#(actually meant the 2nd from the top)

[judgingskeletons]

Pls judge my bones 🥰✨🙈

I mean this in a very positive and "I think that's cool" way, that first one of your spine reminds me of a centipede, and now i want to make a centipede out of bones. Love these x-rays! Love the bones, love the organ shadows, love that I'm not 100% sure if I know whether that's a front or back view of the pelvis (I'm only mostly sure it's the front)!

Love your bones! Thanks for sharing them <3

[causenessus]

Biggest Sweethearts. | Haikyuu

inc. atsumu, oikawa + bokuto as an extra <3

written in 2nd pov

song recc: brooklynn baby by lana del ray

word count: 1244 words

summary: defending atsumu and oikawa against playboy allegations or in other words, the kind of partner each boy needs <3

ik i already lowkey went off and defended atsumu in that one post while i went crazy in windowless rooms for 12 hours that one day but i wanted to write the full thing <3 i have not posted written content in so long!! happy 900 followers <3 this has all been written in one night while my brain is giving out so i apologize

miya atsumu

atusmu needs someone who knows what he’s doing

he definitely wants a part in leading a relationship but he wants someone who he can fall back on and isn't expecting him to be like a full-time hotshot

he needs someone who loves him unconditionally, seeing past all the fronts he puts up and loves him past the douche he can sometimes act as/be

of course it’s fine if you tease him like his friends, he’d expecting nothing less, but falling for you means you’re someone he feels safe with

someone he feels comfortable enough to be soft around, someone he can come to after a long day and let his shoulders drop as he falls on top of you while you’re laying on the couch

he doesn’t feel like he has to maintain a facade of a man whose strong and acts like nothing ever phases him around you

like yes, he’s strong and makes a show of it for you all the time, but everyone needs a rest day <3

when you guys are at home together he’s actually pretty quiet

it’s all loving gestures and soft voices

hands wrapping around your waist while you’re in the kitchen and a murmured “i missed you” while he peppers kisses down your neck

he can be so loud around his friends and it’s part of an autopilot switch that just flips on being around them, and being loud is nothing bad

but if he needs your help with something while you’re both home, he’s never yelling for you

he’ll peek his head in, finding you laying on your shared bed

“babe?”

when you look up, he’s picking at the doorframe, quietly waiting a response

“if you’re not busy can you help me with something? it’s okay if you don’t want to”

you’re already getting up from the bed, softly pulling his hand off the doorway to hold it between both of yours, “of course i’ll help you, ‘tsumu, what do you need?”

biggest baby ever actually

he could never be with someone short term or do casual relationships and he really hates hookups

everything already feels so superficial to him besides volleyball, and he knows he’s eye candy but he wants to be more than that

he wants to be more than the shallow flirt his fans seem to obsess over

(of course he’s a big flirt, but his comments are reserved for you and you only <3)

falling for you means he’s found that in you; he’s found someone who sees him for who he really is and still loves him

oikawa tooru

tooru knows what commitment is

he knows that fruition will only come from time

if he wants something meaningful, he has to put effort into it. he isn't going to get that from messing around with a girl or nothing else

of course he accepted the gifts from his fan club and ate up their attention, but once he met you, it no longer meant anything to him

he wanted you to be wholly is, and him to be wholly yours

he would never do anything to make you think that he wants anyone else but you

he’s committed 100% to you which also means you also receive 100% of his flirting because he enjoys the reactions it gets out of you

and even when he teases you, his words are light and harmless; you can hear how much he loves you behind it all

honestly probably the best communicator ever because he wants to make sure you know how much he loves you

will text you about how he’s been asked to do a photoshoot with a model and then will write you an essay on how he’s not doing it because he’s interested in anyone else other than you and in fact, he’ll only be thinking of you during the shoot

his fan club made it a little hard for him to really accept or even know who he was, he wasn’t sure anyone would value him for anything other than his volleyball skills and looks

but you’ve stayed with him, seeming to find the positives in everything he’s done. even through the games he’s lost, and when he’s acting pessimistic and is isolating himself, you’ve stayed with him

you’ve talked him through the losses. when he’s curled up and turned away from you, mind drowning in thoughts of failure, your voice seems to break through everything

you take small steps towards him, telling him that you’re coming closer, and that if he wants you to leave at any moment then to tell you

but he never tells you to leave

he’ll lean into your touch, and he feels how much it quiets his head

as soon as he’s better he’s always apologetic for how he acted and he tells you how thankful he is for you while rubbing small circles on your skin

you always hush him with a kiss

“tooru, i’m not gonna get mad at you or leave you just because you lost a game and then understandably get upset. you’re always working so hard”

you silence his biggest fear

he needs someone who really sees him

you’ve never once failed to notice an accomplishment or how hard he’s working at something and that’s what he needs, rather than someone whose only with him for what he can give them or for something physical like his appearance/manners <3

extra!! bokuto koutarou

NOT a playboy but i just wanted to sort of hc the kind of person he needs in his life

amongst everyone who always seems to be “growing up” in the world, he needs someone who will still see the beauty and the color in the world

not here for anything that those people who are always posting about “look how successful i am at the age of 18” “here’s how to make an extra 10k a year” “you should be doing this, you shouldn’t be doing this…”

just wants to be happy with u <3

he needs someone who will still get excited with him over getting ice cream, looking at christmas lights, watching new episodes, and more <3

he knows money or whatever concerns of life people have will be solved and follow after happiness so he’s also definitely your biggest cheerleader

always advocatess for you to find things to do that you enjoy. hushes any concerns you have about how much it'll pay

"i've got it, baby. you do whatever you want. whatever makes you happy. and if volleyball somehow doesn't make enough i'll find a way :) maybe akaashi will let me help him with his editing"

will check in and make sure you’re always doing good

will always always always come over immediately to be with you if you’re not

he'll brings over food or distractions to give you company, never pressuring you to feel better immediately

it’s okay to stay and work through any feelings you’re having <3 there’s no rush, but he does want you to be feeling good so he’ll stay with you until you’re doing better and even after <3

life isn’t simple, he knows that, but there’s also no reason to overcomplicate it in his mind so he’ll never fail to get excited over new movies and getting to go out with you <3

paying bills and tax days are fun

(also he's definitely the kind to be like "we should just get married rn so we get those discounts")

you’re both fighting for your lives, the table is a mess, and while some couple next door is argued over taxes, you both have your heads in your hands

then you’re both looking up at each other

“i didn’t even know we got charged for having a phone” he whispers, absolutely horrified

“me neither,” you reply, just as confused

“do you wanna go watch wall e?”

“yes” you’re both already sliding out of your chairs, leaving the bills for another day

[venussaidso]

Having it-girl nakshatras (Mars, Mercury, sometimes Moon) is not enough to have thee aura and fashion style to make one stand out– of course. I wondered what other placements back up the effect. Definitely Mercury influence which can make one have a keen eye for details and be crafty with their style / brand... curating something unique and outstanding. The trendsetting and popularity aspect definitely goes to Mars as this planet is dominant and daring to take risks as it is provocative. Mars is very strategic, so climbing up the ladder can only be natural. And then Venus is very important. Very obvious why, as beauty and quality plays a role in the whole it-girl factor. Venus can make one know how to appeal to the masses through art and aesthetics that are distinctly high quality. Along with Mars, Venus influenced natives can master in appealing to the masses by satisfying their senses.

I believe that having these specific planets aspecting each other is very impactful when talking about being an it-girl—fashion icon. (Prominent aspects such as conjunction, opposition, squaring and maybe even trining to a lesser extent).

For example, Sabrina Carpenter doesn't have an outstanding it-girl nakshatra in her top placements. But she does have a strong Mercury-Mars aspect (opposition).

Similarly, Megan Thee Stallion, although she does have Dhanistha Sun, also has a strong Mercury-Mars aspect (opposition).

And then you have Bella Hadid. She not only has Moon conjunct Venus, but also Venus in the 1H which magnifies Venus even more. And even better, she has Mercury in the 2H. With exalted Mercury in Virgo. The 2H is ruled by Venus, and it literally supports the themes of the 1H. In the context of this post; it is associated with one's face, self esteem, and aesthetic. And that is where her Mercury sits. Not only that, she has Rahu conjunct Mercury which amplifies her Mercurial influence and 2nd house tenfold.

Her sister, Gigi Hadid – although not particularly known for her fashion sense – also has Mercurial influence. I still think she's worth mentioning because she knew how to tap into a specific image of herself during her peak. She has Mercury in the 1H, with a strong Mercury-Mars aspect (square). She also has exalted Venus in Pisces in the 12H.

Now Rihanna is a known fashion icon. She has exalted Venus in Pisces, and more importantly she has it in the 1H. AND with Moon conjunct Venus. Already, intense Venus energy much like Bella Hadid. More importantly, she has a strong Mars-Venus aspect (square). We see that in how she's authentically herself and very bold.

Tyla is an up and coming fashion icon already! And she has Mercury conjunct Venus! We can already tell that most of her visuals are meant to be memorable and influential just from this conjunction alone.

Kylie Jenner, who literally has Mercury conjunct Venus! And also Moon conjunct Mars, which amplifies her Mars influence. The fact that Rahu is conjunct Mercury-Venus exaggerates these aspects even more.

Sofia Richie, who started the clean-girl aesthetic trend, also has her Mercury conjunct Venus. Actually she has a full on Mercury-Venus-Mars conjunction! Of course she was a trendsetter in her peak.

Anya Taylor-Joy is one of the few actresses I can name that are very distinct about their looks and it's been so interesting to watch her transform her red carpet looks. An absolutely ethereal being and I know for a fact she's intentional about her visuals. Since she said she's a Taurus Ascendant in an interview, that means she's likely a sidereal Aries Ascendant. Which would put her Mercury in the 1H! And if she turns out to be a sidereal Taurus Ascendant, her Mercury would be in the 2H. And again, 2H is related to the aesthetics as it supports the 1H. Now more importantly she also has Moon conjunct Mars!

And then you have Zendaya, another fashion icon who happens to be an actress. And of course, she has a strong Mercury-Venus aspect (square)! AND RAHU CONJUNCT MERCURY. Whatever planet Rahu is conjunct with, the themes of that planet are exaggerated. Zendaya has a very keen eye and you can see her passion for fashion in her Mercury-Venus aspect. She may never want to not serve ever again.

Justine Skye has Mercury conjunct Mars.

Dua Lipa, she's another one who has Mercury conjunct Venus!

Kim Kardashian has Mars in the 1H. And a strong Venus-Mars aspect (square).

Doja Cat has her Venus in the 1H. And exalted Mercury in Virgo.

Jennie Kim (Blackpink), gotta be the most well known kpop it-girl. She literally has Mars conjunct Mercury! While her member, Lisa, who is also deemed an icon I believe, has her Mercury conjunct Venus!

Okay these placements are getting predictable at this point. Because then it's Jang Wonyoung from IVE, who has Mercury conjunct Mars.

Alexa Demie is the last fashion icon actress I can think of right now. Predicably, she has Mercury conjunct Venus. (Her dark, alluring aesthetic is very much due to her Ketu in the 1H.)

Last, but certainly NOT least, you have Aaliyah! Whose fashion statements continue to be influential till this day! She had Mars in the 1H.

I might continue this in a thread (check the reblogs of this post for more 🧵) when I find more. I simply started this out of curiosity because I was wondering how those who didn't have it-girl nakshatras could still dominate the trends and how some of those who had such nakshatras weren't able to utilize their potential. So of course it's all about the chart, not everything is drawn up to the top 3 placements.

[gunnerfc]

Private Celebrations | Aitana Bonmatí x Barça!Reader (18+)

summary: you celebrate your girlfriend winning the Ballon d'Or privately

wc: 3018

warning: bottom!aitana, top!reader, fingering, praising, light teasing, oral (sorta?)

a/n: 18+ only! minors DNI! & all translations from google! 

-> also, ignore the actual rankings of everyone but Aitana! Reader comes in 2nd here!

In the days leading up to the Ballon d’Or ceremony, Aitana refused to let you see the dress she would be wearing. She didn’t want to ruin the surprise of her outfit, knowing the effect it would have on you. While the two of you weren’t public about your relationship, you still wanted to match her dress subtly in your own outfit, so the only bit of information you got from the midfielder was that her dress was black and a bit of a sparkling element.

On the short flight from Spain to France, you were nonstop trying to get Aitana to show you her dress that was neatly hung up in the private plane you and your Barça teammates were on. Each time you asked, you were met with a small smirk and a “you have to wait, mi amor.” You groaned each time she said that, the suspense was driving you crazy.

When the plane touched down in France, you were ecstatic because it meant everyone would be headed straight to the hotel to get ready. You had already planned to get ready in the same room as Aitana so you were surprised when the midfielder refused to let you into the room, telling you to get ready in the same room as Mapi and Frido. Your pleas fell on deaf ears as Aitana ignored you, which earned you some laughter from Mapi as she pulled you into her room.

Aitana was the last to be ready, you and your teammates stood in the hallway waiting for the midfielder to join you. The door to your soon-to-be shared hotel room opened and you felt your breath hitch seeing Aitana’s dress. Your eyes immediately focused on the sheerness of the top of her dress that covered her collarbones and down her arms. The sounds of Patri and Salma whistling at your girlfriend’s outfit were tuned out when Frido shook her finger signaling your girlfriend to do a spin.

The sheer fabric continued halfway down her back and you now understood why she wanted to wait to show you. The two of you locked eyes once Aitana was facing you again but you were still in your thoughts to focus on what anyone was saying. It wasn’t until Mapi walked past you with a smirk on her face saying “no atrapar moscas (don’t catch flies)” that you realized your jaw had dropped.

You ignored the defender, waiting for your teammates to pass you so you could walk alongside Aitana. You reached out to hold her hand as you followed the group towards the elevator, trying to refocus on the event you were heading to.

“¿Te gusta el vestido, mi amor? (do you like the dress, my love?),” Aitana teased, a small smirk gracing her face, thrilled that she succeeded in making you speechless. 

You turned your attention to her as you waited for the elevator to arrive on your floor, taking a deep breath as you looked her up and down. “Te ves hermosa, cariňo, (you look beautiful, darling)” you whispered as you leaned closer to her ear. A light blush coated her cheeks just as the elevator arrived. 

The ride down to the lobby was quiet, with no one having anything to say. When you arrived at the lobby, the players from the men’s team along with the higher-ups for Barcelona were waiting for you all to arrive so you could take the same shuttle to the venue. You and Aitana were the last to take a seat, the midfielder pulled your hand to rest on her thigh as you did so. You gave her leg a light squeeze as the shuttle driver started driving. 

With Aitana looking as great as she did and the extremely high odds that she would be leaving France with a Ballon d’Or, you knew you were going to have a fun night.

As the shuttle driver pulled into the venue, your closeness with Aitana would have to cease, wanting to keep your relationship private a bit longer. When the driver came to a stop, you helped Aitana step out of the vehicle and let your teammates act as a divider between you so you wouldn’t be tempted to be overly touchy.

The Barcelona plates quickly took pictures on the red carpet before being ushered into the building and those nominated for the Ballon d’Or were taken backstage. You made small talk with some of your fellow nominees while waiting for your cue to walk onstage as part of recognition for those who were nominated and present. 

After the nominees were introduced, you all quickly found your seats so the actual award show could begin. With being seated next to Aitana, you had to fight the urge to hold her hand, and seeing as though you were in the front row, the chances of the camera panning to you were extremely high. 

The non-Ballon d’Or awards and the rankings for those who did not make the top three went by quickly and soon enough it was time for the women’s Ballon d’Or to be announced. Your name along with Aitana and Sam Kerr’s were the only three not called yet, so you knew you were making the top three, you just didn’t know if it would be second or third. You knew Aitana was winning and you were beyond happy for your girlfriend. 

You resisted rolling your eyes when Novak Djokovic walked out on stage as the announcer for the award, a bit confused as to why he was the one to present the award. Your eyes focused on the images of you alongside Aitana and Sam were projected onto the screens on stage, waiting with bated breath for Aitana’s name to be called.

“Women’s Ballon d’Or 2023 goes to….. Aitana Bonmatí,” Djokovic read from the card in his hand. You fought the urge to show just how happy you were for Aitana, instead opting to join in on the round of applause she was receiving from the crowd. 

Aitana gave you a quick look, a nervous smile on her face before she made her way up the stairs. You watched as she received the trophy, a bright smile gracing your features. Aitana stood on stage answering questions from the host and every so often looking in your direction when she felt nervous. You sent her a look of encouragement and love each time, the pride you felt for her was overwhelming. 

Once she was finished on stage and returned back to her seat, you leaned in a bit closer but still further than you normally would be to whisper “estoy tan orgullosa de ti bebe (I'm so proud of you, baby).” Aitana sent you a quick smile, mouthing “gracias.”

You didn’t care to pay attention to Messi winning his award, not because you didn’t like him but because you were ready for the show to be over so you could celebrate Aitana, in private. You knew with Aitana winning you would have to wait a bit longer to leave, she would have to do some press and have some pictures taken. 

You opted to wait for her to finish, telling your teammates that you didn’t want to leave her to have to return to the hotel alone. You watched with a proud smile as Aitana posed with her trophy and answered questions from journalists, but you still wanted her to hurry so you could show her just how proud you were.

You were the last two players from Barcelona waiting to leave, standing near the exit waiting for the shuttle drive to return to pick you up. There were still people bustling around you but a small part of you didn’t care if they saw how you were looking at Aitana. The look in your eye was familiar to Aitana, she could sense you were ready to be back at the hotel and why.

Neither of you spoke as you entered the shuttle but your hand once again fell to the midfielder’s thigh, holding on to it tightly. Aitana’s hand fell on top of yours, wanting a bit more physical contact. The Ballon d’Or trophy had been given back to the staff so they could have it engraved with Aitana’s name and then mailed protectively to the club in Spain. The drive back to the hotel seemed like it took forever, despite only being a few minutes away. 

Once you arrived, you both said a quick ‘thank you’ to the driver as you exited the vehicle. Your hand didn’t find Aitana’s until you were safely in the elevator, giving it a tight squeeze as the elevator doors closed. Once they did, you turned and pulled Aitana to face you, leaning in for a heated kiss. 

Aitana’s free hand moved to hold on to the back of your neck while yours fell to her waist, pulling her closer to your body. Your lips worked against each other until you felt the elevator come to a stop as you reached your floor. You both rushed through the doors and down the hallway to your room.

You rushed to slide the key card into the slot on the door to let you both in, Aitana quickly following. The moment you were both inside the hotel room, you had Aitana pinned against the door. Your mouth met hers in a searing kiss once again, this time your tongues explored each other's mouth. 

Aitana's hands had a tight grip on your shoulders, yours having a similar hold on her hips. You pulled away from her mouth, trailing small kisses along her jaw and down her neck. Aitana's head was thrown back against the door to give you better access to her neck. You sucked dark marks wherever you could, pulling small whines from the midfielder.

"Tienes que estar callada, bebetia (you have to be quiet, baby)," you whispered, pulling away from her neck. "No quiero que todo el piso te escuche (don’t want the whole floor to hear you)," you smirked, knowing your girlfriend wasn't the quietest person in bed. 

Aitana fought back a moan at your words but gave you a small nod. You moved from your spot in front of her, leading her further into the room. You quickly removed your shoes, kneeling to take off Aitana's shoes. The sight of you on your knees in front of her made Aitana's head spin. 

You stood up, turning her around to unzip her dress. As the fabric peeled away from her body, you left small nips along her spine until you reached the end of the zipper. Standing fully, you push the sheer fabric off of Aitana's shoulders. You took a step around her so you were face to face again, as you watched the dress that drove you crazy the whole night fall to the ground. 

Your eyes took their time scanning up and down Aitana’s bare body, swallowing as you locked eyes with her. You watched her take her hair out of the bun it was in, her hair falling down her shoulders. You quickly got undressed, the urgency you felt earlier once again filling your body.

Once you were both bare, you pulled Aitana into another kiss, your hands roaming all across her body. You paused when you reached her chest, both hands palming at her breasts. Aitana moaned into the kiss, pulling away with a whine. 

You redirected both of you to the bed, pushing Aitana to lay on her back with her head resting on the pillows at the head of the bed. You hovered above the midfielder, smirking down at her. You leaned down to press quick kisses down her neck, continuing down to the center of her chest. 

“Estoy muy orgullosa de ti, niña bonita (so proud of you, pretty girl),” you whispered into her skin in between kisses. Above you, Aitana whined as her nails dug into your back. 

“por favor,” Aitana mumbled as you continued leaving kisses on her skin. “no te burles (don’t tease),” she continued with a shaky breath.

You gave her a quick glance as you latched onto one of her breasts, sucking harshly on her nipple. Aitana’s back arched, essentially pushing her chest further into your face. You sucked on the hardened bud for a few more seconds before pulling away, a string of saliva still connected to Aitana’s breast. You moved to give the other the same treatment, a loud moan falling from Aitana’s lips.

You pulled away from her chest altogether, your eyes darkening as you watched her chest move up and down with her labored breathing. You moved back down to trail kisses down her torso, alternating the kisses with small nips to her skin. Aitana’s hands moved from your back to your hair, trying to push you where she needed you most.

You chuckled at your girlfriend’s eagerness, put quickened your peace. After all, you were celebrating her. Face to face with her center, you could see just how wet she already was.

“apenas te he tocado, bebita (i’ve barely touched you, babygirl),” you grinned, proud of yourself for getting her so worked up so easily. 

Aitana didn’t give you a verbal response, instead, she tightened her grip on your hair, begging for you to do anything. You decided to put the midfielder out of her misery as you brought your left hand up to her thigh, pushing her legs apart to give you a better view. Your mouth watered as the sight of your girlfriend spread open for you.

You brought your right hand to your mouth, sucking on your two middle fingers to wet them before pushing them into your girlfriend. Aitana moaned loudly at the feeling of your fingers inside her, even though you hadn’t moved them yet. You waited a second before you started moving your fingers in and out of Aitana’s soaking core. The only sounds in the room were Aitana’s panting and the sound of your fingers thrusting into your girlfriend. 

You looked up from the bottom of the bed, groaning at the sight of Aitana. Her head was thrown back against the pillows and her hands now holding onto the comforter on the bed. Aitana’s back was arched as her hips were attempting to meet the thrust of your fingers.

You were determined to give Aitana one of the best orgasms yet. You focused your eyes on her clit, your mouth leaving small kisses to the bud. Aitana gasped at the contact, her hips bucking forward as you made contact.

Your left hand was still firmly placed on Aitana's hip, holding her open while her right leg was now thrown over your shoulder. Your mouth sucked harshly on her clit, switching between sucking and nipping at her sensitive bud. Your two middle fingers continued to thrust in and out of her dripping center. 

You looked up from your spot between her legs, locking eyes with the midfielder and while she couldn't see your smirk, she felt it. Aitana's eyes rolled as her back arched once again, a loud moan spilling from her lips, and a string of slurred curses followed. 

You sped up your fingers as best you could, the tightness making it hard to move.  Your grip on her hip tightened in a squeeze, more loud moans falling from Aitana's mouth. You'd given up on her being quiet, but if you were honest, you didn't care. You loved hearing how loud you made your girlfriend when you were pleasuring her.

“y/n..” Aitana whined, her voice already sounding hoarse from moaning so loud. “Por favor,” a strained beg fell from her lips.

You felt Aitana’s body falter, she was close to the edge. Your mouth worked faster on her clit as your fingers pushed deeper into her core. You pulled your mouth away from her clit with a loud pop and Aitana cried out at the loss of contact as she was so close.

“Vamos bebé, ven para mí (c’mon on baby, cum for me),” you nodded up at Aitana, smirking when you met her eyes.

Aitana came with a loud moan, her body shaking from the orgasm. You kept your fingers moving, slowing down as you helped the midfielder come down from her high. You pulled your fingers out of her core, moving them to your mouth. You maintained eye contact with Aitana as you sucked your fingers, your turn to moan as you tasted your girlfriend. 

Aitana watched as you cleaned your fingers, feeling herself getting even wetter at the sight. You pulled your fingers from your mouth, moving your body to once again hover over your girlfriend’s small frame.

Aitana’s right hand moved to the back of your neck to pull you into a deep kiss, moaning as she tasted herself on your lips. Your mouths move against each other as you feel her rock her body up into yours. You softly laughed into the kiss, knowing your girlfriend had more than one orgasm to give you. 

“Estoy muy orgulloso de ti, Tana (i’m so proud of you, tana),” you cooed, your eyes filled with love. “Te amo mucho, bebita,” you whispered as you leaned down to kiss her again, this kiss much more softer than than the previous kisses.

“Yo tambien te amo, mi cariňo (i love you too, my darling),” Aitana croaked out after you pulled away, her voice clearly affected by the loud moans that left her mouth. 

“Una mas (one more)?” your look of love was replaced by the need to make Aitana cum again. 

You spent the rest of the night pleasuring your girlfriend, pulling more than just one more orgasm from her. Her body was littered with dark bruises from your mouth and her voice was raspy the morning after. You laughed at the teasing comments your teammates threw your way when you were all on the private jet, though Aitana’s face was bright red hearing the jokes your teammates made. You didn’t care, you were happy to have shown Aitana a fraction of how proud you were of her achievements.

[trippinsorrows]

looking through your eyes + one

authors note: hi! this is a complete rework from another roman story i wrote but needed to redo. it's a mafia au, so understandably super dark. a 'blink and you'll miss it' bit of a beauty and the beast retelling. not meant to be anything groundbreaking or unlike most mafia stories.

i've found that my writing is best when 2nd person pov, so i wanted to challenge myself to make this third person to better my writing, thus, bear with me, ya'll. :)

if any cw/tw's are missed, please let me know, and i will add them!

cw/tw: language, violence against women, mention of parental death, vague hinting at past sexual trauma

song inspo: 'looking through your eyes' by leann rimes

words: 5.2k

Through trial and error, mostly error, a lot of error, Solana Miller has learned and mastered most of the things that upset her father. 

Speaking out of turn. Meals not being ready on time. The house being a “mess.” The actual list is a living breathing thing that grows with each day and every unfortunate occurrence, but always at the very top of this list is lack of punctuality. 

There’s nothing Xavier Miller hates more than lateness. 

And that’s exactly what she is. 

Solana nearly faceplants into the three steps leading into the house with how fast she’s running. Her shaking hand and sweaty palm make it take longer than usual to unlock the front door, and the force in which she slams it shut behind her should be enough to knock the nearby family photo off the wall.

The photo that she is not included in, of course. 

She’s brushing off invisible lent as she rushes into her father’s office. “I’m sorry, there was an—” Her panting mouth snaps shut when she reaches the doorway, hand holding onto the frame of the door. “—accident.”

The minute Solana saw the flashing police lights and array of red brake lights was the moment she realized that she was in for a brutal punishment. She’d started to mentally prepare for such, trying to recall if she’s restocked the first aid kit kept in her bathroom and frequently retrieved. But, it’s not until she’s standing in the doorway of her father’s office, an office that’s filled with not only him and her brother, Wes, but other men that she realizes the ferocity of this punishment may be unlike any she’s received in some time.

Not only is she late, but she’s now interrupted some sort of meeting that he wanted her present for. 

Xavier’s eyes land on Solana with faux happiness that conceals flames she recognizes as a precursor for what’s to come. Naturally, like he’s not imagining all the cruel ways he can hurt her, in a way that only he can do, he slaps on a tight smile. “Ahh, there she is.”

Solana also realizes how almost everyone’s gaze is on her, and that doesn't make for a good response because she finds herself asking, “what’s going o—”

Xavier’s smile is very much unlike the ice in his voice. “Silence, child.” 

The sharpness of his command evokes an immediate response. Her shoulders slump and head drops. The displeasure just keeps growing. Solana can already feel the bruises forming, the sting of the ice on her busted lip. 

One of the men, an oversized, middle aged white man with a sharp gaze speaks. “I take it, this is your daughter?”

“It is,” her father confirms. If she didn’t know any better, Solana could almost swear she hears a hint of proudness. “Please forgive her lateness. She knows the importance of obedience.”

And the repercussions of obedience. Repercussions Solana knows await her once this meeting ends.

“I hope she does.” The same white man clears his throat. Solana hears the ruffling of papers but refuses to look up. Her gaze is better served focused on the ground, her silence and submissiveness certainly music to her father’s ears. “We received the requested medical report, and it appears you weren’t lying, Miller. The girl is still a virgin.”

That….that is the moment where it takes all willpower for Solana’s head not to snap up, eyes wide with both confusion and partial recognition. She’d wondered why her father asked her to schedule her yearly check-up with her GYN when she wasn’t due for another couple of months but knew better than to question, so she went ahead and did it. 

And she wondered why this checkup was so….different. Labs were taken, more questions asked, and a vaginal exam that had her leaving more uncomfortable than she’d ever been with Dr. Boyd. Not that seeing the woman was ever an enjoyable time in the first place. She's cold, stoic, an obvious doctor on the mafia payroll, but she's still a woman. 

Solana can't have a male GYN. She can't have a male doctor in any sort of specialty.

The confusion, however, comes into play at this man’s words.

“The girl is still a virgin.” 

That couldn’t be farthest from the truth.

“Her blood work also indicates she should have no problems conceiving a child.”

Emotions overpower reason as Solana breaks her silence and lifts her head. “What?” One furious glance from Xavier, and immediately, she knows that she’s fucked up.

She also realizes that she’s failed to notice one very important member whose sheer size takes up almost the entirety of her father’s onyx black loveseat.

Solana has heard the name Roman Reigns more times than she can keep track of over the years. It’s inescapable to live in this life and not know of the brutal ruler of the Bloodline, one of the most notorious mafia bosses in the underworld. But never in any of her 28 years has she seen him in person. Maybe somewhat in the same vicinity but never in close proximity, not like now where he’s sitting mere feet away from her.

He’s reclined back into the seat, thick legs spread, a blank expression on his handsome, bearded face. His features are sharp and predatory, yet there’s something about his eyes, a beautiful, light shade of brown that’s such a contrast to the cold blooded killer he is. Bulging, rippling muscles seem to be at battle with the plain black shirt he wears, and she notices his silky black hair is pulled back into a surprisingly neat bun of sorts. 

Solana knows that she shouldn't stare, but it’s hard not to. The man is objectively beautiful. He’s also staring directly at her. 

Panicked, her head drops down, eyes returning to continue counting the amount of beige swirls in her father’s persian rug. 

“Shut up…. ”Wes speaks from the other side of the room. He’s leaned up against the column near the bookshelf, lazily spinning around the pocketknife he never goes anywhere without. 

It’s the same knife that’s cut into her skin at least more than a couple of times over the years, drawing various amounts of blood depending on the extent of his anger.

Wes is always angry.

“I’m a man of my word, Mr. Heyman.” Solana doesn’t even need to be looking up to know her father has his hand over his chest, that faux sense of honor painting his harsh features. “I would never disrespect the Tribal Chief by wasting his time.” Solana’s throat goes tight. “My daughter is a worthy candidate.”

Candidate. Heir. Virgin.

It doesn’t take long with these major clues for Solana to piece together what they’re discussing, why her presence was required when never before has her father wanted her anywhere near one of his meetings.

Arranged marriage.

They’re discussing a possible arranged marriage between Solana and Roman Reigns. 

Her fingers flex and suddenly start to rub nervously against the soft material of her dress. Any appetite she had prior to entering the home is no longer present, vacated, replaced by a thick, heaping layer of anxiety.

Arranged marriages are far too common in this life. There’s not a week that’s gone by since she became of age that she doesn't hear about some union between two members of rivaling or partnering families. It's just how these things are done.

However, at 28, much past the typical timeline that daughters are married off, she’d accepted that that was not her fate. And she was okay with that, more than okay. Is okay with that.

Solana has a……complicated relationship with men, anyway. With people in general, but especially men.

The thought of her being paired off to Roman is so bad that it’s almost laughable. Their compatibility is in the negative range. He would never give her a second look, not even a first. A man like him needs someone who matches his prowess. She isn’t even on the radar.

And yet…..

And yet her father has somehow garnered interest, provided his counsel with her medical information “proving” her worthiness, and secured a meeting.

Circling back around to the medical report has her chest feeling tight and heavy. Lies. Her father has clearly paid off Dr. Boyd to write up whatever he believed needed to be said to increase his chances of locking in this deal.

She doesn’t know about the fertility portion, never really bothering or concerning herself with that part of her health. Someone has to have to have sex to conceive a child, and as far as Solana is concerned, that's never going to happen.

Not....not again.

But the virgin part is most definitely a lie. The physical exam certainly would have confirmed that.

And yet, the exact opposite was stated. 

Chills instantly move down her spine. Her father is perpetuating a fraud. Even more, he’s perpetuating fraud to a man who’s rumored to have a body count in the thousands. The same man he’s trying to pawn her off to.

This….this is not good.

It’s not good at all.

—----------

“She’s weak.”

That’s the first thing to leave Roman's mouth since they entered the Miller Manor, and it’s not announced until they're back in the SUV and on their way back to his estate.

Checking emails and clearing notifications that piled during the time his phone was tucked away, he continues. “Too young. Has no backbone. It’s embarrassing.” Roman’s tone, much like everything else about that pointless meeting, reeks of boredom. 

“Her father clearly has her on a tight leash,” Rikishi adds. He brings the handkerchief he keeps in his shirt pocket and swipes it across his forehead, dapping up the light sheen of sweat that’s already formed in the walk from the house to the SUV. “But, a very pretty girl.”

Roman cannot and will not disagree on that. She’s undeniably beautiful, but everything else about her is unappealing. And saying Miller has her on a tight leash is an understatement. She’s terrified of him. The brother too,  and Roman would take a solid guess that one of the two is responsible for the slightly faded but still visible bruise he noticed on Solana’s upper forearm. 

There’s some conflicted emotion present at that piece of information, though he mostly leans in one direction.

Women and children should be off limits. Specifically, women and children who aren’t already indoctrinated into the life to the point of training. Roman knows plenty of kids who completed their first kill while still in single digits and women who fight better than some of his men. For them, it’s free game. They’ve proven they can handle themselves.

Solana doesn’t fall in any of those categories, and he’d be shocked if she even knows how to hold a gun.

Thus, in his mind, she’s off-limits.

Nonetheless, his family is full of fighters, regardless of sex.

So there's the other part of him that can't understand her passivity, that believes she's just weak. 

The thought process generates a list of other, much more adequate options. “What about Belair?”

“Engaged to be married in the Montez family.” Roman rolls his eyes. That fucker is an irritating prick. Seems like a desperate match. 

“Cargill?”

“She….” It’s slightly comical for Roman, watching the older man work his hardest to explain what was inarguably a disrespectful rejection. “---is not interested.” 

A dark chuckle leaves his throat. “She said fuck off, didn’t she?”

“More or less.” 

Roman smiles. He would expect nothing less. Cargill is a beast of a woman, a sure fun time in the sheets if she would ever remove the stick from up her ass.

“If I may, my Tribal Chief….” When Roman remains quiet, he takes that as his cue to continue. “The girl may be young and docile, but that also makes her moldable. She will do whatever you want with no protest. Is that not a possible advantage?” Roman continues to look out the window, allowing Paul to add on, “and she will have no problem giving you an heir, which is inarguably the most important thing at this point in your life.”

“He brings up a good point, uce,” Rikishi chimes. “With your temper, it’s probably best for you to take a wife who is more passive than dominant.”

Logically, it makes sense, but the idea of a stuttering, stammering wife who can’t even maintain eye contact for more than a minute doesn’t appeal to him in the slightest. 

“And as far as age, she’s closer to 30 than anything. You go for any older, and you might run into fertility struggles. This is the perfect age.” Rikishi’s crooked smile is followed by a small chuckle. “You ain’t so young yourself anymore, uce. Gotta have an even balance.”

There’s a difference between a balance and a child. Roman is prepared to say as such when Jimmy speaks, deciding to add his two cents from the passenger's seat.

“Look, Big Dog. All you need is for her to give you a kid, and you heard Paul. She can do that. Ain’t no need in making this bigger than what it is.” His insertion and contribution to the conversation ends up being valid. Granted, if he was anyone else, the delivery would have resulted in a maiming. But, this is Jimmy. He’s like a brother to Roman. Him and Jey. Hence their privilege with speaking so bluntly. “Shit, and did you see that body? Mannn, I’d never pull out of that.”

Also a valid point. Her dress was fitted around the chest area, accentuating heavy breast he could most definitely see himself palming as he fucked her from behind. The rest of the dress wasn’t as contoured, but it flowed against her shape when she walked in, and he could make out the curves he was certain she preferred to keep hidden. It’d been a while since he’d taken a woman to bed with a body like hers, a preference, but also not as easy to find in his world of fit assassins and killers who spend more time in the gym than anywhere else.

His latest set of women were on the slimmer side, moderate thickness, nothing like this girl.

But sexual desirability aside, her passivity indicates she’d be….that kind of woman. The woman who expects words of affirmation and quality time. A “gentle” kind of woman who’d want him to be sweet and patient in the bedroom, to make love to her. Roman is neither and none of those things.

He fucks, and he fucks hard. Subsequently, his wife should be cut from the same cloth. 

“Just….think about it, my Tribal Chief, hmmm?” Paul’s voice is tentative, laced with that tone that indicates he believes the decision should be made sooner rather than later. Granted, he values his life and standing in the bloodline, so he opts to not implement time constraints. 

A wise decision. 

“The scars.” Roman counted eight of them total, the one most pronounced on her face, slashing across her right eye and into the top of her cheek. The type of scar that’s embedded into the skin. And the soul. With a few of his own, it’s one of the first things he noticed. “What’s the story there?”

Paul quickly pulls out the portfolio from his briefcase, hurriedly flipping through papers when he settles on the one he’s looking for. “Ahhh….” Paul clears his throat, a telltale sign that’s he uncomfortable with what he’s about to say. “2005. It was a hit. Her mother was killed in the attack. Knifing. Solana survived, clearly.”

Roman turns his attention from the passing cars to look at his Wise Man. For the first time since this whole interview process began, Roman is intrigued. “She was there?” Paul confirms as such and says something else, but Roman’s attention is out the window again, haphazardly watching the flow of traffic, assimilating and accommodating this new piece of information. 

This may be the one and only thing he can understand about this girl. Something…something he can relate to. 

Survival

One doesn’t go through something like that without coming out on top or letting it bury you. Unlike him, she’d clearly gone the latter route. Granted, just making it out alive, physically, he knows better than anyone, is a feat in and of itself.

“Give me her file.”

—-------------

Dear Mom,

I’m sorry I didn’t write yesterday. It was…..a day.

I’m not even sure where to begin, because I’m not sure what to even feel at this moment to be honest. Dad is trying to marry me off to a mafia head, which would be fine, except….except that head is Roman Reigns. He’s….he’s a monster, mama. Has no soul. Not that many men in this life do, but there’s something about him that’s even more terrifying than the others. To make matters worse, dad had Dr. Boyd lie in my medical report. She wrote that I’m still a virgin, I guess something about my hymen still being intact. Mama, that’s a lie. There’s no way that’s possible. 

Not.....with what they did to me.

I’m trying hard not to panic, because there’s no way Roman would go for me. He’s a monster, yes, but even Lucifer was God’s most beautiful angel. He’s a very handsome man. He would never want someone like me.

I don’t know any man who would.

“Solana.”

Solana quickly snaps her journal closed, using the pen in her hand to mark her spot. She’s met with the gentle smile of 73–year–old Meryl Jensen, a widow who’s worked at this library for almost forty years.

Solana still remembers the first day she met Mrs. Jensen. She was 6-years-old, and her mom was looking for a certain book she’d read about in the newspaper. A book that she hoped would further and better her English speaking skills. A native of Mexico, Nina Miller taught herself English by immersing herself into American literature, film, and music. 

Similarly, Nina taught her Solana Spanish by immersing her daughter in Spanish literature, film, and music. A secret among the two as an always hostile, paranoid Xavier “banned” Nina from teaching their daughter a language he couldn’t understand.

If he couldn’t control it, it was a no-go.

But it was when Mrs. Jensen was helping Nina locate her book, Solana noticed another book sitting near a kids display. Goodnight Moon.

If Solana tries hard enough, she can still remember the warm smile her mother gave her as she allowed her to check out the book, her very first "purchase" from the library. It started a love of books, aided by Mrs. Jensen who always provided appropriate recommendations to Solana and her mom.

Not that Solana tries to think too much about memories with her mother. They’re almost always ruined and replaced with the sounds of the butcher knife slicing into her mother’s body as Nina used the last of her strength to shield and protect her daughter from the violent assault that would end up taking her life.

Solana’s smile, however, does dim and her stomach drops when she realizes that Ms. Jensen isn’t alone. 

“This girl is always writing, I swear.” It’s only when the older woman refers to her book that Solana quickly closes up her journal, shoving it to the side.

Her eyes never leave Roman though.

And his certainly aren’t leaving her, even as Mrs. Jensen places a hand on his arm, laughing at her own joke.

Mrs. Jensen then squints her eyes and leans over the counter. “Child, did you fall again?” It takes a second for recognition to dawn. She’s then hit with the memory of her father backhanding her across the room, the force sending her to the floor after the dispersion of yesterday’s meeting. A truly pale punishment compared to some of his prior assaults. “My goodness.” Mrs. Meryl laughs, shaking her head. “An everyday klutz I tell you. I can’t think of one day she hasn’t come in here without some kind of mark from her clumsiness.”

Roman’s staring directly at Solana while acknowledging the older woman’s casual observation. “Interesting.” He then darts his eyes, offering a smile that, if one didn’t know any better, could be considered genuine. But Solana does know better. She knows much better. “Could you give us a moment?”

Of course, Mrs. Jensen obliges, saying something about hushing up some boisterous high school students on the first level before it’s just Solana and Roman. 

She has a million and one questions, starting with why the hell Roman Reigns is at her job. Whatever the reason, it can’t be good. A man like him only brings about chaos and mayhem.

And death.

Swallowing and powering through the onslaught of anxiety, she starts off in an unsurprisingly soft voice, “if you’re looking for my father, he’s—”

“If I wanted your father, I would be speaking to him right now.” Roman’s interruption is dangerously calm, but Solana detects a hint of irritation. “You’re the one I want.”

Oh.

What in the world this man could want with Solana is beyond her. To make matters worse, Solana catches his gaze on her bruised cheek again. Makeup could only do much, but she's really starting to wish she went for heavier coverage. She drops her head, focusing on the denim of her jeans to avoid his burning stare. “I—umm.”

Solana’s body registers before her head does that Roman is lifting his hand to touch her. She responds accordingly, jumping back and away from the interaction. He chuckles, darkly, lowering his hand to his side. “That was some fall.”

Solana unconsciously brings her hand to hover over her cheek. “I’m—clumsy.”

“No, you’re not.” It takes a second for Solana to register his blunt comment and another for her to digest that he’s calling her bluff. “But, you are a terrible liar.”

He’s not wrong on either note, but she’s unsure just how to respond. “What—what do you want from me?”

Roman straightens up, and just the sheer size of him makes her swallow in fear. He’s a beast of a man, more beast though than anything else. “To make sure you understand what this is. It’s obvious Miller didn’t inform you about the meeting, and I won’t go into anything with anyone unless they’re fully aware of what they’re signing up for.”

If he’s waiting for Solana to acknowledge the first part of his reason for showing up at her job, he does a poor job waiting because he goes straight into his disclaimer. 

“I have no desire to be with you or any other woman for anything more than a sexual release. We’ll ensure my bloodline continues, but that’s it. Financially, you’ll want for nothing, and I can assure you, your clumsiness won’t be an issue. But, I will never love you, never see you as anything more than a business arrangement because that’s what you are.” He’s studying her facial expressions, reading all of the emotions oscillating around. “Do you understand?”

There’s a couple of different thoughts racing through her mind at this moment, but the dominant thought is wondering just what in the hell would possess someone like him to ever even consider someone like her? He is the definition of brute strength in all areas. She is beyond broken. There can’t be anything appealing about that.

But then….maybe there is. Roman knows she will not cause him any trouble, can recognize this brokenness and sees it as an easy way to get what he needs while still having the freedom to do whatever, and whoever he wants. It’s a bit of a win-win. 

And as far as the love aspect…..

Solana learned a long time ago that all of the fairytales lied. There is no prince that rides in and saves the damsel in distress. No one to swoop in and save you from the monster. It’s either killed or be killed, and her death already occurred on August 7th, 2005.

As ironic and fucked up as it is, Solana recognizes this is the best deal she’ll ever get in her life. 

With quite literally nothing to lose, she acknowledges him.

“I understand.”

—---------

The minute Solana steps into the house, she’s immediately shoved into the freshly painted wall behind her. A strong hand is on her throat, restricting her breathing.

“What did you say to him!”

Fingers foolishly grasping at the hand suffocating her, Solana tries to speak even with knowing that it’s impossible when she can’t even breathe. This only pisses her brother off even more. He bangs her head into the wall, causing the nearby pictures to shake. “Answer me, you stupid bitch!”

“Let her go, Wes.”

Xavier’s command is followed with a delayed acquiescence. Solana falls to the floor, coughing and gasping violently. She brings her hand to the back of her head to check for any blood, but her gaze is soon on the black leather shoes her blurred version is able to make out.

Solana cries out when her father grips her hair, yanking her head back and forcing her to look at him.

“We know Reigns came to see you at your job today.”

At some point in her life, Solana would be stunned and partially disturbed this, by how her father is aware of this piece of information.  But, this is no longer that time in her life. That time when she was naive enough to think that she could ever escape this life, ever leave and never look back.

She’d tried once. Foolishly. And it landed her in the hospital for two weeks. 

Solana can still remember her father’s dry, cracked lips pressing an insincere kiss against her temple as he said in the calmest yet coldest voice. “You ever try to leave this place again, and I’ll make sure to finish the job.” 

That was the last time she ever fooled herself into believing better waited for her.

“Now, what did you say to him?”

“I—I—nothing.” It’s not a lie but not the entire truth. She didn’t say anything that should have pissed him off. Then again, with a man as temperamental as Roman, anything and everyone could piss him off. Look at her dad and brother. “What did he—”

A phone ringing possibly saves, or just delays, the next set of hits. And even better, it’s Xavier’s phone.

He pulls it out of the back pocket of his pants, eyes lighting up. With a mischievous smile, he taps the screen twice, answering, “my Tribal Chief.” Solana’s eyes widen. “To what do I owe the honor?”

“Cut the bullshit, Miller.” Roman’s deep, baritone voice is powerful and authoritative, even when he’s not even in the room. “You know why I’m calling.” And before her father can further upset him, Roman jumps straight to the point. “We have a deal.”

It’s been some time since Solana has been so thoroughly surprised by something she’s heard that she briefly loses awareness of where she is. But this….this is one of those moments. 

He can’t…..he can’t have said what she thinks he just said. Her acknowledging understanding was just a formality. She didn’t think he was actually considering marrying her.

Xavier’s smile is broad, signs of a man who just got exactly what he wanted. “Wonderful. We shall start planning.”

“Two weeks. The wedding will be two weeks from today.”

The tightening in her chest has returned. Solana is certain she’s about to start hyperventilating. This….this can’t be happening. 

Xavier and Wes share a look as he stammers with a response. “Uhh, yes, of course—whatever you wa—”

“Oh, and Miller?”

Irritation flashes in Xavier’s eyes, but he shoves it back for a polite acknowledgment. “Yes, my Tribal Chief?”

“You or your boy lay a single fucking finger on her again, and I’ll gut you both where there’s nothing left to bury.”

Solana is almost certain there’s not a single one of them that’s not taken back by Roman’s icy warning. However, she swallows when her father’s fire gaze lands on her. She knows immediately she’s in for a matching bruise on the other side of her face.

Xavier laughs quietly. “That girl has always been so clumsy. I assure you—”

“One.”

Xavier is understandably confused by Roman’s single-word response. “Pardon?”

“Everyone gets one chance to lie to me. You’ve just used yours.” For the briefest hint of a second, Solana believes she sees fear flash in her father’s eyes. “Consider yourself warned.”

The phone disconnects. 

Silence settles over the three of them, but it doesn’t last. 

“I–I don’t understand.” Solana finds her voice, unable to stay quiet in a moment that’s completely just changed the course of her life. “I–I can’t marry Roman.”

For a lot of reasons. Many reasons that she can list out and defend if given the chance.

Solana is consumed by her thoughts and pending mental breakdown, so much so that she misses when her brother stalks across the room. He throws her back up against the wall, and the minute her eyes land on the silver, she’s frozen in place.

His grin is predatory and satisfactory as he murmurs, floating the knife in front of her. “It seems you’ve finally made your existence have some type of purpose.” Solana has to close her eyes. Just seeing knives sometimes brings her back to that night, and having one pressed against her….

Wes knows exactly how agonizing that is to her, hence his favorite method of torture. 

Swallowing, she weakly protests, “you—you told them I’m a virgin.”

That’s a major reason why. Her father has made her out to be some chaste, pure woman when she’s anything but. And to lie to Roman, of all people, about something like that.

They’ve more or less signed her death decree.

“No. Dr. Boyd’s medical reports confirmed you’re still untouched, and you’ll go along with it for however long is necessary.” Xavier’s rebuttal is smooth and to the point, like he doesn’t see the issue with his actions.

He never does. 

“Don’t you understand?” Wes lazily slides the knife up and down her skin, smiling at the terror in her face. It’s his greatest motivation, witnessing the extent of her fear toward him. “We’d let Reigns and his entire bloodline fuck you if that’s what it took to get what we want.”

Solana has no shock value at his words. Wes stopped caring anything for her the minute she got their mother killed, and it’s not as if she can entirely blame him. 

Nina would still be alive if not for Solana. It’s something she accepted ages ago, an undeniable truth. 

However, she does have to ask in a pained voice, “what do you want?”

Xavier supplies, taking a hit of his cigar she didn’t realize he was holding this whole time. “We want and will have control of the bloodline.”

If not for her current situation, she’d laugh. Control of the bloodline. That’s….that’s not even a dream. That’s a delusion. Still, there’s an undertone to his voice and words that alarm her. In a quiet voice, she protests. “That’s—that’s impossible.”

Solana hisses as Wes presses the knife deeper into her throat, nicking her skin and drawing blood. “No, it isn’t, not anymore. Because we have a way in.”

And it’s with widened eyes and a constricted throat that Solana finally understands what’s happening, what they plan to have happen. 

Her voice is barely above a whisper. “No….”

Xavier answers with a cruel, wicked smile. “You’re going to kill Roman Reigns for us.”

[otdiaftg]

The King's Men - Chapter Ten

Day: Friday, February 2nd Time: 10:40 PM EST

Neil set his ice cream and spoon to one side and turned a searching look on Andrew. "Question," Neil said, but it took him a few moments to figure out the right words. "When you said you don't like being touched, is it because you don't like it at all or because you don't trust anyone else enough to let them touch you?" Andrew glanced at him. "It doesn't matter." "If it didn't, I wouldn't ask," Neil said. "It doesn't matter to a man who doesn't swing," Andrew clarified. Neil shrugged. "I don't because I've never been allowed to. The only thing I could think about growing up was surviving." Maybe that was why this was in that gray area of what was acceptable. It didn't matter that Andrew was a would-be sociopath or a man; the idea of Andrew was so intertwined with the idea of Neil's safety that this too was a means of self- preservation. "Letting someone in meant trusting them to not stab me in the back when terrible people came looking for me. I was too afraid to risk it, so it was easier to be alone and not think about it. But I trust you." "You shouldn't." "Says the man who stopped." Neil gave Andrew a few moments to respond before saying, "I don't understand it, and I don't know what I'm doing, but I don't want to ignore it just because it's new. So are you completely off-limits or are there any safe zones?" "What are you hoping for, coordinates?" "I'm hoping to know where the lines are before I cross them," Neil said, "but I'm open to drawing a map on you if you want to loan me a marker. That's not a bad idea." "Everything about you is a bad idea," Andrew said, as if Neil didn't already know that. "I'm still waiting for an answer." "I'm still waiting for a yes or no I actually believe," Andrew returned. "Yes." Neil took the pint from Andrew's unresisting fingers, stacked it on top of his, and leaned in. He stopped shy of actually kissing Andrew, not daring to touch him until Andrew gave him a green light. Andrew's expression didn't change but there was a subtle shift in his body's tension that told Neil he'd gotten Andrew's attention. Neil lifted a hand but stopped it a safe difference from Andrew's face. Andrew caught hold of his wrist and squeezed in warning. "It's fine if you hate me," Neil said. It was the truth, if a bit of an understatement. So long as Andrew was only physically attracted to Neil, this was safe to experiment with. Neil's death wouldn't be more than a faint inconvenience to Andrew. "Good," Andrew said, "because I do."

Art used with permission by Lunapiq. Thank you @lunapiq

[murphy-stamp]

What's happening in Palestine is not "complicated", and it's not some insane "2000 year war about religion".

1917 : The Balfour Declaration was passed by the British, signing over the Palestinian land that was not their's to begin with to the Jewish people. Jewish people are not native to Palestine, and “israel” did not exist until 1948. The Balfour Declaration was the most controversial and contested documented in all of modern history.

1936 : A partition came into play, where the British once again promised the Palestinian land to be allocated to the Jewish people to become a "Jewish state". A 3 year revolt takes place to contest the partition which brought an end the the British army having anymore control over Palestine, and over 5000 Palestinians were killed. During this time the first armed zionist group was formed (Irgun) and they launched a series of unprecedented attacks against the Palestinian people.

1946 : Irgun bombed the King David Hotel which killed another 91 Palestinians, then in May of 1948 "israel" was formed which resulted in 750,000 Palestinians being displaced and 530 Palestinian villages being destroyed - this is referred to as the 1st Nakba (which means "disaster" in Arabic) - the 2nd Nakba started on October 7th. The remaining 22% of Palestine that had yet to be occupied was then divided into the Gaza Strip and The West Bank. That same year the UN passed a legislation that allowed Palestinian refugees to return home, but they were treated as second class citizens. "israel" controls the Palestinian education, prohibits their involvement in politics & elections, they control how much food and water they get, and their medical supplies.

1956-1966 : "israel" massacred the Palestinian villages Qalqilya, Kufr, Qassem, Khan Younis, and As-Samu.

1967 : "israel" occupied the remainder of historic Palestine in Gaza & The West Bank (and by occupy I mean they forcibly removed Palestinians from their homes, demolished their homes, or lived in the upper parts of their houses, forcing Palestinians to live in the lower halves, and then they built wire fences over top of these houses on the outside to block their view of the sky and so they could also throw garbage, boiling water, & human waste at the Palestinians walking the streets below. During that time another 300,000 Palestinians were displaced. The UN called for "israel" to leave Palestine, but they did not do that.

1976 : 1000's of hectares of Palestinian land were forcibly confiscated & protests were brutally shut down.

1987 : The first Intifada starts (which means the Palestinian revolution) where "isreal" established 45 more settlements on Palestinian land. A massive peaceful protest broke out by the Palestinians to show that the occupation & brutalization of their land and people was no longer acceptable. The IOF defence minister at the time, Yitzhak Rabin, ordered the IOF to break the bones of all Palestinians who were protesting. This is when the Hamas resistance group was founded (it was actually created initially by "israel" in hopes that it would divide the Palestinian people and shut down the Muslim Brother Hood - another resistance group). During that time 1000+ Palestinians were killed by the IOF.

1993 : the 2nd Intifada begins. The Oslo Accord is signed which was meant to being "peace" and a "2 state solution", but that just turned into more brutality by the IOF and another 5000+ Palestinians were killed. The IOF instigated Palestinian protestors with 1.3 million rounds of ammunition. Diana Buttu (a Palestinian-Canadian lawyer) made a statement saying the bill for a "2 state solution" was no more than a distraction for "israel" to carry out their plan in silence from the rest of the world which was always for the extermination, ethnic cleansing, and occupation of Palestine.

2014 : The Gaza War happened. This is when "israel" introduced the apartheid wall, which further isolated the Palestinians. They also launched a large scale attack on Gaza with ariel & naval fire power, 2500+ Palestinians were killed in just 50 days. In Gaza the IOF destroyed 83 schools, 10 healthcare centres, and 12,600 housing units.

2008-2023 : 8000+ more Palestinians were killed by the IOF, and now since october 7th 23,000+ Palestinians have been killed, and 1.6 million have been displaced.

This is one of the largest ongoing examples of colonial violence in the world today.

[o-solemioo]

HIHIHIII 😼!! hru?

anway, idk if you write hc’s or not, but can you do one with feminine male reader x cullen family? like r dresses feminine (biker shorts, crop-tops, skirts, bb belts, dresses, his style is like coquette , etc,,), he’s a vampire, and he is close with the family (a haram for him maybe.)

if not a haram, a platonic setting where they see him as family and sees him as a son/little brother,,

hi anon,

i'm good, thanks! and thank you for your ask. i'm a bit out of practice writing headcanons, so forgive me if this is a little rough around the edges, and maybe a little cringey. (also again this might be a bit short as i'm still getting back into the hang of writing.)

you are loved,

๏siris ☾ ⋆･ﾟ:⋆･ﾟ

— headcanons; feminine male reader

☾ pairing: cullen family x effeminate!male!reader

☾ summary: just some headcanons

☾ warnings: 2nd person (you), polyamorous relationship(?), implied bi/pan reader, bimbo-adjacent reader, very flamboyant reader, reader gets hatecrimed(?), nothing inherently sexual but some slightly suggestive themes, not proofread.

☾ w๏rd c๏unt: 846

---

☾ You moved to Forks when you were quite young, as your family needed to get away from "big city" life.

☾ You were actually able to express yourself very freely for such a small town.

☾ Even as a little kid, there was something just a little bit more feminine about you.

☾ And when you were finally able to understand yourself and your taste, that's when it began.

☾ The women's section was your favourite area of any store, and to you, it was just so much nicer than men's clothes.

☾ By the time the Cullens rolled into town in your sophmore year, you were regularly wearing skirts to school. You got teased for it, sure, but it all seemed to roll off of you. You were just so sure of yourself; so confident. And it drew the Cullens in like moths to a flame.

☾ Alice noticed you first; your style was so cute, and she needed to ask where you got that adorable purple top from. She started sitting next to you in class more and you could tell she started developing a small crush on you.

☾ You didn't mind her company, she was so kind that it didn't even matter. You studied and hung out at your house often. When she invited you to *her* house, though, that's when everything turned real for you.

☾ Esme and Carlisle just adored you, and while Rosalie and Edward seemed to show a bit of disdain, Alice assured you that they just needed to warm up to you.

☾ Jasper and Emmet loved to tease you, asking you whether you were a boy or a girl. not that they cared, they "just wanted to know".

☾ Life couldn't be better. You had a nice group of friends, good grades at school, and an impeccable sense of style, at least for 2003.

☾ Some boys visiting from the town over for a volleyball game found you, and they weren't as accepting as your nice little group. Everything happened so quickly that by the time you awoke, you were surrounded by the Cullens.

☾ It had already been a week. They were scared you "weren't going to make it", whatever that meant. You were still just waking up when Carlisle announced that he had no choice, and that you had been turned.

☾ Of course you were devastated. Your family, friends, everything, stripped away from you in almost an instant. For weeks, Alice was your only source of comfort.

☾ When you were finally feeling more comfortable, you moved in with the Cullens under the guise of simple roommates.

☾ Things began happening at random. Items of clothing started appearing in your closet when you hadn't bought anything. Your favourite music and movies would be playing whenever you were home. Eventually, you realized it was everyone trying to make you feel more comfortable.

☾ And soon enough, you were comfortable again. Your style as well as you became more effeminate than it already was with the knowledge of how easy it was to defend yourself.

☾ Rosalie was actually the first person to make a romantic move toward you. She enjoyed your confidence with your cotton candy pinks and your bows and pearl necklaces, and flamboyant personality. She couldn't resist and asked you out on a date.

☾ It ended up being more of a vacation to Seattle, with Emmett and Jasper tagging along. When they saw how Rosalie was treating you, they immediately knew it would be a one-up contest from that point on.

☾ When Alice and Edward finally caught on, it seemed like there was a new clothing item or accessory in your wardrobe every day.

☾ Luckily, it wasn't just that. Edward often bought you CD's and Alice bought you books. Emmett bought you whatever was available, usually bags and pins that he thought you would like. Jasper usually found the best jewelry for you, and Rosalie took care of the clothes, as your style let her experiment a little more with fashion design.

☾ You were one of the very few people who's mind Edward doesn't mind reading. Sometimes this can get a bit carried away...

☾ Jasper also enjoys messing with your emotions every so often, which has led to a few interesting encounters. But, when you're feeling down, he's immediately there to make you feel better.

☾ Carlisle and Esme mostly stay off to the sidelines. However, Esme loves to bake with you; not to eat, obviously, but fundraisers are all the rage, and who doesn't love a good bake sale? She's a kinesthetic learner, so it doesn't surprise you when her hands start to wander a bit.

☾ Carlisle can be a bit of a bore sometimes with all of his technical talk, but you always listen when he tells you about his day. He's willing to do whatever you want, too; and when he eyes you up and down every so often, you smile and pretend not to notice.

☾ All in all, you've found your place easily with the Cullens, and while it's definitely unconventional, all you care about is that you're happy. After a long time, you finally are.

---

sorry for the long wait ! i got a bit caught up in life :/ but there should be a bit more of an influx in posts soon :D

[project-sekai-facts]

One of Rui's most frequently used inventions outside of Nenerobo is a celebratory confetti cannon that is occasionally mentioned in birthday menu voicelines.

(All TLs in this post are from Project SEKAI ENG)

Rui initially made the cannon for Tsukasa's birthday in 2022, with most Kamiyama High students mentioning it in their menu voicelines, as well as Emu.

(TL)

It reappeared for Emu's birthday in 2022 per her request, as mentioned in Rui's menu voiceline.

(TL1 + TL2)

Its most recent appearances were Saki's birthday in 2023, where Rui lent it to Tsukasa, and Toya's birthday in the same year, where Rui let him use it.

(TL1 + TL2)

There is also a giant party popper mentioned in Rui's voicelines for Rin and Len's anniversary in 2022, and An's birthday in 2023, which may be referring to the same cannon.

Given the inconsistent description of the cannon, it's very likely that there are multiple. The confetti launcher shown in the Kamikou 2nd years illustration for the countdown to the 3rd Anniversary (the artwork at the top of this post) is most likely meant to be one of the birthday cannons, and is currently the only time one of the cannons has actually been illustrated.

[multiwreckedmess]

February Filth Fest Day 22

Prompt: Masturbation Pairing: Gymrat!Yeosang x fem!reader WC: 1,760 Summary: Yeosang has an embarrassing problem. Have you ever heard of a core-gasm?

This is a work of fiction, it does not represent Yeosang or any Ateez member. On top of this it is an 18+ work. For my comfort and boundaries please if you are under age do not interact with this. By clicking the “Read More” you agree that you are of age to interact with my works.

TW/CW: Male masturbation, sort of subby Yeosang, lots of praise for yeosang, yeosang called handsome and big boy, reader called “hot” and has breasts. tbh not much to warn about.

 Yeosang has started wearing two pairs of pants to the gym. It’s not really a notable change to anyone, simply adding some compression leggings to a pair of sweats or loose shorts wasn’t revolutionary fashion. If anyone asked, he’d planned to joke that it was “pump cover” or something like that. As if the problem was that easily explainable.  No no, the problem had only started recently, as he worked to define his abs further. Yeosang wanted to fulfill his title of the “statue of Ateez '' to perfection. It was the addition of hanging leg lifts, pushed into the workout by his trainer, that were the culprit. Meant to better define his v-cut and improve his posture, it seemed the exercise provided other less welcome effects. In particular and perhaps most curiously, was seemingly spontaneous orgasm.  Almost always on the 2nd to last rep of the final set, as Yeosang trembled and fought against gravity, he’d feel the familiar dangerous twinge in his core. Unable to stop it, endorphins would flood him as warmth spread into his underwear. The first time it happened he jogged to the locker room to change, horrified at the thought that he’d pissed himself. It wasn’t, he hadn’t. Instead sticky white clung to him as he peeled back his clothing. Embarrassing.  And then it happened again, two days later. And it kept happening, not every time but enough. Enough that Yeosang had to wear two pairs of pants to hide the stain as it soaked through.  “I like those pants!” You remark as you pass Yeosang who is drinking feverishly from his water bottle. Track pants with snaps up the sides to the very top, mostly unfastened, allowing the fabrics to billow between his legs. “Very ‘Magic Mike’ if you wanted to just rip them off. Heeeyaw!” You mimic the motion and giggle.  Yeosang chuckles and nods, but you’re already halfway to another machine. He watches you out of the corner of his eye as you work in between sets together. Energetic yet reserved, friendly but solitary. In a way you remind him of Wooyoung. You have more of an ass though, and certainly more of a bust. He chides himself for noticing, it’s indecent of him to ogle, but it’s hard to miss how the tight spandex hugs every curve so beautifully.    “The way you’re staring at me I’m gonna think you want to fight me or fuck me,” you blurt in passing from machine to machine. Yeosang’s ears go red and he stammers.  “So sorry,” his eyes burn holes in the floor. “I was just spacing-” you’d already moved on to your set, but he keeps going, keeps apologizing and stuttering and blushing. For some reason he can’t stop himself from it, having so egregiously breached so many unspoken rules of the gym recently, he rambles on like a kid in a confession booth for the first time.  Pausing mid set, you laugh, startling him. “You’re actually really cute for a gym bro.”  This stops him, looking up at you again incredulously. “I’m not aiming for cute!”  Your eyes are kind, “oh? So you’re just naturally flusterable?” You ask as you giggle.  Yeosang’s mouth flaps open and closed, unable to form a coherent sentence.  “Okay handsome, I’m going to go finish up on the treadmill if it’s all the same to you.”  It’s your turn to stare as Yeosang finishes up his workout, rounding out with leg raises. He’s really beautiful when he does each exercise, nose crinkling with effort as his muscles shake. Closing his eyes and knitting his brow, his pouty lips begin to tremble, jaw slackening. All of his muscles seem to seize at the top of the leg lift, eyes flying open as he lets out the most pitiful whine.  Yeosang’s expression changes from pleasure to panic as you look at each other. He starts to try to scuttle away, tail between his legs as he strategically speed walks to the locker room.  The room has never felt farther than it does as Yeosang feels you breathing down his neck. The sanctuary of the men’s locker room where he can clean up the mess he’s made both literally and figuratively. Maybe even cancel his membership as he sits in a stall.  A small hand with a firm grip gets his shoulder as he reaches the door.  “Did you just cum?”  “Don’t ask that so loud,” he whimpers. “Someone could hear you.”  “Who? The teen at the front desk with his headphones in? There’s not exactly a ton of people here right now. But wait,” you shake your head, “you didn’t answer, did you cum?”  Feet stuck to the ground by a supernatural magnetic force, Yeosang nods shamefully with a high pitched whine. “It just happens sometimes, it’s not- I’m not a perv.”  “But you aren’t even hard,” you start to wonder aloud, eyes locking to the crotch of his pants. Yeosang is fully flushed, beat red from his chest to the tips of his ears.  “I know, it’s so-it looks like I-” Yeosang stutters, his cock twitching in interest so suddenly he jolts a bit more upright. It’s a small comfort that if anything you look fascinated by him instead of horrified or angry. Your hand migrates down his arm, tracing a vein from his bicep to his wrists where he fears you can feel his pulse pounding wildly.  “Show me. Can you do it again?”  Yeosang’s eyes roll back as blood flows into his rapidly engorging member. If the post workout high didn’t have him dizzy, this certainly did. The husky purr to your tone melodically curling around his ears. It’s the opposite reaction that he’d never planned for. All of the time he’d rehearsed in his head what to do if someone noticed but never had he thought about if a person wanted him to do it again. He starts to shake his head, he’d only ever done it once a workout. “You wanna see me cum?”  “I’m sorry if i’m being too forward but I’m-I’m interested,” you stammer, the weight of your question finally hitting you like a ton of bricks. “I thought you-sorry if i misread-”  It’s Yeosang’s turn to panic, eyes wide as his hands spread open palmed in front of him. “Ah! No! I’m-I’m-you’re-” he gulps, mouth dry as the desert. Brow furrowing he doesn’t even register the decision he makes. It happens so fast. He tugs you with him, back pushing through the locker room door, into a stall. “I’ve only ever done it once like that but I can-”  “I could help!” You offer as you watch him tug his first layer of pants off his body. There’s a large splotch, not obvious on the black fabric from afar but mere inches away its hard to miss the shiny dampness of the area. Instinctively you reach forward to touch him, already at half mast and growing.  Yeosang nearly yelps, “no! If you do I’ll-” the blush on his cheeks darkens, “you’re really hot.”  You smirk, “okay then handsome, I’ll watch.”  Unceremoniously, Yeosang tugs the second pair of shorts and his boxers down to his thighs, the mess of cum and sweat still coating his pubic area and cock. Purple and blue veins run prominently up his member all the way up to the flare of his red tapered tip. He pulls his tight black tanktop up enough to expose the muscles of his torso. Taut abs, defined vlines and muscles you didn't even know the name of all on full display as he drags his fingers up the underside of his shaft.  “God you’re beautiful,” you murmur, sinking to your knees in front of him.  His eyelids flutter and quads tense, the refractory period is much shorter than he thought. “Ah! Ha, you-you-too,” Yeosang gasps and giggles at the same time, leisurely pumping his cock. “Your tits are really-oh my god- from here- they’re so-” he shudders and gasps, a weak spurt of precum erupting from the tip.  You scoot closer to better admire him. His hands are just as veiny, large around his equally girthy member. “Where’d you hide all that?”  He whines a tiny high pitched sound from the back of his throat. You can see his abs tense and kick his diaphragm up as a wave of endorphins hit. Almost a direct opposite of his ripped physique, the vocalizations that escape him are small and squeaky, the product of both pain and pleasure.  “You like it when I call you handsome? When I tell you how big and thick your cock is?”  “Ghnughn- yes,” he chokes back a moan. The praise immediately goes to his head, his grip tightens and pace speeds up.  “Moan more for me, you sound so pretty.”  A guttural groan escapes from him as he shakes, followed shortly by a hiccuped inhale. “I’m close.” His cock is almost purple with engorgement, precum flowing out of the tip easily. Hips working in tandem with his fist, the sounds of his whining and mewling that flood the bathroom are unmistakable.  “Hurry, cum. Cum for me,” you urge him, scooting just a bit closer, close enough to feel the warmth of the air around him.  “Shit- wha-where-”  “On me on my face on my tits, wherever you want, big boy, coat me in it.”  The twinge of desperation in your voice sets him off. He’s beautiful when he cums, head tilting back to expose his muscular neck and sharp jaw, drawn out high pitched whimper is the cherry on top. A forceful jolt of release erupting forth from him and coating your cheek, hot and sticky. The next spurt drops from your jawline to your tits which is quickly followed by another volley aimed squarely at the center of your chest.  Yeosang’s vision swimming he could swear he still saw you slowly rubbing the liquid against yourself, lifting a finger to your mouth to clean it with your tongue. The thought makes him nearly black out, hand slamming into the wall of the stall to catch his balance.  “Which locker is yours?” Your breath is hot on his ear. He didn’t even know you’d stood up. His head swims again under the spell of your proximity.  “117.”  “Wait a sec before you come out, it’ll look less suspicious.”  He nods, and collapses back onto the toilet, he needs to collect himself anyway. The entire encounter feels like a fever dream, it’s not until your note falls out of his locker that he starts to concede maybe it wasn’t.

Sorry this is so late. Lightly based on someone at some point saying “what if Yeosang cums when he works out.” I don’t remember where i saw this but whoever you are, yeah, what if?

[cantgetworsethanthistbh]

fluffy kid!stancest first kiss on glass shard beach would be so cute maybe by the swings or when they first find what would become the stan o war

combining these two together, but 2nd anon PLEASE know your ask got me writing old stancest at first that immediately turned hurt and comfort, so i'll be posting that when i actually finish it udndhdhdu this one is a bit of a rush job, BUT i hope you guys like it! this is my first time writing kid stancest, trying to run my head over how boys just banter and this is the best i could relay lmao. also if ford's internal dialogue isnt as flowery as it ought to be, it's mostly because i do still want it to sound like it's coming from a child, and i imagine Ford's internal dialogue wasn't fully realized until he's at least a littls older, you know?

anyway enough stalling: please enjoy!

~~~

Ford thinks he could stay like this forever.

Sitting on a crate, Stanford watches Stanley draw on the sand with the end of a big stick, planning all their great adventures when they finally get out of this place, the promise of their Big Day of Adventure made them giddy all day, bouncing on the heels of their feet all over the beach until the deck guys they "borrowed" a can of paint from earlier found them, chasing them off and forcing the two of them to take cover. They did, only belatedly realizing they had to come back for their ship since their dream did rely on them fixing up the boat to be in top condition for it to sail. Luckily they didn't take their ship, so the two of them were able to push it back into the alcove they found it, keeping it their own little secret.

Ford looks at it in awe again. In bold letters, "The Stan O' War" stares back at him. Their promise of the future. A future with his brother, forever

"And then— Poindexter are ya listening?!" Stan asks, tapping the stick lightly on Ford's head who swats it away with a laugh.

"Yeah, yeah! I am, I am!"

"Good, cuz you better hear this!" Stan resumes drawing on the sand. Ford looks down, tilting his head quizically.

"Why are we standing on top of the sun?"

"That's an octopus!" Stan points to the pile of squigly lines Ford thought had been the ocean. "See?"

"That's still kinda impossible."

"Aw, shuddap!" Stan scoffs playfully, then proceeds to draw fish tails with long noses and circle ends.  "Of course its possible! This is after I killed it, and we're doin' a victory cheer on top of it!" Stan pumps his fist in the air, and begins chanting, echoing loud across the alcove: "PINES! PINES! PINES! And after—"

"Wait, how did we kill it?"

"I beat it up, duh!"

"What did I do?"

Stan huffs. "You math, science and bored it to death, you big nerd," he says with an annoyed expression, which quickly gives away to snickers as he dodges the fistful of sand Ford throws in his direction, leaving a grainy cloud in its wake. Stan points back at his drawing, at the long nosed fish with lines protruding off the top. Until Ford blinks, and tilts his head again, realizing that the messy scribbles are probably meant to be... "Anyway, after we totally beat this giant octopus monster, all the mermaid babes will be all over us! They'd give us kisses, and hugs, and and–"

Covering his mouth with his hand, Ford snorts loudly. "Stanley... you want to kiss fish ladies?"

An offended look crosses Stan's face, and if it wasn't for the sunburn already staining his and Ford's skin an angry, blistering red, Ford could swear Stan was blushing, his cheeks puffing, brown eyes wide and fists clenching. Cute, Ford thinks, so quickly, he almost doesn't catch it.

But he does.

Just like how his shoulder catches Stan's fists, sending him to more fits of giggling as he goes down.

"Shaddup, shaddup, shut uuuuuuuup," Stan continues his playful assault, clearly trying to not to smile, but Ford's laughter catches him like the infectious bug that went around school three months ago, and his grin stretches wild as he pushes Ford to the ground, and planting himself on Ford's short legs. Ford's hand land on his shoulders, trying and obviously failing at pushing off his stronger brother with all his twelve fingered might, but maybe it's because Ford is laughing too much he's out of breath, chest shaking while he heaves his giggles. Maybe it's the weird but nice heaviness Stan is forcing on him, and Ford counts that as the fifth time this day Stan made him feel that: 'weird but nice.'

Yesterday was seven whole times.

"Get off me, jerk!"

"You're the jerk," Stan argues, catching Ford's hands and pinning them down to the sand, grinning at Ford who's completely caught under him. "You've been making fun of me the whole time!"

"No I wasn't! I think it's cool you wanna kiss fish ladies!"

"They're not fish ladies, Sixer! They're mermaids!" Stan argues, looking a lot like Ford when he exasperatedly explains that solving the daily crossword on the newspaper is not lame, just with the additional large gap between his teeth, bandage on his face, cute puffy cheeks, which almost sends Ford to another laughing fit. "Mermaids are cool! No, they're hot!"

"If you say so," Ford shrugs, feeling the soft grains of sand move against his back. "They'd smell like fish though, but I think you would like that."

"Pfff," Stan lets go and straightens up to blow a raspberry, tilting himself to flop onto the sand next to Ford, moving so his fingers brushed Ford's when at their hips. Sixth. "Like you're any different. I bet you have a lot of weird stuff you wanna kiss too. You're obsessed with your ano– anama—"

"Anamolies."

"Aliens. I bet you wanna kiss aliens."

"No I don't!"

"Yeah, you do!"

"I don't," Ford insists, but he's definitely thought about it. Not in a weird way, of course. He wonders about kissing a lot of things, like growing boys do, like the health developmental sections of science books say so! Girls. Boys sometimes.

Boys most of the time.

A boy, most of the time.

"If you say so," Stan repeats dismissively, stretching his arms over his head while Ford watches behind his glasses. Feeling the sand starting to get to that 'pointy, sticky and annoying' state when someone lays on it, he sits up, eyes landing on the Stan O' War again. Stan follows, quickly sitting up.

"What'cha thinking of?"

"Just wondering the capability of weight distribution on the boat."

"Uh...."

"I wonder if it's actually strong enough to hold us up to sail. We're gonna have to fix that up before we take it to the water, remember? Maybe it's not even built for two people."

The last part came out of his mouth without thinking, and Ford is alarmed with the quick moment of doubt. For a second, their dream seemed a little impossible.

Stan pushes himself up, and runs to the stationed boat.

"Stan? What are you—"

"Keep up, Sixer!" Stan exclaims, grabbing onto the ledge of the boat, and suddenly Ford is running after his brother. All caution thrown out of his system when Stan lifts himself over the edge and on top of the boat's deck effortlessly.

"Stan!"

"Look, Ford, it's fine!" Stan exclaims, arms spread wide and standing victoriously. Ford grabs hold of the ledge, and tries to lift his legs over, only to almost fall off with a "Whoa!"— until Stan's hand latches onto his.

"Hold on," Stan tugs until Ford's body lifts high enough for him to wrap his arms around Ford's shoulders. He grunts, pulling the rest of his twin's body with all his strength before falling onto the deck, Ford landing on top of his legs.

Somehow, they find themselves almost exactly as before, just in reverse, skin still grainy and sticky and hot-red, Ford's chest shaking again but this time it's from panting in the short burst of physical activity. His face close to Stan's, Ford feels a bubbling in his chest, a little tingle all over his skin. One he wants to blame on the summer heat still simmering outside the cave or maybe the sunburn all over his back and torso, but it's not that.

Seventh.

"You're kinda heavy for a stick, Sixer."

Ford punches his shoulder this time, smirking. "Shut up, jerk."

"Now you hate it," Stan comes back smugly, then glances down at the deck. "Hey, look! It can hold the both of us after all!"

Remembering his previous concerns, he looks down on the boat, then raps his knuckles onto the floorboards. It's actually pretty sturdy for how old Ford theorized it to be. That's pretty cool.

"Guess we can cross that out of the stuff we have to fix up," Ford concludes. He pushes his glasses over his nose, thinking deeply again. "Still have a lot of stuff to consider though. Plus, who knows how much bigger we'll get too..." He muses, mostly to himself.

So many to consider... Ford doesn't think even his freakish hands could count all the ways it could go right, or wrong, if it goes anywhere at all... it's kind of big, and open, and Ford thinks it's almost like the ocean itself.

"Eh, don't worry about that stuff so much, Sixer," Stan shrugs, his voice breakjng through Ford's train of thought. Ford realizes he's still very much on Stanley's legs, and maybe it's because all the running, pushing, wrestling they've done all day that completely wrung him out, or maybe it's because the warm bubbling in his chest that overflows and keeps his own legs stuck like sap, but unlike Stan, Ford can't bring himself to move off, move away from Stan. His brown eyes wide, grin with a goofy gap in the teeth and cheeks puffing, Stan looks ready to sail off right then and there.

"As long as you've got me, we can do everything. We're getting out of this place no matter what."

Ford smiles warmly. Somehow he could never get tired doing that around his brother and that's weird. It's nice. His hands find Stan's shoulders, and without thinking, he blurts out:

"Stanley... It wasn't aliens."

"Wait, wha—"

And Ford presses his lips to Stan's. He doesn't really know how to do this. It's kinda gross, with Stan tasting like sand and sweat from rolling around it all day, but so did Ford and getting past that, it just feels good. Almost on instinct, he pulls away panic rising at throat, because Oh no, Stan will think I'm a freak too.

But Stan leans forward too, almost knocking Ford's glasses away and also not knowing what he's doing, but it feels nice. Really, really nice.

Eighth.

Ford thinks he could stay counting those forever.

~~

If you like this send another prompt or a prompt of your own! Hope you liked this anons, be it sufficiently fluffy enough lmao

[catgirl-kaiju]

Just curious, what's the "pink scare"?

I misspoke; I was referring to the Lavender Scare.

The Lavender Scare was an American political movement that lasted roughly from 1947 to 1956, paralleling the 2nd Red Scare. It was largely helmed by Joe McCarthy and Roy Cohn and was a targeted campaign of political attack against queer people. The reasoning behind it was that gay men and lesbians constituted a threat against national security because their "subversive behavior" (not being straight) meant they somehow had strong connections to communism and, therefore, the USSR.

The movement resulted the outing and firing of hundreds of queer people from government jobs (ranging from politicians, clerks, military personnel, and contractors working with the government) with the State Department reporting that by 1953, they had fired 425 people under allegations of homosexuality. It also resulted in Dwight D. Eisenhower's Executive Order 10450, which fully barred any "homosexuals" from working any positions in the federal government.

EO 10450 was partially repealed in 1975 largely in response to young men using claims of homosexuality to dodge the Vietnam draft, and again in 1995 when the Bill Clinton administration instituted the "Don't Ask Don't Tell" policy for military personnel. It wasn't fully and completely repealed until 1998 with the Bill Clinton passing Executive Order 13087, which prohibited any such discrimination in federal employment and wasn't EXPLICITLY repealed until Barack Obama's Executive Order 13764 wich took effect in 2017.

The cultural effect was an amplification of pre-existing societal homophobia to violent extremes and the promotion of the idea that queer people are inherently dangerous to "American freedom and democracy". Fun fact, Roy Cohn was actually a gay man who was very openly in sexual and romantic relationships with many men, even during The Lavender Scare, bit considered himself to be different from other gay men, basically because he was a dominant top. He died of AIDS while being part of the federal government's inaction campaign in response to the pandemic.

If you want to read more about it, the Wikipedia page is a decent place to start.

The point I was making in regards to there being a 2nd Lavender Scare happening right now is in reference to the growing wave of targeted transphobic policies and violence from the political right and the liberal inaction in response to it.

I'd say that this new Lavender Scare started in 2017 with Trump's banning of trans people from entering the military and has continued to the present day when it is rapidly escalating with no end in sight.

The main characteristics of this new scare, in my opinion are:

A targeting of trans people, gender non-conformity, and drag performance as subversive elements in society that pose a danger to the "traditional family", christian hegemony, and the wellbeing of children.

The platforming of extremist right-wing propaganda from various sources in mainstream media and political discourse, which all spout unified transphobic talking points that inspire discriminatory policies and violence through stochastic terrorism.

Transphobic policies being passed into law at a rapid pace on the state level in multiple states, with little to no federal intervention. (This refers to the US specifically)

Domestic stochastic terrorist attacks on queer spaces that prominently feature and support trans communities and drag performance, which are inspired by transphobic right-wing propaganda.

The boosting of TERF voices who pitch the same transphobic talking points as the right, from a pseudo-leftist perspective that serves as an alternate route of attack in the insemination of violent transphobia into the mainstream. (This is especially prevalent in the UK)

The "groomer" narrative, which links trans people, gender non-conformity, and drag performance to pedophilia in an effort to evoke strong emotional reactions from misinformed people prone to bigotry and reactionary thinking. This tactic can also be seen in action with the Q-Anon conspiracy cult.

Utilizing trans people, gender non-conformity, and drag performance as scapegoats for economic decline, political unrest, and poor quality of life in order to disract from the systems actually responsible for these problems.

Link to article

Link to article

Armed Proud Boy protest against the Holi-Drag Storytime in Columbus, Ohio, and counter protesters protecting the event.

Protesters against Florida's "Don't Say Gay" bill

Link to article

I would also like to add that unlike the 1st Lavender Scare, this is not just an American phenomenon but part of a clear and roughly coordinated multinational right-wing movement and is presenting just as prevalently in the UK (albeit in a slightly different form). It is dangerous to leave this reactionary movement unstated and unnamed, lest is become normalized.

[astrobiscuits]

Astro observations part 1

Hello everyone! This is my first post, i hope u enjoy it!! ❤️❤️❤️

DISCLAIMER!!! These observations are based on my personal experiences with other people, they're meant for entertainment purposes only. If they don't resonate with you, then they're not meant for you.

What's meant for you, will find its way to you <33

🌼 Aquarius Venuses & Sun in 5th house in Aquarius belong to LGBTQ+

🌼 Mars trine Uranus individuals are the type to start a business nobody has ever thought of (idk, phone cases out of cheese maybe lmao)

🌼 Air Sun signs have got an interest in drawing (and are really talented too!)

Ex. My cousin who’s a Gemini is into classical drawing (pencil and paper), while one of my friends who’s a Libra is into digital drawing (and she makes money from it too!)

🌼 Speaking of Air Sun signs, they are also really good at math (especially Libra & Aquarius)

🌼 Moon in Gemini individuals are interested in astrology

🌼 Scorpio Moon women dress revealing. Think backless tops paired with a mini skirt to school o.O (i'm a Scorpio Sun myself, but i'm actually really conservative when it comes to clothing)

🌼 I noticed that a lot of people have Sun opposite Uranus in their birth charts, like hello????? why are you afraid of change????

🌼 People with Saturn in 2nd house don't like to be touched

🌼 Also, Saturn in 2nd house individuals tend to be greedy

🌼 If asteroid NOT (2857) conjuncts one of your planets in your birth chart, that planet’s energy isn’t incorporated into your way of being. There's something hidden about that planet's particular energy.

[sloshr]

After watching through Side Order... I have a Few Thoughts.

[Spoilers ahead]

My Review of the Side Order DLC - Its little more than Gameplay.

Initial Opinion

- - - - - - - - - -

Overall; I like the gameplay mechanics initially, but the story absolutely feels lacking to me, imo. It feels like they were really banking on Side Order being Hard but... multiple of my friends finished it on their 2nd or 3rd run through the Spire.

That in itself isnt a problem! But... everyone felt sort of unsatisfied? There were no developments in the story, as we, Agent 8, were just assigned the task to Get to The Top of the Spire -> The Player Does That -> You beat a Boss -> Credits Roll (?)

On my watchthrough I literally said Please Say Sike 😭 because, dont take this poorly, but they were advertising Side Order as;

• Difficult (stated Multiple Times in basically every Trailer)

• Story Driven (You Uncover things as You Climb)

• Character and Lore Intensive (as shown by the trailers with all the concept art as well as promo art)

I dont feel like it was wrong to expect more based on how it was advertised.

But... if you complete the DLC in 1-2 runs, which is Very Much Possible, no buildup happens at all. The story was banking on the player struggling, and putting all the content behind repeat runs, which falls through and Doesnt really work/feel satisfying if the main goal is achieved in such a short time. I Feel like anyone who regularly plays Salmon Run will likely have a similar experience. And I feel kind of cheated? Because what we got was something that was Tell Not Show rather than the Show, Not Tell formula. And in my opinion, it really doesn't work as well at all. It puts all the major lore that the game has set up behind repetetive climbs (which never change btw, despite each climb being generated differently, its the same after a while) and you get about 1 Sentence of Exposition, with a Modlog from Marina if you are Lucky.

Side Order was (to me), after watching it all;

• Not Difficult, But Repetetive Gameplay (This easily runs people down, which would be fine if the tower had more than 1 setup or phase)

• Inital Story Setup with no complexities or stages. You climb the first Tower, Save Marina, Climb the Second Tower, Beat Order, and the credits Roll. In its most complex, you could fit what Side Order's Story is in 2-3 Sentences. Rather than Lore being revealed During the story, it feels Pushed to the Side as all of it is either in Text the player may never see (different climbs) or care to read (Marina's Mod Log)

• Use of Character Drops with no explaination / mention (The Agent 4 Boss, Anyone?) (This felt very Bait-y, with No Payoff)

Rating

- - - - -

If I had to give Side Order a Rating

4/10. At Best.

I am a bit disappointed with this as I feel like I was promised more, Storywise, and honestly a bit gameplay wise. I think it fails where other DLC has succeeded Due to being Built in such a way where anything engaging is stuck behind barely changing gameplay. It is not built in a way where the experience cant fail to show you whats important to the characters and the worldbuilding. It relies too much on telling you whats happening rather than the world showing you. Its too Simple, and It Doesnt Work, personally, in a series that contains Octo Expansion.

Which is Sad to me!! It had so much wasted potential and I really hope this isn't the last we're going to see of the concept, we get to see ideas actually built into the story, and... maybe find Agent 4.

Conclusion

- - - - - - - -

Tldr; Side Order had a good concept, but failed in execution for being simple and gameplay dependent, which was ultimately disappointing due to it being advertised as something more for all involved.

It was an alright attempt. The experience will just be known to me as... well. Baby's First Rouge-like. Nothing worldbreaking.

(PS, this isnt meant to be mean spirited or overly critical, I just love the Splatoon Series so I give it Tough Love. This is just my personal view on the DLC)

Thank you for Reading! Feel free to share or add any thoughts!

[inkstainedpages]

‧₊˚✧[𝘈𝘬𝘶𝘵𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘸𝘢 𝘙𝘺𝘶𝘶𝘯𝘰𝘴𝘶𝘬𝘦 𝘹 𝘈𝘍𝘈𝘉 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳]✧˚₊‧

𝗡𝗼𝘄 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴:

"(Sweet-Cigarettes after sex)"

00:42 ━━━━●───── 04:48

      ㅤ ㅤ◁ㅤ ❚❚ ㅤ▷ ㅤㅤ

𝙄𝙩'𝙨 𝙨�� 𝙨𝙬𝙚𝙚𝙩,

𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘮𝘦..੭﹕ ̊ ̟ ꒷꒦

⛧°。 ⋆༺♱༻⋆。 °⛧

𝙒𝙖𝙧𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜!!

...this piece of writing includes;

smut, gentle sex, soft aku, afab reader, established relationship, cuming inside, unprotected sex, 2nd person pov, rushed writing, inspired by sweet by cigarettes after sex

Reminder!!

please be careful whenever participating in sexual activities in real life. Especially if you are a minor and/or are unprepared for pregnancy and the other consequences of messing around. Please make sure to use protection unless you are actually ready, this is a work of fiction.

⛧°。 ⋆༺♱༻⋆。 °⛧

Warm lighting, lavender scented oil in the air purifier, the curtains, windows, and door shut. Yet a few sounds would leak from your room, the sound of something playing on your tv. Accompanied by a strange muffled noise that became a common occurrence whenever he would visit.

It started off as a few harmful check ups under the excuse of awaiting for your recovery so you can get back to working in the mafia. He was just oh so concerned, after all, you are the only person he sees fit to work alongside him.

When you did get better from that nasty flu, the visits came to a halt. For some time. Until he started insisting to walk you home, accompany you on your walk to ensure your safety. He swore it was just for safety measures and that it meant nothing.

Until he started to stay for some time. Then he would randomly show up with all sorts of excuses. If he wasn't your superior, you would have laughed in his face at how cute he looked trying to hide his face with the back of his hand as he turned his head to the side. Though you couldn't help but feel honored, since not everybody is liked by the black fanged hellhound of the port mafia.

One visit, then another, and then another. Until he came over so often you had lost count. It was odd, how intrigued he was by you. How strange it was, when the hellhound of the port mafia would follow you around like a lost puppy.Following you home, declining your offer to come inside, at first. Though you grew persistent over time. Until he couldn't just keep denying.

And with time spent together came with the formation of a bond. A bond that differed from the one sided rivalry from when the two were younger and under the guise of the same executive. That was years ago. This was different. Far different.

Though you couldn't be bothered to think of all that. Not now, when your mind was so foggy, your vision blurry, head spinning. Not when you struggle to keep your eyes open, having to shut them as you lean onto Akutagawa. Who was laying on your bed, underneath your covers, holding you to stay still as you lay on top of him. His hips rolling softly, the sound of your skin slapping together accompanied by the shifting of the sheets and comforters.

He swallowed the lump forming in his throat, groaning at the feeling of your walls clenching around him. Taking his cock so well as he thrust into you. He was so gentle that it made you shiver, whimpering into his neck. You buried your face in the crook of his neck, muffling the noises that slipped from your mouth as he kept hitting all those sweet spots that made you see stars.

"𝘧𝘶𝘤𝘬- 𝘵𝘰𝘰 𝘵𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵..~"

He whined, pushing deeper into you. The tip of his dick bruising your cervix. Sure, he was gentle and he sure took his time to ease you, but he was hitting so deeply. Making you gasp, biting down on his neck to ground yourself as you felt the knot in your stomach tightening. At this point, you've forgotten of how many orgasms he's made you go through.

He's forgotten about everything else, nothing else crossed his mind but you. He doesn't know why or how you affect him like this so greatly. He prioritizes you, in a way. He can't understand, but he's came to the conclusion that his 'attachment' grew into something more. He should have know he was too deep in when he started to get softer, and be sweet.

Your sweet moans overpowering the volume of your tv as it continued to play the movie you had chosen earlier. You've long forgotten about it, and it wasn't until you felt yet another climax take place that the tv paused the movie and asked;

"are you still watching?"

Of course not. You were too busy riding out your orgasm as he pushed deeper and deeper into you, as deep as he could.Making you shudder and bite down yet again on his neck, leaving a other dark red bruise on his pale skin. He's gonna have to think of how he's gonna cover or hide the hickeys you left on his neck.

Though he couldn't think of that right now. Both of you couldn't think of anything else but each other, and how good it felt. Honestly, at this point, you couldn't think straight and were mindlessly biting and nibbling on his neck. And he wasn't in a better state either. Akutagawa had been whining and mumbling some words you couldn't comprehend, and by the sound of his voice, it seemed pretty emotional.

"..𝘴𝘰 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥..𝘮𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘭.. 𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘮𝘦..𝘐 𝘤𝘢𝘯'𝘵-"

He mumbled beneath his breath, tripping over his own words as his breath hitched. Getting caught in his throat as he felt himself close. He was close. And he was way too out of it to even think of pulling out. He just kept thrusting into you, pushing deeply inside. Hell, you didn't catch a word he said. His voice fading, nearly inaudible for you. You were too focused chasing after your own high.

Your eyes snapping wide open when he stilled himself, his thrust coming to a pause when he spilled himself inside of you. Spilling his cum deep inside of you. When he finished, he made sure to give a few more thrust, ensuring it got in deeper. He wouldn't let even a drop of his precious seed go to waste. He just couldn't, not when it took off such a large percent of his energy and time..

Akutagawa huffed when he felt some of the sticky white liquid leak out of your hole. Even while he was still inside of your cunt, it sort of frustrated him in a way. He growled by your ear, he snapped his hips forward. Suddenly giving a harsh thrusting, ramming into you. Shoving his cum deeper inside before slowly dragging his length out of you. Making sure to do it slowly while staring into your hazy, half lidded eyes. As if it was a way to tease you. Though he did smirk when he felt you twitch and clench around him as he pulled out completely.

For a moment, it was silent. Just silently staring at eachother. Until you let out a raspy, low chuckle. Smiling up at him as you raised a brow, your eyes were half lidded and glossy.

"𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥?"

Your voice was hoarse, probably from all the moaning and whining. Akutagawa chuckled as well, nodding his head. His lips tug upward into a small smile, he cleared his throat

"𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘦, 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥."

[lizzaneia-elizalde]

Please do yandere!delinquent with deaf!reader who's not so bothered by her condition and actually enjoys her alone time. She's also always up to something extrovert-activity like volunteering in orphanages and old age homes. Helping at exhibitions, something that always includes social interaction. She's people's person but not people pleaser (lmao). Yan delinquent works in 7/11 as well so add a cute interaction b/w them please

-🌼

Yandere! Male! Delinquent x Volunteer! Classmate! Fem! Reader

Welcome to the 2nd set of Lizzaneia's 16 yandere OCs! Your support has been so gracious, and I'm utterly surprised by how far we've come. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart.

Let's start this off with 🌼 anons' request, one of my consistent supporters throughout the months (´；ω；｀)

I kind of struggled how to show the yan side, so forgive me.

Yan! Delinquent name: Liam

Liam has been sent to the guidance office again.

He sighed, leaning back to his chair and started to blow raspberries on his lips. Boredom soothing his brain as he tried to think of anything other than the fact that he'll be late to his job again. His manager will probably scold him again, and he has no choice but to swallow back insults he wishes to throw.

After all, it was his fault in the first place.

Who in their right mind brings cigarettes to Uni? He seriously just wants a stress reliever from being sandwiched between midterms and his job. But once he got to a quiet and remote place to smoke, who knew a professor would also be smoking there?

"Bitch." Liam whispered under his breath, remembering how the professor started pointing fingers that he shouldn't smoke, that it's bad for your health, that it violates school rules, bla bla bla he speaks so much for a person who also smokes.

Although, he's not gonna land in this office if he just shut up. But Liam's temper got to him, and he blurted:

"stop talking, tar bags for lungs. Why are you still alive, smoking a pack and looking like a skeleton about to steal my skin?"

Let's just say that the professor blew his top and dragged his ass here, by the ear and all.

Liam buried his face on the desk, contemplating about his life.

He's always been the troublemaker. His mouth, nonstop, started fights more than stop them. That meant that there's a high percent chance that he'll be in a physical altercation with a person he's talking with.

This made Liam quite the delinquent also. Since he can't really connect with people that well, he decided to double down and be a public enemy.

He also didn't grow up with parents. He's only living by himself in a small apartment with the money that his parents left him, and works part time in a 7/11 with an understandably pissed manager.

Liam sighed.

"I'm just gonna go to sleep..."

But, when Liam was about to go to sleep, the classroom door opened and his head snapped up.

And his eyebrow quirked up.

There you are. In the school uniform, bringing a stack of papers (probably midterm exams) to the professor who was facilitating detention.

But what caught his eyes were a small, almost a Bluetooth earphone looking mechanic attached to your left ear.

"ah, y/n. Thank you for delivering the papers." The professor signed while talking to you.

Filled with curiosity, Liam looked up to you and saw you smile. Your dainty fingers started signing back, but you were also mouthing the sentence you wish to say. Subtle muted syllables of the words sometimes coming out of your mouth.

"no problem, sir. I'm glad to be of help." You ended the conversation with a polite smile before you straightened up. Your eyes looked to him, and blinked in surprise.

In an almost shy gesture, you gave a small wave to him with a cute tilt on your head. Your smile, small yet comforting, refried Liam's brain.

A slow blink, and a sharp inhale of breath made Liam wave back.

He swore he saw pink roses around you.

"what the fuck, why are you so beautiful?"

The professor coughed loudly, choking on his own saliva.

Meanwhile, you only tilted your head. You're still not that good with lipreading, and Liam's expression didn't help either.

So, you thought he just said hi or something.

Getting awkward, you bowed before shuffling outside.

Liam felt frozen in his seat, but also heated up.

You're so fucking cute in his eyes.

He wants to see you more now.

Which class are you in?

God, he hopes you were on the same class. He does not remember the faces of his classmates anyways so there's a high chance you were with him.

And as Liam daydreamed about you, the professor only looked at Liam with the outmost dumbfounded face.

"So you're here."

"?"

You looked up and saw a familiar, frowning face.

With a wave, you smiled at him.

"Hi Liam." You signed out, your voice also sounding out his name.

Liam almost doubled over from the adorableness.

He can't believe he heard his name come out of your lips. Your lips!

On the outside, Liam frowned deeply and scratched his head.

"Hi." He replied back flatly. Absolutely not betraying his own mind.

You knew he just said hi, so you chuckled and took out your phone. With a quick type, you showed him the message you wish to convey.

"Why are you here in the orphanage?"

Liam flinched, not knowing what to reply.

What? Should he freak you out by saying he followed you here?

You were his classmate after all. So why is Liam here also?

It's just that, Liam wants to spend time with you more. Get to know you more.

Liam gulped, and grabbed his phone to type his reply and showed it to you.

"ah... Decided to volunteer too."

You smiled brightly, and Liam swore once more he was blinded momentarily.

Is this what heaven looks like?

You guided him inside the orphanage. And immediately, children looked up to Liam and he jumped from the sudden attention being placed to him.

One child hid behind the other, one looked away, one tilted their head. But one bravely went up to Liam and you, clumsily signing while saying the word.

"friend?" The child asked, a hopeful face sat on his visage. Liam nodded with a small, twitchy smile. It's been a while since he did.

As if on cue, the children grinned, ran up to Liam, and started pulling him to play with them.

A small giggle came out of your lips as you watched Liam getting dragged by the children, watching them with a warm-hearted chest.

All throughout the day, Liam got to know you better.

Despite being deaf, you didn't let it hinder your spirit. You love to volunteer left and right in different organizations, wanting to help the community.

Are you making Liam fall harder for you? He's almost like a melted puddle just watching you from afar.

Although, jealousy burns within him as he tried to ignore the way you gave attention to other people. Especially men.

You appreciated how the school delinquent is apparently just a big softie (it's because of you). He's actually nice and friendly, also generous and playful (once again, it's because of you). You didn't understand why people don't like him.

He's misunderstood.

You also misunderstood his intentions because of it.

Whenever Liam had the chance, he would get close to you. Asking you to teach him sign language, what's not to do when talking with a deaf person, etc.

He wishes to know more about his future wife, after all.

He, as wrong as it sounds, thank the gods sometimes for your deafness.

You won't be offended by the shit he spew out from his mouth by how loose it is.

You won't be hurt.

You won't accidentally take what he said the wrong way.

And because of it, Liam has a strong, strong desire to protect you.

He can't let the others' voices reach your vision.

He just can't.

The bell rang from having the doors open.

"Welcome to 7/11... Y/N." Liam paused, seeing you in the wild. And inside the store he's doing his part time in.

His lips twitched. What luck.

You jumped in surprise when you finally saw Liam.

"Liam!" You said as much as your voice could. And it was enough to make Liam shiver once more.

"Can I help you, Y/N?" Liam signed out while mouthing, a relaxed look on his face.

Liam's a fast learner, immediately learning how to sign. You were thoroughly amazed, showering him with praises. Liam was also sure it was his deathbed at that time, his heart pounding through his chest as warmness and desire course through him while you praised him.

All you need to do is call him good boy really.

"oh nothing." You shook your head. Your hands gently signing out words, a sign of fatigue. "I just want a pick me up."

Liam grinned, going out from his counter as he got to you and held your hand gently. He gave a head tilt and a boyish smile.

And that made your heart flutter.

This didn't go unnoticed by Liam.

"Come on, I have recommendations." Liam guided you to the corner isle, where refreshments and microwavable foods are.

With your choice of meal done, he microwaved it, payed for the food (much to your dismay, you want to pay it for yourself but Liam insisted on paying), and let you eat on the tables area on another corner.

When Liam is about to return to the counter, his manager appeared with a smirk on his face.

Here we go again.

"hah. Didn't know a troublemaker like you would get a girlfriend." The manager said, looking at you eat.

Liam didn't refute his allegation.

"So what? I love her, and she loves me." Liam huffed, suddenly getting protective. He doesn't like how his manager leered at you.

"hey! Little lady! Your boyfriend here is a fucking lazy bum!" The manager yelled, but you didn't react, only continued to look down and eat, lost in your own world. "Huh? Excuse me!"

Didn't help also that you were far from them.

"what the fuck?"

"she's deaf, you sackbag of useless meat."

The manager's eye twitched, hearing another insult pouring out of Liam's mouth.

"deaf you say? Well, at least she can't hear the colorful shit coming out of your mouth." The manager taunted, before his eyes glinted in cruelty. "Don't deaf people have weird voices? Like nasally sounding or something?"

Liam's smirking face slowly twitched to a frown, and a face filled with anger.

"so, if the both of you fuck, won't you get disgusted by how... Fucking weird she will sound?" The manager laughed loudly. "Agh~ Ahn!"

The manager moaned out, exaggeratedly mimicking a stereotyped and insulting voice.

Liam felt like boiling hot water courses through his veins as he grabbed the manager and pushed him violently to the staff room.

He was seeing red.

His eyes wide with anger as he started to beat the shit out of the manager.

Anger rose through him like a bursted pipe, spewing out thick, unbridled rage.

Blood pumping through his fast beating heart, his mind numbed out what he's doing.

The manager can't just insult you like that.

He's a piece of shit.

You're a lovely person.

You don't deserve to be insulted like that.

He deserves to...

Liam dazedly backed away, blood dripping from his fist as he watched the manager twitch and lay on the floor.

Crimson blood pooled from his mouth, gargling just one step away from death. His eyes, shot wide with fear, looked at him with a shaky consciousness.

Liam numbly went to the comfort room to wash away the blood, change uniform, and apply perfume to remove the ironic smell after dragging the manager to the furthest corner of the staff room.

He went outside the room, and saw you just scroll your phone with a smile.

He approached you gently, his rage subsiding.

"Liam!" You said.

The manager was lying, your voice is as sweet as the morning dewdrop dropping down to the ground.

"Hey, you finished?"

You nodded with a gentle smile once more.

"Yes. Then, I'll get going! I just waited for you to come back. It's kind of rude to suddenly just... Disappear." You signed out, now enthusiastically as you already replenished your energy.

Liam's face contorted to a sheepish smile. He wants to spend time with you more.

Maybe...

Liam huffed and grabbed your hand softly.

Gently mimicking the sign to the word date, before releasing.

"I've always liked you, Y/N. Your spirit, your kindness, goodness, and just... You." Liam slowly signed out, confessing to you. Your eyes were wide, a blush settling on your cheeks. "I've always admired you, and... I want to ask you out on a date. My treat, don't worry."

You gasped, tears settling your eyes before nodding with a big grin.

Liam's sheepish smile turned to a grin as he grabbed your waist and spun you around, both of your laughters filling the air.

Liam settled you down, helping you fix your clothes.

"Wednesday?" He asked once more, and you agreed before waving goodbye to Liam.

With you gone, Liam screamed.

"YES!" He jumped around, danced, and wriggled from the butterflies going haywire in his stomach.

When he settled down, he went back to the staffroom and saw that the manager finally died. Even if he was Liam's first kill, he didn't feel bad, just a coldhearted 'good riddance.'

Now, how to get rid of this fucker?

Meh. Liam somehow knew he would be alright.

Nobody insults you.

And if somebody does again,

He would gladly put them down.