#(( reality gonna send her off to a tiny adventure ))

[thoughtfulfiction]

Social Media QB

Author’s note: reposting my old work on this side blog! Let me know if you’d like to read a specific one. Thank you for reading!

The reputation of the Chargers social media team was unmatched. They are known for being funny and up to date on all memes and pop culture references while also showcasing players’ personalities. That alone made you apply and this past year on the job had really been a once in a lifetime experience. Working with Megan and the crew was a daily adventure and you were becoming more and more comfortable calling the guys your friends. It even got to a point where you didn’t even call them by their names anymore.

Quentin was usually just “Q.” JK was always “J’Kaylin”, Derwin was “3” and your favorite nickname was definitely calling Justin “Sunshine.” At first it was a Remember the Titans reference but it became a lifestyle. Everything and everyone revolves around the sun and that’s exactly what it felt like when you were at work. All of the players were important and special but you could just feel the energy in the room shift when Justin was there. It was palpable, it almost took your breath away sometimes.

Off camera he was goofy, funny and had this uncanny ability to make the world stand still for a bit, even just for a few fleeting moments where it felt like you two were the only ones in the room. But then reality would hit and you were reminded that you work for the team and he’d never see you in that way, he was just nice to everyone he encountered. But on camera? It was all fun and games. There was a running joke, mostly based on his real feelings, that Justin hated cameras. He couldn’t stand being the center of attention or having people perceive him so he avoided the social media team altogether when phones were pointed in his direction. 

But sometimes, a rarity, you were able to get him on camera, even if it was just for a split second. The two of you reviewed the questions he was going to be asked before their Hot Ones appearance and there was ALWAYS a discussion, more like subtle begging if you all were going to have him participate in any content.

“We need Justin for this new segment we’re doing, so you’re gonna have to talk to him.” Megan sighs, grabbing her Stanley cup that was sitting on the counter. She’d just finished editing a video where she and her assistant put fart spray on the tiny mic and could still smell the rancid scent until she grabbed some Lysol spray to de-funk the place.

You were going through photos taken during practice earlier that morning and deciding which ones to post and without looking up you asked her, “why do I have to do it?”

Lorren and Allie giggle in the corner, shaking their heads. “You cannot be serious right now y/n,” Lorren gives you a pointed look.

“What?”

“We all know you and Justin have a thing for each other. Even if you won’t admit to us…or yourself. It’s pretty obvious.”

You finally raise your head up from your laptop, staring at them while also wracking your brain trying to figure out when your innocent crush had become so painfully obvious. If the girls knew, then Justin had probably somehow caught on and the thought of that made you want to dig a hole right outside on the practice field and never come out. “Is—am I that easy to read?”

“No one blames you,” Megan runs a loving hand on your shoulder. “And I’m sure you’ve been trying so hard to hide your feelings that you haven’t noticed that he’s doing an even worse job of hiding his massive crush on you.”

The look on your face sends the room into a fit of laughter. “We’re being serious. The way he looks at you and acts around you. Anyone can see he’s into you friend.”

You weren’t convinced, “I need an example.”

“Okay fine,” Lorren stands up to prepare a demonstration. “He wasn’t ready to put the mics on when he was mic’d up until you walked over and helped him get the mic in the perfect spot in his pads. And then he wore the friendship bracelet for six weeks because you handed it to him.”

Allie pipes up to put in her two cents. “And let’s not forget when he had you driving him around the golf tournament and kicked Zion to the curb. There’s no way all of those are just a coincidence.”

“Fine. I’ll go ask him if he’ll shoot the video for us but I’m not going to lose my job because of a meaningless crush on the starting quarterback.”

You waited around for the guys to leave treatment after practice and caught up with him on his way out. “Hey Sunshine, quick question for you.”

His cheeks turn a light shade of pink and he gives you a small tight-lipped smile. “What’s up?”

“I need you to do me a huge favor and be in this tik tok. It’s a short game and it’ll only take like 15 minutes.”

His deadpan face and disappointed dad sigh has you practically begging, saying “please” in your finest sing-song tone.

“Fine, I’ll do it.” You knew he’d crack, he always did. “On one condition. You also have to participate.”

You hold your hand out and he engulfs it with his much larger one. “You’ve got yourself a deal Herbert.”

“Okay the rules of the game are simple,” Megan begins from behind her phone screen before hitting record, “we’re going to give you these Canadian snacks and you’ll rate them on a scale from 1 to 10. One being it’s awful I’ll never touch that again and 10 being a solid snack that you’d eat everyday if given the opportunity.”

You and Justin nod, diving in on everything from the ketchup chips to the toffee. The video didn’t take long as promised and the quarterback went about the rest of his day with no further distractions.

In your office a few days later on the team’s off day, you were contemplating your life. Maybe you should take a step back from him so people don't get the wrong idea. Sure, your coworkers were convinced the crush was mutual but what if he was just being nice? He was always so focused on football and making the most out of every opportunity. Why in the world would he waste time flirting with a social media manager? It just made no sense. Instead of continuing to run a million imaginary scenarios in your mind you packed up your stuff and tried heading out to the parking lot. Even after all this time you still struggled to maneuver all the twists and turns of the building and somehow found yourself walking past the quarterback room. You intended to just keep walking but he was in there alone and called out your name when he saw you.

“What are you doing here? I didn’t think anyone would be in the building today.” His bright eyes staring down at you made your heart feel like it was beating out of your chest. You desperately needed to get it together.

“I came in to finish up a few things but I’m heading out now. What are you doing? I think you’ve watched enough film to last you a couple lifetimes.” That gets a light chuckle out of him and he shakes his head, the two of you knowing that his quest for perfection would never allow him to believe he’s watched enough film. “Thank you for shooting that video the other day. The fans are gonna love it, they’re always begging us to get you on camera.”

“No problem, anything for you.” He clears his throat after whispering the last part, desperately hoping that you didn’t hear it. Even though you definitely did. You should go home for the day and leave him alone in the office so he can get back to work. You should stop staring at his lips that look so soft and just begging to be kissed. He should turn around and get back to the playbook and the computer but here he is, standing still, right in front of you.

You’re just there, waiting for someone to rip the carpet out from under you, to fall on your face, for someone to tell you that this isn’t actually happening. The space between your bodies diminishes significantly, so much so that you can smell the Dr. Squatch Birchwood Breeze radiating off of him. It’s intoxicating and you swallow the fear in your gut and ignore all of the common sense thoughts plaguing your mind, allowing you to feel.

The kiss is tentative at first, he pulls back slightly, whispering if it’s okay to keep going as you feel his breath against your lips. You don’t respond but instead pull him in closer, hearing a satisfied husky moan from him as he allows your tongue access to his. His right palm rests against your cheek until he’s tilting your head up ever so slightly to deepen the embrace and he pulls you in even closer, holding on for dear life while closing and locking the door behind you. It was so much more than he imagined, these feelings that he’d been pushing aside were being confronted and magnified by the second. This innocent crush that you had on him were genuine, real feelings that created a deep ache in your bones, actively being soothed with his hands all over you as the two of you made out like helpless teenagers.

You didn’t think you’d have the strength to tear yourself away from him…until his phone rings. He ignores it the first time but it’s all you can think about by the fifth ring.

“Answer it,” you whisper breathlessly and you can feel him hesitating to pry himself away from you. The heat that was radiating off of his body that you felt being so close to him sends shivers down your spine at the sudden distance. A thousand unspoken apologies are painted on his face as he pulls his phone out of his pocket. He keeps the call short and sweet but the look of devastation is clear when he hangs up. “You have to go don’t you?”

He nods. “I’m so sorry. We can—we need to talk about this I know. And I promise we will. I just—I need to take care of this.” He doesn’t want to leave, not like this. Even if he knows you understand. Justin presses a kiss to the side of your head and whispers another “I’m sorry” leaving you in the room to think about what just happened.

You walk around the empty parking lot until you reach your car, letting out a deep sigh at the thought of what the conversation with him is going to look like after this. You need to be mentally prepared for good news, bad news and everything in between.

He is the sun after all. And sometimes when you stand too close, you might get burned. And maybe, just maybe, you’d avoid the burn altogether and bask in the warmth as long as you can.

[nameless-brand]

Ahh. I'm not very well-versed in astrology, so I had to look up some parts - particularly of the lot system - and I guess the interesting device used to derive those angles from each other? I'm assuming it's a device. Admittedly, I'm not really good at math beyond crunching numbers - asking me to do geometry is like asking me to do a standing backflip, which isn't going to happen now. Haha.

So why use classic astrology when modern astrology seems more convenient? Is it more accurate cause of the parts? or is it that the amount of work put into isn't worth the (possibly slight) increase in accuracy? Because that sounds like a lot more parts are being added.

Is the natal chart part of the modern astrology or classic astrology or both? And it makes more sense than the way astrology is done in our world - or at least how I think is done in our world - they usually take our birth month, sometimes also years, and derive a fortune based on it. It's probably not real astrology given the fact these fortunes are done on newspaper - and probably pretty generalized - but it's the closest thing to astrology I've experienced beyond my more experienced friend believing in it.

That makes sense. Usually, there's just more information in a more popular/famous figure than the others that exist in their time. Star outshining all others, I suppose. Are mages typically more famous than their non-magical counterparts? I'm assuming this is due to the ability to single-handedly affect events in a way a more mundane person can't.

Oh. That sounds like a nice game. Better than most of the ghost-genre-games I've seen, which usually amount to horror - fulfilling last requests is just so much nicer as a genre. Haha.

Soooo Chicken (or until it remembers it likes to be called Lord Ji (which also means Chicken)) instead being large at all times apparently has acquired the ability to change its size at will - it can grow two stories tall if the news report is to be believed. And with Lev and Chicken arguing, it's gonna come to the point where Chicken will just grow and sit on Lev to win the argument, which is bad because the dining room is tiny.

Oh, that's what it entails here! You track the positions of the stars for certain dates and try to gather what the stars are telling you! I feel like it's actually a lot more complicated than most people give it credit for? Because I feel like the average person looks at astrology and they're like, oh, it's easy, anyone can do it, and it's not! There's actually a fair bit of math to it, and... personally, I'm not the best at math, I usually mix things up, but it's less math equations and more looking at the angles of the planets in relation to each other! Then you have to take into consideration if it's a day chart or a night chart (though a lot of modern astrologers choose to not make that distinction).

Not to mention, you have to check in with the people you're working for if they want something done in the modern way or the classical way, because if they ask for modern astrology, that's usually less work than classical astrology, which involves a lot more Agrabahian Parts, like the Part of the Spirit, the Part of Relationships, the Part of Victory, Bravery, Despair, so on and so forth... and that's not even getting into the Fortunes of the Houses, or the Fortunes not related to either the planets OR the houses, or and then the Fortunes related to lots, and there are MANY lots!

Mostly, a lot of them are outdated - you don't really need astrology to tell you about how certain crops are doing, what with modern science - but you might get someone who wants to know, just in case, so it's important to learn, or at least have the formula for that written down somewhere!

Plus sometimes astrologers who are working for just one client need to learn how to relocate someone's natal chart in the event that they've chosen to move out of the city they were born, permanently, which is a much more frequent concern nowadays since it's a lot easier to just move! But usually your natal chart suffices for most things when you're working with things.

But you probably would prefer that I don't talk for hours about astrology! So I will restrain myself.

Yeah, it's basically that in terms of history, she wasn't the most important figure. Her father the Sultan was even less important. Plus, neither of them were mages, so there just isn't as much information to find because they just didn't do things on as grand a scale?

I just picked up Spiritfarer! It's a game about being a ferryman of the dead, picking up dying souls and keeping them happy and fulfilling their last requests before they can move on. I just started, so I don't really know what I'm doing, but the art is really nice!

Wh... what do you mean you hope Chicken doesn't grow big? Is that... something they can't control? I read a little bit, but I wasn't sure if I really understood what was going on.

[jamjuicesayshi]

Adler lore dump

OK OK so, silly Lil adler

Also tw for stuff about Stockholm syndrome(not in detail but thought I'd mention quickly)

Bros like 124 years old, though his body hadn't exactly aged (I'll explain why in a second), a basic rundown is he used to work in the foundation like 100 years ago but he then discovered that there was an in-between like place between reality and dreams (if that makes sense idk) and so he did all the proper things like figuring out how to enter, getting approval, etc but when the time came since it was the first time unbeknownst to him it was the person who opened the place who'd be transported in so instead of the d-class it was him who got transported into the in-between.

He also could not be followed cus bros handwriting is a literal ass and most of his research was written down, so Alder stuck in the in-between began to explore going through the place and interacting with the locals, eventually however he meets this 'person' (which was just the silhouette of a woman that was pure white) and she and he start talking and eventually began to get along with her helping him and explaining how to leave he had to get to the queens place where there was a way out and even gives him directions.

He ofc is thrilled by this and starts following said directions with her popping in occasionally to check on him. Eventually, he got to some fabric-like tunnels (that I could describe as si.ula4 to the Coraline tunnel with the formatting of bamboo and texture of easy-to-tear fabric) so he seeing how breakable each wall is decided that's how he's gonna get through, all goes well till well going through one wall he gets a cut on his wrist and learns that the walls have tiny needles (like fibreglass in?)

But he does not think much of it instead choosing to continue walking but now he's feeling himself get a bit sick which concerns him but he doesn't have time to deal with that so he keeps going on eventually getting to the queen's palace(which is more similar to fancy catacombs and a ants nest) and there he discovers the white silhouette was the queen.

The queen greets herself and declares she's fallen in love with him during his adventures and wishes for him to stay, and to ensure he'd have to, purposely sends him down the tunnel knowing he'd eventually get cut and get an illness that can be fatal and such if left untreated, but if he stays she can treat him and they can live happily ever after, she is then promptly rejected and Adler explains how he, knowing that info would rather return and die then stay and attempts to make a break for the exit, but she quickly catches him with his body being too weak cus of the illness and she locks him in a room.

In the room he's isolated and she lets him get to the stage where he's bedridden so she has an easier time dealing with him, and then Stockholm syndromes him into loving her back, and she then nurses him back to complete health (he has side effects from the illness being dealt with so late but they aren't as big of a problem atm) and they rule together.

However as he lives in the in-between his body starts shifting becoming more butterfly and dream-like till he's unrecognizable to his human self and gains abilities (done by the queen without him knowing), however at some point before he was fully turned they cut off his finger which they used to grow a child(cus ofc stuff like that works differently in the in-between).

Though at some point the queen just vanishes leaving adler to rule alone (roughly 98ish Years), though suddenly he's confronted by two humans(different ocs I'll out in a different post at some point, but all thats importantis ones a mtf, and another is a 05 at the time) who had somehow gotten in themselves and end up tricking/dragging him through the exit, the 05 using some stuff to lock his memories away basically in adlers dreams, to make sure adler never remembers(mainly so he dsoent get vengeful) he takes pills that stop him from dreaming.

Now, said child finally grows after he's gone for a year and she's sent to the in-between orphanage, breaking out and going through the different lands, encountering ppl who tell her about her father giving her motivation to learn more(she however takes a alternative route then he did after getting advice from a elderly wine maker) and avoids the tunnel, once at the palace hwoever she finds it to be empty, reading journals and books written about and from her parents she learns the truth and ends up hating her mother finding it a abuse of power and leaving the in-between herself, and later joining the GOC

Some silly facts!!!

-Alder was based on a actual dream I had where I played basically his daughter, I kept having ppl in the dream tell me they knew my dad (1 person event giving me coins cus they lost a bet and he told them if he ever had a kid to give them some coins when they saw them)

-Adler and his daughter since she was made through his finger look exactly the same like a gender swapped version of each other (she however looks healthier without the illnesses effects)

-some effects that left on adler is around his fingers and eyes theirs a heavy lost of pigment with his hair minus the ends basically being white, he also is extremely fragile like if you pushed him he'd break like 3 bones alone.

Their official titles are 'King of Dreams'(Adler) and 'Princess of Nightmares'(his daughter), and well, Adler is based around a butterfly his daughter is a moth

-their powers are simular to a reality bender but they can only effect things that dream (like if they summoned a tornado in a room ppl could go flying but the actual room and tables would be fine) and they can turn into their respective insect (adler can turn into a tiny butterfly and his daughter a large moth), they however don't use their powers because his daughter dosent know how and he dosent remember he can

-Adler is besties with Lung(another oc)

-some features that are like a peak at what they actually are is their eyes are shaped like stars and take on a dreamy look (they also have halos but those are hardly visible like you'd have to be standing close just to realize they have them

That's it for now!!! Imma put a bunch of pictures (some are old) of the duaghter and him(the 1 that has him and her together Is the old one, and the 1 with pink outlines is him but a kid)(also I might redesign their butterfly and moth like forms at some point)

[awhilde]

stupid

pairings: kaeya (genshin impact) x reader

genre(s): just pure fluff! 

warnings: swearing and minor (tiny) mentions of death. also, it would be advised to play the game ‘genshin impact’ up past adventure rank 10 because there are a few spoilers (?) and mentions of specific scenes. 

word count: 2.6k words

synopsis: in which you can’t stand the stupid ice man that seems to trail after your every move, infuriating with every word that falls from his lips, every curve of his mouth and every tilt of his head. the pure annoyance he gifts you makes your chest ache in exhaustion. i mean, that is the sole reason why your heart is pumping overdrive, right?  

author’s note: this is just a really quick, cheesy and plotless oneshot that i decided to write in under an hour, i think? if i’m being honest, i just wanted to see what my page would look like with something published, but please enjoy regardless! god i’m simping for kaeya even though genshin is literally not an otome game what ?? gave them the right to make him look so good??

a harmless tune twinkles in the city’s atmosphere, sorrowful tales hidden behind the cheer of a folk song and the strum of a harp

you listen, leaning against an open window, letting the gentle breeze tousle your hair behind your ears, drinking in the refreshing sensation of the wind kissing your closed eyes and exposed face. the suffocating atmosphere of the library leaves you as you daydream with the hum of the melody and lose yourself in its rhythm

  the scent of the storm last night taunts your mind of a nostalgic memory, easing the growing beast of worry in your heart

  the thought reminds you of the cause of such worry and you sigh reluctantly, knowing the pile of research notes by your desk wouldn’t sign themselves as you wasted time by this pocket of air, but your limbs are frozen, leisurely leaning against the frame of the window. you allow for time to flow unrestricted past your consciousness for there might not be another opportunity in the near future when you could relax as you did now

  life couldn’t possibly be contained within stress and work. you’d combust if this was the prevailing knowledge, collapsing from overworking your body or perhaps even dying from high blood pressure in your late 20’s which crept closer as time went by

where had your teenage years gone? the thrill of adventure and death?

“something on your mind, name?”

your eyes snap open, body whisking around to face the man that had managed to sneak up to your side without your notice. you recognise the presence beside you long before your eyes had laid upon their figure for they had been your partner in crime for far too long for you not to adapt to his chilly atmosphere

at least he was nice to be around in summer

kaeya, that infuriating ice man that had insisted on growing closer towards you despite the only connection you two shared being the fact that jean enjoyed tormenting you and placing the two of you together in missions

he had made his way to your right, contrasting your position as he leaned his back against the wall whilst you leaned your front torso out the window. suddenly the wind was nothing compared to him. with his arms crossed at his front, he gives you a side-long glance and smirks at your expression

huffing you turn away. “what do you want now, kaeya?” you ask

“what is with this hostility?” he shoots back. “don’t tell me i actually surprised you by being here.”

 your silence was enough of an answer for him to brighten. “wait, for real?”

you groan, cheek in your palm as you continue to close your eyes. “go away, kaeya, if you’re just here to make fun of me. go bother someone else, hasn’t there been a traveller of sorts that’s appeared recently?”

kaeya hums. “yeah, what about them?”

“go send them on a wild goose chase or something. didn’t you do that to the other one that passed by?” this time, you steal a peak at him through one eye. despite this being a small movement, kaeya’s immediately chases your eye.

ah, there’s that stupid sneer of his that you couldn’t stand. the sight was as familiar as the sun’s touch having seen it everywhere; after freezing jean’s feet to the ground when she got “too boring”, when he’d freeze the walls of your office in order to chase you out of the room and when he’d won that stupid game in that one stupid festival when they’d finished a mission early, turning with that exact sneer, his eyes steady and wild on yours as he handed you the first prize gift, not failing to bow as he presented the toy to you. that stupid pink bunny still sat somewhere in your room, not treasured but simply looked after. it wasn’t a significant item to be cherished after all

“i already did.” he had been saying when you zoned out. “i told them there was a mysterious treasure and sent them off. that little thing they had with them was especially keen on getting her small hands on whatever it was. shame there was nothing there to begin with, just another plan to draw out the futoi rats but i would have liked to see what that little thing could do with immense power. eat exotic foods, maybe?”

his eyes dart back to yours when he didn’t receive the response he expected; silence, and turns to face you. your eyes had gone glassy whilst in the process of reminiscing and he knew you were no longer in the present time. he sighs and stands

you catch the movement and snap back to reality, blinking before narrowing your eyes at his stupid face. “you have a look in your eyes.” you observe hesitantly

“and you weren’t paying attention to anything i said.” he retorts. he leans forward with his arms still crossed as if attempting to examine you further. the proximity startles you and you take a step back on instinct

the action makes him raise an eyebrow. “you’re also surprisingly quiet and grumpy today.”

wow you both are so good at stating the very obvious

it was true, despite hating his guts you couldn’t deny the spark of chemistry between the both of him whether it be dancing on the battlefield or even the snarky banter that he oddly seemed to enjoy. in an attempt to cover up where you had lacked, you face the window again. for some reason, it was easier to talk to him when you weren’t confronted with his stupid face. “oh? aren’t you glad i haven’t remarked on that stupid eyepatch you wear yet? unless, of course, you agree completely with what i say about it which, y’know, is the objective truth. it couldn’t possibly have been inherited. and its ugly.”

“nope! just as the title of being a pirate has been passed down in my family generation, so has the need to wear an eyepatch.” he cheerfully responds. “nice try, name, but i can still tell that you’re feeling down. you gonna tell me what it is or are we gonna continue this act until you grow bore of it?”

you sigh, caught in your façade that you had sub-consciously put up as a defense mechanism. not that he had no know what it was. something stupid in your stomach explodes with warmth at his prying, but you can’t hate it. that same stupid thing brings you to face him again and you regret it as soon as your eyes meet

he had stepped closer, close enough for you to feel his chill through the fabric of your clothes, close enough to see the fur on his attire rustle from the breeze by the window, his hair tousling also, close enough for your eyes to become captivated from his

well, his one eye

singular

eye

you chuckle slightly, the sound bubbling from the back of your throat until its pouring out without limit. you bend over, still giggling and the force makes you stumble. but its hilarious, does he wink or blink? omg imagine if he seductively winks but it just looks like he’s well, blinking

kaeya is taken back by your giggles but his incredulous stare doesn’t manage to stop the endless wave of laughter that causes tears to form at your eye, and your cheeks to begin to ache. it would hurt his reputation severely if he’d attempt to cheekily wink only to have the receiver no clue on what he was doing

god, you can’t believe you love this stupid boy

your laughter halts almost immediately

 …

love?

you don’t love him

why would you even consider that you liked him? he was a major pain in the ass, always bothering you when you worked, always messing around, always teasing you

right, you had just been so caught up in your laughter that it convinced your mind that the endorphins that had been released was due to kaeya, but it wasn’t. you don’t feel that way about him, you had just found his appearance hilarious

right

kaeya raises another eyebrow at you. “right, are you feeling okay? maybe we should ask jean for you to take a break.” he mumbles the last part as if it was an after thought but you hear it anyways

you turn away from him and begin walking back to your office. you knew he would follow after you and he does, his footsteps echoing your own until he is walking beside you, synced in your movements. “i’m not even that busy, stop exaggerating.” you step is bouncier, your fit of laughter at fault for your raised mood

“maybe not but you’re certainly boring.”

“your idea of fun is literally drinking with dilluc and making jean mad. maybe you shouldn’t be the one telling me if i’m boring?”

“so you’re not gonna deny it?’

“i like to think i take every one of my flaws into my stride. it would be even more embarrassing if someone didn’t know how much they sucked. like say, didn’t know how stupid they looked with an eyepatch?” you stick out your tongue at him and pulled down your eye. “pirate headass.”

he laughs as if you said something funny, but along the way you laugh with him

the sound of your laughs merging together, fuelling each other on, sound like music to your ears, a clearer tune than the only floating around the city, prettier than the twinkle of bells and bird song. it sounded familiar, like home, like watching rain dance on a windowpane, like heating your hands on a warm drink

“good to know your only insult of me is my eyepatch.” he says after your chuckles die

“and how is that a good thing?”

he sneaks a glance at you before looking start forward

“it means i must look practically perfect in your eyes, save for my apparently odd fashion sense. careful, name, or you’ll somehow manage to confess to me without your own knowledge.”

you splutter as he finishes, for some reason feeling defensive. “what the fuck do you mean by that?”

“well, you’re complimenting me, no? every other aspect of me are too good to insult?” the pair of you approach the doors to your office and his face lights up, mind clearly departing his last thought. “ah! we’re here. wait, why are we here again?” despite his words, he steps forward to enter your room, neither stopping to check if he had your permission nor to see if you were going insideyou narrowly miss the door as you unfreeze and dash in after him

he had already made his way to the back corner of the room, observing the shelf you had placed beside your desk. the shelves contained items that you held dear to you, the pair of earrings your aunt had gifted you before her demise, a book that you particularly enjoyed when you were younger, a stick figure of an old cartoon mascot back when you were only a child and so much more. it aided in providing you a relief of stress in your times of need. they were delicate and of upmost importance, items you placed dangerously close to your heart. but for some reason, you didn’t mind that kaeya were looking at them now  

you knew he wouldn’t break them, he wouldn’t be in such a high position of the knights if he was clumsy

instead, your mind travels back in time to what he had said so carelessly before he had entered the room

complimenting him? how absolutely ridiculous. saying his eyepatch made him look uglier was by no means a compliment, not even a twisted one. sure, it may infer that without it he would look much better, but this didn’t mean you would find him attractive without it, what a delusion. and in truth, kaeya treated it as if you were being serious which you weren’t, really. it wasn’t as ugly as you made it sound, you actually thought he suited it quite well.

wait a minute, what were you saying? perhaps kaeya had simply wanted to use reverse psychology on you and twist your very thoughts

well, he almost succeeded, you’ll give him that

“oh? what is this?”

his voice brings you back to reality and you realise with a start that you recognised the thing he was holding in his hand, the source of his question and the reason why the room appeared so much hotter than it had been before

in his hand, he held that stupid pink bunny

his eyes search yours in question, that stupid, stupid sneer on his face once more. it was clear he expected an answer, but you gave him none, instead staring him down with your eyes, feeling hot on your cheeks

“i think i remember this plushy, wasn’t it-“

your limbs move before your mind registers them, arm reaching out and activating your element, anemo, and calling upon the power to have your treasure returned to you

the green appears circling green whisps around the pink fur, growing clearer in appearance every passing millisecond before the entire toy is succumbed with the air

a small explosion follows after the orb, zapping kaeya’s hand, causing him to lose his gentle hold

the bunny falls to the ground, millimetres away from the carpet when you pull it towards you with your anemo  

when it finally enters your grasp, you wrap both arms around the bunny and draw it towards your heart, angling your body defensively, hiding it from his stare. “don’t say a single thing.” you warn him, but you know he wouldn’t ever leave you alone now

his eyes stare down at the palm that had been holding the toy before looking back up at you. “you just… used your anemo on me.”

“i did.”

his shell-shocked expression withdraws on his face, a small smile on his lips that was neither the shit-eating grin that he usually wore nor the stupid sneer. it looked sincere. and like he came to a sudden realisation. like something was confirmed

you open your mouth to say more, deny more perhaps yet you wouldn’t know what would come out of your mouth at that moment for your door bursts open, you and kaeya reacting immediately with your respective elements in hands, you only using one as you continue to hug the stuffed toy. an oddly familiar figure appears at the door, clad in white and with bright blonde hair. after the unknown individual, a small human floats after them. at the sight of the two, kaeya relaxes which prompts you to do so as well. ah, now you realised where you had seen them before, they were the iconic traveller

“what are you doing here?” kaeya asks for you. something in his tone is guarded

the small creature, paimon as you remember, speaks first. “we’ve come to ask for a hint! you said you’d help us solve riddles, remember? for the super cool, super wicked sword?” her small head turns to you as if acknowledging you for the first time. “oh, were we interrupting something?”

you raise an eyebrow. “nice to meet you too, i’m name. how did you find this place?”

paimon shrugs. “a knight told us that if we couldn’t find kaeya, we should check in this room.”

those words made the warm icky feeling in your chest expand. you clear your throat as you sense both kaeya’s and paimon’s eyes on you, the traveller oddly not saying a word and staring off into the distance. as subtly as you could, you place the toy behind your back and down on another shelf, reminding yourself to relocate it once whatever kaeya was planning at had finished

“well, show us the riddle then.” you say, ignoring the fuzzy feeling in your chest when kaeya joins the circle the five of you made, surrounding the item in the traveller’s hand and, you cursed, far too close to your right

your arm grazes one another as you shift closer for a better look

but you swallow the feeling deep down and look up to meet the traveller’s eyes. “well, i have a clue what this could mean.” you say, contrasting all the pacing thoughts in your head, casting aside the want to kick the two intruders from your room, to confront kaeya with the emotions you’ve been feeling around him, to possibly cry at the overwhelming truth of it all, that you did love him

but they became only thoughts, visible only in your mind

this world wasn’t suit for romance, not when there was a dragon terrorising the city, not when the gods were angry, not when you hadn’t confirmed if kaeya feels the same way

so you bury your newfound feelings, smiling gently at the traveller as you share what you knew with them, ignoring the present sensation of kaeya by your side, hoping that by the time you had collected yourself, you would be able to hide these foreign feelings

from his stupid face

[nattspencer]

You finally came

Missy x Reader

Summary: The Reader is trapped and can’t see Missy for a lot of months, until the Time Lady can finally find her beloved.

A/N: English is not my first language, therefore I’m really sorry for any mistakes, let me know about them. Writing this was really fun and I had the opportunity to actually talk and meet who requested it, that was really awesome, you are really awesome, so I really hope you like and that this little thing brightens your day.

Warnings: Mental games, prison, lack of freedom, mention of anxiety and depression.

Word count: 2k

Not my GIF

    The part you miss the most is the sun. Not only the brightness, the warmth, but also the way it paints the sky in orange and pink shades when it dusk and dawn. You miss the sky too, so gorgeously blue, all tones of it, changing slyly throughout the day, so imperceptive to the busy rushy lives below. You remember just laying for hours in the green grass in your childhood just to see the clouds, all different shapes and forms. Not to mention the smells, the fresh air, the leaves, petrichor. It brought you so much peace and you just miss everything.

    It’s just so very dark outside. No moons, no suns, no planets, just the black abism of the universe. It could drive someone mad. Maybe it’s driving you mad, maybe you just can’t see the difference between the telepathic illusions and the reality anymore. Who are you trying to fool? You are mad. Definitely human minds are not made to be frozen in time, or to be tortured by some sadistic maniac, and no, this time you’re not talking about your sadistic maniac, actually, all you desired was to see her face one last time. You’re talking about some other creature, some that you never even saw the face, but it was there, deep on your skull.

    Seems ages ago when it all happened. You and Missy were chased by a platoon of Judoon for months, and no matter what you do, they were always there, every time closer to catch the entire TARDIS with both of you inside. It was on one of these times that they finally got you in their hands. The Time Lady had fried the ship’s dematerialization circuit on the last escape and the spare one was a bit too difectful, she then contacted someone on some market that she didn’t have time to explain quite well to you, but of course, it was a trap. As soon as you got your hands on the piece, you were surrounded by Judoon's troops, all you had time to do was to hit her vortex manipulator, before they blocked it. The very last contact you had with her was though the psychic link she held on you.

    “I’m sorry Missy, I love you.” Seven words. That was all you were allowed to say until they blocked it too.

    There was no escape left, and in a blink of an eye, you were transported to their ship, completely surrendered. Even in such a situation the Time Lady didn’t leave your thoughts, how she could ever live like that, all the chase, all the trouble, there’s no use in both of you getting caught, so you made a decision. She gifted you with all time and space, it’s time for you to give something to her in return. You begged to the rhino creatures to let you serve her sentence, one prison two sentences, quite a good deal to be honest. From far behind  you an ice monotone voice agreed, it seemed to be the contractor, all was set to stone.

    Since then you live between the stone and metal walls, with only a little barred window where you could see the abism of nothing, sometimes you like to just stare at the little distantes spots of stars and try to connect the dots to form images, it was a good way to pass the days. Lights in the ground made the place backlighted and it was almost a bit cozy if it wasn’t all that existed there. You wish your body was working properly, almost all your metabolisms were frozen in time, probably only your brain were still working to keep you conscious, and it took months for you to relearn how to turn off and sleep but still you miss the taste of food. God, what wouldn’t you give for a piece of chocolate.

    As much as sleep makes you forget you’re here and numbs your pain, it also scares you to death. It wasn’t unusual for you to get nightmares, at times it felt that you weren't sleeping at all, the difference between them started to get fuzzy as the days passed by but Missy was present in every single one of them. Sometimes she would just laugh while she breaks all your bones, sometimes she would just spend hours mocking out loud all your flaws, insecurities and talking about how much she contempt you. Sometimes you saw her choking to death, sometimes she killed you, well, this last one stopped occurring these days, maybe they ran out of ideas, there’s a limited amount of ways to kill someone and you think you experienced them all.

    However, sometimes you just pretend she was there, plastic and static like a picture.. You would talk to her about your day, your difficulties, just to see another face around helps, especially that one you loved, although an answer never was expected, it reminded you too much about the nightmares. Sometimes you just imagined her laying with you on the floor of your cell and staring at the roof while you remember all the adventures you had with her, all the time and space, all the creatures, all the running and most of all, all your moments together. Even if you were just a casual sex to her, she was way more to you.

    Another ordinary day passed by, this time the nightmares were harder then the usual and you were afraid of everything. You would be crying if your tears hadn’t dried so long ago, now you were just writing on the wall, it became quite therapeutic thanks to the chalk you held in your pocket, but you only used it when it was really necessary to write your feelings down, too afraid that it could end when you needed the most. Suddenly a noise was heard and a new shadow could be seen by your side. It was happening again. You didn’t dare to look.

    “Y/N?” Missy’s voice called your name and you couldn’t suppress your body from recoling “Y/N!” The sound of her heels getting closer to you was deafening. Your elbows rested on your knees and your hands covered your head turning your body in a tiny little ball of fear. You were ready for the first assault when all it came was a caress stroke on your shoulder, still, you shivered in terror. “Hey baby girl, it’s me, it’s just little old Missy.” a gentile voice spoke.

    “It’s not, you’re not real, she didn’t come for me.” You said in a tiny trembling voice.

    “I did. I was looking for you restlessly, poppet, I finally found you.”

    “You’re just another mind game. What are you gonna do this time? Kill me again? Break all my bones? Tell me how disposable and useless I am? Go ahead, I’m waiting.” You’re getting sick of it, all you suffered wasn’t enough?

    “Oh baby, I’m so sorry about what you’ve been through… it’s all my fault, I shouldn’t let you come with me to that shop. Please look at me.” Her hand danced carefully between your curls. It’s been so long since anyone touched you like that.

    “Please, please go away or ruin me. I can’t take these games anymore. Please don’t give me hope, that’s all I ask.”

    “He’s dead, Vansell is dead, I killed him myself.” Her voice was bitter. “Neither he nor anyone will ever put their hands in a single hair of yours ever again. I promise.” Vansell? You never heard this name before. Finally you glanced at the woman kneeling by your side. “I could feel you know... all your pain, all your misery from our psychic link. I was powerless, completely useless, he blocked all my answers, I couldn’t send anything to you and that killed me. Please Y/N, believe me, I’m here. Truly. We can leave.” She was fully bared before you, no mask, no mocking, that was purely her. Suddenly a smell caught your nose.

    “What smell is it?” You couldn’t contain the question inside your mouth.

    “I-it’s your perfume. It reminded me of you” Her eyes drifted from yours in embarrassment and then it was the first time you allowed yourself to truly look at her. Missy was ruined. Big black bags laid beneath her tired blue eyes, her hair was frizzy and falled roughly from her coiffure, she was almost without any makeup, all seemed to fall out with time. You couldn’t imagine any of that, not the way it is in front of you. 

    “It’s really you?” Your voice was muffled with fear.

    “It’s me, baby girl, we can go home.” The Time Lady’s voice was cotton-candy soft.

    “I’m scared.” You stated frowning.

    “I know you are.”

    “I don’t think I can move. I waited for so long but now I’m just too anxious and terrified to do anything.” It was confusing, your body was confusing.

    “I’ll be by your side. We are going to have very difficult days, but I’ll be there. I got you. I’ll be your safe place, just like you became by when I needed the most.”

    “Y-you don’t have to. Just leave me on the earth, you don’t need a broken pet.” Your heart skipped a beat, you could never be so special to her.

    “The very last thing you said to me was ‘I love you’, let me prove to you that I feel that too. You became way more to be then just a pet, Y/N.”

    “You really came.” There was no doubt, even in your sweetest dream you could imagine that, your self-loathing would never allow you. Finally you let yourself smile, the first one in months.

    “I did. and I’ll always come to you.” Your faces were close, and slowly she leaned over you and met your lips with hers.

    This kiss was definitely different from the others you shared with her. It was slow, delicate, sweet, as if nothing matters to her more then be there with you. Her hands cupped gentilly your face and you could feel her hearts beating fast through her palms. Her tongue danced the most private waltz with yours, showing with every single moviment how much you meant to her. The entire world faded to you, there were no problems, no insecurities, no fears, it was just you and your safe place. Only when you two were complete out of breath your kiss was broken, and she rested her forehead in yours.

    “I can calm you down with a bit of hypnosis and we can go home, how does it sound?”

    “Oh, so you haven’t used it yet.” 

    “No. I would never use it without asking permission. You’re far too important.”

    “Then do it. I want to go home with you.”

    The first nights weren’t easy to go through. You were too afraid to sleep and suddenly realize you’re still on that cell and this wasn’t more than a dream, too afraid to wake up one day and realize that Missy wasn’t there. However, the Time Lady was indeed always there for you, dealing with every single one of your fears, lulling every single one of your nights, helping you with teas and hypnosis whenever it was needed. With time, bit by bit, you were getting back to be yourself again. And then, you asked to see one of the things you missed the most, the sunrise.

    Missy took you to the most marvelous place you ever saw. She was too excited that you wanted to leave the TARDIS and see something that, for her, it needed to be perfect. And it was. Two wonderful suns raised up upon the green valley mountains and warmed your skin, the sky was beautifully painted by orange, red and pink shades like in a masterpiece. The fresh wind blows your hair and fills your lungs with joy. Your favorite Time Lady wrapped her arms between your waist and rested her head on your shoulder standing behind you. Suddenly the realization falled on you, you’re finally free. A great view and your girl, that’s all you could ask for.

    You are free.

[iridescentjin]

Dearly Beloved

Summary: Your friend from high school, Taehyung, helps you out when you need a wedding date.

Genre: SMUT and a little bit of fluff

Warnings: Masturbation, swearing, recreational alcohol use, oral sex (f. receiving), unprotected sex (plz use protection irl), spanking, some biting, dom!Taehyung, brat!reader

a/n: sorry Triv. sorry mom. If digital headstones are a thing by the time I die, please put this gif on mine. I listened to “Earned It” by The Weeknd the whole time I wrote all the nasty stuff.

Word Count: 6473

Your best friend is sweet and kind. She is the most generous person that you’ve ever met, and she can make you laugh harder than anyone on this planet. She has cradled you in her arms as you cried over boys, and, when your dad nearly died of cancer, she was there with you in the hospital every day, coffee in hand, ready to listen or just sit with you.

You take a deep breath through your nose and remind yourself of all of this. You love her more than pretty much anyone on this planet, but in this moment you have never wanted to slap her so much in the whole time you’ve known her.

She has been planning and preparing for her wedding for over a year, and the date is only two weeks away. The extravagance of it isn’t really your style, but she’s one of those people that has been dreaming of her wedding since she was a little girl. She has a vision. 

At this present moment, you are surrounded by small cuts of lumber, empty vases, fake greenery, and tea lights. Your job today is to assemble the centerpieces. You sit in the middle of the room on the floor, surrounded on all sides by your craft supplies. She is standing just outside your ring of accoutrements, crying and yelling. You aren’t totally sure what she’s yelling about. Seating arrangements? Maybe someone canceled? Honestly, at this point it’s unintelligible, so you decide it’s best to just let her carry on.

“And you!” you hear, clear as day.

You look up from your project and see her finger pointing toward wear you sit on the carpet. You look behind you, half expecting someone else to be there; you’ve done nothing but help. You turn back to her and barely raise a finger to point to yourself and raise your eyebrows in bewilderment. You mouth, “me?”

“Yes, you! Who else would it be? God.” You know she’s just stressed, so you take a deep breath and clench your fists around the fake greenery in your hands. “When we first started planning, you said you were gonna have a date, and I’m sorry things didn’t work with Yoongi, I really am, but now the seating arrangement is fucked and the whole entrance of the wedding party is fucked. It’s fucked, y/n. Could you just ask Yoongi to go with you?”

“Just ask Yoongi?” you spit back, “You want me to ask the man who broke my heart? Tore it into a million little pieces, who is, mind you, already going to be at the wedding because he’s friends with your future husband, to be my date? So...what? So I can get my hopes up again when he’s nice to me, because of course he will be, and get my heart smashed again? Oh but your seating arrangement will be good, so I should just suck it up. Right. Sure.”

You’re standing now, having spilled tea lights all over the floor with the sudden movement. You are breathing heavily, fists clenched at your side, tears threatening to burst from your eyes. Things didn’t work out when you had told your workaholic boyfriend, Yoongi, that you wanted to get more serious, maybe move in together and consider marriage. You don’t think he meant to laugh at you, but he did laugh when you brought it up. He said that it was clear the two of you wanted different things, and he ended it with you. You clearly aren’t over him yet, and she knew that.

Your friends face softens for a moment. You can see the reality of what she said smoothing her features.

“Y/n, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean that. I’m just so stressed…” she trails off.

“Look, you want me to get a date? I’ll get a fuckin’ date. But I will not be caught dead on Min Yoongi’s arm.” You turn on your heel and let yourself out of her house, slamming the door behind you.

When all the rage fades, you realize what you’ve said that you’re going to do. You also realize that you left all centerpieces unassembled in the middle of the floor. You call your best friends mom and ask her to go over and finish them.

“I am already on my way over there, sweetie. But did I hear right that you are going to get a date for the wedding? Where?” she asks, genuinely concerned.

You know she isn’t trying to be hurtful but c’mon, I know guys! You think to yourself. I know so many guys. I know...Yoongi for one, and Hobi. Granted Hobi is marrying my best friend in two weeks. I know….oh! Jungkook! Jungkook will totally go with me!

“I know guys!” you respond to her with excitement in your voice. “I actually have to call the guy that I’m asking right now though, so I’ll talk to you later. Thanks again for doing the centerpieces.”

As you hang up, you quickly scroll through the names on your phone until you land on Jeon Jungkook. You tap out the message on your screen quickly and send it away.

You: Hey JK! I was hoping you might be able to accompany me to a wedding in two weeks. It’s out of town, so hotel. All expenses paid. Huh?

You put your phone down feeling optimistic. Jungkook loves to dance, and he’s a fun guy. Not only does he seem like a living human male who will go with you, you actually don’t hate the idea of going together with him. The excitement doesn’t last long.

Jeon Jungkook: y/n! Hey! I wish I could, but I’ll be back home in Busan. I’m so sorry!

You: No prob, buddy. I’ll go with Yoongi 😬

Jeon Jungkook: No! I won’t let you do that! He broke your heart. Let me give you hyung’s number. You remember Tae? From high school? He’s cool, and he’s free (he just asked me to make plans that weekend). Hit him up.

He sends you the contact. Kim Taehyung. You stare at the number for a long time before you type up a text, and you stare at the text for even longer before you send it.

You: Hi Taehyung, this is y/n. JK gave me your number, and he said you might be free in two weeks to be my date to a wedding. Nothing weird or anything! I just can’t go alone, and if I don’t bring a date, my friend is going to make me go with my ex. It’s a long story. Anyway, it is out of town, but your hotel and all your food and stuff would be paid for. Just let me know.

You exhale a deep breath after you hit send. You hope it doesn’t sound too weird or desperate or anything even though you are definitely both weird and desperate. 

Kim Taehyung: sure! I’m always down for an adventure.

You breathe a sigh of relief. Which is short-lived when you realize you don’t know anything about Taehyung anymore. You ran in the same circle in high school, connected by your mutual closeness to Jungkook. You text him back asking him to meet you for coffee, so you can go over the plan. The two of you decide to meet that afternoon, and the anxiety in your chest begins to loosen just a tiny bit. 

….

When you get to the coffee shop, you find a spot by the window in the big squashy chairs. You order yourself a latte and play on your phone, waiting for Taehyung. You hear someone softly clear their throat, and your eyes scan the figure in front you. You don’t mean to give him the up-and-down, you really don’t. But the man standing in front of you is not the same Taehyung you remember. You remember a scrawny boy with too much eyeliner (yikes) trying to act like a man while still dealing with all his teenage emotions.

Before you stands, perhaps, the hottest man you’ve ever seen. He is tall, taller than he was when you last saw him, and he is fuller too. He is no longer gangly and awkward. He has broad shoulders, firm pecs, and toned arms that you can see straining against the fabric of his tight black shirt. His black hair is long and messy, and tendrils hang down into his eyes. He has a smile on his face when your eyes finally meet his.

“Hi, y/n! It’s been so long!” he exclaims as he reaches out and pulls you into a hug.

You are shocked by the sudden touch and hesitate to put your arms around him. Even while he holds you for a moment with your arms at your sides, you feel comforted and safe. He smells like lavender and chamomile mixed with something else - maybe just his own skin.

When he lets you go, he looks a little embarrassed and backs up into his chair across from yours.

The two of you catch up about what you’ve been up to since high school: college, careers, failed relationships. You tell him all about what happened with Yoongi, but you don’t mention that you’re not over it yet. He tells you that his ex-girlfriend cheated in a one night stand with a girl at a club, and he had been pretty broken up about it.

You set your plans for leaving to get to the wedding early together. You have to be there on Thursday night because the bachelorette party was Friday and the wedding was on Sunday. He agrees, and you say goodbye to one another, this time without the hug. 

****

Thursday afternoon you are packing your bags making sure that you have everything when your phone rings. It’s your best friend, so you take a deep breath before you answer it, trying to stay as calm as possible since she is a total mess. “Good morning, my beautiful best friend and soon-to-be bride,” you say in a syrupy tone that she knows is facetious.

“I have bad news,” she huffs and without pausing she continues, “we booked the hotel when you and Yoongi were still together. So we only booked one room for you and Yoongi. So now Yoongi doesn’t have a room, and your date...Tae or whatever...doesn’t have a room either. And I know that I’m being insensitive right now, but you and Yoongi breaking up is the worst thing that has ever happened to me.”

She’s definitely crying and spiraling. “I mean...it wasn’t great for me either,” you attempt to joke, but she just sobs harder.

“Okay, okay. It’s fine. Yoongi will just stay with Hobi until Sunday, then on Sunday, you and Hobi are going to stay together anyway, yeah? So that problem is solved. As for Tae...I’ll talk to him, okay? No big deal,” you console her, unsure what you’re going to say to Tae.

She lets out a long sigh, but her crying seems to be evening out. “You’re right. Okay.” You finish the phone call and send a text to Tae.

You: So...funny story...youandihavetoshareahotelroomnowsorryokaybye

You toss your phone aside and finish packing your bags. As you are loading up the car, Tae pulls up. He looks just as good as he did the other day, wearing a loose t-shirt and gray sweatpants. He’s carrying a single leather duffle bag, and he has a huge smile on his face. He almost looks like he’s laughing.

The drive is only three hours, but it is long enough to be boring. You’re glad that you have company, and you and Tae crank up the radio singing along and laughing. You play car games together, and it is an overall good time.

When you get to the hotel, you are a little unsure of what to do or how to handle sharing a room with Tae. You slide the key in the door to the hotel room and exhale in relief when you see there are two beds in the room. You each take up your side and start to settle in.

When it’s time for you to get changed for bed, you awkwardly shuffle to the bathroom to change. Even though you normally just sleep in your underwear and a t-shirt, you put on a whole pajama get up because you aren’t sure how modest you should be with Tae.

When you come out, he’s scrolling through his phone. He looks up at you and gives you that warm, gentle smile again. How does he look so good just sitting on his bed playing on his phone?

“Hey, uh, so I usually just sleep in my underwear...but I can keep a shirt on if you want,” he says casually to you.

“Oh, uh, I mean, whatever you’re comfortable with. I wouldn’t want you to be uncomfortable on my behalf, seeing how you’re doing me a favor,” you ramble out.

You wish you said no. As soon as it happens, you really wish you’d told him to keep on a shirt and a parka and snow pants and maybe also a ski mask. To say he is hot is the understatement of the century. His toned honey toned skin is smooth across his chest, taut over his muscles. His boxer briefs sit low on his hips, and your eyes follow the curve of his muscles from his stomach down past his waistline. 

You watch the muscles on his back flex as he climbs into bed. You lay your head back on the pillow, staring at the ceiling. What the fuck is happening? you think to yourself. You try to blink the images of his nearly naked body out of your head, but they are there even as you eventually fall asleep.

*********

All day Friday you help set up for the wedding. Tae comes by and helps for a while, and, when it’s time for the bachelorette party, he says he’s going to go find something to do in town. The girls all go out, drink, and celebrate your best friend. 

After the bachelorette party, you are feeling light and drunk and, for the first time in a while, you feel your shoulders relax. You say goodbye to the other girls in the lobby of the hotel and head to your room.

When you get there, there’s only one lamp on, and the room is empty besides your bags. You are painfully aware of the silky material of your dress against your skin, especially without a bra on. You feel so hyper-sensitive with the alcohol coursing through your veins. You skate your fingertips up your arms and across your collarbone. You feel yourself soaking your panties, and your nipples are hard against the silky material.

Your head isn’t totally clear, and you slide the straps of your dress off and let it pool on the floor around your feet. You stand in the middle of the floor in nothing but your panties and your heels for a moment, barely touching your skin on your neck and down your chest and belly.

You lie back on the bed, fuzzy head telling you to take care of it. You lick your fingers and take one of your nipples between your index finger and thumb. You feel your hips buck a little bit, feet, still in your heels, planting on the bed. With the way your feet are planted, your legs are open wide, and, if you weren’t wearing underwear, your pussy would be on full display. You bring your hand down to your panties. You run your fingers along the waistband before passing your hand over your covered folds, barely applying any pressure. You have decided to take it slow. You haven’t been with anyone since Yoongi, and you have been too busy to even consider masturbating. Now, you have the time, and you are soaking through your panties. 

You close your eyes, and you see the way that Tae’s shirt fits across his chest, the way the rolled up sleeves accentuated his biceps, the way that his sweatpants yesterday left nothing to the imagination. You see the way his bare chest is broad and smooth, the way his underwear sit on his hips, bulge prevalent. You imagine the way he smelled when he’d pressed you into his chest. You want to drown in his smell. 

You slide your hand into your underwear, drawing languid circles on your clit, sliding your finger through your arousal and back up to your clit. You feel like you are not in control of what your body is doing and small moans start to slip out of your mouth. You feel “Tae” come off your lips over and over.

“What?” you hear from near the door, but you think it might be coming from outside of the room and can’t process its proximity because the things you are doing are overwhelming you.

A whimper that turns into a yelp followed by “oh my god” comes from within the room, and your eyes snap open. Tae is standing at the end of the bed, eyes wide, mouth open, frozen in place.

You scream and try to get up from the bed quickly, but you are drunk and wearing heels, and you lose your balance. Instead of getting away from him, you stumble toward him. He throws his arms out to catch you, steadying you as your mostly naked body presses against him. And you are mortified, but the scent of him makes your pussy clench. In that instance, you’re a little angry that you didn’t get to finish.

“Are you okay? How drunk are you? I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to...I just...we’re both in here. I didn’t know. That’s my bed, by the way. But that’s neither here nor there. Are you okay?” he rambles, trying not to look at you.

You pull away from him quickly covering your chest as you run over to the other side of the room to grab a t-shirt and sweatpants. You throw the shirt over your head, and, as you try to put on the sweatpants, you realize you’re still wearing the goddamn heels. You throw them off as quickly as you can and pull the sweatpants on. When you look up from your panicked clothing debacle, Taehyung is looking anywhere but at you.

“Tae...I’m sorry. I’m just...I’m-I’m drunk, and I’m horny. I’ll go stay somewhere else.”

“Wait no…” Tae starts, but you are gone before he can even finish. You go to your best friend’s room, and she welcomes you in. When you tell her what happened, she laughs hard, pretty drunk herself. You agree to not talk about it any further.

*********

Besides avoiding Taehyung, the next day and half go by smoothly. You are busy setting up for the wedding. The hairstylist and makeup artist take care of you before the wedding, and your friend’s mom brings your dress and shoes to you. You haven’t had to go back to your room for anything, but you are dreading sitting next to Tae at the reception. The dread is briefly overshadowed by the love and pride that you have for your best friend and Hobi during the ceremony.

The ceremony goes off seamlessly, and you are so happy for your friends that you forget for a little while to be embarrassed. When it’s time for the reception, you realize that you have to enter with Tae for the processional. He meets you by the doors, looking pretty annoyed. He doesn’t say anything to you, and he just offers you his elbow when it’s time for you to enter the banquet hall. You walk in holding his arm, faking a smile, and take your seats at the table, followed by the remaining bridesmaids with their dates.

Throughout dinner, Tae continues to ignore you. You think to yourself if anyone should be avoiding anyone, it’s me avoiding him, but you don’t say anything to him. At one point he gets up to go to the bathroom, and you sit alone, pushing your food around your plate.

“Is this seat taken?” you hear from an all too familiar voice. You force yourself to look up into his eyes, and Yoongi is staring back down at your with a smirk on his face. You don’t have the words to respond, so you just stare at him for a moment.

A deep voice from behind you says, “yeah, actually it is,” and then you feel a hand on your shoulder. Oh, so now he wants to pay attention to me. His hand feels like it’s burning your skin, and you want to lean into it.

“Oh sorry, man. It didn’t seem like you guys were together,” Yoongi says, confused but still confident.

“Yeah, well, we are. Why don’t we go dance, y/n?” Tae hisses through his teeth.

“I’m kind of talking to Yoongi right now,” you say to him.

“Yeah, that’s all good, but I really like this song. So come dance with me,” he insists, pulling your wrist a little.

“Yeah...okay fine,” you mumble as you take your napkin out of your lap. Yoongi is looking at you dumbfounded, and you shrug and follow Tae to the dance floor. He pulls you in and presses his body fully against yours. Is this some kind of weird possessive shit?

“So you’re going to ignore me all night and then get pressed when Yoongi tries to talk to me?” you snap, annoyed.

“First of all, you left me alone in that hotel room for two days, so who’s really ignoring whom? Why can’t you, for once, just be a good girl and do what I say?”

You can’t deny that the expression “good girl” coming from his mouth does something to you, but you are already heated. “Oh, yes sir. I’ll be the goodest girl because you just dragged me over here and are being an ass, so I better be good for you. Fuck off,” you spit at him, rolling your eyes.

“Well, you told me how Yoongi broke your heart. And you weren’t gonna tell him to get lost, so I did you a favor. You should be thanking me,” he spits out.

“What’s your deal, Tae? It’s not like we’re actually dating or anything.”

You swear he growls in his chest a little bit, then he spins you before pulling you back into his body. “Well, maybe I want to be,” he mutters.

Before you have a chance to talk, the MC comes on and asks everyone to clear the floor for all the first dances, father dances, mother dances, second-cousin dances. It goes on for so long that you decide to return to the table, and Taehyung follows you. You sit down, fully prepared to demand an explanation from him when the photographer comes up to your table.

“Can I get a picture of you two?” she asks with a bright smile.

You can’t bring yourself to say no to her cheeriness, so you agree, doing your best to smile for the camera.

“You know what would be really cute?” the photographer starts, and you feel the dread building in your chest, “if you sat in his lap.”

Oh my gods, ugh. You are incredibly annoyed, but you know that this innocent woman doesn’t understand the very weird situation going on. So you, once again, reluctantly agree. You climb into Taehyung’s lap, and the energy immediately feels different. He clears his throat behind you and slides his arms around your waist. While the photographer tries to get a better angle (why is she taking so long!?), Taehyung starts to slide his hand down your thigh.

“I heard you,” he whispers to you, smile still stretched across his face. “I heard you say my name. You can’t act like you don’t want me. I heard you.”

“What are you talking about?” you ask defiantly, knowing exactly what he’s talking about.

“You know what I’m talking about. You said my name. I’ve wanted you since the day I met you. I had such a big crush on you in high school, but you were oblivious. Now, you see me. Now, you want me. I heard you.”

As the photographer walks away, you don’t try to get up. You just shift a little in his lap. With the movement you can feel, very clearly, as if there was hardly any fabric between you at all, the outline of his cock, half-hard against your ass.

“Are...are you not wearing underwear, Tae?” you ask, feeling flustered, face hot.

“I tell you I heard you say my name while you were touching yourself on my bed. And you ask if I’m wearing underwear. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were trying to take advantage of me,” he professes with a smirk.

You look around frantically to make sure no one heard him, but your head snaps back to look at him when you feel his fingers teasing the hem of your dress against your thigh. You can feel the movement causing a rush between your thighs, and you can’t focus on anything except the way his hand feels on your skin.

“Tae…” you whisper, trailing off.

“Say it, y/n. Say you want me.”

“We can’t do this here, Tae. There are so many people here,” you say looking around at all of your friends, who you would be mortified if they found Tae with his hand in your dress.

“If you say that you want me right now, I’ll take you upstairs, and I’ll fuck you like you deserve to be fucked,” he whispers, letting his hot breath run over your ear.

Shit. Shit. Am I doing this? Fuck it.

“Tae, I want you...right now,” you practically moan.

With that, he’s up out of his seat, adjusting his pants. He ushers you out of the hall with his hand on the small of your back. You clamber into the elevator, and, when the door shuts, he is all over you. His mouth is on your ear and your neck, your collarbone and the curve of your shoulder, you chest and the upper swell of your breast. He’s kissing every exposed inch like he’s been poisoned and the only antidote is in your skin.

The elevator door opens on your floor, and the two of your practically run to your room. He slides the key card in and flings the door open. He kicks it closed behind you, and he takes off his tie and begins unbuttoning his shirt. He turns around to look at you, lacing his fingers in the hair on the back of your head down to the nape of your neck. He’s big eyes are peering into yours, searching your face.

“Can I kiss you?” he asks in a deep rasp.

“Tae, you’ve already kissed my whole chest. Yes,” you say back with a bite to your tone. You can’t help but want to contradict him and push his buttons.

He smashes his lips into yours, a deep, hungry kiss. All of his annoyance and frustration seems to come out with his kiss too. He nips your bottom lip and pulls it a bit before letting it going. He goes right back to you, forcing his tongue into your mouth.

“Are you going to be a good girl for me now?” he asks when he pulls away.

“I don’t know,” you tease. “I guess we’ll have to see.”

“How is ‘babygirl?’ Is that okay with you?” he asks looking into your eyes again.

“Babygirl is fine,” you reply, “but I’m not your good girl.”

He growls at you from his chest, scrunching his nose. You feel the tension in your stomach building and you know that your panties are useless at this point they are so soaked. He leans into you, reaching around your back, unzipping your dress. You shimmy it off your body, letting it pool on the floor around your feet, just like you had down two days before.

You runs his fingertips across your skin from your collarbones over your breasts, gently catching your nipples, down your stomach, across the waistband of your underwear. He bends his knees, setting one on the floor, and he keeps tracing his fingers down your thighs, over your knees, and around your ankles. He presses his mouth to your hip and your thigh while he caresses the inside of your legs up to your thigh and back down to your ankle. Then he pulls the strap off both of your ankles from your shoes and pulls them off your feet. Your skin feels like it’s on fire with every touch from Tae’s fingers, and you feel your pussy clench around nothing with every move he makes. 

While still on his knee, Tae looks up at you through his lashes. He asks in a commanding tone, “Babygirl, if you need me to stop you just say red, okay?” And you nod.

“Now, are you going to be good for me while I lick your pussy?”

Your breath catches, and your heart pounds in your chest. “I don’t want to be good,” you sass, voice hoarse already.

His teeth bite down on the skin of the inside of your thigh. “Are you talking back to me, babygirl?”

You are too stunned to come up with anything clever, so you just nod.

He bites down again on your other thigh. “Use your words,” he commands.

You are so wet and so overwhelmed. He is too much for you already. “Yes, I was talking back to you,” you pant out.

He stands up from between your thighs, and you feel remiss that you let your brattiness get in the way of having him licking you. He whispers, “you’re being a bad girl.”

You stick your tongue out at him in response, unable to stop yourself. His hand comes up to your chin and holds your head so you have to look him in the eye. “Look at me,” he demands. “You better start behaving, you little monster.”

For some reason, him calling you a little monster does something to you. You don’t know if you’ve ever been this turned on. “I’ll be good. I’m sorry.”

You lean to kiss him, and he catches your lips in another bruising kiss.

“Lie down on the bed and take your underwear off,” he says as he stands back from you, palming himself through his pants, seeking some relief. 

Once you’re in position, he pushes your legs up, so your knees are bent. You are in the same position that you were just two days ago when he walked in on you. He whispers so pretty, then kisses gently on your clit and down your folds. He barely slides his tongue into your pussy, then drags it all the way up you, collecting your arousal on his tongue.

“So wet for me, babygirl.”

He takes his tongue and draws slow, steady circles on your clit while he brings his hand to your entrance and slides too fingers in. He immediately pushes them all the way in without letting you adjust, then he curls them upward. His lips wrap around your clit, and he sucks.

You groan beneath him. He feels like he knows exactly what your body wants and needs. He is intuitive to your body, and your head is swimming. Your skin is burning, and your hips start to buck, even as he uses one hand to try to still you.

“Tae, I’m going to cum,” you gasp.

“No, you aren’t,” he says against your clit, “you’ll cum when I tell you to cum. And do you know why?”

You shake your head, back arching up off the mattress.

“This pussy is mine. Your orgasms belong to me, understood?”

“Yes,” you whine, “please, Tae…”

“Say it,” he commands for the second time tonight.

You moan as he continues his unforgiving ministrations with his fingers and his tongue. “Fine. This pussy is yours. My orgasms belong to you.”

“Good girl,” he whispers and pulls his fingers out of you and pulls his mouth away.

“No, no,” you whine at the lost of contact

“You better start being good, babygirl. You better start showing me that you deserve to cum.”

You really don’t mean to say it, but your bratty side comes out again. You look him in the eye and defiantly say, “Make me,” crossing your arms over your chest.

He leans over your body and picks you up, flipping you over easily. He commands you to get on your hands and knees.

“I’m going to punish you, babygirl. Do you remember the word to say if it’s too much?”

“I remember, yes.” You crawl onto your hands and knees and push your ass toward him, taunting him. You have your legs spread, and with the way you have put your head down on the mattress, your pussy is on full display for him. He can see how slick you are for him and because of him. You can feel how swollen your clit is, and all you want is for him to touch you again. Instead, he brings his hand down with a smack on your ass. You hiss from the sting, but you feel yourself growing wetter somehow. You moan and push your ass further back toward him. He lands four more spanks on the same cheek, and it stings as he rubs his hand over the spot. He presses his lips to the tender spot, and then he presses his lips against your wet pussy before pulling away. 

You try to bite back the whine that is trying to escape your chest. You turn to look at Tae over your shoulder, and you should have just kept looking forward. His pupils are huge, and his hair looks like he’s been running his hand through it. His lips are swollen, and his cheeks are pink. You let out a moan at the sight of him. Desperate to cum.

“Please, Tae. Please let me cum,” you beg, feeling like you might cry.

“Turn around, baby girl,” he says a little more gently than his last commands.

You turn around, and he steps up right in front of you as you sit on the end of the bed. He puts his fingers on your chin again and angles your head up to him. He presses a gentle kiss to your mouth, and then he grabs your hands and brings them to his belt. You can see the outline of his cock through his tight black pants. You have never wanted a cock more in your life than you want his right now.

You unbutton his pants, and the flesh of his dick is right inside the zipper. So he wasn’t wearing underwear. You push his pants down, and he steps the rest of the way out of them. He takes his cock in his hand and strokes it. You look up into his eyes to wait for him to tell you what to do.

“Lie down, babygirl,” he says, and you immediately obey.

His eyes flash with realization for a moment. “I don’t have a condom,” he says in panic, his breathing quickening.

“It’s fine. Are you clean? I’m fine. Birth control. Just fuck me raw,” you can’t think and words are tumbling past your lips.

“I am clean. You’re on birth control? You’re clean?” he asks, slightly more coherent than you are.

“Yes to both. Fuck me raw, Tae, please,” you beg. You feel desperate and crazy.

He pulls your hips to the end of the bed, still standing in front of you. He drags his cock through your arousal, getting his dick slick before he presses against your entrance. He pushes slowly into you, and you feel every millimeter of him exploring every millimeter of you. You let out a loud guttural moan as he continues to push all the way in. He brings his thumb to your clit and pushes messy circles there, and you clench around his dick.

“Fuck, babygirl, you can’t do that. I’m not gonna last long anyway,” he says as he draws himself slowly back out of you and pushes back in slowly.

“Tae…” you pant.

“I know, babygirl. You have to hold on though. Remember your orgasm is mine.”

He starts to thrust in and out of you more urgently. He’s panting, hair falling into his eyes. His breath is ragged as he continues to rub unforgiving circles on your clit. He pushes his hair back with his one free hand, and his tongue darts out to lick the corner of your mouth. You feel yourself careening toward the edge, and you don’t want to disappoint Tae but also can’t stop it. You pant out his name again.

“Cum for me baby girl,” he whispers as he bites your ear lobe, thrusts becoming erratic. You tumble over the edge, warmth filling your stomach as your pussy clenches around him, and your mind goes black as your eyes pinch shut and all of your muscles contract. You let out a low, loud moan, and Tae is crashing like a wave too. He cums hard and moans a long moan, filling you with cum and continuing to fuck it up into you. His hips only stop when you have regained your senses enough to open your eyes.

After he pulls out of you, he disappears for a second. He returns with a warm washcloth. He sets to work cleaning you and then himself. He takes the towel back to the bathroom, and then climbs into bed next to you. “What can I do to take care of you, babygirl?” he asks, pressing a kiss to your cheek.

“I want to cuddle you, and maybe watch The Grinch,” you respond in a sleepy voice.

He gets you both under the covers, then pulls your body close to his. “I’ll try to find it, but we might have to watch something else,” he explains as he grabs the remote and flicks on the TV.

“Hey Tae?” you say after you settle on watching HGTV.

He hums in response and pulls his eyes from the screen to look at you. “Can we like...go on a date soon?” you ask, suddenly nervous even though you’re both naked, cuddled in a post sex cocoon.

“I want nothing more than that...and we probably should since your pussy is already mine anyway,” he smiles a huge smile and presses kisses to your temple, cheek, and jawline. You snuggle back in and eventually fall asleep wrapped in one another.

[language-of-love]

18 because i am very much missing drinking a beer on the patio of my favorite place

agree to disagree... (mild E, Summer Soft prompt series)

David and Patrick get a little carried away after a long day and a few drinks with friends.

....

The condensation on his bottle has loosened the label enough for his fingernail to finally snag it free from the glass and he begins to slowly scratch at it, his focus hazy from the alcohol, the long day and the freckle hidden beneath the sweater where his thumb is moving back and forth across David’s shoulder. It’s his favorite freckle. And as much as he loves the company of their friends, he wishes they were at home, where he could give that freckle the attention it deserves. He’d trace it with his tongue and kiss the skin around it until David laughs and begs him to stop, which he won’t, because it’s his favorite freckle.

It’s been a long day. Too slow for most of the day and then slammed until closing, leading to a bit of bickering about whether to restock tonight or in the morning. David had eventually relented and they’d spent the half hour needed to set things right, but he’d huffed and puffed about it, leaving Patrick, well, equally annoyed and turned on and eager to get his husband alone.

But they love their Friday night hangs with Stevie and Twyla, with an occasional drop in from Ray or a random other friend or two. They’d all just started converging outside the Cafe earlier in the summer, Patrick and David always arriving first, with Stevie wandering in whenever and Twyla dropping into a chair with mozzarella sticks and fries as soon as she switched the sign on the door to closed. One of them would always volunteer to replenish drinks so Twyla could get off her feet and by the end of the night, they’d all be happily tipsy with greasy fingers and aching bellies from laughing too hard, usually at David. 

Tonight is no different and Patrick’s gaze shifts from his beer bottle to David, unsurprised to see three fries trapped between his fingers in the hand he’s currently gesticulating wildly with as he tells the story of Roland thinking their bath salts were rock candy and the chaos that had ensued. 

“That man is a menace to society,” Stevie grumbles under her breath. She’s wearing her hair in a ponytail again, which Patrick thinks looks really great on her, but he’ll never say as much. He’s just really happy to see her thriving and he won’t risk an unwelcome compliment derailing that. 

“And Jocelyn is either a saint or a masochist, I’m not sure which,” he agrees before draining the last of his beer.

“She has to be a little of both,” David mutters through his mouthful of fries.

Patrick’s attention shifts back to David again and his eyes fall to his lips, pink from his wine and greasy from the fries and his ability to focus on anything else ceases to exist. His neck, already dewy from the humid evening, grows even hotter beneath his collar as he thinks about how badly he wants to lean in and taste…

David’s head turns and their eyes meet and even though no words are spoken, relief washes over Patrick as shared wants and intentions are communicated loud and clear. 

“Patrick’s getting drunk, so we’re gonna head home.”

His reflex is to argue that he’s only had three beers and is nowhere near drunk, but he keeps his mouth shut at David’s excuse and just shakes his head, smiling at Twyla and Stevie who are looking at both of them with way too knowing smiles.

“Leave your mess, it’s my turn to clear,” Stevie says as she pushes her chair back and stands up, waving off Twyla’s protest as she grabs the necks of empty bottles and snatches David’s wine from his hand to drain the glass herself.

“Menace,” David teases.

“Saint,” Stevie responds, giving Patrick a quick nod before disappearing into the Cafe.

Patrick’s on his feet now, reflexively reaching out for David’s waist as he goes to stand next to him by his chair.

“See you boys in the am,” Twyla says through a yawn and Patrick just smiles and blows her a kiss. She wrinkles her nose and gives them a little wave and Patrick leans into David’s side as he turns to lead them up the street towards their house. It’s a little too warm to be pressed this close and Patrick immediately begins to feel a bit flushed, but he’s been needing contact for hours and he’s too greedy to let go. 

“Think that was too obvious?”

“Don’t care,” Patrick replies, his voice a bit crackly from the need clawing up his throat.

They’ve only made it two blocks when he feels David’s hand at the small of his back begin to tug the fabric of his shirt free from his pants and it’s half a block later when Patrick’s control slips and he’s dragging David down a side street so he can press him up against the chipped brick wall of the Post Office and finally get a taste of his mouth. He gasps against David’s lips as ringed fingers slide up the inside the back of his shirt, grabbing at his sweaty skin and dragging him somehow closer. 

“Too hot,” he mumbles against David’s mouth, referring both to the rapidly rising temperature of their bodies and David himself, but he’s too busy kissing him again to elaborate. He tastes even better than Patrick had imagined and he welcomes his tongue, sucking gently on it until he hears tiny whimpers escape David’s throat. Releasing it, they both take a few heaving breaths and make an attempt at centering themselves. It’s late and the town around them is quiet and deserted and there’s a stirring part of him that wonders if he’s as adventurous as the moment wants him to be. Taking stock of his body, his hands are already wandering and David’s breath is hot against his mouth and...

“Come on,” David whispers, so softly that Patrick barely hears it through the sound of his heart pounding between his ears, but he feels the tug at his elbow and lets David lead him further around the building until a dark, more private spot is found. The brick is surprisingly cool as he leans back against it, but he doesn’t really have time to register more than that before David’s mouth is like fire licking at his neck and his hands are working efficiently to unbuckle his belt.

“Oh fuck,” he somehow manages to breath out, gasping into the humid night as David unzips his jeans and takes a firm grip of his cock over his boxers. He knows from that first touch that this is going to be quick, and dirty, and he’s sure David can feel him swelling at the excitement of the thought of it. 

His eyes had fallen shut with pleasure, but he can feel David’s gaze on him, so he meets it, working hard to stay focused on the heat he sees there as David’s hand slides over his sensitive skin, quickly driving him to the brink of insanity. 

“I really annoyed you tonight, huh?” David goads, kissing Patrick before he can respond, which Patrick is thankful for. Words aren’t his friends right now, at least no coherent ones. David’s kiss is languid, almost teasing, a stark contrast to the urgency of his fingers, making Patrick feel a bit off balance and out of control. But David knows what he’s doing. 

He really knows. 

Patrick’s sweating through his shirt and his thighs feel clammy in his jeans, but god, he’s in heaven, close to it anyway, closer than he’s prepared to be. He wants this to last, but needs the release just as badly. Pulling back from David’s mouth, he manages to half mumble and half moan that he’s close, which earns him a few slower strokes as his husband lowers himself to his knees. There’s a bit of a grumble from David about his pants and the grass, causing a laugh to breach Patrick’s haze of pleasure. 

His love for this man goes to his very core. 

At the first touch of David’s tongue, Patrick loses any semblance of reality, caring not at all about their whereabouts, only on David and his mouth and the press of his fingers at the back of his thigh and the button of his jeans pressing into his hip where it’s trapped against David’s palm. He comes on a groan with his fingers fisted in David’s hair and his other hand pressed flat against the bricks in a feeble attempt at keeping himself steady. 

Thankfully, David’s back on his feet and leaning against him almost immediately, saving his buckling knees from sending him to the grass. David’s hand is soft as it cradles his face, his eyes warm as he smiles in amusement at Patrick’s near collapse.

“Proud of yourself, I see,” Patrick jokes as soon as he’s caught his breath.

“I got my husband to have sex in public, so yeah, I’m taking a bow.”

“We’ve had sex in public before.”

“In a car is not in public, Patrick, we’ve discussed this.”

Finally feeling steady on his feet, Patrick shifts his weight to the small of his back so he can free his hand from the wall and place his palms on David’s chest. 

“Agree,” he whispers as he slides his hands down the front of David’s sweater between them towards his waist, “to disagree.”

David’s hips sway towards him as Patrick’s hands find the waistband of his drawstring pants, the crisp hair on his belly tickling his knuckles as he slides his fingers beneath the fabric. Patrick is still learning the nuances of David’s wardrobe, but the easy access of his favorite style of pants is definitely something he’s come to appreciate. 

Tipping his chin up, he smiles against David’s mouth as he snakes his hand into David’s briefs, nipping at his bottom lip as he grazes the tips of his fingers over his half-hard cock. David whimpers and Patrick touches him more purposefully, taking advantage of his mouth dropping open to slide his tongue inside, kissing him deep, tasting himself as he takes back control. 

“Okay, I agree,” David pants as he pulls his mouth free, collapsing his body further into Patrick as he braces his forearms on the brick on either side of Patrick’s head. It brings David’s mouth right up against his lips, breath heaving as his hips rock into Patrick’s touch.

“You know I like it better when you stand your ground,” he whispers, nudging David’s nose as he gives him a less than gentle squeeze.

“Fine, fuck it, I take it back, Patrick…” His breathing has gone shallow and his bottom lip is trapped between his teeth and Patrick knows he must be close and quick decisions have to be made. 

“Lean back,” he orders, and David does, moving his weight to his hands so Patrick has room to free him from his pants and move his sweater out of the way of the inevitable mess. David’s coming into his hand after a few more quick pulls, his forehead dropping to Patrick’s as he tries to catch his breath as Patrick works him through the aftershocks. He loves stroking David until he feels him begin to soften, drawing small moans from the back of his throat in pleasure and protest. Patrick finds his mouth for a lingering kiss as he wipes his hand on the wall, wishing he’d had the time and agility to finish David with his mouth. But, he knows David has his hand sanitizer in his pocket and he knows he’ll hear him complain all the way home and he knows they’ll both be worked up again by the time they get there to do things right in the privacy of their bedroom.

He loves how he knows David so well and how well David knows him. It’s become his absolute favorite thing about being married, an unexpected understanding of all of the complexities and imperfections of another person. He loves finding new avenues to love David the more that is revealed. And this, having messy, public sex after a frustrating day, he’ll learn something from this, too. 

“My hand sanitizer is in…”

“Your pocket, I know.” 

He’ll get it in a second. Right now, he just wants to kiss his husband a little more. Smiling up at him he waits the few beats it takes for David to catch on, which he does, and they meet each other halfway. 

[365days365movies]

March 7, 2021: Onward (2020) (Part One)

Finding Nemo.

That’s my favorite Pixar film. Real talk, no arguments, and today’s movie? NOT dethroning it. This movie is so hard-wired into my brain, that the second I typed the words of the title, the theme song ran through my head, where it lives rent-free. It will be a cold day when I don’t find an excuse to shout “NEMOOOO!!!! I HAVE TO FIND MY SON!!” at any opportune moment. I will never stop swimming. Whenever I catch a Chinchou or Lanturn in a Pokémon game, I name it “Goodfeeling’sgone”.

SHARK BAIT OOH HA HA

YOU DO NOT UNDERSTAND THE DEPTHS OF MY LOVE FOR THIS MOVIE.

...Ahem. So, yeah, I love FInding Nemo. For the record, the sequel ain’t bad. And also for the record, there’s only one Pixar movie that I consider to be bad, and it’s the one you’d think. You know, the one about ageism. The one where somebody dies by torture? The bad spy movie?

...the second one about cars?

Which means, YES. I DON’T THINK The Good Dinosaur IS THAT BAD! Not exactly good, but its gorgeous, and just kinda boring, not outright terrible. That Styracosaurus, though...that dude is great.

Anyway, off of Pixar for a sec, huh? What about fantasy? I’m a big tabletop RPG nerd, and I’m currently the GM for a Pathfinder campaign, a Pokémon RPG, and a Mutants and Masterminds game, while also playing in a Pathfinder game as well. Yeah, I’m a busy dewd. But what I’m saying is, this movie should be preaching to the choir for me. I’m a Pixar lover who plays RPGs. I’m ready for this. I’m ready for CGI Bright. Which is another way of saying, I’m ready for a version of Bright that doesn’t suck.

So, why haven’t I seen it until now? I mean...COVID-19. This film got FUCKED. But, no matter! It’s on Disney Plus, I’ve got Disney Plus, so let’s get this baby STARTED! Let’s get updated on some Pixar! SPOILERS AHEAD!!!

Recap (1/2)

OK, immediately digging the soundtrack over the Disney logo as we jump in here! Very ethereal, very fantasy, very LotR, I LIKE it, I LIKE it! And then...long ago, the world was full of wonder!

We get a view of the world of olde, with magic and many mystical, mythical creatures living together and adventuring. However, as magic wasn’t the easiest thing in the world to use, it eventually gave way to technology, fading away in a world now very similar to ours.

Basically, it’s about the same as our world, except for a few different races, and the fact that dragons are basically dogs, and unicorns are basically raccoons, which is fuckin’ fantastic.

We enter the home of teenage elf Ian Lightfoot (Tom Holland) and introverted now-16-year-old who lives with his mother, Laurel (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) and his older brother Barley (Chris Pratt). Barley’s a tabletop RPG nerd who’s also a fan of the magical past. Said obsessions cause a strain on his relationship with Ian, and with that of his mother’s boyfriend, centaur policeman Colt Bronco (Mel Rodriguez).

After a discussion about Barley’s recent attempt to protect an old magical monument from destruction, he accidentally damages the sweatshirt that Ian is wearing, which was owned by their late father, Wilder. Ian rushes out, flustered, despite Barley’s attempts to bond with him. Well, looks like we have a sense of the plot for this one.

On his way to school, Barley stops to get some food when he meets Gaxton (Wilmer Valderrama), an old college friend of his father’s. From Gaxton, he learns things about his father that he never knew, like that he was bold and standout. From there, Barely pledges to try and be more self-confident, like his father.

Whiiiiiiich, doesn’t exactly work once he gets to school. He fails to stand-up to a jerky guy at school, he fails in his driving class, and he fails to ask other high school kids to his birthday party. But to be fair, Barley helps a bit with that last one when he shows up with Guinevere, his busted-ass van with a unicorn painted on the side. Which is supposed to be uncool...but I kinda dig it, not gonna lie.

After that, Ian completely flubs the invitation bit, confusing the people he was talking to, and disappointing himself in the process. He gets a ride home with Barley, and goes home to talk to a tape recording of his dad. Which is...beautifully sad, and somehow very easy to identify with. So, yeah, it’s gonna be that kind of Pixar movie.

Ian talks to his mom about his father at his age, asking if he was ever unsure. She says yes, but couples this with a surprise: a gift from his late father, who died of a terminal illness shortly after Ian’s birth. The gift is for both Ian and Barley, and was meant to be opened when they were both over 16.

She gets it from the attic, and they unwrap it, where it’s revealed to be a wizard’s staff. Which is weird, because Wilder was an accountant. In a pocket of the wrapping cloth, there’s a letter written by Wilder with the narration from the beginning of the film (that “Long ago” bit).

Also included is a spell, written by Wilder so that he could see who his sons grew up to be. This “Visitation Spell” would appear to be a way to bring Wilder back for 24 hours. Barley, being the magic-lover that he is, tries multiple times to cast the spell with the staff, but fails to do so, much to his and Ian’s great disappointment.

However, when Ian tries to read the spell out of curiosity later, the staff begins to react, and the spell begins to work. Barley comes in as this is happening, and the spell works...halfway. It starts to fail, and Barley offers to help, but Ian pulls the staff away, and the spell stops as the Phoenix crystal inside it shatters.

Looks like another bust, but it’s not a complete failure. And if you’ve seen literally any trailer for this movie, you know what happens.

Although it’s just his legs and feet, it’s still Wilden Lightfoot (Kyle Bornheimer...technically). The boys decide to try and complete the spell, but need another Phoenix Gem to do so. According to Barley’s “historically accurate” TTRPG, Quests of Lore, they will be able to find one by accepting a quest from the place where all quests start: the Manticore’s Tavern. And so, the quest begins!

The brothers and their half-dad board Guinevere and drive to the Manticore’s Tavern. On the way, Barley convinces Ian to practice some spells from the games rulebook, but they don’t work because Ian’s not invoking his passion (or his “heart’s fire”, as Barley calls it). Meanwhile, Laurel figures out where they’re headed, but doesn’t know exactly why...yet.

After the journey, they make it to the Manticore’s Tavern, which is now essentially a themed Chuck E. Cheese’s restaurant, owned and managed by Corey (Octavia Spencer), a very overworked manticore. Which is pretty great, not gonna lie.

They try to get the actual map to the Phoenix’s Gem from her in order to conjure their Dad, but she no longer sends adventurers on dangerous quests, mostly because she doesn’t want to get sued by any injured adventurers. When Ian argues with her about this, she IMMEDIATELY DIVES INTO AN EXISTENTIAL CRISIS/MID LIFE CRISIS!

It’s, uh...it’s kind of amazing. Having completely lost it at this point, she basically tears down the entire building with her bare hands and fire-breath. Unfortunately, the map to the Phoenix Gem is burnt in the process of Corey’s literal meltdown. However, as Wilden’s about to be crushed by a couple of falling beams, Ian taps into his heart’s fire.

Nice. They get out of there, and head out for the Gem, using a child’s placemat replica of the real map to make their way to a place called Raven’s Point. However, rather than just follow the goddamn map, Barley decides to go on much more dangerous road known as the “Path of Peril”, once again following the “call of adventure” and his gut.

Which...yeah, Barley’s not really considering the reality of this whole situation, which fits his personality. He’s a dreamer, despite the rational and reasonable solution in front of him. And, in case you weren’t sure, I’m pretty sure that isn’t a good thing.

Ian points out the correct point that what actually matters is that they send enough time with their father, and they do indeed take the straightforward path. Good! Barley listened to Ian’s suggestion after all. However, they hit another snag when the car breaks down, completely out of gas. Problem.

Meanwhile, Laurel makes her way to the Manticore’s place, only to find it on fire! She meets Corey, who tells her that she’s met her boys, and told them about everything...except the curse. Also, there’s a curse. Laurel, who is the best movie Mom ever, tricks a policeman interviewing Corey to diverting his attention away from her, and smuggles her into her car to help find (and maybe rescue) her sons. 

Stuck off the freeway without gas, a desperate Ian asks Barley if there are any spells that can get them more gas. They concoct a plan involving a shrinking and growing spell, but that immediately goes wrong as Barley tries to instruct Ian, only frustrating him further, and causing him to fumble the spell and hit Barley with it, making him tiny. 

They decide to head to a gas station, where a group of pixie bikers has just arrived. This backfires when Barley, lacking basically any common sense, ends up insulting the biker leader, Dewdrop (Grey Griffin) and her ancestors. Nice one, Barley. As they escape from the pissed off pixies, the tiny Barley is unable to drive, forcing the driver’s anxiety-riddled Ian to drive, overcoming his fears from earlier by force, being chased by the pixies all the way. It’s a pretty good sequence, to be honest.

Well, they escape the Pixies...but not the cops. And I think that’ll be a good place to pick up in the next part! See you there!

[mavmax]

Birthday Adventures | Maverick & Sooyun

When: March 9th, 2021

Where: Soo’s Apartment; Santa Monica Pier

Warnings: none.

Featuring: @sooyunjeong

Mav had heard through the grapevine about Sooyun's birthday and hatched a plan to make her birthday something fun and memorable rather than just going in for sex. So, he texted her, letting her know that he was on his way and to get ready. He knew that there was a risk of them being seen in public, so he went to the store to pick up a mask that was identical to his, so they could roam around town undetected. Plus, he had a pretty cute birthday gift up his sleeve that he knew she'd enjoy.

Sooyun: 

Sooyun dreaded her birthday, to her it felt like another day, but often her parents would send her flowers and what not to celebrate. What she wasn’t expecting was a text from Maverick suggesting they go out, with the fact he was well known and she was getting up there, she knew it was dangerous yet she found herself dressing not her usual fashion sense.

When Maverick arrived to her door, he had a bag in hand and a mask that was identical to his, but he couldn’t help but smile at her outfit. “Damn look at you, birthday girl,” he teased as he handed her mask. “This will keep you from being recognized, by the way. As for the present...you could open after.”

Sooyun:

Sooyun chuckled, rolling her eyes playfully, "yeah yeah...and thanks, looks like you would choose a mask to be matching with yours," she teased as she slipped it over her face and adjusted the baseball camp, "How did you even find out about my birthday anyways, not many people know it."

“Ahhh look at you grinning,” Maverick teased lightly. “Hey, it’s a good mask! It’s breathable and it’s comfortable around the ears. Plus you like black so of course I had to,” He winked. “I found out from a little birdie about your birthday and also know you don’t like celebrating. So, we’re just gonna go out and kick it instead.”

Sooyun: 

“You’re a little too happy, tone it down a tiny bit, it’s just another day,” Sooyun waved off Maverick and lightly pushed him out the door as she shut it behind her and locking it shut. “Okay...where are we going and how much will I dislike it at first?” She asked jokingly as she followed after him.

"It's just another day but it's a great day to wild out, you know what I mean?" Mav laughed as he was pushed out the door. "Oh, you're definitely gonna hate where we're going then, but, since it's a weekday, it won't be so packed either. Y'know, the good ol' Pier. Carnival rides, corn dogs, the whole enchilada," He began to say in the most haughty voice before his character cracked with laughter

Sooyun: 

she let out a groan at him and rolled her eyes, “such a cliche moment, but I’ll let it slide since you seem more excited about it.” Sooyun hasn’t been to the pier willingly in forever, mostly because it was always busy with tourist and people being loud.

"Cliché would've been taking you out to some fancy restaurant and putting sparklers in a chocolate lava cake," Maverick pointed out, with a knowing look before chuckling. "I promise, it's just a day to kick back, relax, be free for once, you know?"

Sooyun: 

"Not the sparklers in chocolate lava," sooyun dramatically stated, she knew that Mav probably put a lot of thought into this just to make her feel comfortable over it. Sooyun smiled lightly and laughed, "fine...I'll take your word for it."

"Literally the fuckin' worst," Mav swooned just as dramatically for a moment before bursting into laughter. "Cool, now, let's get that disguise on and we can tear up the Pier. It'll be a good time, I promise," He reassured her with a smile. It was his way of saying thank you for being there, but also for existing. Sure, he probably wouldn't admit the other part out loud, but, he was really appreciative of Sooyun.

Sooyun: 

"Fine fine..." Soo-yun slipped the mask over her face and made sure it was settled comfortable against her face and adjusting the cap on her head as well. Nodding her head as she sweep her side braid over her should and walked ahead. "Let's get this over with...eat tons of junk food and get sick from the rides."

Mav could feel the excited smile growing on his face as Soo adjusted the mask and her cap but the moment she started walking ahead was when he quickly snapped back to reality and followed her. "Sounds like a typical Tuesday night to me, am I right?" He teased as he caught up with her and purposely held his hand out to her. "Do you trust me?"

Sooyun: 

Sooyun raised her eyes from his hands towards his face, tilting her head to the side and automatically reached out to place her hand into his, "Is that a serious question?" She asked in a joking manner before nodding her head, "At this point, in a weird way, yes I do."

With a big smile, that showed more in his eyes, Maverick said, "Yes, yes it is." Linking their hands together, he swung their hands down the hall as they made their way out and he looked around carefully. "I'm glad you do. Cause, I'm gonna have to ask you to run," He said, looking over at Soo with the most mischievous look.

Sooyun: 

Sooyun eyes widen at his request, “you want to...run ?” She questioned and realized that he was asking her to do the one thing she disliked and that was cardio. “Why are we running for anyways?”

"Listen there are about 20 reasons why I'm asking you this, but," Mav looked around and then said, "If you don't want to I can just piggyback you. But...again, you gotta trust me on this and I'll tell you when we get there."

Sooyun: 

“fine, let’s go. Should be glad I wore good running shoes.” Sooyun tighten her hand around his and nudged him forward to run which she followed right behind him. She wasn’t sure what he had planned but she knew that with him it was always something out of what she never expected.

“If you wore heels I would’ve just carried you,” Maverick chuckled before he took off running with Soo right beside him. As he sprinted towards the bus that was about to pull away until Mav flagged it down as he waved his hand and luckily, the bus guy was cool. “I knew the bus to The Pier was gonna run ahead of schedule, but I didn’t want to take away from the randomness of it,” he admitted and then motioned for Soo to hop on. “After you, miss.”

Sooyun: 

Sooyun raised her eyebrows and laughed lightly as she hopped onto the bus, she couldn’t recall the last time she took the bus, usually she took a cab or Lyft to get to places which in a way always took a good chunk out of her wallet. “City bus Hmm? Very smart thinking,” she laughed and nodded her head at the driver as she walked further inside, looking for empty spots. “Ooh over here,” she started walking towards the area that was empty for the both of them in the back and sat by the window.

Mav knew the bus driver, and even under his disguise, the man still recognized the mischievous eyes as they both exchanged an acknowledging nod. He told Mr. Greg, as he called him, about the surprise date he wanted to take Soo on for her birthday and offered to take them rather than Mav call a fancy town car or any ride sharing service. “Yeah, I feel like a cab ride or something takes away the feel from it you know? Just bask in the city’s ambience,” He grinned. As he made his way in, he followed Soo to where she pointed and slid in next to her. “So, crazy question: what are you looking forward to this year?”

Sooyun: 

she thought over his question, what exactly was she looking forward to this year, she wasn’t the type to plan anything due to it never working out or the fear of getting hurt. “I really can’t say I have anything I can think of if I’m being honest.” Sooyun pondered on the thought and turned her gaze to look at him, “do you have anything to look forward?”

Mav tilted his head slightly at Sooyun’s response. He didn’t want to pry too much on the why or if she had anything else, there was probably a reason behind it. “Well, my birthday’s in a few weeks,” He chuckled lightly. “I’d hope my 22nd year’s got less ass kicking. That and seeing my cousins in Daegu.”

Sooyun: 

Sooyun giggled, "well...guess I better work on my own surprise for your birthday." She shrugged, who would have thought they would end up like this...not her, definitely thought things would have died out after getting her taste of him, but it was as if the thirst grew more each time they seen each other. "I bet your cousins are excited to see you.”

"Oh shit, watch out, Soo's coming in with the heat," Mav teased the brunette with a smile. He would've never thought things would blossom more between them. He figured, it was just the ache of the chase...but each time, he felt himself being more attracted to her each time...and he liked it. "Yeah, we talk every weekend and I visit them every spring. They're my tether to where I come from, you know?"

Sooyun: 

Nodding her head, "Yeah I understand and I mean, you gotta do what you gotta do," Sooyun understood that maybe Maverick had a hard time getting in touch with his korean side, she was happy that her parents showed that to her and even taught her the language, she also knew that sometimes her parents did long to visit their family in south korea. "When is your birthday by the way."

“Yeah, I mean hey at least I speak Korean fluently, so that’s the upside you know?” Mav chuckled at the thought, but it did hit home for him. Here was Sooyun, who learned from her parents, who grew up more with her culture. In a way, he learned in his own way too, and sure he’s still westernized in someways, but in other ways, he was able to connect with those from his own culture which made him pretty damn stoked. “April 7th. It lands on a Wednesday which, lucky for me I’ve got one class...and I’m definitely not going to it,” he admitted with a laugh.

Sooyun: 

Sooyun raised her eyebrows, not that far from her own birthday, "wow...our birthdays are close, interesting. Guess I have to get you a present as well." She commented, she wasn't great at accepting presents but giving them out was her favorite thing. "Are you even doing well enough to skip class?" She teased, she wondered if she should go back to college but she wasn't even certain for what, she currently had a steady gig and the fact her agent was working out projects for her band to climb the records.

“I told you only a few weeks apart,” Maverick chuckled. “I meeean you don’t have to, but the fact you’re mulling it over, I appreciate—even though it’s your day today,” He playfully nudged her with a smirk. At her comment about his classes he laughed shaking his head. “I’m obnoxiously ahead in class because of March madness. We’ve gotten our work in advance and I try getting it done the day it’s assigned. Gotta overachieve now to procrastinate later,” he explained with the biggest smile. It was thanks to having two overachieving sisters to teach him his studying habits. He stood up and held out his hand for Soo. “Our stop’s coming up, by the way.”

Sooyun:

"Must be nice, I was such a terrible student, I was certain my mom was about ready to give up on me. Saying something like, at least I have my looks to fall back on if I don't get a career that pays good." It was funny to think about her relationship with her mother when she was a teenager, thinking she knew everything and so much attitude. Sooyun looked out the window then looked back at Maverick, placing her hand into his without a second thought.

"Daaaamn," Mav shook his head. "Lowkey my dad would get that way when I start slacking off in school, so I get it to a certain extent," He chuckled. Mav and his dad were very close, although there were times where the man was hard on him. He figured, being the only boy and all, he had to live up to the expectations of a Maxwell man, to a point. He took her hand with a grin and began leading the way to head out, not before sliding a 20 to the bus driver Greg for coming through. "So, what would you like to do first? Get some food? Ride the ferris wheel? Head to the arcade?""

Sooyun:

Sooyun laughed and thought over what to do first, "Let's go grab food, i am craving a good hot dog." She admitted, the fact she was going to eat some junk food was probably the best plan as of right now considering all she has been snacking on was salad due to keeping a decent body image per her agents request. "and Ice cream after--then we can check out the arcade?"

"Ohhhh man. It's been a hot minute since I've had a hot dog from the pier, let's be real," Mav chuckled. He knew that today was the day that Soo was going to most likely splurge on some junk food, which was understandable. Hell, he did basketball, staying in shape and eating a balanced diet, was hard enough in the face of the food you really craved. "Yeah, we can do that. It's your day, I'm just here to lead you to the best spots here," He grinned excitedly.

Sooyun:

“Exactly, we just have to be sneaky when it comes to eating.” She motioned to their mask on their face, as much as she wanted too, she knew her agent would be upset with her if she were to expose she’s seeing Maverick. Sure her publicist probably could get some gossip out of it but she didn’t want to put him through that. “I mean if I had it my way, I would have suggested me and you, with chocolate all over your bed.”

“We can eat under the pier. No one really hangs out there,” Mav suggested with a shrug. He knew the risks of going out with Sooyun. All eyes were on them the moment those masks came off and the last thing they needed was Gossip God screaming about them being spotted. Which is why he planned it carefully, to avoid getting by caught. “That can be dessert,” He smirked, wiggling his eyebrows at her.

Sooyun:

“good idea, totally didn’t think of that.” Sooyun agreed as she pulled him by his hand towards the food stand, her stomach growling at the thought of food. “Maybe, or maybe I’ll just go home like a good girl. I think that sounds better.”

“No one ever thinks to chill under the Pier. Probably because people are scared it might topple on them or something but that shit’s sturdy as fuck,” He laughed as Soo dragged him to the food stand. Honestly he didn’t mind it because he was pretty hungry. “Knowing you at this point, you being a good girl would result in,” He looked around and leaned in to whisper into her ear, “You getting yourself off thinking about our last encounter.”

Sooyun:

“I mean...Cali is on the fault line so we are prone to earthquakes,” she shrugged, sure people were scared of certain things but mav did have a point in the pier being sturdy. Her eyes widen at his words and slapped his chest, “I do not.” Lying through her teeth since the last few times, sex flash back usually got her hot and bothered.

"That's a given, but the pier hasn't toppled over yet. Even the tiniest quake can't be felt on top of here. We've got pretty good luck on our side, I'd say," Mav wiggled his eyebrows with a smirk. At the smack on his chest, he let out a grunt and laughed. "Just by that reaction, I'd say you do. That's pretty hot."

Sooyun:

Sooyun pursed her lips, knowing that he couldn't see under her mask as she quickly looked away from him and rolled her eyes, "I do not...but you wouldn't know," She wasn't going to admit to anything as of lately but she knew that Mav had ways of getting things out of her one way or another. She walked ahead of him when it was their turn and held up a finger as she ordered her hot dog.

Maverick wanted to smile widely, but his eyes were clearly showing the shit-eating elation that he had knowing Sooyun wasn't going to admit it, but he knew deep down that she did. "Oh, I wouldn't hm? We'll see later," He practically said beaming as he followed her to the line. He waited patiently looking over the menu until it was his turn and decided to opt for the corn dog instead. He had a huge hankering for it.

Sooyun:

Sooyun dark eyes looked over at Maverick, snorting under her breath and shakes her head, “yeah right,” she responded and part of her was giddy, wanting to see if he would fall through with his promise. Sooyun smiled as she accepted the hot dog and walked over towards the side to add ketchup on top and slipped the bottle of water under her arm as she turned to wait for Maverick, “to be honest, I don’t really like corn dogs.”

“You’ll just have to wait and see,” Maverick emphasized in a sing-songy voice. He knew he’d follow through with his promise later on, but he didn’t want to deal with a hard on during their outing so he focused on the food instead. As he took the corn dog and his soda, he chuckled. “Wait really? How come? Is it too cakey???”

Sooyun:

Sooyun nodded her head, “I think it’s texture wise for me,” she didn’t care much for it, something about the way it taste just didn’t sit right with her. The brunette wasn’t exactly picky on food but certain ones just wasn’t her cup of tea. “So what should we do after this? Arcade? Let the food settle before going on rides?”

"That makes sense, honestly. Like certain textures can put people off and stuff. So I'm guessing you're not a big fan of the crunchy Korean hot dogs either?" Maverick asked with genuine curiosity. "Yeah, we could definitely hit up the arcade, wait for the food to settle and then we can do either the ferris wheel or the roller coaster afterwards?"

Sooyun:

she nodded her head, “Yeah, it just...meh,” Sooyun scrunched her nose at the thought. “Why not both? I mean...unless you’re scared,” she teased and laughing lightly, grabbing his hand again and pulled him towards the stairs to go under the pier. Without realizing she liked the feel of his hand in hers, it gave her comfort and almost to the point she wanted to sing a song but bit her lip to not.

"Too much texture, I'll keep that noted," Maverick nodded with a smile, although his smile couldn't be seen, his eyes definitely showed it. "Ohhhh, you know I live for the thrill, come on now!" He laughed as he interlocked their fingers, making their way down the stairs to go eat. The warmth between their hands said something, although he knew he shouldn't think too much into it. What he did know, however, is that he could get used to holding hands like this...someday, he thought to himself.

Sooyun:

Sooyun tried not to think about the possibilities of relationships with Maverick. After all, this was supposed to be just a fling, but now it was beyond that, the fact they got to know one another even more was blending the lines. She tried to shake off those thoughts as she walked towards under the shade where they could eat in private without the worry of someone spotting them.

What should have been a fling was now the lines being clearly blurred. In which, Maverick, holding her hand thought about what it would be like to actually be on an actual date with her, where they didn’t have to hide behind masks, and could publicly steal a kiss from her. He focused more on following Sooyun to a shady spot. “Is this spot good?” He asked curiously.

Sooyun:

“This spot should be fine,” Sooyun nodded her head, letting go of their hand as she took a seat on the sand, she pulled her mask down and looked over at him, chuckling lightly. “It’s kind of funny that we’re hiding under the pier to eat this, you know what we should have done, wore wigs.” Sooyun pointed out with a small shrug of her shoulders.

"Sweet," Mav nodded as he took a seat in the spot next to Soo, pulling his mask down to immediately dig into his corn dog. "True...except come on, you really think we'd get away that easily if we wore wigs," He nudged Soo lightly with a laugh. "I mean sure from behind we'd be unrecognizable but up close it'd be a wrap."

Sooyun:

Sooyun was eating the food in hand and laughed, covering her mouth to stop any food from falling out of her mouth, quickly swallowing down the food and nodded her head, "Oh c'mon...you know you would want to wear the pink bob cut wig, I think you would get a little sassy from it." She smirked as she took another bite.

Mav covered his own mouth at Soo's struggle to not laugh while eating, but mostly picturing himself with that pink blunt bob wig. "God," He began with a laugh. "Let's be real, I think I'd wind up making the boys all get one in different colors and recreating those tiktoks around town," He teased. "Don't be giving me ideas."

Sooyun:

"Please do it, I'm certain it will be a hit," She laughed at the thought of them in wigs, and even funnier at the fact they would be recreating a tiktok. Sooyun shakes her head and opened her water, taking a drink out of it before sighing, setting half of the hot dog in her lap. "I think gossip god would enjoy it."

"I'll have to hit up the guys first. I know AJ for sure would be on board. I'd have to sell my soul for Eric, and then I'd see how I'd hustle Joonie and Brandon into it..." He thought about it for a moment and laughed. He took another bite of his corn dog, and hummed out loud as he thought for a moment (and finished chewing). "I mean, he would, but he practically hates me for saying yes to every bit of gossip there is. He's given up."

Sooyun:

Sooyun smiled lightly and shakes her head, “I guess one would get frustrated. I mean I thought I would be able to kick you to the curb yet here we are,” she motioned between them, even though they were just having fun, Sooyun was still on the fence of dropping everything and disappear. “I can see what you mean though, they’re never gonna stop if you give them the attention. Almost like those annoying paparazzi.”

"Yeah...I guess sometimes things have a sick way of working out, huh?" Maverick teased with a laugh. The future was uncertain between them, even though they were fooling around, they were practically on a date, eating and laughing and having a good time...and he secretly feared of everything just vanishing one day. "Exactly. Only way to get them off your back is be like 'yeah sure', and keep it moving. My sisters and I purposely pose whenever there's a paparazzo on our tails and that pretty much scares 'em off cause they can't get money off of poses."

Sooyun:

“that actually sounds nice, I wish I had siblings, my parents only wanted one kid and here I am.” Sooyun shared, she wasn’t supposed to be talking about this with him but she couldn’t stop herself from blabbering out, at least she wasn’t stuttering. “But I can now see what you guys face with. It sounds very exhausting and even I’m not even close to being famous, I can only guess it will get even more hectic.” Sooyun started to finish the hot dog, sighing with content at the taste and crunched up the wrap.

And just like that, Soo piqued Maverick's curiosity. Of course, he had to try not to make it so obvious that he wanted to know more, but he was genuinely interested. "Wow...I mean in a way it must be peaceful, but it must suck y'know? How'd you cope being an only child?" Maverick asked curiously. "Yeah, it's been like that all of our lives, but we've learned to cope. I mean when I went to Korea for the first time, my cousins and I would roam around in masks so we weren't detected. So I brought that habit. Maybe you could use that for when you do get big and famous," He offered with a grin. Realizing Sooyun had finished and he had still a bit left with his corn dog, he took a rather large bite and quickly covered his mouth, trying to crunch as softly as he could.

Sooyun:

“let’s just say I spent a lot of time playing music and making up scenarios,” Sooyun lightly shrugged, it was a lonely time but it made time pass by. “My parents wanted to make life easier for me because it wasn’t easy for my dad when he was growing up.” She started playing with the sand and scooped it up to let it slip between her fingers. “If I get famous...been kind of hectic here and there.”

Maverick frowned a little, he couldn’t imagine how much of a lonely childhood Soo had, but at least she had music to give her solace, if anything else. “That’s understandable. Guessing it probably wasn’t easy growing up in a household with a lot of siblings for him?” He asked curiously. He took one last bite, finishing up his corn dog and finally took a sip of his soda. “If??! Your music goes hard as fuck! There’s no way you’d flop.”

Sooyun:

“He never really liked talking about his family, he packed his things and moved, met my nom and the rest is history.” Sooyun always wondered why he didn’t look back but she also knew that talking about it bothered him. The brunette felt the corner of her lips lift up, “Thanks...just some days I feel as if I’m not good enough—that I would let my family down and such.” She trailed off in thought, dusting off her hands and wiped them on her pants. “Let’s check out the rides.”

“Sounds pretty serious. Hopefully one day, he can share that story with you and if not, you know, at least you know that your parents succeeded in giving you a better life, right?” Mav offered with a reassuring smile. The same way she was there for him, he offered the same back to her. “I don’t think anyone would like a talent like you to go to waste. I’m sure your family’ll be proud of you, if not more proud soon,” He chuckled lightly. Getting up and crumpling the foil and the can, he grinned excitedly. “Sweet! Oh, the trash bin’s by the stairs, so we can throw our stuff out on the way up.”

Sooyun:

Sooyun gathered the garbage, nodding her head and followed along side them, “awesome. Then let us go,” she walked ahead, realizing that she was a bit over sharing but wasn’t that what he did when he needed someone? Sooyun tried not to dwell on those thoughts as she walked up the steps and adjusted the mask on her face along with her hat. “Let’s Go on the small rollercoaster.”

Mav grinned and started heading towards the trash bin walking side to side as they disposed of their garbage and made their way up the stairs. He quietly contemplated about the things he was learning about Soo tonight, and how, in a way, he could see her. “YES! Leggo!” He grinned excitedly as he took her hand to head to the ticket booth for the rollercoaster.

Sooyun:

Sooyun smiled as she followed after Maverick, seeing that he was more excited about this then she was, it was nice to see him look excited but also she knew if he didn’t wear the mask and gave her his famous smile, her heart would skip a few beats. It was a dangerous game. “Slow down,” she chuckled.

Maverick hoped that Soo was having a good time above all else. He was enthusiastic about the rollercoaster like a kid on Christmas and he couldn’t help but smile wide. Slowing down, at Soo’s request he looked over at her and realized she was smiling too. It sucked that the masks covered half their faces but even by the way her eyes sparkled, he knew. “And just our luck, the lines aren’t even long! No going back now,” he teased with a laugh.

Sooyun:

she grinned happily as she chuckled softly, running up with him towards the ride and sighed, “that means we get to ride the front seat,” the brunette followed after him and took a seat. “I’m just glad they don’t take your picture like at Disney land.”

“That’s the best part. Get to feel the motion of the coaster,” Mav grinned excitedly. He took a seat next to her and then chuckled, “Yeah, thank fuck for that. There’ve been some unflattering Disneyland pics from when I go...oh speaking of before you buckle yourself in...” His voice lowered. “We might want to take off the masks otherwise they’re gonna go flying off. Don’t worry, there’s not a lot of people on and once we’re back down, we can put them back on.”

Sooyun:

Sooyun raised her eyebrows at him before sighing as she nodded her head, pulling the mask off and slipping it into her pants pocket, seeing his face without the mask had her stare a little longer than usual before pulling her eyes away to buckle inside. “If we get a photo of us and posted on the gossip page, I’m going to strangle you.” She grumbled playfully and reached out to lightly pinch his cheek.

Maverick gave Soo a knowing look as she sighed as he took off his own mask and pocketed it and began to buckle himself into the ride. He glanced over at Sooyun to make sure she was okay, mostly because he felt her staring at him, not that he'd complain because he'd be doing the same in their situation. "I like it rough, you know this," He teased. "But don't worry, we won't."

Sooyun:

oh she knew that he liked it rough, just as much as she did, it made things less complicated like the term making love, she tried not to put her heart into the situation but she was now having a hard time with him on not blurring the lines. “I haven’t been on a rollercoaster in a long time.” Sooyun admitted, settling back into the seat, “but I know it’s nothing like six flags.”

The exchange of knowing looks between the two was all the more reassuring for Maverick about how their night was going to go after all. Even if it didn’t end in sex, he knew that the night would end pretty well—but they ran the risk of blurring the lines and this, was one of them. “Wait really??? Damn, how come?” He asked curiously, as the ride was beginning to get secure. “Oh man, six flags is one helllllll of a place. I miss taking trips there.”

Sooyun:

“just never had time,” it was the only logical excuse she could give, between working two jobs and trying to remain sane, she just didn’t bring herself going on rides. Sooyun slipped her cap off her head and tucked it into her sweater so it wouldn’t go flying off “although now I can say I went on a ride thanks to you, and eating a very questionable hot dog.”

“Ah, that’s true. Adulting and shit,” Maverick nodded in understanding. Life did have its way of stopping the fun for a while, which sucked, in retrospect. He didn’t want to dwell on that though. “Well, I’m glad I was here to be of service for your rare moment of shenanigans,” He winked.

Sooyun:

Sooyun giggled as she leaned her head back against the seat, “I can’t wait to see the sunset. We have to go on the ferris wheel,” she enjoyed the sunsets, which was probably why she never moved out of Santa Monica. Nothing ever beats the beauty of that. Sooyun felt the butterflies going crazy as the ride started, tightening her hold on the ride.

Maverick took a quick glance at his watch and nodded, “We’ve got another half hour before the sunset begins, so I got you. We could most likely go after this ride!” He enjoyed Soo’s enthusiasm and could see her eyes lighting up about the Ferris wheel. At least there, they could easily be without masks until they got back to the bottom. Most of all, he’d get two amazing views. As the ride began, Maverick held on tight and smiled excitedly, feeling the adrenaline rushing through.

Sooyun:

Sooyun laughed lightly at the giddy feeling, sure it wasn’t like the rollercoasters from knots berry farm but it definitely was still a ride that made her scream with laughter. The sound of the metal clacking as the rose up high. She raised her arms up high and closed her eyes at the feeling of dropping.

Maverick looked over at Soo having a good time and he, too couldn’t help but laugh and cheer along with her. As the coaster began its ascent up on the hill, he raised his hands up and yelled excitedly as the drop began.

Sooyun:

after the ride, Sooyun got out of her spot and ran her fingers through her now messy hair, smiling as she pulled at his hand and walked out, completely forgetting about her mask as she adjusted the cap back onto her head. “That was amazing,” she turned around grinning up at him. “Your hair is a mess.” She reached out to tame his hair, standing on her tippy toes to reach the top of his head.

The ride was amazing, between laughs and twists and turns, it was definitely well worth it. As they got off the ride, Mav chuckled at Soo trying to fix his hair and so he knelt down just a little for her to help him out. That was when he realized, feeling the breeze against his face. “We should um...” He pointed to his face. As much as he hated having the mask on, it was better safe than sorry.

Sooyun:

“oh...right,” she dropped her hand from his head, realizing that she wanted to be in public with Mav, hold hands and kiss him whenever she wanted. She reached into her sweater to pull her mask out and placed it over her face.

Mav gave an apologetic smile to Sooyun as he put his own mask on. He wished he had the opportunity to hold her hand and kiss her, but...things were complicated and he didn’t want to complicate them further. Instead, he took her hand again after her mask was on and nodded towards the Ferris wheel.

Sooyun:

Sooyun smiled under her mask and followed after him, her hand weaving their fingers together as they walked side by side. When was the last time she had a content time with someone that didn’t involve sexual desires. Sure it was still there but she wanted something...more? Soo crushed those thoughts from overthinking it anymore as they waited in line and looked up at the top of the ride.

As they walked, Maverick looked over at Soo and smiled through his own mask, feeling their fingers interlock with each other made him just slightly giddy, but he had to push that down. They were just friends, who occasionally fucked, just having a good time. But it was hard when he began to crave more, especially on a day like today. “Huh, line’s pretty low on the Ferris wheel too, who would’ve thunk?!”

Sooyun:

Sooyun chuckled, “did you just say thunk?” She pulled her attention away from the top of the Ferris wheel and towards maverick. Shaking her head as they inched closer to the ride and looked around. “But you’re right...I wonder if we just picked a lucky day or you know there’s other things happening.”

“Listen, in my defense...I was raised by white people,” Maverick laughed, playfully nudging Soo with a grin. Once they made it to board the ride he grinned brightly and admitted, “Today just so happened to be the slowest day of the Pier. Which is why taking you out for your birthday would be easy. Gives you less of a chance of getting caught but still with enough people around to give it that atmosphere.”

Sooyun:

Sooyun realized that he put a lot of thought in this day, it warmed her heart that he put this much effort to make it a good one. She got up from her side and shuffled over to where he was sitting, grabbing his face and pulling down his mask along with hers and gave him a kiss, it was a soft kiss that held a lot of emotion behind it, not wanting speak out loud on her feelings or even ruin the moment. “Thank you for today,” she whispered and pulled away to look at the ocean.

Maverick was taken by the view, each and every time. Even though he had been here his whole life, there was just something about the view that made it feel even more like home. However, his thoughts then landed on Soo, how her gaze softened and suddenly, he was taken aback by her kiss, it was a good kiss, a soft kiss that felt so much more than just a lusting type of kiss. At her whisper he nodded, breathlessly and then he did something what he hadn’t done in such a long time. He walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her, and pressed a kiss to her cheek, softly whispering, “Happy birthday.”

Sooyun:

Sooyun smiled, it was for a brief moment that she basked in the feeling, everything seemed as if it was a dream, between the sudden arrival of him at her place, both of them riding the city bus to standing here at the pier. Sooyun knew that today was a good idea, just when she thought it wouldn't be. Maverick had a way to wiggle his way into your heart, and it was for that brief moment that she felt at peace.

Maverick was pretty happy at the way the evening had gone. His chin rested on Sooyun’s shoulder as he watched how serene she looked looking upon the ocean as the sun dipped below the horizon. It was a peaceful and euphoric moment that he wanted to last as long as it could for her, so he held her close until the Ferris wheel began its slow descent back to ground.

[thesimperiuscurse]

FINE. All of them for EVA. Jerk

NO U. aight i’m gonna answer these for the start of chapter 6, two weeks from the end of chapter 5. 

zinc white; how are you really feeling today? no one-word answers please! 

ready to kick ass, make the most of her work day, determined for upcoming regionals and exams. nothing is yet to trouble her.  

cadmium yellow; when you think of the word “happy” what’s the first thing that comes to mind? 

the faces of her family. they are what she loves most in the world. 

lemon; what’s your comfort food?

in winter, her mom makes rich and creamy soups with veggies from the garden. pair that with soft buns fresh from the oven, and it’s guaranteed to comfort eva on the coldest and dreariest days.  

hansa yellow; what’s your guilty pleasure song? 

classic justin timberlake songs, like cry me a river. 

yellow ochre; name an artist/band whom you just discovered & can’t get enough of! 

just yesterday i found a new one for eva, an electronic artist named kloud. there’s one song in particular, humans, the lyrics and intense beat of which she’s super vibing with.    

naples yellow; where do you feel most at home?

the family villa in malibu. cherry and gabriel made sure to raise their children in a happy, secure, peaceful home. no repeat of their own turbulent and traumatic childhoods. 

raw sienna; with whom do you feel most at home?

again, her family. 

golden ochre; describe the relationship you have with your closest friend. 

eva doesn’t have a best friend. all the people she’s really close to are members of her family. she’s always been far too ballet-focused to maintain deep relationships with anyone outside of her family. however, she’s now growing very comfortable with sasha, piper, misha, and mako. they’re all quite bantery with each other. 

golden deep; what’s your favorite season? 

summer. always. 

cadmium orange; what do you like to do on your days off? 

her day off is sunday. currently — she wakes up at 8:30, has a slow breakfast with piper in the cafe, checks in with the academy physiotherapist at 11:00, and the rest of the day is loosely scheduled for gym, procrastinating maths homework, kickboxing, visiting family, playing her guitar, or watching netflix.   

orange lake; do you have anyone you can turn to when you’re sad? 

she has a super strong support system in all her family members, but her mom in particular. cherry is always checking up by call whether her daughter is happy and healthy. 

titans; do you prefer slow mornings or relaxing evenings? 

slow mornings. eva can’t wake up before eight, and if she’s forced to, she’ll get cranky. she wakes up when the sun does. 

shakhnazaryan red; are you currently binge-watching anything? 

not binging, but she’s slowly working through sex education on netflix. 

red ochre; are you more right-brained (creative) or left-brained (analytical)? 

right-brained. she can’t analyse for shit, unless she’s working something out using empathy and emotional intelligence. like misha, in that sense. 

burnt sienna; is there a painting that brings you peace when you look at it? 

she’s not one to enjoy the silent purity of art galleries. she prefers to explore nature and breathe in the ever-changing beauty of the earth. the sight of the sea always brings her peace. 

english red; what animal do you relate to most? 

probably a dumb but very cute and energetic dog.

vermilion; what’s your favorite accent?

scottish? she finds limmy’s show hilarious.  

cadmium red; do you have a “type” when it comes to a significant other? 

for summer boyfriends: hot surfer boys, tall and athletic, that have a big smile and laugh, laidback yet adventurous, sunkissed with messy sea-salted hair. in other words, mako ain’t it. for a significant other: she hasn’t thought about it. a serious romantic relationship is not in her interest for now.  

scarlet; describe your current crush/es. 

no crushes. or at least, she hasn’t realised she has one yet. hehe.  

ruby; what does your ideal first date look like? 

eva doesn’t actually go on proper dates. she can’t be bothered with awkward conversations and formalities. she might grab an icecream with a guy, surf and play sports, or go to a bonfire beach party together.    

carmine; what does your ideal second date look like? 

hook up with him, i guess. 

madder lake red; would you ever kiss someone (or accept a kiss) on a first date? 

if it isn’t clear by now, eva gives absolutely zero fucks about traditions or ‘rules’ around dating. her relationships are in friend-with-benefits territory, and she goes straight for what she wants.

rose; what’s something really positive going on in your life right now?

the family puppy, senor papperino. her siblings send her a million pictures of him as he grows up. a bittersweet joy.  

quinacridone rose; what’s something you’re really looking forward to?

her cousin amaya is getting married to amir next year, a spring wedding in the sonoran desert. eva’s helping her with the planning and dress design, which lilith is to create.     

violet rose; what does your dream house look like? 

a simple beach house, warm with natural light, that sits gently in nature. small, because her time spent inside is minimal. she really isn’t impressed with flashy luxuries.  

violet; is there any place in particular you’d like to settle down? 

a place right by the beach. she loves malibu and would want to stay close to her family. 

blue lake; what would you like to do/accomplish before you settle down? 

honestly, ‘settling down’ is something she’s barely thought about. she’s going to dance professionally as long as she can, maybe become a teacher like darcy, and explore her other passions, like surfing and environmental conservation. the traditional concept of marrying then having children is one that she feels may happen to her naturally, rather than she HAS to settle down at a specific point in her life. it’s just not on her priority list. 

cobalt blue spectral; what is the most beautiful place you have ever been to?

the most beautiful place in the world in eva’s mind is the garden at her family home, which blooms with dandelion clocks in summer, full of fruit trees, and is right by her favourite beach. her happiest childhood memories lie there. 

ultramarine; when was the last time you were in a good mood? do you know/remember what sparked it? 

at the moment, eva’s always in a good mood, because she’s in a place where she’s working at her greatest passion everyday. she’s friends with mako now, so the only person that could really put her in a bad mood is vicky. 

blue; what’s the most recent dream you remember? 

she can’t remember any of her dreams. 

bright blue; what does your dream family look like? any kids or pets? how many of each? 

since eva doesn’t really care about getting married, that hasn’t crossed her mind. she already has a broad, loving, ‘dream’ family, and her siblings are bound to have kids, so she doesn’t feel any pressure. she would be perfectly happy spending time with her nieces/nephews instead. a cute dog is a definite, though, probably another golden retriever.  

blue cobalt; do you like your name? would you give yourself a different name if you could? 

evangeline’s named after one of the strongest women in her life. she’s proud to have inherited the name, and hopes to live up to it.  

prussian azure; what’s your favorite scent? 

grapefruit, sea salt. 

azure blue; what’s your favorite type of tea, if any?

she’s a coffee person, but in summer, her mom likes to brew iced tea with fruits and herbs from the garden, which eva loves. 

turquoise blue; if you could start a garden, what would you plant?

lots of citrus trees. plants that can grow wild and thrive on their own. 

cerulean blue; if you were guaranteed to have a viewership, would you start a youtube vlog? 

i can picture eva vlogging, but in reality she’s too busy dancing for that shit. she prefers to live her life off screen, grounded in her reality.  

glauconite; describe your body without using any negative adjectives.

“jacked as fuck”

yellow green; picture yourself walking in a field. what do you see & hear in this scenario?

a field of tiny wildflowers on the dry coastal hills of malibu. the sun is burning bright, the sea is crashing against the beaches below, the wind is pulling wild at her hair. 

green light; are you in a comfortable place in life? if not, what do you think might make it better?

eva’s always striving to be more than just comfortable. her ambition means she’s already achieved an impressive amount in life, and she’s happy with how she’s moving along, but she’s forever shooting for the stars. 

green; name three countries you want to visit; do you have any actual plans in place to visit any of them?

she can’t afford to travel at the moment but hawaii, spain, greece.  

emerald green; do you speak any languages besides english? are there any additional languages you want to learn? 

a tiny bit of spanish, korean, and german from gabriel, but nowhere near fluently. she would like to improve her skills in those languages if she has the time.  

oxide of chromium; what’s your favorite book?

eva isn’t bookish. she just can’t sit still long enough. when she was a kid, she did love the magic slipper series, written by one of the prima ballerinas she idolises. 

olive green; are you currently reading anything? how do you like it so far?

her calculus textbook. she wants to set it on fire.  

mars brown; what’s a movie that always puts a smile on your face/makes you laugh? 

she likes cheesy 90s era movies. she’s the man always makes her laugh. 

burnt umber; what’s something you plan to do before the day is over to take care of yourself?

an ice bath and self massage for her legs, if pointe work is particularly intense, treat any new blisters or bleeding on her feet. typical ballet things. 

umber; have you drank enough water today? 

eva is always mindful to drink eight cups of water per day. 

voronezhskaya black; what or who is your go-to outlet for when you need to vent? 

amaya. she listens coolly, and provides helpful commentary. a few weeks ago, eva vented to her about mako and how much of an ‘arrogant ass’ her partner is. after she finished letting off steam, amaya asked her what the exact reasons for disliking him were, which helped eva realise her own stubbornness, haha. 

sepia; name five things that always make you happy.

perfect surf waves, a hug from her parents, adding a new piece of jewellery to her minimal gold collection, warm sunny weather, camping with her siblings.     

indigo; what’s the best/sweetest compliment you have ever received?

she’s received a lot of ‘you’re pretty’ type compliments from guys over the years, but what makes her happiest is compliments about her dancing, particularly from professionals. 

payne’s gray; describe your aesthetic? 

summer beach chick, relaxed shades of sea blue and white froth, minimalist, with a rough edge.   

black; post a selfie because you are so beautiful!

nah i’m too lazy to open the game at the moment. anyway, eva doesn’t really take selfies by herself, since she’s not that active on social media. 

[codyssfern]

amsterdam

synopsis: you surprise shawn with flights to his favorite city for his 21st birthday

warnings: minor swearing and fluff. LOTS of fluff. 

word count: 2201

~

it’s a cold thursday night in toronto and you find yourself making sure everything was ready for shawn’s arrival. your heart hadn’t stopped beating since he told you he was boarding the plane. he had convinced his team and label to give him some time off, setting back some dates on his north american leg tour so he could come home for his birthday. they gave him a few days, no more than a week. he accepted it knowing he wasn’t gonna get a better deal. you begged him to let you pick him up at the airport but he didn’t really like the idea of you driving around at 2 in the morning. you understood his worries knowing you had barely slept since he told you he was coming home for his birthday. you were excited but very stressed to say the least. hoping you had picked the perfect birthday present. after all you only turn 21 once. 

before you know it the sound of keys dangling outside the door were opening your tired eyes. you didn’t even remember falling asleep. you quickly stood up from the couch turning on the lights by the kitchen island and as you walked to the door, extending your hand to twist the knob, the boy on the other side had beaten you to it.

“hi,’ he almost sounds relieved to see you. he is relieved, he’s missed you much. 

you smiled at him and extend your arms welcoming him for a hug. he drops his bags and walks straight into the comfort and feeling of home he always feels in your arms. 

“welcome home bub, i’ve missed you,” you say standing on your toes trying to hold onto the tall boy as much as you could, “so much.” 

his huge hands travel down your back and caress the cold skin under your shirt. he lets out a soft hum before pressing a kiss on your forehead, “not as much as i’ve missed you hun,” his eyes locked into yours, “forgot how tiny you were.” he adds making pout your lips and tilt your head to the side.

“gonna let that one slide,” you pulled away from the hug but kept your hands on his waist not wanting to break the physical contact you’d been longing for months, “but only because i have no energy to come up with something and i might’ve missed your remarks about my height.” 

he smiles at your confession and brings a hand to the side of your neck caressing the skin with his thumb, “wish we could stay like this forever.” he says before pressing his lips against yours. you’ve missed how perfect your lips felt together, like a puzzle piece. 

“mm me too superstar,” you say into the kiss, “but things have to get done around here.” 

he whines at the loss of contact when you pull back and start grabbing his bags and pulling them in the living room. he looks around his condo, looks at his girl and takes a deep breath just allowing his mind to adjust to the home-like feeling he hadn’t felt in months.

your groans grasp him back to reality. you were struggling trying to pull the last bag into the living room, “i know you’re tired bub but your bags are almost as heavy as you.”

he bites his bottom lip, shaking his head at you before walking over and helping you place it next to the others. “is it just me or did this place get bigger?” he asked, referring to his own condo.

“you’d be surprised how many times i asked myself that before going to bed,” he looks at you rather amused, “i swear our bed got bigger and bigger every night you were away. felt emptier every night.” 

he pouts before pulling you closer to him again, “won’t feel empty tonight baby.” 

“wish it was your birthday every day.” you admit making him laugh. 

you stayed up for what seemed like forever catching up. you told him about your classes, how you aced them all even after the constant stress and anxiety and he told you about tour. told you about the cities he’d gone to, told you about funny fan experiences he had. they were your favorite, you loved hearing him talk about his fans, you liked how he talked about them as if they were almost his friends. as the night went on you guys eventually ended up falling asleep on the couch in the living room. 

-

you woke up with a pair of hands wrapped around your waist and long legs straddling you. you turned your head to the left catching a very sleepy shawn. you missed waking up to him in the morning and to your surprise you missed how he’d always straddle your poor little body with his heavy legs. It was just one of his ways to express his love for you. with touches. slowly you start untangling his arms from your waist and lifting his legs from you with your thighs. once you were out of his grip it didn't take him long to let out a soft whine and extend his arm to the empty spot that belonged to you. surprisingly he didn’t wake up and thank god he didn’t. you knew this was probably the best sleep he’d gotten in months.

after about an hour and a half of you unpacking his clothes and doing laundry, you start hearing shuffling and groans coming from the living room. you smiled at the thought of him shuffling and groaning around like a child, something he always did. you assumed to let whoever he was with know he was awake and it worked.

“well good morning superstar,” you cooed walking into the living room. 

he tilted his head back on the couch smiling as you walked over to him. you stood behind him placing your arms around his shoulders. “feeling good this morning bub?” 

“very. though i would’ve loved to have woken up with you in my arms.” you couldn’t help but blush at his words, you missed clingy shawn. “spent way too many mornings and nights without you,” he pecked your lips.

“wanted to let you sleep, it looked like the best sleep you’ve had in months.” you tell him before motioning him to get up. “cmon, you gotta freshen up and i wanna make you breakfast.” 

- 

“this kitchen is squeaky clean babe,” he says impressed, “i can tell you mostly had takeout or microwave dinners,” he takes the last bite of his breakfast.

you nod, “well between classes and also trying to keep myself extra busy so i didn’t have to spend more than 5 hours alone here missing you, i barely had the time.”

shawn didn’t blame her for doing everything she could to keep her mind distracted, he knows how hard it is for her to not have him with her. he knows because he feels that exact way every day he’s away on tour, you could say the constant moving around and the music helps keep him distracted but there will always be something to remind him. same goes for her. 

“m’ just glad I’m back home. no better way to spend my birthday than with my girl,” he says standing up from the stool and walking over to the sink. 

“i’ll do it bubby,” you say when you see him grabbing the wash cloth, “no doing dishes on your birthday week.” 

he hums softly wrapping his arms around you from behind and placing his chin on your shoulder. 

“gonna be the best birthday especially cause i have you all to myself,” he says leaving a kiss on your exposed neck. you missed how his lips felt against your skin, sending shivers down your spine and giving you goosebumps.

feeling so lost in this feeling, you didn’t even notice him turning you around so you could be facing him. his hands traveling all over your body, paying attention to every curve. He knew your body like the back of his hand, he knew exactly which spot to pay more attention to, which spot to caress and kiss.

pulling away from the kiss to catch your breath almost made him growl, “this one’s gonna be special, i see.” 

“they’ve all been special,” he defends, attaching his lip back on your neck “remember how for my 20’s how you flew to amsterdam and surprised me?” you smiled feeling him smile against your neck, “my favorite girl and my favorite city.” 

you thought this was the perfect time surprise him with what you had planned for his birthday. well maybe not the best time considering he was leaving marks all over your neck but you just couldn’t wait. you’ve never been big on birthdays. not even for yours and shawn knew that but ever since you started dating they’ve  grown on you. especially his and is why you took it upon yourself to work your ass off for the last few months to surprise him with flights to his favorite city. amsterdam. as nervous as you were to tell him you were also very proud. is obvious who makes the most money out of the two of you, who has the biggest money income but you have always tried to give your fair share and help as much as you can. you made it clear to him that you weren't gonna depend on him for money unless it was an emergency or there was no choice at given time.

“speaking of your favorite things,” your tone putting a stop to his actions, “i got you something.” 

he throws his head back, “baby i told you, coming home and being with y-”

“hush and just wait here!” you say giving him a quick kiss.

you get out of his grip and quickly make your way to his office/studio where you had hidden the tickets in an envelope with a little bow on it. Which now that you thought about it.. wasn’t exactly the best hiding place. you grabbed the envelope in your hands before turning back around. 

“whatcha’ got there?” shawn asks curiously without dropping the smile off his face. he had sat down back on the island stool.

you make your way back to him, standing between his legs. feeling a little in control now that you never get to be taller than him and before handing him the envelope you pecked his lips with your thumb and say, “just want you to know that everything is worth it when it comes to you,”

he felt himself blush at your words, “you have spent the last 3 years making me the happiest girl alive and that to me is priceless,” you continued.

“what did i do to deserve you? hm?” he asks as wraps one hand around your waist bringing you closer. you mouth ‘everything’ as you sit on his lap wrapping your arm around his shoulders and handing him the envelope with the other. 

“happy birthday baby.” you say as he begins to open it. 

your adventure to amsterdam has JUST begun!

read the paper in big bold letters. shawn still not taking his eyes off the papers, let out a breathy chuckle in disbelief as he went to grab the flight tickets in the bottom of the envelope.

“now i know this wouldn’t be your first time,” his eyes meet yours in confusion, “you know traveling across the world and going to a beautiful city but-“

“ARE YOU KIDDING?!” he almost growls as he stands you both up and spins you around making you squeal and yell out his name.

his voice and your squeals echo around the room and you could only imagine how you neighbors felt about the noise. you try shushing him but all that came out was giggles and laughs.

“amsterdam? just us?!”

you laugh, “yes! now put me down baby, getting dizzy up here.”

“is THE best fucking present i’ve ever gotten” he say finally putting you down, “i mean it. doesn’t matter where i’ve gone or where i’m going as long as i have you.”

a soft ‘aw’ leaves your lips before you press them against his. he brings you as close as he can, not wanting this moment to end. the way he made you feel will never stop to surprise you. even with all the touring and the music there wasn’t a day where he didn’t let you forget how special you were to him. 

“i fucking love you, you know that right?” he says into the kiss and all you could do was nod. he’d left you speechless, something he was professional at. 

once you pull away and not by choice, you both needed to air. he let his forehead rest against yours and hands travel up and down your back. this was it. moments like these is what made it all worth it for both of you.

you smile at him, “guess we better get packing, rockstar.”

“for my favorite city… with my favorite girl.”

[shanghai-ohmy]

Mao Mao: Heroes of... Holomyr? (MaoMaoctober day 20: Game)

In this fic, King Snugglemagne summons Mao Mao, Badgerclops, and Adorabat to guard and entertain him on a rainy day. What better way to pass the time than to play a little Dungeons & Dragons together?

Snugglemagne, Mao Mao, and Adorabat play. Badgerclops DMs. Mao Mao learns to let himself have fun and be vulnerable through roleplaying.

This is day 20 of my daily fics for the MaoMaoctober prompts! As with all other days, it’s totally independent of the previous ones and can be enjoyed on its own! I’m proud of this one, and it’s full fic length (3.2k words), so I thought I’d post it here like a standalone. Thanks to my boyfriend @htodinth for his help with scene and dialogue ideas, as well as editing.

Read it on AO3, or under the cut!

The rain pounded on the intricate stained glass windows of King Snugglemagne’s palace, slipping down the colored panes in thick rivulets. The king had sent most of his retinue home before the rain began, leaving the large estate almost entirely empty. He’d even sent his guard detachment away. But that was fine; he had the utmost confidence in their temporary replacements.

“So you see,” King Snugglemagne said, posing dramatically in his throne, “with this horrible rain I simply cannot entertain myself! There can be no croquet, no outdoor galas, and no hastily-produced reality TV shows! And since the rest of my court has been sent home, and you’re here to act as my guards…” He gestured with a flourish. “...that duty falls to you three!”

Mao Mao’s eye twitched. “So you called us here… in the middle of a massive rainstorm… to be your jesters?!” He took a step towards the king, who immediately began to cower.

Badgerclops grabbed him by the neck of his cape and pulled him back. “Chill out, man! We just have to entertain ourselves and include the king, that’s all.”

“Yes! Quite right!” Snugglemagne agreed nervously.

Mao Mao groaned. “With all due respect your highness, this is a waste of our time!”

“Excuse us for just a moment, King Snugglemagne.” Badgerclops walked towards a side chamber, dragging Mao Mao with him. “Adorabat! Keep an eye on the king for us!”

“Roger!” She sounded excited.

“Dude, what’s your problem?”

“This is ridiculous, Badgerclops! I’m a legendary hero! Not a babysitter!”

“C’mon man, just suck it up and help out! It’s one night! And besides, it’s your sheriff-ly duty to obey the king or whatever.”

Mao Mao crossed his arms. “Ugh, fine! But I’m not going to enjoy it!”

An idea came to Badgerclops. A really good idea. This might be the moment to do something he’d wanted to try with Mao Mao for ages. “Hey Mao Mao… what if you could go on a really cool adventure, keep the king safe, and entertain him all at the same time?”

Mao Mao looked intrigued.

“I’ve got a great idea. Just trust me.”

They returned to the throne room to find Adorabat finishing up a magic trick. The king gasped with delight and clapped as she produced a bouquet of roses from thin air. She threw it to him and took a bow.

“Okay y’all,” Badgerclops said, “I’ve got a game for us to play. Have any of you ever played Dungeons & Dragons before?”

Mao Mao stared at him blankly.

“I have a dungeon!” the king offered, confused.

Adorabat had stars in her eyes. “Oh my gosh oh my gosh oh my gosh YES!!! I LOVE that game!”

Badgerclops was surprised. “It’s… a lot of rules for someone your age, Adorabat. Who have you played with?”

“Well…” She looked embarrassed. “I might have… snuck out to play it with the sky pirates…”

“You WHAT?!” Mao Mao yelled, turning to her.

“I’m sorry! They’re just so good at imagining things! Even their food is imaginary!”

“Adorabat, we’ll talk about this later. Mao, run to the aerocycle and grab my bag, okay?”

Mao Mao nodded and strode away.

“I’m terribly sorry, Sheriff Badgerclops, but what exactly is… happening?”

“Oh, nothing major, I’m just saving the day. This game will keep you entertained for hours, dude. It’s kinda like… you, Mao Mao, and Adorabat will make up your own characters with cool moves and stuff, and then I’ll narrate an adventure for you! You get to make choices about where you want to go and what you want to do, and I use some dice to help decide how it all goes.”

The king seemed uncertain.

“You get to come up with an outfit for your character~” Badgerclops said enticingly.

Snugglemagne leapt out of his throne. “Oh! Oh! Let’s begin at once!”

---

A few minutes later they were gathered around a table. Badgerclops had printed off several blank character sheets from his arm. Mao Mao, Snugglemagne, and Adorabat were poring over the race and class selections. A platter of tiny bite-sized pizzas sat on the table between them.

“I say, this bard seems like a saucy fellow!” King Snugglemagne announced, raising the class guide for everyone to see.

“Ooh, excellent choice!” Badgerclops said. “What’s your instrument?”

“Keytar.” He replied without even a moment of hesitation.

“Atypical, but I like it!” Badgerclops jotted down some information on Snugglemagne’s character sheet and then handed it back to him. “Now you have to pick out a race.”

“I shall play the fighter,” Mao Mao announced, indicating a sheet of paper.

“Shocking,” Badgerclops said sarcastically. “Hand me your character sheet, and pick some moves.” He filled in the appropriate fields on Mao Mao’s sheet.

“Um, Badgerclops?” Adorabat said.

“Yeah dude?”

She motioned for him to lean down, then whispered into her ear. He looked surprised, then nodded. “You got it.” Another sheet printed from his arm.

“I’m playing a homebrew alchemist class!” Adorabat announced. “We’re gonna BLOW SOME STUFF UP!”

They continued setting up their characters, taking moves and choosing proficiencies. Badgerclops looked up at them brightly once everyone had finished. “Okay, why don’t we introduce our characters? Adorabat, would you mind starting?”

“Okay!” She straightened up her papers and cleared her throat. “I am Rirkarg Shrapnel, the gnoll alchemist! Once I was a maker of medicine for my people, but an evil duke and his army razed my homeland and killed all my friends! So I turned my skills to destruction, and seek to destroy him!”

Badgerclops nodded approvingly. “What’s the duke’s name?”

“Um,” Adorabat rubbed the back of her head, “I couldn’t come up with one.”

“Let’s just call him something generic for now, then. Duke… free… water. Duke Freewater.” He took down a note. “Mao Mao?”

“Can you…” Mao Mao looked embarrassed. “Can you come back to me later?”

“Okay, sure. Just let me know if you need any help, okay?”

“I don’t need help playing an imaginary game!!” He snapped.

“Right, okay, I got it. Jeez, dude. Snugglemagne?”

“Yes, very well.” Snugglemagne put on a smooth voice. “Yes, hello my adoring fans! I am the one, the only Gilwyn Goldheart! The most handsome elf in all of…” He turned to Badgerclops. “What are we calling this place?”

“The whole world is Holomyr, but we’re focusing on the Green Reef Coast.”

Snugglemagne nodded. “The most handsome elf in all of Holomyr! Or at least… I was.” He placed the back of his hand to his head, dramatically. “You see, a horrible curse has befallen me, and cracked my beautiful face like a porcelain mask! I have nothing but my music now! So I wander the world in search of a way to undo this dreadful affliction!”

“That is SO COOL!” Adorabat said.

Snugglemagne looked bashful. “Oh, my! Thank you! I thought your character was excellent as well!” He beamed.

“Alright Mao Mao, whatcha got?”

Mao Mao shifted nervously in his seat. “Um, hello, everyone, I’m… Mercutio. I’m a human fighter.”

When Mao Mao didn’t continue, Badgerclops stepped in. “Mercutio, that’s a good name! Does he have a surname?”

“I, uh… It was…” Mao Mao fumbled for an answer. Coming up with one name had been hard enough. “Umm…”

“It’s a mysterious secret,” Adorabat chimed in, “that only his absolute closest companions may learn.”

“Yeah! It’s that!” Mao Mao looked relieved.

“I love it! Good job, Mao Mao.”

For a moment, Mao Mao’s eyes filled with excitement.

“Any backstory you want to share?”

Mao Mao nodded. “I was a… my village…” His face reddened as he stumbled over the words.

“Hey,” Badgerclops whispered to him, “you can talk about your character in third person if it’s easier.”

Some of the tension eased out of Mao Mao’s pose. He looked a bit more confident. “Mercutio showed promise as a hero early on, and there was lots of talk around his village about all the good he could do if he were trained properly. But the village didn’t have much, and going off to any sort of hero school seemed like an impossible dream to him. But after his years growing up there, helping everyone and being a hero at home, he earned their love and respect. So the people pooled their resources to send him to a heroic academy far across the continent. Now he patrols the world trying to make a name for himself and raise his village to prominence in return for their charity!” Mao Mao realized he had begun gesturing and gently folded his hands back in his lap, embarrassed.

“A world traveler! That’s fantastic, Mao Mao!” Badgerclops said.

“Oh yes,” King Snugglemagne agreed, “I simply love a village prodigy story!”

Mao Mao rubbed the back of his head, looking away. “Thanks…”

They worked out some details of how their relationships to each other and how they’d met. Gilwyn had hired Rirkarg to find a treatment that could fix his face, and the two of them had struck up an unlikely rapport even though Rirkarg failed to help him. Mercutio had come across the pair when he hitched a ride on a caravan of traveling merchants and found Gilwyn entertaining the salespeople with his songs in exchange for their transport.

Satisfied with their characters, Badgerclops stood up and dimmed the lights a little. “Okay,” he said, sitting back in his chair, “let me set the scene.”

“The three of you are sitting at an outdoor table in a busy park in one of the Green Reef Coast’s largest cities, Ymera. Mercutio tracked a lead to an informant with info on Duke Freewater. You intend to meet her here. Since you’re meeting under broad daylight, you’re hoping that the anonymity of the city will prevent any prying eyes; the crowds should be enough to leave you in total peace.”

“Rirkarg, you spot the informant first. She is a tall, strong Dragonborn with green scales and large black horns jutting back from her head. She approaches the table and sits down inconspicuously, as though she’s a part of your group. ‘Greetings, Mercutio.’ she says.”

Mao Mao considered. “I want to check her for weapons, but we’re trying not to draw attention…”

“You can roll a perception check to see if you spotted anything on her as she was sitting down, or sleight of hand to attempt to feel around for weapons without her noticing.”

“Well, my sleight of hand check would be better, wouldn’t it?”

Badgerclops glanced at his stats. “Yes, it is.”

“Now, sheriff,” King Snugglemagne chimed in, “you would be groping an informant under the table, which is most unbecoming of a hero. Plus, she looks like she could kick your ass.”

Mao Mao blushed. Adorabat giggled. “Okay, okay. Perception, then. Which one do I roll?”

“This one,” Badgerclops said, handing him a twenty-sided die. “It’s always the d20 for checks.”

Mao Mao turned the die over in his hand a few times, then rolled it across the table. It slid to a stop with a six facing upwards. “Six plus one gives me seven.”

Badgerclops shrugged. “You’ve got no idea if she’s packing or not. Nothing looks amiss.”

“Stupid dice,” Mao Mao grumbled.

“Please, Madam,” Snugglemagne said in his smooth character voice, “allow me to introduce myself. I am-”

“Oh my god, you’re Gilwyn Goldheart!” 

King Sugglemagne tugged at his collar, evidently already in character. “Well, it’s always nice to meet a fan, but could you perhaps keep it down? This meeting is supposed to be… clandestine. Cloak-and-dagger-ish.”

“She shakes her head, embarrassed. ‘Sorry, I just got a little excited. Let’s just get to the point. You’re looking for intel on Duke Freewater?’”

“Rirkarg nods. ‘He destroyed my home. I will have my revenge.’”

“‘Well, rumor has it that in a week, he’s launching a massive warship from Port Rejtal. They’re going to blow a hole straight through the Green Reef and open up a passage to the sea. It’ll increase his naval power tenfold, and the damage to the reef will be unrecoverable.’ You guys know that Rejtal is about five days’ travel south of where you are, so you need to get there quickly if you want to make it before the warship launches.”

“Rirkarg’s nostrils flare. They look determined. Also angry. ‘Freewater. He will be on this ship?’”

“The informant isn’t certain. She says she’s heard conflicting reports.”

“Is the Green Reef well known?” Mao Mao asked Badgerclops.

“Oh yeah, this entire coast is considered one of the most beautiful places in the world. It’d be a huge deal if it was destroyed, even partially.”

Mao Mao’s eyes sparked. “Mercutio slams his fist on the table. ‘If we save the reef from destruction, we’ll be renowned the world over!’”

“Rirkarg agrees. ‘And Duke Freewater must not gain any more military power than he already has.’”

“So, we’re taking a road trip to Rejtal?” Snugglemagne asked in his Gilwyn voice.

“Yeah!!” Adorabat yelled, out of character. “Road trip!” They laughed, and after a moment, Mao Mao joined in.

===

The next few hours of the game unfolded without a hitch. Every time Mao Mao acted in character, Badgerclops would encourage and praise him. Mao Mao grew invested in the game, talking in character and building out his story. He carried out an excellent philosophical discussion with Gilwyn about fame, Gilwyn having lost his and Mercutio seeking to grow his own. He came up with unexpected, exciting strategies in battle. He took a few failed rolls a little too personally, but Badgerclops decided that was a good sign. Mao Mao was empathizing with his character, and poking at the edges of some of his insecurities through Mercutio. Badgerclops had hoped that Mao Mao would react like this. Roleplaying might be good for him.

It felt like no time at all had passed before they came to the climactic scene. The party was split, with Gilwyn and Rirkarg fighting to place a bomb down in the hold while Mercutio faced the ship’s captain, alone. The boat had pulled out of the dock but was not yet at the reef. Duke Freewater was nowhere to be found, much to Rirkarg’s chagrin. Adorabat had cursed up a storm when they failed to find him, which Badgerclops reprimanded her for even though it was technically in character. He’d have to speak to Orangusnake later about his language at the table.

“Okay, Rirkarg, Gilwyn is holding off the guards. You have a moment to act. What do you do?”

Adorabat stood up on her chair. “I plant the bomb I made earlier right against the hull, then cover it up with some boxes so nobody will see it! This thing’s going down!”

“Roll sleight of hand.”

“Sixteen plus three! Nineteen!”

“You plant the bomb and hide it perfectly. Nobody is going to find it.”

“Good show!” Snugglemagne exclaimed. They high fived.

“Let’s jump back to Mercutio. Mercutio, you have the captain backed against the railing of the ship. He grins at you as he brandishes his cutlass. ‘You were a fool to come here, Mercutio, and a bigger fool for fighting me alone! You want to be a hero, hm? Then it’s too bad you’ll die here, weak and alone.’ You hear someone running up behind you, and before you can turn around…”

Badgerclops rolled a die. His eye shot open. “He MISSES?!”

The players cheered. “The whole ship rocks as an explosive rings out from the lower hull. You see the captain’s chief naval officer stumble past you, his sword narrowly missing your arm. He was thrown off by the blast. And because he missed, it is now your turn.”

“Come on Mao Mao, get him!” Adorabat called.

“Yes, sheriff! Destroy those men!”

“What was that about being alone, Captain Ulrich?!” Mao Mao roared, laughing as he hopped up onto his chair. “I’m stronger than you’ll ever be! And I have my friends to help me be even better!” Mao Mao grabbed a twenty-sided die from the table. “And then I stab my sword into the chief officer!”

“Roll to attack!”

Mao Mao released the die. It rolled to a stop. He leaned over the table to look at it.

“NATURAL TWENTY!!” He roared.

Adorabat screamed. Snugglemagne whistled and clapped.

“Alright Mercutio,” Badgerclops said, “describe it.”

“I switch to a dagger grip on my sword and as he stumbles to my side, I swing out without even looking. My sword goes straight up through his stomach to his head, impaling him. I keep my eyes on the captain the entire time.” Mao Mao acted out his description in dramatic fashion, illustrating the movement for everyone else to see.

“Grizzly!”

“Cool!!”

“Oh, how terribly violent of you!”

“I’m going to action surge for an additional attack.”

“What are you doing?”

“I want to pick up the chief officer and throw him at the captain, sending them both overboard.”

“Yes! Yes! Yes!” Adorabat was thrilled.

“Normally that would be a strength contest, but… he’s dead, so he can’t resist being thrown. Roll a strength check, I guess.”

Trembling with excitement, Mao Mao picked up the die. He let it roll along the table, and then…

“ANOTHER TWENTY!!!!!” He stepped a foot up onto the table as everyone absolutely lost it.

“Oh my god! Okay! Okay hang on!” Badgerclops looked like he was ready to explode. “What’s it like, and do you say anything cool?”

“I switch grips on the sword again and hoist the entire chief officer over my head like a kebab, my massive muscles rippling under the sun. I plant one foot back, yell, and spear him at the captain like a javelin. My sword slides out of him as he shoots forward.”

Badgerclops looked up at Mao Mao. There was genuine excitement in his eyes. He was being open and vulnerable, and he was having fun. 

“The body collides with Captain Ulrich, knocking him over the bannister of the ship. He grapples with the corpse, trying to get a hand onto the side of the boat before he falls.”

“I say ‘Enjoy your new view of the reef.’”

“You hear fading screaming and then a splash as he plummets from the sinking ship and falls into the water below.”

Everyone around the table cheered. King Snugglemagne hopped out of his seat and grabbed Mao Mao off the table, spinning him around in a hug. “Good show, sheriff Mao Mao! Good show!!” He deposited Mao Mao, who was now blushing, back in his seat.

They played out a short epilogue to the adventure, Gilwyn and Rirkarg pulling up in a stolen lifeboat to rescue Mercutio from the sinking ship. They were technically felons now, since they’d destroyed the Duke’s ship and killed several people, so they fled as soon as the made land. But word spread of their heroism even though they weren’t there to tell it firsthand. Mercutio’s rise as a hero had begun.

===

“Oof, I’m EXHAUSTED!” Badgerclops said, slumping back in his chair. “Thanks for playing, guys.”

“Thank you for running this little experience, sheriff Badgerclops! It was most delightful.”

“Yeah Badgerclops, that was incredible!” Mao Mao laughed. 

Badgerclops smiled at him. Then suddenly, Mao Mao was hugging him.

“Thank you.”

It was a short hug. He blushed and walked away very quickly, taking some of the snack plates with him to the kitchen to clean them up.

“How do I stack up to the Sky Pirates?” Badgerclops asked Adorabat.

She considered. “Your worldbuilding is better, but Orangusnake’s character voices are incredible. And it’s more fun with a fourth player.”

Badgerclops thought for a moment. He counted on his fingers. “Huh. Too bad we don’t have any more friends.”

“But lots of enemies!”

Badgerclops chuckled.

[takadasaiko]

Second Chances Chapter Twenty-One

FFN II AO3

Summary: Tony fights for his life as his team rushes to save him.

Chapter Twenty-One

Everything hurt. It was the one thing that he thought he knew, but even that started to recede into the background like waking from a dream. And then it was gone, mostly, with only the echoes of stiffness that could be explained away by the angle he was slouched back in his chair…. asleep? No. That didn't seem right.

"Didn't realize I'd actually bored you to sleep."

Tony dug the heels of his hands into his eyes to try to clear them, finally blinking hard. When he didn't respond right away he saw Howard pop up on the other side of the car like a gopher and he shook his head. "I was…."

"Out like a light," Howard chuckled at him as he stood, reaching for a rag to wipe his hands with. "Midway through the story I look over and you were gone."

Everything felt foggy and he kept catching what looked like tiny bursts of light from the corner of his eye, but when he looked over nothing was out of place. "What story?" he found himself asking.

"'Bout Cap and the whole fondue incident."

Tony sat up a little straighter. "He hates it. Never knew why."

"It's a funny story. You'd have heard it if you hadn't dozed off."

He stood, feeling a little unsteady as he did, and he looked towards another sharp flash of light.

"Tony?"

Tony jerked back around, Howard's tone startling him. Like he'd called him several times. "Huh?"

"Kinda thought this was a joint project."

"Right."

He couldn't shake the strange feeling that nagged at him, but he did his best to push it aside as he joined Howard next to the classic car that had somehow become their project. Rebuilding a similar one with the man that had raised him had been one of Tony's few good memories of his childhood with him. Now, with this Howard, they could both enjoy it as they settled into casual conversation about anything and everything. They talked about Morgan, about Tony and Pepper's wedding. About the Avengers and some of the adventures they'd had together. Tony got a laugh at the look he got when he told the man that would be his father that he'd dismantled a rogue bot with a fondue stick once.

"What about FRIDAY?" he asked and Tony saw another flicker. Something felt wrong.

"What about her?"

"Anything. Everything. C'mon. It's not like I'm gonna be able to replicate it when you send me back. Even I'm not that good." He paused, that playful smirk that was all the Howard Tony was coming to know and nothing of the father he had tugging into place. "Okay, I am that good, but I won't have the tools at my disposal to make it happen."

"It's just one of those things." He looked over. That wasn't a flash of light. That was a full disruption. Like a glitch in an augmented reality display.

"Then give me something that won't break time and space, huh? Where's she located?"

Something was wrong and Howard was pushing. He always pushed, but there was something about this…. "Why would you need to know that?"

"Curiosity. My kid is the greatest inventor this generation knows. I just wanna see it with my own eyes. You know, before you send me home."

Tony closed his eyes, forcing himself to focus through what felt like a fog crashing in on him. "I knew I was missing something."

"Say again?"

When he re-opened them, everything around them was glitching, and didn't take more than half a second for Howard to join the rest of it. "You're not here. I'm not even here." He looked around, a mirthless chuckle leaving him and he shouted at nothing in particular. "Game's up, Obie. It's clever, I'll give it to you. Guess that means you didn't put it together." He thought he heard a frustrated snarl somewhere in the distance. Howard was frozen in place and Tony's workshop flickered in and out of sync around him. "Just can't come up with it on your own, can you? Break into my house and disable my ARC reactor with my own localized EMP device and what? You had to go through SHIELD for that, so that means you haven't gotten through Stark Industries' securities to steal anything directly from there. You track down that nutcase Beck or something? Bet you two got along. Was there enough room between the two of you -"

And then, just like that, it all snapped out of existence and Tony found himself on his back, laid out on a table with his wrists and ankles cuffed to it. Obadiah Stane stood just in his line of sight, his face beet red as he fumed. Tony shot him a dangerous grin. "Enough room between the two of you for your bitching and moaning that life just isn't fair that you can't figure out a way to beat me?"

He hadn't thought Stane could look any angrier, but somehow he managed. He probably should stop antagonizing him or the man was going to lose the last shred of his self control and throttle him. "You always think you're the smartest man in the room, don't you, Tony?"

"Because I am. Nearly every damn time."

Stane jerked forward and Tony thought he was about to get punched. Instead the older man ripped a pair of glasses from his face - clunky, but not in a fashionable way. Tony could see the wires running through. Definitely Beck's original design, even if Stane had had someone alter it - and threw them at a lanky, bespectacled young man that barely caught them. "Fix it!" Stane roared and stormed out to leave Tony alone with the startled, trembling man.

                                                  ______________

They had stopped off in Queens to pick up Peter Parker before making their way into Manhattan. The teen was quieter than Peggy had ever heard him before as he listened to Steve explain what little they knew. Obadiah Stane had used some of the stolen tech to break into Tony's home. Pepper had confirmed that she, Howard, and Morgan were alright, but he'd taken Tony. They were already pooling resources to track him. They would find him, Steve promised, and Peter only nodded, his expression determined in a way Peggy had seen so many times in boys not much older than him during the war. She wouldn't bet against the teen in that moment, and it sounded like they needed every ounce of strength they could muster for this.

The majority of the team had already gathered by the time they got there. Colonel Rhodes, Sergeant Barnes, and Sam Wilson stood looking at a collection of images displayed on a projection, Pepper balancing a very upset looking Morgan in her arms as she spoke quietly with them. Barton looked up from a call he was on, nodding to the group looking at the satellite footage. "Hey Cap, we've got eyes."

Steve moved immediately while Morgan Stark wiggled free of her mother's arms and took off like a shot towards Peter. He caught her mid-leap and the little girl hung onto him like her life depended on it. "The mean man took Daddy!"

"I know," he said softly as he held onto her protectively. "We're gonna get him back."

She sniffed. "Promise?"

"Yeah."

"They hurt Howard."

That caught Peggy's attention, and for the first time she realized her friend wasn't with the others. Her gaze swept the room and fear started to settle into her chest just as he strode in from a different room with a cup of coffee in either hand. He was sporting a black eye and a brace on his wrist, but looked mostly whole as he delivered the second cup to Pepper.

"Hey, Peg," he greeted as she made her way over, but his voice didn't hold any of his usual gusto.

Her looked him over, searching for any signs that there were more injuries than the eye could see. "What happened?"

Howard shifted uncomfortably under her scrutiny and took a long drink from his mug. "Pepper told you."

"Not this -" She motioned to his injured wrist and then to his eye - "or this."

"Turns out I don't just know Iron Monger. I've known him most've my life." He didn't seem to want to meet her eyes and he ran a hand back along his hair to smooth it back as much as he could. Finally he stepped closer, his voice hushed. "I figured it out before he came in. Tony was…"

"Less than thrilled?" she prompted with a raised eyebrow.

"Livid, But Obie - Stane - seemed to think, seemed to know all he had to do was threaten any of us. I just happened to be the one there, but he… he didn't even put up a fight, Peg. Just gave up the one weapon he had on him and walked out the door."

He blamed himself. There was no denying how attached Howard had become to the man that would be his son someday, and Tony appeared to have finally let some of his own guard down somewhere along the way. Stane must have seen it and used it against them. "Howard, this isn't —"

"I'm going in with you."

She blinked hard, startled. "I'm sorry?"

"To get Tony. I'm going with you. I know I'm not like the rest of you, but I'm handy with a firearm. It's not like I've never been close to a firefight either."

"I seem to remember you diving for cover when we tested Steve's shield the first time," she said softly. The image might have been amusing any other time, but at that very moment it just served as one of many reminders that he was a civilian, not a soldier.

"Testing, is that what you called it? 'Cause I thought you were trying to make a point when you caught him with that pretty blonde." His smile was strained and faltered almost immediately. "Peg, how many flights did I take over occupied territory to get Cap's team where they needed to go? Nobody but me would."

"You were in the air and away from the fray, or should we talk about Poland and the quite literal scars you have to remember that trip by?"

"I can do this."

Peggy swallowed the argument that threaten to tumble uselessly from her lips. Howard Stark was one of the most stubborn people she'd ever known. She had to be careful. "But is it where you'd do him the most good?" She saw his shoulders sag just a little. "I've seen you at work, Howard. Yes, you're a top notch pilot. You know I know that, but that's not what we need here. You're also a talented tactician. Get us through where they're holding him. Help us get to him. That's how you save him."

That stubborn expression cracked to show just a little of the fear beneath. "I can't lose him, Peg. I gotta…" He swallowed hard. "I gotta make it right."

Peggy reached what she hoped would be a comforting hand out to him. "We will. I just need you to trust me."

"Peggy?" She looked over to Steve who looked ready to knock heads. "We've got a location. You ready?"

She looked back to Howard, desperately needing his confirmation before leaving him there. Pepper had a five-year-old reason that wasn't suiting up along with them and running headlong into danger, but Howard was just stubborn enough that if he didn't give her his word he might follow them no matter what. It took a long moment, but he nodded, the movement stiff, and she didn't want to think about what would happen if she couldn't make good on the promise.

"Thank you."

"Happy has the jet ready for you," Pepper called out as she came to stand with Howard, Morgan reaching out for her hand. "You still current, Clint?"

"Yes ma'am."

"Good. Bring him home."

                                                 ______________

No one else had come back into the room since Obadiah had left and Tony was carefully working to undo at least one of the cuffs around his wrists. The straps were fastened into place, but if he could get just the right angle on it he could start to work it free. Get one free, he could get the other free. Once his hands were liberated then came the feet and then… well, at least he'd have a chance.

A sharp cry from the far end of the room reminded him that he was not, in fact, alone. Stane's little pet… whatever he was was there. Tony still didn't know exactly what his expertise was in, but if he were to wager a guess he was the kid that Obadiah had said had been digging into his tech. Apparently not well, if the glitchy would-be BARF simulation was anything to go by. Maybe he could be useful somehow. "So," Tony drawled, shift against his restraints, "you guys recruit Beck for that?"

"Oh no. He didn't want anything to do with us. He had this whole thing planned out… Doesn't matter now. Mr Stane asked me to upgrade the tech a while back and I've been working on it. I thought I had all the bugs worked out but….. Well, you saw." He swiveled around on his chair, the wheels on the bottom carrying him across so that he was inches away from Tony now. Well that hadn't been what he was going for. "Mr Beck's design dialed into the hippocampus and manipulated memories. He was working on something that was going to let him project out what he wanted people to see, but Mr Stane thought it would be more useful to, uh… use what's inside the person's mind already."

"Let them be their own worst enemy."

"Yes! Yes exactly!"

"He's always been a manipulative bastard."

"Oh, he's a genius."

Tony felt the cuff slip ever so slightly. "He's something alright. What's your name?"

"My name? Oh. Oh it's Marty. I, uh -" he looked back to the door and then leaned down. Tony's fingers instantly stilled. "Don't tell him I told you, but I'm a big fan of yours. I wanted to work for Stark Industries after school, but you know the snap and everything. So here I am. Mr Stane's great though."

"If you say so. How close are you? Getting your design to work?"

That did the trick. Marty scooted back over to his work station as he spoke. "Really close. I think the key is finding a way to keep the power surges under control. Your ARC reactor technology should do the trick, though. I think. I took a scan of the one in your chest while you were out. Hope you don't mind."

"Kinda do." And then it slipped. Tony jerked hard against it and his hand broke free. He moved instantly to the other cuff and started tugging it loose.

"Well, I mean, it's such an amazing piece of tech and you don't have it out there on the open web. You should. You really should."

Tony sat up, ripping the restraints from his bare ankles. He had the last one undone by the time Marty looked around, his expression inquisitive. "Oh! You can't… you shouldn't be up!"

"Hey, I need you to keep quiet, you hear me?"

"I can't. I really shouldn't. Mr Stane -"

"Do you want him to know you let me go?" Tony asked, sliding off the table with his hands out in what he hoped was a calming motion. His gaze flickered around. There wasn't much he could use against him, not that Marty looked like he'd put up much of a fight.

"I can't -"

There was a crash outside and an alarm started blaring, drawing Marty's attention. Tony took a step forward and swung, fist balled up and it connected hard with the babbling tech-thief's face to lay him out. Tony winced, flexing his right hand. "Sorry, kid. I have people I need to get home to."

He raced towards the door and threw it open. No guards, no immediate threats. Well, at least there was that. He picked a direction and ran.

                                                 ______________

She could feel Howard's eyes on her as she checked with the SI security one more time. Stane's people were looking for something and had been for a while. They weren't getting very far hammering at the security, which was likely why they'd gone after their stolen tech through other routes. Pepper would have thought that SHIELD wouldn't have been an easier target, but Stark Industries weren't the only ones they used for security. Just the only ones that earned their paycheck.

"I've been on this side of plenty of operations and never felt more like I'm in the wrong place."

"You're exactly where you need to be," she assured him as she reached over to look at her buzzing phone.

"Don't tell me you're good playing back up. I've seen you in action."

She looked over to the man that she still wasn't entirely sure if she should consider her father-in-law and pulled in a breath. "I want to be there too. I get that, but I'm here in part because Morgan needs me, but also because I'm the one with the security protocols to access what we need while Stark Industries is in lockdown."

Her phone buzzed again. "Is that them asking for your go-ahead?"

"That's legal," she answered, blue eyes skimming the message, and that seemed to instantly bore him. Like father, like son. Tony hated discussing legal matters. He wouldn't be particularly happy about this one either, but she had a promise to make good on. She could handle his grousing as long as he came home to her.

Their communications buzzed and Pepper hit the accept on the call. "How's it looking, Steve?"

"Fortified."

"Then we've got the right place," Howard answered as he settled himself into place and pulled up the holomap they'd hobbled together without any hesitation on how to access it.

"Time to go in and say hello," Clint chirped and Pepper pushes her phone aside. Dealing with the Fury situation could wait.

                                                 ______________

It didn't take long for Obadiah's people to start gaining on him, but even less time for Tony's body to deliver a painful reminder what his former mentor had put him through since stealing him away from his home that morning. His chest ached straight through to his back and he was having trouble pulling in enough air. He needed to get somewhere safe and fast.

The building had likely been some sort of offices at one point or another. A few long hallways with doors at every turn might have given him some place to duck away and keep his head down until the source of the ruckus - because somebody had set off those alarms, and it hadn't been him - found him if it hadn't been for the cameras at every angle. Obadiah was going to know exactly where he was, but with any luck that meant his team might be able to get into those same security feeds and find him too. He just had to make sure he could protect himself until then. He might not have access to a suit, but that didn't make him an easy target.

Tony made his way through several rooms before finding the closet he needed. His lips tilted into a lopsided grin at the compilation of cleaning supplies, many with the warnings FLAMMABLE in bold. He stepped inside, working to find what he needed from the metal storage cabinets against the wall. Chemicals, rag, a battery, and a paperclip. Okay. That could work.

His hands shook as he started mixing chemicals and he did his best to steady them when the voices outside the door drew closer. It was fine. This was fine. He needed them close, but he also needed the mix to be just about right, and spilling it all over the metal table in the middle of the room wasn't going to help.

The voices were closing in and Tony stuffed the cloth into the mixed chemical bottle, setting it aside just long enough to flip the table to give himself some cover. He grabbed for the battery and unwound the end of his paperclip, working enough of the plastic away from the edge to start heating it up. "C'mon, c'mon," he urged as he held the makeshift lighter to the fabric. That singed it and then caught, slowly building momentum.

Just in time. The door open and Tony tossed the bottle at the newcomers. He spotted Obadiah trying to scurry out of the doorway before he ducked behind his cover, the explosion rocking the hallway and sending hot, fiery chunks of plastic back into his closet. He sat there for a long moment in the wake of it before finally peeking up and over the turned table. No one moved outside and he stood cautiously.

Stane had only had two men with him. One was on his side, fingers wrapped around his leg where pieces of plastic had done some painful damage. The other was out cold and slumped against the wall. Obadiah coughed, drawing Tony's attention, and it looked like he'd taken the brunt of the blast.

"How's it feel?" the older man asked, his voice strained and the chuckle he managed wounded more like another cough.

"What?"

"Payback. I stood over you… let you die. Now it's your turn."

Tony set his jaw. "I'm not you, Obie. I don't enjoy making people suffer."

"But you're willing. You always have been. Saw what you did to get out of that cave years ago. What you did to me."

"You mean after you hijacked my company, attacked me, and tried to kill Pepper? You've got a real skewed outlook if you think that makes me anything like you." Obadiah snorted and a shout down the way drew Tony's attention for just a moment. He could have sworn he heard the sound of Cap's shield bouncing off of something down the way and it brought the smallest smiles to his face as he turned back. "You lost."

"Least I'm not alone."

Tony saw the small EMP in his hand just as Stane pressed down. The reactor flickered and went out, sending him stumbling and crashing to his knees as his heart beat erratically. He reached out clumsily for it, the tiny device having fallen from Obadiah's now-limp hand, and his finger grazed the mechanism to turn it off. The red lights faded away, but there was no jolt of the reactor turning back on and no blue light shining through his t-shirt. "Shit," he managed, voice barely squeaking out past his vocal chords.

"Mr Stark!"

The kid. He heard the kid. He'd helped him on the redesign. If he could talk him through it, Peter could reconnect whatever wiring had been knocked loose and -

"Mr Stark! Tony!"

Peter was shaking him now, and Tony hadn't realized that his eyes had slipped closed. He forced them open to find the teen with every inch of fear shining through the protective lenses of his mask. He reached up, the movement awkward and heavy, and his fingers touched the dead reactor.

"Okay. Okay… Not good. How do we turn it back on? It's uh… I don't know. Mr Stark, I don't know. How do I fix it?"

His body gave a painful shudder and he couldn't find the words. It was like he was slowly sinking, water closing in around him and muffling Peter's terrified cries. Funny, the kid only seemed to call him by his first name when he was slipping away.

                                                 ______________

TBC

Notes: Holy crap this chapter felt like it took forever. I can't tell  you how many times I'd write a scene, scrap it, start over, scrap it, shuffle it, and it just continued on. A couple of nights ago I found the idea that made it all fit together though, so it worked out!

[californiadreaminghq]

Oh good, you made it!

Did you guys know Rose was coming? She brought Birdie May, The Heart of Glass! And just on time! Grab a drink, find a spot, and make sure you finish everything on the checklist. The band is just getting started – you have 24 hours to send in your account! We’re so glad you’re here!

                                     I. OUT OF THE STUDIO

NAME/ALIAS: Rose

AGE: 23

PRONOUNS: She/her

                                                II. ON STAGE

DESIRED SKELETON: The Heart of Glass

NAME: Birdie May

FACE CLAIM: Lily James

AGE: 28

OCCUPATION: Concertina/Keys for Indigo Dusk

                                              III. INTERVIEW

Answer the following questions in your character’s voice:

If you could do anything in the world for a living, what would it be?

“This! I’m doing it, aren’t I? I mean, sure, I’d love to get my go at the guitar once in a while, maybe do some writing, but other than that, it’s hard to imagine wanting anything else. This is the dream, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything. Nothing in the world could compare to this right here.”

If you could travel anywhere, where would you go?

“You know, it’s funny. I spent my whole childhood wishing I could get away, but now that I’m away, I’m just wishing I could get back home. It’s been a long while since I left, and I can’t remember the last time I saw a sky as blue or night as peaceful/…listening to cicadas in the summer…sittin’ on the porch, some sweet tea…Joey runnin’ ‘round the yard chasin’ Red…” She lost herself in the memories, that too familiar yearning for a time long gone. No amount of wishing could make it all come back - even if it could, she knew the memories were sweeter than the reality. “Of course, Los Angeles is beautiful, but you know…“there’s no place like home”! That starts to seem more true each and every day.”

What is one thing that makes you different than anyone else?

“My winning smile! Nah, I’m just kidding you! I don’t think there’s anything that makes me all that different from anybody. I’m just another girl who loves music. There’s lots of us out there, especially in LA. But I don’t know, maybe my name? You don’t find too many people named Birdie, do ya?”

                                              IV. BACKSTAGE

(death cw, alcoholism cw, restrictive diets cw)

The woman we know today as Birdie May was actually born May Beth Dixon. Sixth child to a farmer and a seamstress in rural North Carolina, little May had to fight to get even a hint of attention. Her older brothers and sisters had their loud shouting voices to break through the crowd while May was, what it seemed like at the time, cursed with an itty bitty bird voice. What were her chirps to her siblings’ roars? If it weren’t for her little brother, Joseph, or Joey as May liked to call him, it’s likely she’d never be heard at all. Joey was everything to May - her sun, moon, and stars, and she’d never let him forget it. Every morning began with a big ol’ “I love you”! and every night ended with the same. They were a team, Joey and May, especially when the family was hard up for cash, which was pretty much always. More often than not, they had to ration a day’s worth of food to last a week, and it was four to a bed in their tiny cabin, but somehow, they made ends meet. That is, till Joey got sick.

It didn’t happen often, someone catching an illness in the family, but when it caught, it never let go. The doctor said it was some kind of flu, but that didn’t really matter in the end. By the time, he was able to get checked out, Joey was already gone. He was eight years old.

In times of trauma, a family can act in one of two ways: they get close or they grow apart. In the case of the Dixons, there was nothing good to come out of their grief. May’s dad tried to manage with a bottle. And another. And another. He’d end up drinking so much that he’d pass out and lay in bed all day. Of course, the effect this had on everyone else was nothing short of devastating, especially considering they were dealing with Joey’s death too - or at least trying to. It’s hard to grieve when you gotta make sure the cows are fed, the crops are watered, and there’s some kind of food on the table. Mama grew distant, and May’s brothers and sisters did nothing but work. There was no time to breathe, no time to think, no time to live.

Sometime during her 16th year, May ran away from home. She took her father’s old guitar, a flask of whiskey for courage, and the one picture she had of Joey. Hitting the road, little May hitchhiked her way West. Where exactly she was going, she didn’t know, but that didn’t matter. She just had to get out of there. If she was gonna survive in this life, she couldn’t stay in that tiny cabin. She’d die in there - just like Joey.

Hitchhiking cross country might not’ve been the safest thing to do, but thankfully, minus the occasional creep, she avoided any huge bumps in the road. For the most part, people were friendly and happy to help out a wayward traveler, especially one with such a spirit. Since she had no money, May would thank her saviors with a song or two, if they were up for it. She’d sing them her favorites: Patsy Cline, Johnny Cash, Buddy Holly. If they were enjoying themselves, she’d give ‘em an original or two - if she was feeling frisky, she’d make one up on the spot. This was how she got herself all the way to Los Angeles. It was unlike any city she’d ever seen (granted, the only “city” she knew was Boone with a population at around 3,000), and May could feel it in her bones, this place was gonna last her awhile.

With the success of her musical hitchhiking adventures, and virtually no skills aside from farming and the instruments she picked up when she was young, May decided to try her luck at busking. It got her a few dollars - enough to grab some food, but it definitely wasn’t enough to live off of. This was when she met her first love. Well, he was a love at the time through May’s eyes, but anyone not clouded by cupid would recognize the ugly truth. She saw him as her knight in shining armor, while he saw her as a cute country hick he could use for a little bit and then toss back onto the street. The end of that relationship initiated a string of similar relationships: May finding someone who promised their heart, only to have them crush hers instead. All the while, she kept playing her music, not knowing if anything would come of it, but it felt right. Through everything, there was the music.

Eventually, her persistence paid off: May was discovered and started playing in a band. From then on out, things were looking up. Were. Since joining the band, her professional life has certainly grown by leaps and bounds, but her personal life, well…let’s just say, you can take the girl out of the mess, but you can’t take the mess out of the girl, and if there’s one thing the celebrity news media loves, it’s a mess. She tries to stay out of it, but there comes a point where she’s also gotta live her life. The only thing is, how do you do that without adding fuel to the fire? With every new headline, she wonders if that’ll ever be possible. And is it all even worth it? Yes. Yes, of course it is, but that doesn’t mean it’s not hard.

                                                  V. ENCORE

first of all, i know i said danielle campbell, but we’ll ignore thataslkjfh

i’m really excited for miss birdie’s growth. right now, she still depends greatly on others for her happiness, but i hope to see her independence grow as she’s developed and interacts in the plot!! honestly, my ultimate goal is for her to grow into a no bs-having, fully confident in herself dolly-like figure. we’ll have to see if that actually happens for her!

also, i tried to keep her initial involvement with indigo dusk vague in the bio since i don’t wanna step on visions of how the group was actually formed!

i made a pinterest board for her here and a playlist for her here! (tbh, i’ll probably be adding to them until the submit closesasjkdfh)

a headcanon i have: when may joined indigo dusk, it was decided she needed a stage name (may beth dixon didn’t really have the kind of ring to it they were wanting), so she kept her first name as her last, and came up with “birdie” because that was the nickname joey gave her whenever she’d sing to him.

[animation-recaps-by-sean]

Adventure Time-Come Along With Me Recap

The fun will never end it’s adventure time! Spoilers below. 

After Sym Bionic Titan wasn’t renewed for a second season, a coworker told me that Adventure Time better turn into something great. Little did he know. Adventure Time came right when we needed it.  This is bittersweet for me. My first review for this blog was for the season six episode “Breezy”. It’s still my least favorite episode. And the rest of season 6 didn’t really help matters. But the show bounced back, next season. And was still one of the best on tv to the end.

Due to a series of circumstances involving Aqua Teen Hunger Force, a lightbright, and the city of Boston, Cartoon Network got a new head executive who wanted to move the channel in a new direction. He greenlight a series of reality shows and launched CN Real in 2008 planning to move away from cartoons completely. This move was universally hated by everybody and cost the channel millions. Fast forward to 2010 had Cartoon Network premiering it’s first cartoon since the failure of CN Real. It didn’t just save Cartoon Network it saved cartoons. Cartoons were kind of fading from television. Nick and Disney didn’t have a lot of animated shows at the time. And there was a lot of stuff like Adventure Time at the well... time. It’s hard to image since how cartoons have built off it’s style, but Adventure Time really was a breath of fresh air. If we didn’t have Adventure Time we wouldn’t have had Gravity Falls, Steven Universe and so on and so on. It showed everyone that cartoons could be funny and smart too.

It did have issues. Particularly in season six when the show started to by its own hype. And the gave everyone daddy issues. And I mean everyone. Finn, Marceline, Lemonhope, Jake, Jake’s kids, Jake’s brother, Jake’s grandkids. But they did improve season seven going onward by grounding the lore and the story based on the characters. I think deciding ending the series forced them to address interesting lore points.

Speaking of the ending, let’s talk about the finale. It begins a thousand years in Ooo’s future, seen in Lemonhope and Graybles 1000 +. We join Shermy and Beth, who looks like a decedent of Jake and Ladycorn, as they try to topple a Prize Guard Guardian. They fail but gain the ire of a futuristic banana guard. The duo also find an old metal arm. Finn’s metal arm. The return to their house, which is Marceline's house. The two decide to find the King of Ooo to see if he knows anything about it.

The duo travels up a mountain to the King’s house, who turns out to be BMO with a crown and a sheet tied to his face to mimic a beard. Shermy and Beth look around the room breaking a lot of stuff. BMO asks them to leave but the show him Finn’s arm. BMO remembers his old friend and how he lost his arm at the end.

We go back a thousand years. Finn and Jake see King Man and Betty doing something with the unconscious Maja. The three disappear. They report it to Bubblegum who is planning a defense against Gumbald and his army. Both Finn and Marceline warn Bubblegum about the war. The show is framing them in the right but I disagree. Look, war is bad, I get that. But you gotta defend yourself. This isn’t a cold war equal power kind of deal. Gumbald is gunning for Bubblegum. Ask Neville Chamberlain how well appeasement works.

Bubblegum discovers a spy forcing her to launch the attack now. Gumbald, who knows his spy was caught, knows what she would do launches an attack himself. Before the two forces duke it out Finn throws a potion he got from Nightmare Princess back from that episode set between the island and elementals mini series. Finn, Jake, Gumbald, Fern, and Bubblegum are hit and trapped in a shared dream. Finn tries to get Gumbald and Bubblegum to talk it out but the two fly off to dream fight. So Finn tries to get Fern to listen to him, but that’s not working out for him either. Jake meanwhile, conjuring up his brother, goes looking for something in there shared minds. He finds what he’s looking for. Finn’s vault. Finn tries to explain that he has issues just like Fern but Fern insists that he’s the only one who angsted. Trust me Fern, Finn have angsted plenty, just watch season six.

Jake comes in with the vault and opens it releasing a bunch of bad memories. Fern sees that Finn does suffer and Finn and Jake are transported into Fern’s head. The episode does rush past the bad memories without much thought. But I get they only have so much time for the episode. They find that grass octopus holding Sword Finn. Finn kills the grass ocotpuss and frees his time displaced counterpart.

Meanwhile, Gumbald gets to experience running the candy kingdom while Bubblegum lives turning into a candy person. The two get a better feel for each other.

The five of them meet up at the beach. Fern starts to distagrate but Jake assures him it’s just a dream. They wake; but Fern is still disintegrating.  Can I just say I love LSP’s “Oh no, there dead! Oh wait there fine.” It just really cracked me up. Gumbald and Bubblegum go to hug it out but at the last moment he pulls out the candy juice. But Lolly trips him and it spills all over Gumbald turning him back into punchbowl, saving Bubblegum. Guys, I feel so validated.

We cut back to the future and Beth thinks that BMO meant the end of the war, but no BMO meant the end of Ooo. Because as soon Aunt Lolly and Bubblegum makes peace, King Man comes crashing down, telling everyone he donked up. Bad. The chaos demon Golb comes down with an unconscious Maja and Betty in a trance. Somewhere deep in Ice King, Simon flashes back to him and Betty discussing GOLB. Back in the present, GOLB turns a bunch of people into a giant monster. The army Gumbald had recruited flees. Boy they were pointless to bring back. Bubblegum turns to the banana guards. She asks them if the will obey her orders. When the yes, she orders them to run away for their lives. Which they do.

King Man and Finn bring Ice King to Betty hoping he can snap her out of trance. Ice King sings the Fiona song. We never got an answer for that Fiona transmision plot line did we? Betty is not happy but that frees Maja who laugh at her chance of revenge. She is promptly overloaded by GOLB’s power and explodes. GOLB than eats Betty, Ice King, and Finn. Biting off Finn’s robot arm in the process.  

The monster goes on a rampage and smashes Bubblegum, sending Marceline into a rage. She knocks back the monster and attend to Bonnie. After the two talk, the girlfriends kiss. Good for them. It was never my ship but it was a huge part of the fandom and they deserve to be canon.

Jake fights the monster, who smashes the tree house and BMO’s face. BMO picks up a smashed tiny Jake and sings ‘Time Adventure’ the last song Rebecca Sugar wrote for the show. While singing the monster couldn’t attack them. Bubblegum realizes that creatures of GOLB are creatures of disharmony. And thus are hurt by harmony. So the cast begins to sing.

Meanwhile, trapped in his stomach, Betty and Simon are reverted to their premagic selves. The crown itself also switches to it’s prewish state. Betty and Simon are finally reunited, only to have to face of death. Finn fruitlessly punches the walls. But the song gets through and opens up GOLB’s stomach. Simon and Finn escape while Betty ops to stay behind to use the wish crown. She wishes for what she always wanted, Simon safe. Betty fuses with GOLB and disappears. The crown falls with a clang. I feel the show was a little harsh towards Betty’s quest to save Simon. It’s not her fault that Magic Man transferred his insanity into her.

Gunther picks up the Ice King’s crown and Jake reminders everyone that Gunther is a powerful space demon. But the crown just turns him into a smaller version of the Ice King head from the Garybales episode. Fern distagrates for real and Finn and Jake planet him were the tree house was.

BKO finishes his story. Beth and Shermy thought it was a story about the end of Ooo. BMO tells them it was. They asked what happened to everyone. BMO says they lived their lives. As the two leave and giant Sweet P can be seen walking in the background. They walk to the giant tree and Sherny pulls the Finn sword at of the top.

We cut back to Finn and Jake at the song hole, who sings the ending theme. We see flashes of everyone. Gunther marries Turtle Princess. LSP is crowned queen of Lumpy Space, Simon tries to find Betty, Marceline and Bubblegum cuddling on the couch, Susan and Frieda are still exploring, and Minerva leading the humans to Ooo.

I am bummed that we didn’t get anything with Finn and Huntress Wizard. I thought they worked as a couple and we spent a good chunk of the series dealing with Finn’s love life and would have liked some resolution to that. Also, why are the candy people in stasis in the future?

I think the final episode could have used another 15 minutes to flesh some stuff out. Other than that it was a great ending. I was a little worried we were gonna get a bad or strange ending, but I was happily wrong. It was bittersweet in some ways but did right by most of the main cast.

3 ½ out of 4       

[wordsintimeandspace]

Back to You

When the Doctor wakes up one morning, he feels like something is terribly wrong. He didn’t sleep without nightmares since that day at Canary Wharf - or did he? Unsure if he can trust his own memories, he has to figure out what happened to him in order to save the woman he thought he lost to a parallel world.

Ten/Rose, rated T, around 3k words. Read on AO3!

The Doctor wakes slowly. He drifts between sleep and consciousness for a while, his mind slow and sluggish, until he finally pushes past the drowsiness enough to form a coherent thought. The first thing he realizes is that something is terribly wrong. Waking up is a lot of things for him - sudden and abrupt, a relief that the nightmare that woke him wasn’t real and an excruciating pain that the reality isn’t much better - but it’s never slow like this. Not these days. Not without her.

Was he drugged? Injured and in a healing coma? Bracing himself for whatever he might see, the Doctor sits up with a start and opens his eyes.

To his surprise, he’s in his bedroom. Fully clothed, lying on top of the duvet. It tends to happen when he’s putting off sleep for far longer than his body allows. At some point, he just crashes. But these are the times when his nightmares are the worst. All the fire and chaos of the time war that’s still haunting him. That endless white wall separating him from everything he loves, that doesn’t budge even if he pounds his fists against it until they’re raw and bleeding.

This time, his mind is just empty. No nightmare still flashing in front of his eyes. His bloodstream is free of any drugs or toxins. There’s nothing that could explain this peculiar, dreamless sleep.

The Doctor grasps the sheets between his fingers, as if to confirm that this is actually real. Shaking his head, he tries to think, pushing past the last remains of drowsiness. He remembers now how he collapsed on the bed after a particularly bad adventure the night before. His internal clock tells him it was exactly eight hours and twelve minutes ago, but that’s not what it feels like. It feels like it’s been weeks. Months. A lifetime ago.

When he gets out of bed, he notices another thing that is wrong: the TARDIS is quiet. She’s still there, humming all around him, but they’re not moving. They should be drifting through the Vortex right now. The Doctor remembers how he steered them there, just before he made his way to his bedroom.

“Where are we, old girl?” he murmurs with a frown. His fingertips brush against the wall. There is no answer, except that the lights brighten for just a second. Slowly, as if the TARDIS is still waking up as well. None of this makes sense.

As quick as he can, the Doctor rushes to the console room. The TARDIS greets him there with a soft hum, as if everything is normal. It doesn’t help to calm his racing mind, doesn’t do anything against the feeling of wrongness nagging at him. Letting out a long breath, he braces himself against the console and runs a quick scan.

His shoulders slump when the coordinates pop up. The readings don’t tell him anything. He’s never been to this place before. Behind the doors lies a strange, unknown planet, and he has no idea why - and how - the TARDIS brought him there. The feeling of wrongness gets so overwhelming that he nearly pushes the next lever and takes the ship back to the Vortex. It’s more than just a hint now, it’s a constant tingling that makes the hairs at the back of his neck stand up. The urge to get away from this place makes his fingers twitch.

But just as he grips the lever, ready to leave and never look back, his gaze falls onto a piece of red fabric draped over the back of the jump seat. He pauses. It looks so familiar, yet so out of place. His head is swimming as he crosses the room and picks it up. He’s sure there’s proof on it to confirm who it belongs to - a specific scent, a hair with DNA - but he doesn’t need it, because he just knows.

Rose.

He knows it belongs to Rose, although he doesn’t remember seeing this specific jacket before. The knowledge is just there, planted deep in his mind, and he doesn’t know why.

“Impossible,” he says through gritted teeth. She’s gone, locked away in a parallel universe. And still, that’s her jacket in his hand. He raises it to his face, presses his nose against the fabric and takes a deep breath. The scent is just Rose. There’s no question, no uncertainty.

It finally pulls the Doctor out of his stupor. Frantically, he dashes down the corridor, looking for more evidence.

There’s her favourite mug in the sink right next to his. One of these romance novels he always rolls his eyes at on the couch in the library, right next to a pink blanket. A bottle of nail polish on the table in front of the couch. More of her clothes, spread across the ship. In the wardrobe room, the kitchen and stars, his bedroom. For a minute he just stares in disbelief at the flimsy white top on his bedroom floor. His mind races with the possibilities of how it might have ended up there, but none of them seem realistic. Not even a tiny little bit. After this shock, he barely registers the sight of her toothbrush next to his in the ensuite. None of this feels real.

He slumps down right there and then, sitting on the edge of the bathtub. His hands are still clutching the red jacket he found in the console room. One of the many things he doesn’t remember. One of the many things that are undeniable proof that Rose was on this ship. Not just months ago, like his memory is trying to tell him, but recently.

Letting out a shaking breath, the Doctor dives into his mind. He’s sure he wasn’t physically hurt. There has to be another hint of what might have happened. In the end, he doesn’t have to search for long. There are traces everywhere, how his mind has been manipulated. He carefully follows them, until he reaches a part in his mind that’s blocked off. It feels like he’s running against a wall. Behind that wall, he can sense his memories of the recent weeks. He can sense Rose. But there’s no way to get past the barrier. It doesn’t yield, no matter of hard he tries to push past it. Again, there’s a wall separating him from Rose, and it makes the Doctor’s blood boil.

Through all this doubt, all this confusion, there is now only one thing the Doctor knows for certain. Whoever manipulated his memories and made him forget Rose, he’s sure they are also the reason why she’s not here with him right now.

~~

Rose watches the sun rise on the bright blue sky behind the window. It’s the only source of light in the tiny room she’s been locked into for hours. As the sun rises, the dread turning her stomach to knots grows with every minute. At noon they’re gonna get her and take her off the planet, that’s what they told her. Hours ago already, with greedy eyes and cruel smiles. Plenty of time for the Doctor to save her - or so she thought. There’s still no trace of him.

Again and again, she remembers the last thing she saw before they dragged her away: the Doctor crying out and sinking to the floor, his face pale, one of the alien’s tentacles pressed against his temple. Some kind of telepathic attack? She isn’t sure what exactly they did to him, but now that he’s still not there to save her, the worry that they actually managed to hurt him is overwhelming. Again, Rose struggles against the bonds pinning her arms to the armrests of the chair. Her skin is already chafed, her wrists aching, but it’s the only thing she can do. The only thing she could do for the past couple of hours.

She winces when one movement sends a sharp pain through her arm. Letting out a sigh, she stills and lets her head fall back. Did the restrains get any looser the last times she tried? She isn’t sure. It might be time to admit that she isn’t getting out of here on her own. Maybe she should just try to get some rest and take one last desperate attempt to escape when the ship is there that is going to take her away, to whatever man who paid her capturers a fortune for her. Her stomach twists just thinking about it. The anxiety coursing through her veins keeps her mind wide awake, no matter how tired her body is.

She flinches when there’s suddenly a dull thump outside the door. Is it already time? Holding her breath, Rose listens as someone fumbles with the lock until it springs open with a click. A moment later, the Doctor barges into the room. His face is a mix of fury and concern.

“Rose,” he breathes out, so relieved as if they were separated for months and not mere hours. The sheer desperation and longing in his voice makes Rose’s heart stutter in her chest.

“Hello,” she smiles, forgetting her aching and tired body for a second. She tries to wriggle her fingers in greeting, but it sends another sharp pain through her wrist. Immediately, the Doctor drops to his knees in front of her, aiming his buzzing sonic screwdriver at the ropes binding her to the chair. Rose lets out a breath of relief when she is finally free. Her arms ache from being in one position for so long, but that doesn’t stop her from wrapping them around the Doctor’s neck as soon as she stands up. She breathes in his scent as she buries her nose in the crook of his neck and smiles when she feels him return the embrace without hesitation.

“You found me,” Rose mumbles against his skin.

“Yep! Quite easy, actually. Plenty of biological signatures around, but only one human.”

“They… they said you wouldn’t come,” Rose says, her voice shaking. “They said they’re gonna make you forget that you were here with me. That you wouldn’t remember me and just leave.”

The Doctor doesn’t answer for a long moment. Instead, he simply holds her tighter. “I could never forget you, Rose Tyler,” he finally says, his voice quiet. His tone is confusing her. There’s something else, something he isn’t telling her, but the Doctor pulls back before she can question him.

“Now,” he says with a fake grin on his lips, grasping her hand. “Let’s get out of here before anyone notices I manipulated the security system, shall we?”

~~

Surprisingly, the way back to the TARDIS passes without any serious incidents and only a bit of running for their lives. Nevertheless, the Doctor lets out a sigh of relief as the doors finally fall shut behind them. They’re safe.

The Doctor immediately crosses the console room to send the ship back into the Vortex, away from this planet that nearly took Rose away from him a second time. Rose joins him at the console, leaning her shoulder against his. They always used to be affectionate, but somehow, this closeness feels different. Like it’s more intimate than it used to be. He can feel the warmth radiating off her body. Rose lets out a content sigh, snuggling even closer as she presses her nose against his upper arm. She wraps her arm around his waist without hesitation. As if that’s something she does every day. But that’s not what it feels like for him. The feeling is so new - and so good - that it makes his skin tingle and his breath hitch. He thinks back of the white top on his bedroom floor, of her toothbrush right next to his. The thought still makes his head swim. It fills him with thrill and excitement, but nevertheless, the Doctor starts to panic. There’s some essential part of their relationship that he’s missing. What if he messes things up now by being an absolutely clueless idiot? What if he’s just imagining things, with his brain still messed up by the telepathic attack of these aliens?

“Med bay!” the Doctor exclaims suddenly, jumping out of Rose’s embrace. “We should take care of your wrists first and get some fluids and nutrients into your body.” He reaches for Rose’s hand, trying hard to ignore the confused look on her face, and leads her down the corridor.

In the med bay, Rose quietly sits on the examination table while he fusses over her: running a quick blood test to see which nutrients she needs most urgently, mixing them together with a glass of water for her to drink, cleaning and disinfecting her chafed wrists, using the dermal regenerator - it’s all a welcomed distraction. He’s pleased to notice when Rose’s cheeks get a bit of colour back. Her gaze seems more alert with every sip of water she takes. Even her injuries are healed, although the new skin is still red. Rose winces slightly as she absently rubs her wrists.

“Does it still hurt?” the Doctor asks, concern back in his voice.

Rose shakes her head. “Not really. Just a bit sensitive.”

Dashing through the room, the Doctor rummages through a cabinet until he finds what he’s looking for. With a few broad steps he’s back at Rose’s side, standing between her legs. He holds up a small tube.

“Let me?” he asks softly and Rose nods, offering her wrists for him. The Doctor squeezes a good amount of salve out of the tube. Gently, careful not to hurt her, he rubs it into her skin. They’re so close again that the Doctor’s hearts begin to race, but Rose visibly relaxes under his touch, a content smile on her lips, and he simply can’t pull away. He’d do anything to see that smile and make her comfortable.

“All right?” he asks after several minutes of drawing small circles onto her skin.

“Yeah.” Rose looks up at him, tilting her head. She narrows her eyes. “And you?”

“Yep! Of course! Molto bene!” the Doctor lies with fake enthusiasm. If Rose sees through his fassade, she doesn’t comment on it. Instead, she grins and wraps her legs around his torso, bringing them closer together. The Doctor’s eyes go wide. Before he can comprehend what’s happening, Rose already pulls his head down for a kiss.

It’s pure bliss, the feeling of her lips on his. She’s soft and warm and everything he ever wanted. Her taste on his tongue makes his head spin and makes him crave for more, makes him want to rip her clothes off so that he can taste every bit of her skin. Overwhelmed with all the new sensations, the Doctor only realizes that he isn’t reciprocating when Rose pulls back all of a sudden. A whine leaves the Doctor’s throat.

Rose looks up at him with a frown, but all he can do is stare at her in wonder. The thought that their relationship progressed to a point that includes kissing is simply incredible.

“What’s wrong?” Rose asks in a tone that allows to further evasions.

The Doctor clears his throat and hesitantly takes a step back. “Sorry,” he eventually says, rubbing the back of his neck. “It’s, ah… the telepathic attack is still giving me a bit of trouble.”

For a moment, Rose looks confused. But then her eyes go wide and she clasps a hand over her mouth. “They were right,” she says, her voice shaking. “About what they told me. You did forget me.”

“No!” The Doctor grasps her hands, giving them a squeeze. “I couldn’t forget you. I still know who you are, Rose Tyler. It’s just… this.” He gestures between them, a little helplessly. “I don’t remember this. How our relationship changed. And how I got so lucky to get you back after you were trapped in Pete’s world.”

“Oh, Doctor.” Rose reaches out to him, cupping his cheek. “I’m sorry.”

He turns his head to press a kiss to her palm. “I’m all right. I’m 99.3% certain that it’s only temporary. It’s a mental block that prevents me from remembering. Should dissolve on its own in a couple of hours.”

“You should’ve told me.”

“I just didn’t want to worry you. I thought I would recover a bit more quickly.”

Rose bites her lip, looking uncertain. “Still. I didn’t want to make you uncomfortable.”

“What? Oh!” The Doctor takes a step closer, leaning down to her. “No, no, I wasn’t uncomfortable. It was just a little… overwhelming. Unexpected. But good. Very, very good. Spectacular.”

A bright smile spreads on Rose’s lips. “Yeah?”

“Oh, yes.” The Doctor grins. His eyes flicker down to her lips. The sight of her tongue poking out at the corner of her mouth makes his legs tremble. All he wants to do is kiss her again, properly this time, but he tries to hold back. Rose’s wellbeing is still the priority right now. With difficulty, he looks away from her lips and clears his throat. “We can gladly continue this, after we get some food into you.”

Rose rolls her eyes, but the Doctor barely has time to comprehend this. In the next moment, she’s already pulling his mouth back to hers. When their lips meet, all soft and wet and wonderful, the Doctor forgets he had any objections at all.