilight years, a father of two, simply an adult. He is not a hapless trophy, the decision to start an affair with Dina not long after his first wife got pronounced missing, is his own. He knows he won’t be here for long and doesn’t want to die alone, he wants someone who can make him feel young again and loved once more. Dina, on the other hand, pursues a shotgun wedding to take an advantage of the Goth fortune that will kickstart her business ventures but she is ready to provide what Mortimer needs. She canonically loves him. (proven by the love flag in her relationship panel)

In my personal gameplay, I had Don take Dina on a date before their marriages to their respective Goths, and Dina kept rolling wants to flirt with Mortimer instead. Later down the line she also helped out the Brokes financially, and after her close friend Brandi died young in childbirth, she took in her youngest children, so that her oldest son Dustin could go to college and not worry what’s gonna become of his younger siblings in his custody while he’s gone. I figured it made sense because of Dina’s Nice points, her relationship with Brandi and her now being partially in charge of so much money it isn’t even funny.

In conclusion: I support and condone Dina! Even if it’s somehow implied that she and her sister might’ve just staged her rival’s alien abduction.

Circe Beaker (Strangetown)

Circe is yet another... unwholesome character on my list. She canonically tortures people, namely Nervous Subject, and her bio eludes to there being more in the past or the future. She's cunning, ambitious and very mean.

But she is also very fun to play! Her aspiration being Fortune (not Knowledge) puts an interesting spin on the whole evil scientist routine. She doesn't do it for the love of discovery like the Curiouses and she doesn't care about credit as her husband does. She's out for power and she may as well get it.

Her rather extreme personality would lead one to think she has to be rather disliked around the town but her default relationship panel says otherwise. She doesn't have any close friendships except her husband, though. That makes me think she is superficially charming and tends to act diplomatic to obtain people's loyalty without necessarily caring about any of them. It makes playing her unique from most other Sims.

She is also canonically bisexual! I personally have a deep appreciation for each and every Sim that Maxis sneakily preset to be LGBTQ+. I may not seem like a big deal now but it is.

Conclusion: "She could gaslight, gatekeep and girlboss me any day.” - half of Strangetown’s population

Lazlo Curious (Strangetown)

Lazlo is a ray of sunshine in the Curious household! A very sloppy ray that makes messes wherever it goes, true, but sunshine nonetheless.

I’m very fond of Lazlo because he’s the type of person that looks like he can barely count to five with his easy-going and messy nature but is in fact very clever and, by some measures, the most competent Curious brother, since he is the youngest and it seems like he’s fresh out of college, yet holds a higher career position than his older brothers. “A smart person that doesn’t necessarily seem smart on the first glance” is a trope I have a big soft spot for. (...and it shows)

In my current gameplay, Lazlo wanted to resurrect Vidcund (who died in childbirth), so he switched from Science to Paranormal to swipe a Resurrect-O-Nomitron and, like the madlad he is, succeeded before their round was over (in a span of few days). It was a combination of dumb luck and him having a compatible degree that gave him a hefty bonus but it still made me realize Lazlo could achieve whatever he sets his sights on.

Luckily, his sights are generally set on pizza and video games.

(relatable)

Anyway, I find Lazlo somehow cute, most probably for his constant and very unfruitful attempts to make Vidcund laugh, and in general, how friendly and easy to get along with he is. While he doesn’t have that many Nice points (5, which is a pretty average number), combined with his playfulness he usually tends to act very amicable.

In conclusion: I simp for Knowledge Sims and it shows.

Ok, I’ll be back with another 4 when my horrible procrastinating gruel of a brain feels like it. See ya!

[thecarnivorousmuffinmeta]

bella/esme?

Oooh, interesting but very tough question. I mean, given my track record, it's obvious my answer's going to be "I don't see it" except... in this case I kind of do.

Just not in the way you expect, or in a way that the internet will say will count.

So, What's the Problem on Esme's End? I don't read Esme as attracted to women. Though, I'll admit, it's also very hard to get a firm grasp on Esme in general. She's a very strange person, who could very well be attracted to women, but like the number of licks to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop, the world will never truly know.

Esme is content to be Esme, mother to Edward, wife to Carlisle, sort of mother of the rest of those Cullen kids. If she found herself attracted to a woman, I don't think she'd even realize it, it'd be such a non-concept to her.

Where does that fit into Esme's surreal haze of an existence?

So, even if Esme likes women, even if she likes Bella specifically, I doubt it will ever even occur to her what's happening. She just stares at Bella and thinks how wonderful it is that Edward found such a charming girl.

In other words, that's right, there would be absolutely no difference from what we see in canon.

Otherwise, as usual, canon gets in the way. Esme and Carlisle have extreme issues, but neither realizes they have extreme issues. Esme at the start of Twilight and throughout the series is happily married to Carlisle and will remain so until something very unpleasant and unforeseen happens.

That something may have to do with Bella, but it's not Bella existing in the first place nor is it her having a relationship with Edward. Point being, Bella's a non-option for Esme at any point in the canon series.

And if Esme was single... I don't think she ever would be. I think, given the state she was in when Carlisle turned her, Carlisle not having married her (especially after Edward made Esme's feelings clear) would have destroyed her. And pining after Carlisle was a defining part of her life and may have had a very large hand in her ending up in that Morgue in the first place (Esme keeps saying no to suitors until... Charles comes along).

An Esme who never wanted to marry Carlisle would be a very different person and may very well have not ended up a Cullen at all.

If Esme decided she wasn't that into Carlisle... Well, this is a place for heretical meta so I'll go ahead and say it, she'd probably end up with Edward. And it'd be weird. Really, really, weird. Weirder than what those two do already.

POINT BEING, given that Esme bases her entire persona, for decades, around this Stepford housewife ideal, Esme is not staying single. Certainly not still single by 2005. And if she is then she probably left to go live with the Denali and is having an absolutely miserable time.

And even if we get past all of this, somehow, then Edward likely still shows interest in Bella. If he does, even if Esme is single and realizes her own feelings, Bella's immediately off the table. It's a non-starter, Edward deserves all the happiness in the world and Esme will gladly give that up.

Esme would never go for Bella as a romantic partner.

What's the Problem on Bella's End?

Bella has 0 interest in Esme as a person.

Esme is Mama Vampire, she's very sweet, the sweetest person Bella has ever met and a woman she imprints on as "mom", but that's it. They never spend time together, Bella never shows any interest in spending time with her, and beyond Esme being "mom" Bella could not care less.

Bella has at least one very deep conversation with pretty much every other Cullen: Carlisle at her birthday party, Jasper when he confesses his sordid history, Rosalie when she explains why she treats Bella the way she does and her own history.

The only other person that doesn't hit that quota is Emmett. And he, to Bella, is also a non-concept. He's funny older brother.

Bella won't go out of her way to make friends with Esme, to do anything with Esme, or even listen to Esme's opinions. She just does not care.

Also damning, of the people Bella's attracted to, which includes both men and women, Esme is not on that list. Bella's noticeably attracted to Rosalie, Alice (after they form an emotional connection), Edward, and Carlisle.

Esme's pretty and a vampire, she has oddly soft features for a vampire, but Bella has no remarks beyond that. She doesn't spend much time looking at Esme.

If Esme was the only vampire around, the first one Bella met, and had some interest in Bella then Bella might go for it, because vampire, but it's unlikely even an Esme wandering alone would show that interest.

But Didn't You Say This Was Kind of Canon?! So, the thing is, per the end of Breaking Dawn, Bella's left the planet in a very similar way to Esme.

She has a small cabin where she lives with her nuclear family within a family. Her hybrid daughter sleeps in one room, she has tepid sex with Edward in the other. She reads her alien daughter her favorite books like Wuthering Heights, somehow believing Renesmee follows all of this even when she undoubtedly asks "What's an England?"

Bella prances through the trees in beautiful clothes when she hunts, screaming, "I AM BEAUTIFUL!"

Bella went through a horrifically traumatizing experience, untold amounts of stress, and suddenly gets everything she thinks she ever wanted.

Just as this didn't seem to be good for Esme, it doesn't look good for Bella.

So why do I bring this up? Because I can see Esme and Bella being weird Stepford Mom/Wives together.

They bake cookies for Renesmee that Renesmee can't eat. They take "first day of school pictures" of Renesmee every time she goes to school. Every. Single. Day. Bella gives Renesmee the world's worst rendition of the sex talk as well as vaguely feminist pep talks that are completely out of context. Esme and Bella discuss the joys of motherhood, Esme talking about raising Edward, Bella discussing how she's raising Renesmee and kids just grow up so fast.

They bond beautifully over this shared experience. It's a deep emotional bond between them that the other Cullens can't understand. Bella remarks how close they are and she never realized how difficult Esme's job was before Renesmee.

They get really weird.

But they don't have sex, have no romantic notions towards the other at all, and are simply Mother together.

[the-cat-at-the-theatre-door]

Gus and Skimbleshanks for the character ask!

All of them?? Oh, gee, okay um...

I'll tell you what - I'll answer all of them for Gus for now, and then perhaps answer them all for Skimble in the future (depending on interest level).

Alright, let’s see...

Gus

Already answered 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10 here!

1. Something this character is truly proud of

Gus is extremely proud of his accomplishments throughout his life, and extremely proud of how he worked up from nothing to get where he is - and he will humbly boast about these accomplishments until the cows come home, ask anyone in his proximity.

But, if I may take a moment to be as sappy as a possibly can, what Gus is *most* proud of is his legacy - aka, his children and his grandchildren. Though he never thought he’d be the nurturing type, and he still really isn’t, there is not a soul alive that has come into contact with Gus the Theatre Cat that does not know of his son and daughter, and later, his group of grandkittens. That’s why he’s always lamenting at the young ones that they “think they’re smart” when they do the bare minimum when he *knows* that they’re able to accomplish more than that.

2.Who they want to please the most.

Gus is, quite literally, a crowd pleaser. He’s a showman, so of course he is. He wants to please his audience, his director, his fellow castmates...all at once. He is also very proud when he manages to please his fellow cats or people in his family - for making a name for himself, for getting somewhere, for reaching such prominence as just a *cat* for crying out loud. He’s made it, and that makes him feel happier than anything else considering where he started.

When kittens tell him that they want to be like him someday, he positively beams.

3. Who depends on them.

His children depended on him for the longest time, but he kinda blew it with that one for a good chunk of their lives - and by the time he had started to come around, they were already independent, and it’s one of his biggest regrets that he didn’t come around sooner.

Nowadays, no one really depends on Gus for physical things or favours, but there are many members of the tribe that depend on him to listen and to talk to them. Gus has a way of spinning situations simply so that they make sense, an eccentric conversation style that is both pleasant and distracting, and is able to read the room *extremely* easily. It’s a little spooky how easily Gus can pick up on a situation, with very little conversation, and how smoothly he can transition conversation/interaction style if necessary. Gus can be rather blunt and honest to a fault, but you’d be hard-pressed to find better life advice than from him.

(If we go with my Gus and Bella are siblings, theory, she used to depend on him a lot when they were young, since their parents also weren’t around much - what goes around and all that - to protect her and watch her)

4. What they would do if they had one month to live

Well...I mean...what is he doing now?

Sorry. A younger Gus would have said he would press on with whatever he was doing at the time. He’d want to be back in the pub with his friends, late into the night. He’d love to get a final dramatic monologue in, a final curtain call; die doing what he loves instead of caught up in a bed.

Now, well, Gus is well aware - somewhere in the back of his mind - that he’s not going to live a long time. He knows the end is nearing. All he really wants is quiet - after a life lived out loud, if he could just collect himself enough to sort everything out one thing at a time, and quietly work through each day he would be grateful. Bored to death, perhaps, but grateful.

He’d like to maybe see Bella again, before he goes.

5. A cherished personal belonging.

The blanket Gus began to wear around his shoulders used to be where his wife and children slept and where his grandchildren currently play, and it has a whole cacophony of different scents attached to it. He hates being parted with it. When things get overwhelming for him, he buries himself in it, curling himself under a literal blanket of familiarity - even if he isn’t quite sure *why* it’s familiar.

11. This character’s favorite piece or pieces of clothing.

He has a pair of gloves that his wife also made for him that Jelly has patched over the years because they’ve worn thin. She ended up having to cut the fingers off and hem them when they became more hole than glove.

He also has a scarf given to him by one of the theatre patrons from an earlier show of his - a little girl with her mother who was only truly fascinated with the cat on stage, and didn’t understand why they didn’t give him a costume as well. She was helping by giving him hers.

12. How they sleep.

He snores and mutters in his sleep, to the point where he seems to have entire conversations with himself. He’s also rather fitful. The kittens are wary of sleeping anywhere near him, since he has been known to jerk awake suddenly and kick out in alarm (and doesn’t he feel guilty the few times that *has* caught a few of them in the ribs or the legs)

13. What kind of parent they would be.

Well he *is* one, and the answer to that question would be not a *great* one, but not a *bad* one either. Gus is a fun parent, a loving parent, a proud parent, but he isn’t the best parental figure. He isn’t so great with discipline, nor is he great for showing up to anything on time.

I’d say Gus’ strength as a parent came from his unfailing willingness to go along with whatever scenario his children would cook up - from pirates to knights and princesses to aliens - Gus was always willing to jump into the game should they invite him to play with them. And you know he threw his entire self into it, too.

14. How they did in school

Gus would have a been a “graduated from Juilliard” kinda guy, if the timeline matched up - or if he could have afforded it.

As it stands, he didn’t really finish school. Not necessarily out of any inability to do so, but a complete and total lack of interest. He held odd jobs mostly, to support his family, which led him to quietly quitting school. He figured anything he wanted to learn would be just as good coming from direct experience or working under a mentor than a formal education - and it got him where he is today, so all in all not bad.

15. What cologne or perfume they would use

There is a very specific one that my grandfather uses that smells exactly like something Gus would wear - it’s that standard older gentleman scent - kind of like...Aqua Velva but softer - that is slightly on the pricy side, but not ridiculously so. He doesn’t bathe in it, but he uses it religiously.

He *used* to dip into a Chanel perfume that one of his actress friends gave to him after one of their shows wrapped, that he *kinda* thought just smelled a lot like lightly spicy rubbing alcohol but felt it polite to at least...use it - when that finally ran out and he curiously checked on its price...he never even looked at it again.

(”Ridiculous...I may as well douse myself in a bottle of gin it’ll give off the same effect!”)

16. Their sexuality

Gus is bisexual and biromantic, with a preference for Queens, but he’s had several trysts with Toms as well. He was quite the paramour in his younger days.

17. What they’d sing at karaoke

Gus finds karaoke to be absolutely *dreadful* in that he legitimately does not see the fun in it OR its purpose.  And that’s coming from a cat whose whole job it is to perform.

So count him out of that. He’ll monologue on the spot for you, though, if he is so inclined.

18. Special talents they have

Gus used to be extremely good at remembering people’s names - even after just one introduction or overhearing it once (Jelly gets that from him).

He's very good at patter songs and tongue twisters. He also used to delight his kits by speeding through the alphabet backwards.

He can clock a person's personality within literally seconds of knowing them - and he's usually right.

He plays piano and was the one who taught Jelly to play. He can’t so much anymore with his shaking hands.

19. When they feel safest

Gus feels safest in the light when he's able to see everything. He never got stage fright, per say, but would get waves of nerves when he was directly in a spotlight - with the rest of the stage dark around him...like he was being swallowed. He would get nervous to move out of it - the lighting techs needed to be *very* on the ball if the director called for a total blackout (he only really trusted two of them).

20. Household chore they hate the most

Cooking. 100%. Can't stand it. Does not know how the oven works. Cannot adjust to picky palettes well. Definitely a take out dad.

21. Their fondest childhood memory

(Sibling AU) When Gus and Grizabella were children, they put on “Cinderella” (which Bella insisted would be changed to “Cinderbella” because of course. Gus goes along with it because *whatever fine his mother told him that he was the big brother and had to be nice to her*) as one of their very first collaborative plays together - they were around 8 and 6 respectively. They had already put on dozens of little skits and read-throughs and imaginary games, and they loved doing it.

Bella *refused* to be anyone other than Cinderella and Gus refused to play the prince (because it meant he had to *kiss his sister yuck*), so instead it was really “Staring Grizabella as Cinderella and Asparagus as *literally every other part except for Prince Charming*.- they spent hours trying to figure out how the quick changes would work, and making script changes, and hanging sheets behind them for curtains, and Bella glued together a tiny little suit for her teddy bear who would play the prince instead.

All in all, it went about as well as they could have expected - a bit of a disaster. They put it on for their father, who watched with tired eyes and a patient smile, and applauded enthusiastically at the end - and they both decided right then and there that that was what they would do for the rest of their lives.

He considers that his first stage credit.

22. How they spend their money.

Honestly, Gus’ money spending habits are very strange. He will buy himself a new car *once* and then run the thing into the ground until it physically can’t run anymore, won't buy new clothes until you can see through the old ones, will *always* weasel his way out of paying for alcohol at a bar (he has *many* tricks up his sleeve for this one), and he will refuse to spend his money on other frivolous things, but you bet your dollar that he is literally always shelling out money to his grandchildren just because - saying it would be their little secret, and one time bought a bird house because it "spoke to him" but never bothered to hang it up or actually use it.

23. What kind of alcohol they drink

Well, he used to be a “whatever I am given I will drink and I will probably drink *too much*” kind of guy, but since cutting back he’ll moreso partake in brandy or gin, but only in very small doses.

24. What they wish they could change about themselves

There are several things that Gus wishes he could change from the past, but the one thing he wishes he could truly change about himself in the present is how much of a burden he feels he’s become to the others (he's not but he feels that way). Gus is a proud cat, he will admit that. And with that pride comes mourning of his own independence.

Sometimes, when Jelly is helping him do things - like button up his coat or helping him to eat - he just looks at her forlornly and murmurs “My poor dear. You shouldn’t have to do any of this.”

He also wishes that there wasn’t a period of time that his familial relationships were so strained because of him putting his career first, but he can’t really change that so much as try his best to make up for it.

25. What other people wish they could change about them

Gus has the tendency to be a little...let’s say *long-winded*. And a little hypercritical. He holds himself to a high - near-impossible - standard, so he also has a bad habit of holding others to that same standard.

[jessedvn]

HELLO ALL!! the name is sierra and i’m twenty four years old. hailing from the pst timezone, you’ll find me around at such odd hours due to my work schedule at the hospital and overall fact that i’m just a hot mess extraordinaire. message me or like this or whatever you wanna and we can connect on discord! ❤ check below for a little intro on my girl jessica. 

THE BASICS.

full name: jessica grace eden. age & birthdate: 30 // december 22nd, 1990. gender & sexuality: cis woman // bisexual. relationship status: single. children: bella eden. occupation: er nurse // part time bartender at rendezvous. hometown: charming, california. current residence: charming, california.

THE BACKGROUND.

trigger warning for miscarriage, still birth, unhealthy relationships, drug abuse !!

jessica was born and raised in charming, california to a father she lost way too soon and a mother who was more absent than present. she had a younger brother who she practically raised, only a handful of years between them, named jamie.

she was a cheerleader in high school and fairly popular despite basically being on her own with no parents for support. luckily enough, she had decent grades and good friends so her childhood wasn’t all that bad.

entering college and doing so locally, jessica decided to pursue nursing. her ultimate goal and dream is to climb the ranks and wind up on a surgical floor or an icu unit. but with working from an income on a part time job and grants that only took her so far, college was a little difficult for her. her studies were the most important, and caving to weakness, jessica turned to popping pills and partially cheating on exams to get by. not that she truly needed to, she was intelligent, but there were only so many hours in the damn day.

she eventually graduated and upon earning her degree, she also brought along her pill problem and took it home with her. she managed to curb it with the help of her little brother.

turning twenty five, jessica had met who soon would become the father of the child she lost. he was affiliated with the devil’s disciples and the relationship was on and off and a bit messy. after the loss of their child their relationship seemed to dissolve completely.

with her brother finding his way to the wicked wolves, jessica also did as well. she found solace and friendship and connection in quite a few of the members. one in particular saved her from an instance with her former boyfriend, her relapsing, all by forcing her out of the situation and smacking her right back into reality.

after the loss of her daughter and the almost relapse, jessica decided to get the hell out of dodge for some time. she left charming to pursue a job in seattle and stayed there for a few years.

now, jessica’s at a much better place than she was when she left charming. she’s returned within the last few years, scored a job at the hospital but was forced to work part time at the bar to make ends meet since she’s still pretty low on the totem pole at the hospital. she missed her girls and her brother and, well, seattle was lonelier than she’d like to admit...

THE PERSONALITY.

she’s a feisty, loud mouthed and passionate woman. she’s driven to better herself, but often falls weak to her sins and demons in the closet. she’s sharp and stubborn. loyal and soft. tenderhearted and has an insane desire for love... and garlic fries.

her aesthetics? high waisted levi jean shorts on curvy hips, open bedroom windows at night, 3am conversations in the booth of a diner, and cheap champagne in plastic cups.

THE WANTED CONNECTIONS.

FORMER BABY DADDY┊trigger warning for miscarriage, still birth, unhealthy relationships !! this one is a storyline driven connection but could work for plenty! basically, jessica and this guy had a sticky situation on their hands. he was a devil’s disciple ( how involved he was with the club is of course depending on said character ) and she was a young twenty something in college trying to make a life for herself who turned to popping pills to get through it. the relationship was on and off and very troubling, but they both were passionate and often fell back into each other. sooner or later, when the couple was off, jessica found herself pregnant. the pregnancy was hard on her body and almost as if her body betrayed her, she suffered a lot of complications up until late in the game. their child was still birth and the pair never seemed to recover or find their way back to each other afterwards. however, their relationship was passionate, so feelings could still be there.

YOUNGER BROTHER���for headcanon purposes i’ve named him jamie, but this of course is not set in stone and can be changed upon chatting and getting things rolling! he’s about 25/26 and the younger brother of jessica. as you can read above, the lost their dad and their mom was absent and a runaway, so jessica was a big role model for jamie upon growing up. of course, when he got old enough, he began to work fo himself and do everything he could to provide for himself while also helping jessica throughout her college years. he’s currently a prospect for the wicked wolves which isn’t what jessica imagined for her brother, but she can’t really blame him for heading into that life, either.

THE SAVIOR┊this would be the member of the wicked wolves that jessica had met through her brother being introduced to the club. jessica jokes that he “saved” her from her former self, but in reality, he kind of did. he was the one, aside from her brother, that made sure jessica didn’t slip back into her old habits after suffering the loss of her daughter. he has an obvious distain for jessica’s ex, but that also fuels the fire that they are from opposing clubs. there’s a brief headcanon that he and jessica fell into bed together once the night before she left for seattle but jessica has yet to touch on that since returning to charming within the last four years.

GIRL SQUADS┊jessica is a girls girl. she needs all the girlfriends she can get. she’s got an insane love for samantha martinez and considers the girl her sister. buuuut, she keeps her circle close and tight knit, so she needs all the girlfriends that i can steal for her!

MORE CONNECTIONS...

NEIGHBORS┊jessica moved back into her childhood home upon returning to charming four years ago. it’s a smaller three bedroom home but it works, so obviously, she would have plenty of neighbors! probably old from where she grew up, and some new from where she moved back home.

EXES┊whether it be from high school, college, or before becoming pregnant, jessica did get around so this connection is very open!

ONE NIGHT STANDS, FRIENDS WITH BENEFITS, LOVERS┊jessica has yet to tie herself down since her previous ex, but a girl has got needs, y’know? this connection is pretty much open to all and is a little self explanatory! 

ENEMIES┊jessica is a lot to swallow so i’m sure she’s earned a few people who dislike her... or even hate her... here and there. she probably feels the same way.

OLD DISCIPLES CONNECTIONS┊i imagine since walking away from her ex quite a few of these relationships were severed, but once upon a time, jessica befriended a few members from her time with her boyfriend/baby daddy. it might be interesting to see how they interact now!

WICKED WOLVES CONNECTIONS┊mostly because of her brother and her job at rendezvous jessica is well known within the club. she’s also a nurse, so arguably, she’s useful to the club if they ever do need her help. she’s willing to provide it. she’s grown close with a few i’d imagine! and some probably question her loyalties i’m sure.

ANYTHING ELSE? LET’S BRAINSTORM┊i’m a big sucker for brainstorming ideas i’m not creative to come up with on my own OR even starting fresh and throwing them together to see an organic connection. i’m all for it!

[allsassnoclass]

15, 18 (specifically for the tie me down 'verse ending since i KNOW you were talking about that but if you don't want to disclose then that's cool i just think about it a lot), and 20 go crazy love you a lot xoxo bella

Thank you bella :)

okay these are going under a read more because they got ridiculously long. I really enjoy talking about my writing lol

also some spoilers ahead....

15. Which is harder: titles or summaries (or tags)? I think this really depends!  On occasion, I’ll have a title while I’m writing a piece, but otherwise titles are pretty difficult for me because I really want them to have some sort of meaning. I don’t like just plucking song lyrics for them unless the song has some sort of significance to the fic, but sometimes I have to because I can’t think of anything else and that’s the accepted way to name fics.  Something like All I Really Want Is You is okay because I referenced slsp in the fic.  Something like Puzzle Pieces was taken from a running metaphor in the fic, which I feel better about because it’s something that is more specific to the fic itself.  Summaries are also difficult because sometimes I don’t have a few lines that I feel properly introduce the fic and hook the reader without giving things away, but I feel like people are less likely to read if there isn’t an excerpt??? idk.  tags are pretty easy though even though I’m always guessing a little and worried that someone will say I should have tagged it with something else or that it doesn’t fit a tag I added.

18. Do any of your stories have alternative versions? (plotlines that you abandoned, AUs of your own work, different characterisations?) Tell us about them. For the most part, I don’t have alternate versions unless it’s a prompt fic that I started out going one direction then deleted and flipped it around.  HOWEVER the Tie Me Down trilogy DID have a possible different third installment (spoilers ahead)

If I had written the epilogue from Jack’s perspective, it would’ve been a little bit of a different ending.  Something I mentioned in both of the first parts was Jack’s restlessness and Alex’s desire for something more settled, and one day I was listening to peace by Taylor swift and was like “wow this is Jack from the tie me down verse,” and that song could’ve very easily been the inspiration behind the third part.  Alex’s epilogue was based on best years because he recognized that he hadn’t treated Jack the best but resolved to then make up for it by giving Jack the best years possible ahead with all of his love.  peace as an epilogue song would’ve pushed the story away from a crystal-clear resolution.  that would’ve focused a bit more on the struggle of making it work with two people who want/need fundamentally different things.  It would’ve had much more to do with the compromise of Jack being able to give Alex infinite love and devotion, but not the peace that he craves.  Inevitably, something would go wrong.  “The rain is always gonna come if you’re standing with me.”  The epilogue would’ve then been about Jack living with that knowledge and trusting that Alex would stay anyway and that their relationship would be enough, but there’s still a lot of uncertainty of an imperfect relationship in that song, and it inevitably would’ve ended up in the fic.  that’s why the Alex epilogue was the one I went with: I needed a strong, conclusive, and positive ending for them, and Jack’s epilogue would not have given that

otherwise though I don’t think my fics shift too terribly much between when I think of them and when they get published.  nothing is coming to mind, at least not for things that I have completed.

20. Tell us the meta about your writing that you really want to ramble to people about (symbolism you’ve included, character or relationship development that you love, hidden references, callbacks or clues for future scenes?) Okayyyyyy a lot of my symbolism is in the short angsty fics and when I talk about it I feel like I didn’t do it well lol but for my unrequited lashton (I was done but you undid me) (spoiler) the buckling of the seatbelt was something I thought about a lot and ending the fic with that action was important to me because it was Luke making the conscious decision to protect himself in this situation.  there’s a lot of symbolism in the lie to me music vid in general but back seat of the car/no seatbelt is very significant because 1. he can’t swerve, he just has to take the crash and 2. he isn’t doing the bare minimum to protect himself from the hit, he’s letting himself take maximum damage from it.  while Luke may be in the passenger seat in the fic, he can still take that little step to protect himself metaphorically, which goes along with the decision to protect himself by not trying to pursue something with Ashton or try to get the validation from him that he wants but that would ultimately be a lie.

also fun fact! my angsty Luke song is putting the dog to sleep by the antlers, which partially inspired the bear-trap metaphor despite bear traps not being mentioned in the song at all.  when I wasn’t listening to a version of lie to me while writing that, I was listening to that song.

the tie me down trilogy also included a whole bunch of metaphors that first appeared in tie me down and I hate that for you.  when I do song fics, I really look at the songs for inspiration, so a lot of the figurative language and images in the songs were incorporated into the fics, then I combined stuff for the third installment.  best years arguably had the least amount of influence over the installment out of that trilogy.

I have had a few people ask if the cocktail chats reference in off-screen was intentional.  it was.  that moment in cocktail chats inspired the entire fic.  it all stemmed from a desire to put that one little moment into a fic.  also my personal thought is that off-screen Ashton pretends to dislike petunia but he actually adores her and calls her darling all the time when they’re alone.  Luke heard him do it once and teased him mercilessly.

now for puzzle pieces!!!! sorry bella I know that you asked this question and haven’t read this one yet but I want to talk about it so you can stop reading now because that’s what the rest of this ask is.

I talked about this briefly once, but the colors for puzzle pieces were chosen specifically!  there was thought behind it! 

Michael got red not just because of the iconic red hair, which is how I almost think of younger Michael, but because it’s a pretty loud and brash color.  Michael (especially when he was younger) doesn’t really filter things and wears a decent amount of his personality on his sleeve. that’s red to me, baby!

Calum has always been forest green to be.  This is partially influenced by the empathy hoodie (even though that’s a bit brighter than forest green), but it’s more because my associations with green have always said it’s a very dependable, stable color.  It reminds me of pine trees, and I think Calum can give off that same sense of reliability in weathering the seasons.  It’s a quieter color but can really pop next to another one.  It also worked out nicely that Calum and Michael’s colors were compliments

Luke gets gold because he is a sunshine boy!  Luke actually was the person I had the most trouble with, because I was flipping between gold, a lighter blue, or pink.  Pink ultimately was too close to red to make me be able to visualize what the marks looked like on each boy to my satisfaction like it just looked ugly.  I went with gold because there is a lot of outward brightness in Luke.  He’s the kind of person where if he’s happy everyone else gets a bit happier, and gold also seemed fitting for the eventual shift into a rockstar and the amount of talent he has

Ashton gets purple, but a deeper purple.  Dynamic but still relatively stable, has a lot of depth.  Purple is a secret color, but it’s still beautiful and it draws people in.  When I visualize it it ends up being a really dark shade, but in reality he’s probably more of a royal purple than a plum purple

I have a lot of favorite moments in that fic but one that’s standing out now is right when Ashton and Michael do their first touch: “The dark purple reminds him of spilling grape juice on his clothes as a kid, and when he collapses into Ashton he feels like they could have known each other at that age, too.”  There is something so charming about meeting someone later and feeling like you’ve known them your whole life, and that was significant here because Michael has known Calum and Luke since they were younger (although Luke did come in the picture when they were tweens/young teens instead of kids).  I wanted to be sure that although Michael, Calum, and Luke are the triangle, Ashton is an equal part of their soulmate group.  He doesn’t have the same history, but that doesn’t matter because it feels like he does.

also pretty early on in the fic (I think it’s when Calum is in Brazil) I say that Michael is always touch-starved for Calum, and I brought that line back in the hair dye scene because baby seasons change but people don’t!  one thing is consistent about Michael and that is his love for Calum, expressed here through the love language of physical touch

As for clues for future scenes... :)

anyway! ask me some fun meta writer asks!

[fandomgarbitch]

One Kiss (Ethan Dolan)

Most girls would describe Ethan Dolan as irresistible, charming, and the dream boyfriend. Me? I would describe Ethan Dolan as repulsive, egotistical, and probably the most annoying human being on the face of this earth. I know what you’re thinking, if you hate him so much why don’t you just stay away from him. I would except for the fact that he is my bestfriends twin brother. 

Grayson Dolan and I have been bestfriends since the good ole elementary school days. Believe it or not I used to be friends with Ethan too. That was until he dated Meredith. She changed him. He was no longer the cool down to earth guy he once was, instead he was this jerk who was so full of himself it was impossible to be around him now. Meredith ended up cheating on him, but Ethan only got worse. He was only capable of caring about one person. Ethan. 

“Grayson, I’m here.” I called as I walked in their luxurious home. 

Ethan sat playing fortnite on the xbox. I rolled my eyes as he noticed my presence. 

“wow did you miss me that much already?” Ethan smirked not looking away from the television. 

“as if.” I scoffed rolling my eyes. 

“keep rolling your eyes baby maybe you’ll find a brain back there.” Ethan joked. 

I could feel the steam coming from my ears. 

“you know Ethan being a dick won't make yours any bigger.” I smirked. 

Ethan stopped playing, putting his controller down before standing up to face me. 

“oh trust me it’s plenty big. I could show you sometime.” Ethan said smirking back. 

Ethan could push my buttons like nobody else could. 

“It’s really too bad your dick isn’t anywhere near as big as your head.” I snapped back. 

“oh babe in order for me to be insulted I’d actually have to value your opinion.” Ethan said putting a hand on my shoulder. 

I quickly shook it off. 

“wow Ethan, it must be difficult, exhausting all of your vocabulary in one sentence.” I glared, putting my hands on my hips.

Ethan let out a hearty laugh.

“how about we skip the fighting and just get to the makeup sex.” Ethan said smirking again. 

I was about to respond when Grayson walked out of his room. 

“I see you two getting along again.” Grayson said rolling his eyes at our bickering. 

“oh we’re getting along quite nicely aren’t we baby?” Ethan asked smirking at me.

“you must’ve been born on the highway, that’s where most accidents happen.” I said causing Grayson to bust out laughing.

“uh Grayson you do realize we’re twins who were born at the same time, so if she’s saying that to me technically she is saying it to you too.” Ethan said causing Grayson to stop laughing.

“ouch.” He whined looking at me.  

I laughed a little at the little pout on Grayson’s lips. 

“let’s go to breakfast, I’m starving!” I said clapping my hands.

“can I come?” Ethan asked. 

“NO!” Grayson and I yelled at the same time. 

Grayson and I went to breakfast every friday morning, it was like the best friend tradition that we had. Ethan sighed watching Grayson and I walk out the door. 

“how are you guys twins? He’s so frustrating!” I said throwing my hands up in exhaustion. 

Grayson laughed as he started up the car.

“you know he only teases you now because he knows how much it bothers you.” Grayson said pulling out of the driveway. 

“so I’m not supposed to respond to his ridiculous comments?” I asked giving Grayson a look.

“exactly, and he’ll stop.” Grayson said. 

Grayson and I looked at each other before busting up laughing.

“yeah that’ll never happen.” He said making me agree with him. 

Grayson pulled up to the restaurant and we ordered our usual, pancakes topped with fruit. 

“so how was your date with Thomas?” Grayson asked cutting in to his stack of pancakes. 

“ugh horrible, I think I’m destined to be alone forever.” I groaned resting my head on my hand. 

“forever? I don’t think so.” Grayson said. 

“seriously I’m going to be a lonely old cat lady.” I said laughing. 

“oh come on, if a guy doesn’t want you, don’t force a cat to be with you.” Grayson said making me choke on my bite of pancake. 

“you asshole.” I laughed throwing a blueberry at him. 

Grayson picked up the blueberry throwing it back at me. Grayson and I were laughing when we were interrupted by a girl standing in front of us. 

“uh Grayson?” She asked looking at us. 

“uh hi, do I know you?” Grayson asked rubbing his neck nervously. 

I looked at the girl, she was gorgeous, I looked down at myself feeling insecure. 

“I’m Kira, Ethan was supposed to call me uh do you know what happened to him?” She asked a blush spreading to her cheeks. 

I felt bad for the girl, she seemed sweet. 

“uh..” Grayson started but I cut him off. 

“Kira, you seem like a sweet girl, so I honestly would stay away from Ethan.” I said taking a bit of my pancake. 

“excuse me?” She asked confused. 

“Ethan doesn’t care about anyone but himself, he certainly doesn’t care about you and honestly, you are way to good for him anyways. If I were you I would text him to go screw himself and find a guy that is actually going to appreciate you, because that guy certainly is not Ethan Dolan.” I said staring at the girl. 

“uh okay.” She said walking away confused. 

“well that was a little harsh.” Grayson said looking at me. 

“it was the truth wasn’t it?” I asked huffing. 

“well yeah but you could’ve said it in a nicer way.” Grayson said. 

“maybe you’re just too nice, that’s why Ethan walks all over you.” I said biting in to my fruit. 

“he does not walk all over me!” Grayson said getting defensive. 

“hate to break it to you G, but he kind of does.” I said taking another bite of my pancake. 

“well not anymore.” Grayson said finishing his pancake. 

Grayson didn’t say anything as he paid our bill and then stopped picking up two of our other friends Bryant and David. 

“what’s up G,” David said getting in the car. 

“Ethan doesn’t walk all over me does he?” Grayson said as they got in the car. 

David and Bryant stayed quiet looking at each other and then me. I started to laugh making Grayson even angrier. 

“relax G, just don’t let him do it anymore.” Bryant said making Grayson calm down. 

As soon as we got back to the Dolan’s house we went inside and crashed on the big purple sofa.

“I’m having a party tonight, you guys in?” David asked. 

“you know I’m always down for a party.” I answered. 

“yeah I can make it.” Bryant said giving me a high-five.

“I don’t know man, I’m not in a party mood.” Grayson said. 

“he’ll be there.” I answered David. 

David was about to say something when Ethan came storming in the house. 

“what the fuck did you do?” Ethan asked coming to stand in front of me. 

“who do you think you’re talking to?” I sassed standing up to face Ethan.

“someone who needs to learn to keep her mouth shut.” He said getting in my face.

“look I have no idea what you’re talking about now how about you get out of my face.” I said shoving Ethan back a little bit. 

“does the name Kira ring a bell?” Ethan growled. 

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” I said playing dumb.

“Oh yeah that’s funny because she said that a girl with my brother told her to text me screw you and go find another guy.” Ethan seethed.

“Grayson has a lot of girls around him you can’t prove it was me.” I said sticking my tongue out at him. 

“look just because your jealous that I don’t like you...” Ethan started but I quickly cut him off.

“woah woah woah I love to shop, but you couldn’t pay me to buy the bullshit you’re selling.” I said to Ethan.

“wow if you were anymore of a bitch you could have puppies.” Ethan said 

“at least then you wouldn’t be the only dog in the room.” I quickly shot back. 

“GUYS STOP” Grayson yelled. 

“looked I’ll see you guys at the party tonight I’m serious going to lose brain cells if I stay here any longer.” I said waving goodbye to Grayson, David, and Bryant before walking towards the door.

“don’t let the door hit you on the way out.” Ethan laughed.

I turned around giving him the middle finger. 

“love you too.” He said. 

ETHAN POINT OF VIEW

I sat down on the couch running a hand through my hair. 

“so did Kira dump your dumbass?” Bryant asked. 

“it doesn’t even matter I have like a million other girls who want me.” I said pulling out my phone. 

“except for Y/N she hates your guts.” Grayson said laughing. 

“please all it would take is one kiss to have her falling in love with me. I just like to mess with her.” I said texting a girl Bella about the party tonight. 

“I don’t know man I don’t think you could.” David said looking at me.

“I don’t either she hates you.” Bryant laughed. 

I quickly put down my phone smirking at the guys. 

“shall we make this interesting?” I said still smirking. 

“what are you thinking?” Grayson asked me. 

“a hundred bucks from each of you if in a week I can get her to admit she loves me.” I said holding my hand out for them to shake.

“well she’s my bestfriend and I know for a fact she won’t go for you so deal.” Grayson said shaking my hand. 

“deal.” Bryant said doing the same.

“isn’t this kind of mean of us?” David asked.

“so you think I can do it huh?” I smirked.

“no way man, deal.” David said shaking my hand.

“one week.” Grayson said holding up one finger.

“well then I better get ready for this party then.” I smirked walking in to my room.

READER POINT OF VIEW

I seriously hated Ethan Dolan like for real where does he get off? Our fighting didn’t use to be this bad but for some reason we hate each other more now then ever before. I was worried that Grayson was going to get sick of it and cut me out of his life. Ethan was his twin and even though they didn’t get along that well either a brother always trumps a bestfriend. 

“ethan dolan you will not ruin my night.” I said as I brushed the last bit of makeup on my face. 

I was cut out of my routine when my phone started ringing. 

“where the hell are you? you know I’m awkward at parties.” Grayson said on the end of the line.

“ha, don’t worry G, I’m on my way.” I said before hanging up the phone.

I grabbed my keys before walking to the car. 

“ethan dolan you will not ruin my night.” I said once more as I backed out of the driveway.

I could see the strobe lights and hear the music blaring as I pulled up to David’s place. I quickly parked and got out to find Grayson. He wasn’t as much in to parties as the rest of us were. 

“thank gosh you’re here.” He said finding me in the crowd.

“geez G just relax, have a drink.” I said grabbing two beers one for him and myself. (don’t drink underage children it is frowned upon by society) 

Gray loosened up after downing a beer and then he drank another and then another. 

“okay Gray I said relax don’t give yourself alcohol poisoning.” I said taking the sixth beer out of his hand. 

“then you drink it cause you need to lighten up.” Grayson slurred pinching my cheek. 

I rolled my eyes as he walked through the crowd grabbing another beer on his way through. I shrugged before downing the beer. 

“you look like you could use another.” Some random guy said handing me a beer. 

I gladly accepted before downing that one too. He handed me another. 

ETHAN POINT OF VIEW

I was swaying to music, cup in hand while Bella kissed all over my neck. God this girl is needy. 

“I’m going to refill my drink I’ll be right back.” I said pushing her off of me. 

I walked over to the drink table scanning my eyes around the room. Grayson was passed out on the couch. I laughed shaking my head as Lucid Dreams blasted through the house. I looked over and saw Y/N dancing with some guy I had never seen before. He was getting pretty handsy as he grabbed her another beer. I decided to walk a little closer to them.

“come on baby you’ve had enough beers how about we go upstairs now.” The guy said to her. 

wow, I’m an asshole but even I wouldn’t stoop that low. I knew I had to do something or else this could be bad. 

“I want to dance.” she whined making me chuckle. 

“come on baby let’s go.” He said grabbing her arm a little more aggressively. 

“no.” She said continuing to dance.

“come on please.” He said pulling her towards the stairs. 

I quickly grabbed his hand taking it off her arm.

“she said no, no means no, do you need to hear it Spanish? NO, N-O get it got it good.” I said pushing the dude back. 

He was clearly fully in control of himself and was just trying to get laid from a trashed girl. 

“what are you her boyfriend?” He scoffed. 

“nah, but she’s important to my family, so she’s kind of important to me.” I said. 

“whatever bro, she doesn’t put out anyways.” He scoffed walking away.

“you're a terrible person.” I called watching him walkaway. 

I turned around to see her still dancing. I laughed at how trashed she was. 

“Y/N come on I need to get you home.” I said grabbing her arms.

“Ethan, where have you been I missed you.” She said hugging me.

Now I know she was really trashed to say she missed me.

“I am here now, let’s go home.” I said picking her up bridal style. 

“okay babe.” she said making me laugh. 

I heard me name being called making me turn around. I rolled my eyes seeing it was Bella.

“what are you doing?” She said gesturing to Y/N in my arms. 

“taking her home she’s trashed and kind of important to me.” I said. 

“well how am I supposed to get home?” she complained putting her hands on her hips. 

I quickly scanned the room. 

“you see that guy passed out on the couch? he’s my brother in his pocket is twenty dollars take it and call a cab.” I told her before walking away. 

“you asshole.” She called after me. 

“you’re not an asshole you’re a really good person.” Y/N said looking at me.

I laughed shaking my head. 

“you would not be saying that if you were not incredibly drunk right now.” I said placing her in my front seat and buckling her in.

“Ethan wait.” She said grabbing my hand.

I looked at her waiting for her to respond. 

“you’re kind of sexy do you know that” She said gazing up at me. 

“okay drunk girl.” I laughed.

oh, how fun will it be explaining this to her when she wakes up. 

part two coming soon

[chloebeale]

"friends don't" by Maddie & Tae is a big bechloe song,,, if you ever felt like writing a fic inspired by it i wouldnt be mad (it is country tho)

Thank you for the prompt! | ao3 link.

RATING: G so far | WORDS: 2,921

“And that, my fellow graduates, is why we are not going to look at this as a final goodbye, because it will never really be a goodbye. We are Bellas for life, even after we hand over those keys and go our separate ways. You are my friends, my sisters, my Bellas. You’re my family.”

As Aubrey raises her glass, her emotions written plain as day all over her perfectly made up face, Beca can’t help but at least want to roll her eyes. Mostly because that seems easier than letting the tears currently welling up in them spill over her lids. Beca doesn’t cry. She just doesn’t.

“You tearing up there, babe?”

Apparently, her boyfriend knows her better than that.

The familiar feeling of short stubble scratches at the side of her face as Jesse whispers softly in her ear, his lips pressing soothingly against her pale skin.

Beca shoots him a playful glare as she turns her face toward him, neither shaking nor nodding her head. The way her blue-gray eyes are glistening is answer enough for the both of them.

“It’s okay,” Jesse soothes reassuringly, his fingers raising to twirl delicately through the ends of Beca’s neatly curled hair. She feels his rough skin, calloused from the strings of his guitar, brush against her bare shoulder, the feeling almost comfortably familiar.

College isn’t the only thing Beca will be saying goodbye to now that graduation has arrived. She’s headed out to LA soon, while Jesse has just landed himself his dream job scoring low-budget movies out in Maine, of all places. They will literally be at other ends of the country. But they’ll make it work. They’re strong enough, Beca thinks.

No, she knows it. They’re strong enough.

“Can you stop?”

The same cannot be said for every couple, of course.

The voice breaking into her thoughts, into the way she’s gazing at her boyfriend, is even more familiar than his. It’s hushed, though not quite enough, and Beca knows that it’s the start of a fight. Maybe a continued one from earlier, in fact. She doesn’t want to stare, but she finds herself glancing over in the redhead’s direction, just in time to see Kyle rising from his seat, with Chloe’s hand reaching for his.

“Kyle, seriously,” Chloe hisses, pushing herself upright now, too.

This isn’t anything out of the ordinary. Especially as of late. In Beca’s opinion, Chloe and her boyfriend have never really had the most functional relationship. They both have big personalities, they butt heads a lot. There’s a lot of love there, too. But it’s not enough, at least not as far as Beca can tell. Chloe deserves more than him. Chloe deserves the world. If you were to ask Beca, anyway.

Like Beca and Jesse, Chloe and Kyle will be parting ways soon, both having landed jobs in different places. Why Kyle even went to college is kind of lost on Beca, considering he’s going to be working for his family business. She’s sure he would’ve been handed the position regardless of a degree. But whatever, it’s not her place to question it.

It’s probably not her place to keep as close an eye on Chloe as she currently is, but she just hates to think of her suffering in any way, and Beca knows the way Chloe suffers when it comes to Kyle. There’s such a thing as too pure, as loving too wholeheartedly, and that’s Chloe. When she cares about someone or something, she cares with everything in her, and that can make her vulnerable. Kyle would never hurt her, at least not physically. But he just… He doesn’t get Chloe Beale, not the way Beca does. No one does, in fact. Beca is sure of that.

“Hey, Bec, you need another drink?” Jesse asks, his voice interrupting her thoughts once more.

“Yeah, that’d be great. Thanks.”

Beca returns the chaste kiss to her lips, tilting her not-yet-empty cup away from Jesse’s view. She doesn’t need a drink, but Chloe needs her.

It either wasn’t much of a fight, or they’ve just become so skilled at it that they can get everything out there within mere minutes, because Kyle is storming back toward the table already. This time, Chloe isn’t trailing along behind him.

And that’s Beca’s cue to leave.

“Tell Jesse I’ll be right back, okay?” She whispers to Amy, before rising from her seat.

It doesn’t take her too long to find Chloe. And not just because she knows the Bellas house like the back of her hand after three years of living there.

Everyone is congregated outside, enjoying the graduation party. Chloe, on the other hand, is now sitting on one of the couches alone, the faint sound of quiet sobs ringing through the air as Beca enters. Unfortunately, it’s a familiar sound, one that Beca hates. One that she always wishes she could stop.

The floorboard creaks, the same one that always creaks. Normally, Beca is pretty good at avoiding it, but her mind is currently a little preoccupied. The sound causes Chloe to pause.

“It’s just me,” Beca says in a soft voice, gaze meeting Chloe’s. She hates that those blue eyes – her favorite blue eyes – are glazed over with tears, and despite the fact that she tries not to look too sympathetic (she knows Chloe, she knows she doesn’t want pity), she can’t help it. Her expression is soft, her faint smile almost apologetic.

“Oh,” Chloe whispers, returning that same small, barely there smile. “Hey. I’m okay.”

“I know you are,” Beca nods, her footing almost cautious as she makes her way over to the couch, too. Chloe doesn’t fight her, and instead just scoots over a little bit, making room for Beca to perch down beside her.

There’s a short moment of silence, but it’s not uncomfortable. Beca doesn’t want to intrude, she just wants Chloe to know she’s there. If she wants to talk, she’s there.

Their silence lingers, and soon it’s broken by the soft sound of Chloe’s quiet sobs all over again.

“It was some speech, huh?” Beca finally says. Of course, she knows Aubrey’s whole heartfelt spiel has a whole load of nothing to do with Chloe’s tears. Sure, it was sweet, and it really did tug at the heartstrings, but it brought up happy memories, and with it happy tears. Chloe’s tears are not happy ones, though. Far from it.

“Yeah,” Chloe laughs quietly, though her expression soon twists back into that same one from before. The one where there’s absolutely nothing funny. “God,” she whispers, lifting a hand to swipe away a fallen tear with the pad of her finger, “He’s just… I just wanted this one night, you know? No fighting. Just this one night.”

Beca doesn’t even think about it as she shuffles slightly closer to the other girl, though it’s with a certain hint of caution that she reaches out a hand to rest comfortingly on top of Chloe’s. The redhead’s fingers, nails perfectly manicured, lace through Beca’s, and it’s clear neither are planning on letting go.

“You know that he’s just scared, right?” Beca says, sucking in her bottom lip as she eyes her friend. “Of leaving you. It’s overwhelming, you know? He doesn’t want to leave you.”

She sees the way Chloe rolls her eyes, free hand rising to brush away a new tear. “He has a weird way of showing it.”

There’s no response for that, mostly because Chloe is right. And a part of her gets it, because she wouldn’t want to leave Chloe, either. Fortunately for her, the redhead is headed out to California, too. Not LA, but at least they’ll be in the same state. They’ll see each other.

And thank God, too. Because Beca can’t even imagine life without Chloe Beale in it now. Without any of the Bellas, in fact. But Chloe especially. There’s something different about her, about the relationship the two of them have. It’s a bond Beca can’t quite explain. All she knows is that, as gray eyes lock with blue, she doesn’t really need any words. She just… Looks. And Chloe does the same in return, until Beca notices her tears have slowed.

Beca doesn’t know how much time passes before she sees the way Chloe’s lip twitches slightly up at the corner. It’s a small smile, but it’s a smile nonetheless.

“Okay?” Beca whispers, her fingers squeezing gently onto Chloe’s.

She sees the redhead nod her head, before whispering in return. “Okay. Thank you.”

Chloe has calmed down now. She isn’t crying anymore. Her eyes are still red, small particles of mascara dotted beneath them, but she’s done crying, and that’s a start. Still, neither one lets go of the other’s hand.

“Chloe?”

The voice causes both girls to snap their heads over in the direction of the door, just in time to see Kyle emerging from around the corner. He seems to have calmed down now, too.

Kyle has a charming smile. Annoyingly charming, in fact. He uses it as his get out of jail free card, and it works with most people. Beca isn’t most people, though, and the pointed glare she shoots his way isn’t about to vanish at the sight of those perfect pearly whites.

The same apparently cannot be said for Chloe.

“Hey. Yeah,” she nods, finally pulling her hand away from Beca’s, though the brunette notices a slight squeeze before her grasp releases. It speaks the words they don’t necessarily need to verbalize.

Chloe rises from the couch, tucking a chunk of red hair behind her ear. “What’s up?”

Beca isn’t needed anymore. Though she doesn’t move, not yet. Not until she’s sure Chloe is okay. She catches the sight of those blue eyes, and they soften as they lock with her own.

“Uh, Beca. Can you give us a minute?” Kyle says. Beca wants to refuse, to say that she’s fine right here, but she knows this isn’t her fight. She knows that, as much as she wants to protect Chloe, Chloe is a big girl, she can take care of herself. So, instead, the brunette rises now, too, her focus on Kyle as she exits the room.

Jesse is already sitting at the table once she returns, a fresh drink waiting for her.

“Everything okay?” He asks as Beca takes her seat, his arm draping coolly across the back of the chair.

“Yeah, it’s good. Just, you know, the usual,” she shrugs, offering her boyfriend a look, one that he returns. It’s their regular ‘Chloe and Kyle drama’ exchange, and neither needs to say anything more.

—

Beca has never been the biggest party animal. She enjoys a drink every now and then, she likes to hang out and dance with her friends, but she’s never the one to stay until the very end. So, when she and Jesse take off around ten, it’s nothing out of the ordinary, and it seems that Chloe and Kyle are doing much better, too. They’re sitting beside one another, their hands laced, Chloe giggling at some joke Beca hadn’t heard. Harmony is restored, it would seem.

For now, anyway.

There was enough food at the party that there’s no need to stop for anything on the way home, and soon Beca is comfortably inside she and Jesse’s hotel room and peeling off the short, figure hugging black dress she’d worn for the occasion. It’s not her usual style, but she’d felt pretty great in it. Apparently, she isn’t the only one to have thought so.

“You looked really good tonight, Bec,” Jesse’s voice sounds softly in her ear, his hands settling delicately against her now bare waist. The familiar feeling of his parted lips pressing to the soft skin of her shoulder causes a knowing smirk to rise to her own.

“Oh yeah?” Stepping out of her dress, she turns in Jesse’s arms, her own lifting to snake around his neck. “How good?”

His lips are brushing against her own this time, black polished nails sliding through the back of his hair. “Really good.”

When they make love, it’s not Jesse that’s on her mind. And Beca knows that it should be, but it isn’t.

It’s Jesse less and less lately, in fact.

—

Beca doesn’t know what time they fall asleep, though there are clothes strewn all over the floor of their suite, and she and Jesse have made it to the bed. There’s a sound she recognizes, of him snoring softly close to her ear. It isn’t annoying, it’s just… Jesse. It’s Jesse. And it isn’t what pulls her back to consciousness.

The sound of her phone vibrating on the bedside table beside her is what catches her attention, and though it causes Jesse to stir, it doesn’t wake him. Beca blinks into the darkness, blindly reaching out a hand to fumble for the phone. Her plan is to silence it, to set it back down and go back to sleep, curled up against her boyfriend, but then she sees the name up on the screen.

Chloe Beale. That lame little sunflower emoji beside it, the one Chloe had insisted Beca use when saving her contact. Her gaze drifts to the time. Three-seventeen. She stares for only a moment longer, almost like she’s trying to register what’s going on, before pushing herself up from the bed. The sound of Jesse’s snoring intensifies, and it’s clear he isn’t waking up anytime soon.

Beca taps the answer call button on her screen as she tiptoes quietly from the bedroom and out into the suite’s main living area.

“Chloe, hey. It’s after three… Are you okay?” She whispers into the handset, gently closing the bedroom door behind her. She can hear the sound of Chloe sniffling at the other end of the phone, it’s a sound that breaks her heart. She hates how familiar it is.

“Hey,” Beca’s voice is soft as she makes her way over to the couch, slowly sitting herself down on it. “Hey, it’s okay. It’s me, Chlo. What’s going on?”

There’s a small silence, followed by the strained sound of Chloe’s whispered words. “I don’t know if I can do this anymore, Beca.”

“Do what?” She asks, though she’s sure she knows the answer already. The room is silent save for the sound in her ear, the sound of Chloe’s quiet sobs and soft whimpers. It’s answer enough for her.

“It’s okay,” Beca soothes, leaning back against the large couch. The cushions are soft enough that she sinks down comfortably into them, though the way her heart is racing would suggest she’d just been running a whole marathon. Chloe still hasn’t responded. “Did something happen?”

Another sniffle sounds. “No. He just…” The redhead cuts herself off, and Beca can hear rustling at the other end of the phone. She’s sure Chloe is wiping under her eyes, though she knows there’s really no point; she isn’t done crying yet. She wishes she was, but she isn’t.

When Kyle’s around, it seems like she never will be, in fact.

“Bec?” Chloe’s voice interrupts her inner monolog, and she finds herself nodding despite the fact that the other girl can’t see her.

“I’m here, Chlo. What is it?”

“Can you stay with me?”

There’s a brief pause as Beca digests the question, mulling it over for a second or two. It seems Chloe can sense her confusion.

“Like, here. On the phone. Just until I fall asleep.”

There’s something almost calming about the request, and Beca knows that it’s almost selfish of her to feel that way. She isn’t the one struggling right now. Chloe is. But Beca just hates to hear it, she hates to know that her friend is feeling the way she currently is. This way, she can be there for her, though. And maybe for now, that’s enough.

“Yeah, of course,” she finally whispers, head nodding once more. Beca lifts her feet to curl her legs up underneath her. There are no words flowing through the phone, just the sound of Chloe’s breathing, of what sounds like her tears slowing. “Uh, should I–”

Chloe cuts her off. “No, it’s okay. Don’t talk.” Her voice is hushed now, almost as if she’s beginning to fall asleep already. “Just stay with me.”

Once more, Beca finds herself nodding her head into the darkness, phone held firmly against her ear as she tilts her head back into the couch cushion.

Who falls asleep first, Beca doesn’t know, though in reality it’s probably Chloe. The sun is beginning to peak through the open drapes once Beca wakes again, though, this time to the sound of Jesse’s voice. He sounds a little confused, almost concerned.

“Bec?” He questions, approaching her with caution. “Hey, is everything okay? What are you doing out here?”

It takes Beca a moment of blinking to remember what she’s doing here, how she got here. Whyshe got here.

“What time is it?” She mumbles, glancing up at her boyfriend.

“Just before six. Come on,” Jesse pauses, holding out his hand to take hers. Beca accepts it, her fingers lacing lazily through his as he pulls her up from the couch. “Let’s go back to bed.”

She’s still half asleep, still a little confused by her surroundings, so Beca just nods her head, allowing Jesse to guide her back through to the bedroom.

Her phone is wedged between two of the couch cushions, the active call with Chloe Beale still displayed on the screen.

Continue?

[jj-lynn21]

You will remember things that we never said ch 5

Warning: SMUT, angst, fluff

ch 1,  ch 2,  ch 3, ch 4  ch 6  ch 7

Axel sits down to work on a new guitar tat on Mick’s right forearm.

“I’m kind of surprised Steph isn’t here praising you while you do this,” Mick chuckled.

“She’s hung out here a few times,” Axel carefully traces the outline of the tat.

“You two worked things out after that fight last weekend?” Mick prods.

“We’re good.” Axel starts in with the ink.

 “You fuck her yet?” Axel grinds deeper and wipes the blood from Mick’s arm with a clean alcohol pad. “Fuck Axel watch it there. I guess that’s a no. She looks tight as fuck. Probably a virgin. You ask her that yet.”

Axel glares at him pull the needle from Mick’s skin. “She’s not a virgin, she’s tight as fuck and we didn’t have sex. Now do you want me to finish this tat or not?”

“Yeah Axel, that’s why I came here.” Mick stared out the window. “Just don’t grind my arm again.”

“Don’t give me reason to then.” Axel goes back to work adding a little color how Mick wanted it. “She is coming to my place after the show Friday. Maybe I should offer to pick her up early since I’m assuming the rest of her friends will be at your show.”

“I think you should definitely do that Axel.” Mick grins.

Axel grins as he works on Mick’s tat for two hours. When he was done Mick told him what a great job he did before leaving.

Axel texts Stephanie.

         Axel:

         What’s up?

         Stephanie:

         Just studying. How’s work?

         Axel:

         Just put a new tat on a real dick.

         Can I pick you up at 8pm Friday?

         Stephanie:

         Sure 😊

        Axel:

        Cool, love you.

        Stephanie:

        😊 love you.

The rest of the week seems to move at a snail’s pace for them both. On Wednesday when Stephanie is coming out of the art building Axel is waiting in his truck.

She gets in shutting the door before looking at Axel. “This is a nice surprise.”

Axel nodded. He parked in a secluded parking area. “Come here.”

Stephanie moves closer. Axel pulls her to straddle his lap as soon as she is closes enough. He brings her face down kissing her hard. Attacking her mouth with his. She holds his biceps. He moves his hands down her bod. His lips move to the back of her neck and up to her ear he whispers, “I need to fuck you so bad Stephanie. I want to work my lips down your body. Spent time lingering over your tits.  Nip at your sensitive areola. You’d love that baby, wouldn’t you? You have been thinking about me going down on that pussy?”

“Yes,” She murmurs “You want to go to my dorm right now, Axel?”

He looks up at Stephanie with a grin, “I do but I don’t think that’s the best idea.” He leans his head down in the cleavage of her shirt. A hand moves up to caress her right breast as Axel drags his tongue between them both.

Stephani whimpers. “Why Axel?”

Axel looks up at her. “Your roommate isn’t my biggest fan.”

“Why is that Axel?” She ran her hands along the nap of his neck. “What happened to give her the idea you were such a bad guy for me?”

He shakes his head. “Fuck Stephanie. I am a bad guy.”

She leans away from Axel but puts her hand on his cheek. “You’re not Axel. Everyone makes bad decisions sometimes but that doesn’t make them bad. Tell me what happened?”

“I fucked her girlfriend.” Axel looked down closing his eyes. “Do you really want to hear this Stephanie?”

She moved off him to sit on the passenger side. “Well, since you said that so bluntly, I think I really need to hear the rest of the story. You couldn't have possibly taken advantage of some girl. Tell me you didn’t Axel?” She looked to him like her heart was breaking.

Axel looked straight ahead. “I was a different person five years ago. And her girl, Lisa, was bisexual. I thought that was fucking cool. I was doing cocaine and pills, anything to escape on the weekends. Derick has never put up with that shit. He kicked my ass out which is why I have my own apartment so maybe it was a good thing. Fuck, I was so reckless. And she was so willing. She wasn’t shy like you Stephanie…”

Stephanie bit here lip as she looked at his profile.

Axel didn’t want to see her reaction until he was finished. “Stephanie, I didn’t even know what I was doing then. I swear I love you and I hope this doesn’t destroy us. I’m sure you will hear some version of this from Bella so I might as well confess what I remember. I was always so fucked up for shows. I barely remember performing. Lisa was always there with Bella. The three of us even had a night together that I don’t have a memory of other than waking the next morning with Lisa between us. It was so fucked. 

The only time I gave Lisa any attention was when I was fucked up and wanted to fuck her, and she was the same, I think. I can’t even fucking remember if she even tried to talk to me when we were not completely out of it. I don’t do that shit anymore. Last weekend I drank to much and Todd and Derick were pissed. I’m sorry I thought you were fucking that other guy Stephanie.”

“Axel, we’re past that I hope.” Stephanie reaches to take his hand. “Where’s Lisa now?”

Axel looks over at her. His eyes glistening with tears he is holding back. The pain of what he is recalling on his face. “There is no way anyone especially Bella should forgive me, but I tried to talk to her about moving past this shit. I woke in the ER one morning. The pain was intense, I had a few broken ribs and a broken arm. The police came in to talk to me. I didn’t remember shit. Derick told me later I rolled my car. Lisa went to live with her Mom in California. I went to rehab. Bella has never forgiven me for taking her girl away. And I don’t blame her even if I have changed.”

“Sounds like Lisa wasn’t a hundred percent Bella’s girl to begin with.” Stephanie laid on his shoulder and wrapped his arm around her. “It was another life Axel. I don’t feel that’s you anymore. I understand why you said no drinking tonight. Its best we both make the decision to be together for the first time with a clear head.”

Axel looks at her stunned, “You still want to fuck me?”

Stephanie smiled, “Not right at this moment but yes Axel I’ll still spend the night with you tomorrow. You say you’re a bad guy,” She grins. “Maybe I’m a bad girl.”

Axel chuckles, “Trust me Stephanie, you’re not a bad girl at all. The type of bad girl I thought I liked would have fucked me the first time I had her alone.” He pulls her in closer for a lingering yet gentle kiss. “The type of bad girl the old me would have wanted would have fucked me in this truck and knew exactly how to get me off with her hands and mouth.”

Stephanie looked down, “I’m sorry I’m so inexperienced Axel. Maybe you still want a girl like that?”

Axel tilts her head back up, “No, I want to teach you everything you don’t know. I want you to cum when we have sex. I know you don’t know true pleasure, but I want to show you how many ways we can satisfy each other. Will you let me show you?”

“Yes,” Stephanie murmurs.

“That’s my good girl,” He smiles a little. “I should get you back to your dorm. You need to try to get some studying done so I can have you the rest of the weekend. If you want me that long?”

Stephanie giggled, “We’ll see.” She sat up and snapped her seatbelt.

“You’re going to fucking destroy me.” He pulled up to her build.  “Come here.”

She undid her seat belt before leaning over to him. He took her face in his hands to kiss her.

Stephanie takes a breath as he pulls back. “I think its you who will destroy me.” She giggled.

His eyes fall over her. His blank look returns to his face. “I think that was established the first time your roommate saw you look at me.”

Stephanie rolls her eyes at him before getting out of the truck. “See you Friday night.”

Axel nods and takes off.

She buckles down on her work. She reads ten chapters in her history book. She finishes a project for English. And she Attempts to completely translate and memorize a section in her Canterbury tales literature book. The wind whips outside breaking her concentration. She glances at the clock seeing its three in the morning. As soon as her head hits the pillow, she is out cold.

Stephanie and Bella come out of their bedrooms at the same time in the morning.

“Breakfast?” Stephanie asked her.

Bella twisted her mouth in contemplation.  “Yeah, I should probably eat and get some…”

Both say at the same time, “coffee.” They laugh and head out to the student union

“What’s your plans tonight, babe?” Bella asked.

“I need to get ahead of my studies like I’ve been planning to do since classes started.” Stephanie sipped her coffee.

“Albre, I and Ryan are going to a movie.” Bella swished her spoon around her soup. “You should come with. You can’t possible need to study all night again.”

“I can and I will,” Stephanie laughs. “Besides I think Ryan has a crush on me. I wouldn’t want to lead him on.”

Bella rolled her eyes “Of course he does. Your hot as fuck. You have options. Don’t let Axel tie you down for a one-night stand.”

“I just might,” Stephanie blushes. “But truly I don’t feel Axel is someone we should talk about with each other. I’m free to make my own choices. And you are free to think how you want.”

“Fucking charming asshole.” Bella grumbles under her breath.

“Not listening,” Stephanie sings. “I hope you have a good time at the movies and the Dark Breed show tomorrow night.”

Stephanie buys a sub from The Cooler before heading back to the dorm with Bella. It’s a silent uncomfortable walk but Stephanie does think trying to talk to her roommate about Axel or even telling her Axel told Stephanie what happened wouldn’t change Bella’s opinion. So, the silence persists. They go to separate rooms when they get back to their dorm. Stephanie gets ahead by a few chapters in most of her books. She starts on a term-paper while eating the sub she had gotten in the morning.

When she wakes to the dorm door opening and three people laugh obviously wasted, she opens her door a crack. Ryan, Bella and Albre head into Bella’s room.  within a few minutes she hears the three of them moaning and gasping loudly. She bites her lip and puts some music on her headphones. It doesn’t help since the headphones she has her mom bought her. They only let you hear things loud enough not to bother a child’s eardrums. Stephanie thought they were better than nothing when she received them but, in this moment, they are not cutting it. She calls Axel.

Axel answers his phone on the third ring. “Hey, Stephanie. What’s wrong?” He audibly yawns.

“They’re…They three of them. They’re so loud Axel.” Stephanie whines.

Axel can hear Bella and others. “You’re not in the room with them, are you?”

“No, Axel.” She pulls her knees up to her chin. “Its Bella, Albre and Ryan.”

He keeps his voice whispery. “I’m going to take your mind off them until its quiet. Will you do what I tell you so you can get some well-deserved rest my pretty girl?”

“Ok,” she takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly.

“If I’m going help my girl, you need to say Yes, clearly.” Axel’s voice is low, clear and full of authority. 

Stephanie is willing to do anything to take her mind away from her friends fucking in the other room. Plus, she’s embarrassed that it’s making her aroused. “Yes.”

“Put your phone on speaker and lay it on the table with the volume loud so you can hear me.” Axel purred. “I can’t wait to see you tomorrow. Are you looking forward to it?”

“Yes,” Stephanie answers.

“I have some really good surprises for my girl.” Axel teases. “But I’m not telling you. Can you handle thinking about all the possibilities of what I can teach you?”

“Not sure I can Axel.” She relaxes her legs down on the bed. “Why don’t you tell me?”

“Ooh Stephanie you have no idea how much I look forward to touching your body.” Axel groans. “Fuck, I get hard thinking about you. My lips against your neck almost like two of your fingers. Do it Stephanie, I want you to run your fingers down the side your neck, between your breasts. You know how that feels when my lips do it. Close your eyes and run those fingers over your hardening nipples. How’s that feel?”

Stephanie whines, “Not as good as your lips.”

“Just use your imagination Stephanie.” Axel moans. “Like me imaginary your hand is around my cock right now. I love how small your hands are. But really, I love how every part of you tastes as my lips move down. If you have anything coving that sweet pussy of yours take it off. Fuck I want my tongue in the sweetness. Stephanie you with me?”

“Yes, Axel.” He could hear her breathing heavier. “I’m naked for you.”

“Such a good girl.” He cooed. “Open those legs Stephanie. Open them wide.”

“Yes, Axel.” She was biting her lip as her fingers traced her belly button. She imagined Axels hand moving down her pelvis.

“I think you know what to do but I still want to walk you through it until you cum with me” He groaned again as he worked himself up. “Fuck, I want you to cum with me so bad Stephanie. Slide your hand down as I like to do. Real slow circles on your clit. So wet aren’t you Stephanie. Just listening to my voice. Don’t go fast. Stroke yourself slowly.”

“Oh Axel,” She moans. “I need more.”

“Stephanie go ahead and move those fingers how you need. Oh damn,” Axel moaned. “You need to go faster? Oh, yes faster…Oh fff..”

“Yes, Axel.” She whimpers, “I’ve got it. You’ve got me. Oh oh OH OH…”

“fuck…oh, damn Stephanie, you got me so close mmm” Axel pants. “Cum with me my pretty girl…fuck…FUCKKK.”

“YES AXEL I’M CUMIMG,” She screams out not realizing those in the other room had silenced. “OH YES…I LOVE YOU.”

Axel was breathless after cumming on his sheets. “I love you to Stephanie. You think you can sleep now?”

“Yes, I’m good.” Stephanie said breathless. “Thank you.”

“No problem.” He was smiling. “You get some rest. I need to change my sheets. See you tomorrow. Bye for now.”

“Bye Axel,” She hung up. Pulled the sheet up over her and went to sleep feeling better than she did an hour ago