#(so drinking to appease him is the better plan for now lol)

[ikkaku-of-heart]

@draconxs asked: "Wororororo! Why don't you come share a drink with me? I want to see if that moonshine of yours is as strong as you claim it is." - younger Kaido @ Tomasu

Tomasu wasn't a man of impressive power. He didn't have Conquerors's Haki or even a Devil Fruit. He wasn't renowned for great strength or flashy attacks. He was a smuggler and the reason he was so successful on the Grand Line despite the massive powerhouses that sailed it wasn't because of strength - it was because the Ghostlight was smart and cunning. More than that, it was because he learned from his experiences.

For example, experience had taught him to never take on a member of the Rocks Pirates if you valued your life or had anything to lose. It didn't matter that the crew had disbanded - those pirates had been recruited for a reason, and they were still a dangerous bunch even apart. Kaido he knew was especially so, given how he had been taking down battleships at age ten and been giving soldiers nightmares even before he'd gotten that Devil Fruit of his.

Experience had also taught Tomasu to keep a supply of moonshine on him for emergency purposes. Specifically, to get those pirates and Marines that were far too powerful for him to be able to kill drunk enough that he'd be able to walk away from an encounter in one piece. So, grateful that he hadn't run into Whitebeard in a while meaning his stock was high, the smuggler gave a nod of agreement.

"Aye, I've got some time t' have a few drinks," Tomasu said, unloading a few jugs of moonshine from one of the dinghies he kept hitched to Barnabas. The giant sea turtle gave him a concerned look before grunting in understanding. Kaido was too dangerous to risk the wrath of, especially when they had supplies to get to Fishmen refugees. A few drinks was better than a fight. "Doubt I could outdrink ya, so help yourself to the lion's share of it. I can always make more when I need t' get plastered."

[vilevenom]

New chapter for "Together Burning Bright"! This one is a ~flashback~ chapter. Specifically, Hickory's birthday party, when he and JD got together the first time. This particular scene has been rotating around my brain since I wrote "Let's Be Us Again", but it didn't really fit in the main story, so now you get a +4K word fic of just that, all on its own, lol This chapter is just a touch spicy. It's gonna bump the AO3 rating to 'M', so just an fyi. Nothing is explicitly described, but it's hella obvious as to what they're doing. Enjoy!

A trolls twenty-first birthday was a special one. At least, for the yodelers it was. It was considered a coming of age celebration, and it was when trolls were encouraged to take on more responsibility within the community. It was also when the biggest birthday parties were thrown.

As the community hall was the largest indoor space in the village, it was most commonly used to host such large events, to avoid the cold of the mountain. Flowers adorned nearly every feasible surface, and tables ladened with food were pushed up against the walls. Streamers and twinkle lights hug from the ceiling, while nearly every troll in town was crammed onto the main floor, singing, dancing and carrying on in celebration.

Nearly, being the key word. One troll with teal hair and a distinct pair of green goggles stood to the side with a lazy smile, drink in hand as he watched the party carry on. John Dory had, unfortunately, missed the beginning of the party. He'd been guilted into going, even somewhat late, by the trolls who were hosting his stay in the village. They'd told him it was bad luck for the birthday troll in question for someone to willingly not attend, so he made a little fuss about it but followed along shortly behind them to the party. He'd honestly just wanted to go to bed and sleep, but a party was a party, he supposed. And as a pop troll, he'd been told many times over the years that he should love parties, much to his chagrin.

He idly sipped at his drink as he watched trolls nearly trip over themselves as they swayed across the dance floor. He did have to hand one thing to the yodelers; they made a mean fermented nectar. The cup in his hand was definitely stronger than the strange yeasty concoction the rock trolls had made him try. From said experience, he knew better than to drink too much, or too quickly. He was not keen on a repeat performance, if he was going to be honest with himself.

Truthfully, he was planning on staying just long enough for a majority of the attendees to get a little silly, before slipping back out to the house he was staying at. He'd figured, since he didn't know who the party was even for, and he'd made an appearance to appease his superstitious hosts, that no one would fault him for wanting to get some rest. He'd only managed to get into town the day before, after all.

What John Dory did not expect was for a tall troll to suddenly appear next to him, lean a hand on the wall, and tilt into John's personal space with a little smirk on his face.

~

Hickory hadn't expected anything for his birthday. His parents were long gone, his brother had disappeared on a job of some sort for who knew how long, and he was old enough now that he wasn't even living with anyone who would potentially take notice. So, he'd been more than a little surprised when his friends had offered to host a party for him at the community hall.

It seemed like everyone in town had turned out, bringing food and drink to share. They'd adorned him in a flower crown and accessories made of dried flowers, while everyone wished him a happy birthday and good luck in the coming years. The reveal of the large five tiered cake his friends had baked for him had nearly brought him to tears. He truly felt like he was the luckiest troll in the world.

"Hey, hey! Who's that?"

"Oh. That's the troll staying with us. He's a traveling pop troll. I guess he's been here before, because…"

Hickory let the voices of his friends fade into the background as they prattled on next to him. Scratch his previous thought, now he felt like the luckiest troll in the world. John Dory, the troll he had been crushing on for the last four years, who he'd thought he'd never see again, was leaning against the wall. At his party! A thrill ran up his spine, making his fur practically stand on end.

"I'm going to go talk to him," Hickory stated, pressing his half finished cup idly into the hand of one of his friends.

"What? Why? Wait…No way, Hickory. That can't possibly be the same troll."

"The one I would not stop talking to you about a couple of years ago? It most definitely is," he said with a nod, fussing with his hair and straightening out his suspenders.

"Ooo, get some, Hickory," one of his friends jeered, earning an eye roll from Hickory.

He waved as his friends started to get rowdy, quickly walking away from them while trying to keep a flush from forming on his cheeks. He hadn't seen John in nearly four years, and they had only spent a couple of months together at the time. Would he even remember? Well, Hickory reasoned, you missed one hundred percent of the shots you didn't take.

He sauntered up to John Dory and placed his hand on the wall next to the pop trolls head before leaning into his space with a smirk. "Guten abend."

John looked up at him, confusion clear on his face. Hickory felt like an idiot. He tipped himself back up to stand upright, letting out a nervous laugh. "Sorry. You don't speak german, do you?"

"Can't say that I do, no," John said, arching an eyebrow at Hickory. "Can I help you?"

Hickory cleared his throat, already feeling like this was going poorly. "I said 'good evening'," he fumbled, suddenly wishing he hadn't handed off his drink so he would at least have something to do with his hands. "I, uhh…you're alone."

John's expression went from confusion to disinterest almost immediately. "Yes. I am. And, if you don't mind, I was actually pretty okay with that situation."

Hickory bristled, wincing at the clear dismissal, but he couldn't just let John slip through his fingers like this. "We met! Before! Sorry, I'm making a mess of this," he quickly babbled, fiddling with one of the floral bracelets he'd been gifted, "I showed you around the last time you visited the village."

John stared at him for a moment, before realization slowly dawned on his face. He stood up straight from the wall, giving Hickory a cursory once over, gaping slightly. "Hickory?!"

Hickory let out a quiet breath, a wobbly little smile on his face as he gave a short nod. "That's right."

"You got tall!"

That startled a snort of laughter out of Hickory. "Ja, and older," he added, waving vaguely at the party. John looked dumbfounded for a moment, glancing around before his gaze snapped back to the yodeler.

"This is your party? Oh, man. Happy birthday!" John said, giving Hickory a friendly punch to the shoulder.

"Thank you," Hickory chuckled, rubbing at the spot that John had hit. "I don't imagine my birthday is what brought you back to town?"

John laughed, shaking his head a little as he leaned back against the wall. "Nah. Not that the party isn't great! But, I just got board with the classical trolls. I kinda vaguely remembered where this place was, and I wanted to come back for another visit. Got a little lost in the mountains for a couple of days, though. I have to admit, I'm a bit exhausted and I only came to the party because I got guilt tripped." John paused as he noticed the somewhat crestfallen expression that flitted over Hickory's face, before a smile was forced back onto it.

"Well, don't let me keep you! You should not feel obligated to stay if you would rather be in bed," Hickory offered, taking a short step back from John.

"Wait, hey, no," John stood back up, reaching out to catch Hickory's wrist. He offered a soft smile to the other, nodding towards the door. "I know this is your party, but why don't we step outside. I'm tired, but I'd love to catch up with you?"

Hickory returned the smile with a genuine one of his own, giving a short nod. He pulled his wrist free of John's hold, only to take his hand properly with a quiet, "I would love that." He turned and began to lead John through the crowd, while doing his best to ignore the cat calls that followed the two of them out.

"Sorry," Hickory muttered once they were outside, his breath puffing up in a tiny cloud in front of him. "My friends can be a bit…lewd."

"Hey, no worries," John said, walking along next to Hickory as they trundled through the snow towards a couple of benches just outside the community hall, "Pop trolls have a reputation, I've been told."

"It is a ridiculous reputation to have, since you are one of the only pop trolls that has even been through town in the last two decades," Hickory scoffed, only to flush in embarrassment at the look John shot him. "I just…it's not right. To make those sort of presumptions. Do you not agree?"

"Oh, I fully agree. It's just kinda nice to have someone else share the sentiment," John admitted, a grin forming on his face. "So," he flopped down to sit on the bench once they reached it, setting his cup on the ground, "What've you been up to since I was last here?"

Hickory eagerly took the seat next to John, and the two began to talk. Once Hickory had caught John up on the relatively uneventful list of things that had occurred in the village, John began to regale Hickory with tales of his travels, which the yodeler took in eagerly. He gasped and cheered in all of the appropriate places, peppering in the odd question to get John to elaborate on details, while John sprung from his seat to enact some of the more daring acts from his time on the Neverglade Trail. After a particularly energetic performance, John fell back onto the bench next to Hickory, quiet pants leaving a trail of wispy condensation in the air behind him.

"Your life sounds fantastic," Hickory hummed, watching John catch his breath with a dopey little smile on his face.

"It's pretty great," John grinned up at Hickory from where he was half laying on the bench.

"I wish I could have adventures like that," Hickory admitted quietly, picking at one of the blooms on his bracelet.

"What's stopping you?" John pushed himself to sit up, leaning into Hickory, "It's your life. And you're old enough now. Heck, you've been old enough for a while. I was eighteen when I went out on my own."

Hickory shrugged, a sardonic little smile on his face. "My brother, mostly. Even though he's not even here right now. But, truthfully? I am not brave enough, I don't think."

"Sure you are! You just gotta put your mind to it," John said encouragingly, nudging Hickory's shoulder with his own.

"No," Hickory shook his head, "I'm a coward."

"Hey, come on. Start small, then. Baby steps. Pick something little that you're scared to do, and just do it!" John grabbed Hickory's knee and gave it a little shake. "I believe in you."

Hickory looked down at the hand on his knee for a moment, before turning his gaze up to John Dory's face. He was smiling brightly at Hickory, open and reassuring in a way very few trolls had ever been to the yodeler. He swallowed thickly, placing his hand over John's, and hoping the pop troll would blame the cold for the flush that adorned his cheeks. "Just…go for it?" he reaffirmed, licking his lips nervously as John nodded encouragingly, "Okay."

To John's credit, he only startled slightly as Hickory leaned into his space and pressed their lips together. It was chaste, and short, but that didn't stop his face from heating up.

"I'm not too young, now," Hickory murmured against John's mouth, his eyes kept shut to save himself from any unsavory expression the pop troll may be making.

"You…what?" John sounded dazed.

"I'm not too young. You told me last time that I was too young, but I'm not anymore." He lifted both hands to cup John's cheeks and press a more determined kiss to the pop trolls lips. He very nearly pulled away, until John began to reciprocate the kiss.

They broke apart from each other after a moment, their breath mingling and turning into delicate fog between them.

"This isn't because-" John began, only to be muffled by Hickory peppering a couple quick, short kisses to his lips.

"No! No, of course not. I told you, I think that is ridiculous. No. It's because I have not been able to get you out of my mind since we last met. And I feel like this, you appearing on my birthday, is nothing short of a sign from the universe for me to at least try," Hickory admitted, letting his fingers lightly trail from John's cheeks, over his shoulders and down to his hands. He finally sat back and opened his eyes to find a flustered looking John Dory sat before him. "You did encourage me to be brave, after all."

John chuckled, a lopsided grin on his face. "I suppose I did, didn't I?"

"You did," Hickory nodded, before he stood from the bench, offering a hand to John. "Come with me."

"Where to?" John asked, not hesitating in the slightest in taking Hickory's hand and standing from the bench.

"Home," Hickory stated simply, leading John through the village.

It was a relatively quick walk through town, especially as most trolls were still at Hickory's party. Hickory lead them to a small, modest house towards the edge of the village. It was adorned with the same floral trim pattern along the awnings that all of the other buildings in the village had, with a well cared for little yard, and a short wooden fence surrounding the property.

As Hickory opened the gate and began to pull John up the short path to the door, the pop troll paused, tugging back on Hickory. "Wait."

Hickory stopped, turning around quickly with a look of worry on his face. "What is it?" he asked, tone concerned.

"I think I remember you mentioning…you have a brother? Does he live here?" John asked, looking towards the door apprehensively.

"Oh," Hickory visibly relaxed, a low chuckle leaving him, "Dickory, yes. He does live here, but he is not in town right now. I'm by myself."

John gave a little nod, nerves leaving him as Hickory tugged him the rest of the way up the path and into the house. He only paused once to wipe his feet on a large mat near the front door, encouraging John to do the same, before he continued to lead the pop troll through the house. He only let go once they had entered a sparsely decorated bedroom, and the door was shut behind them.

"Nice digs," John commented idly, looking around the room briefly, before he found himself being pushed back into the door, Hickory's hands slipping under his vest to trail over his chest.

"I can think of much more interesting things than my bedroom," Hickory chuckled, pressing a kiss to John's cheek.

"Gettin' right to it then, huh?" John joked, lifting his hands to rest gently over Hickory's hips.

"Is that…not okay?" Hickory asked, shifting back slightly but not lifting his hands from John's fur. If this was the only chance he had to soak up the pop trolls presence and touch him, he was going to take advantage of every moment he could.

"Never said it wasn't. You just seem real eager," John teased, easy grin on his face.

"I have waited four years to be able to touch you," Hickory murmured, pressing in close to John while pushing the pop trolls vest from his shoulders, "You will need to forgive my eagerness."

John's grin faltered, his well practiced boy band charm guttering at Hickory's words. "You weren't kidding about that?"

"Kidding about what?" Hickory asked, distracted as he tugged the vest free and tossed it aside.

"Thinking about me. For all that time."

Hickory paused, frowning as he tipped his head back to get a look at the almost hopeful expression on John's face. "Why would I ever joke about something like that? The time we spent together meant a great deal to me. You mean a great deal to me."

"You don't even really know me," John said with a short shake of his head.

"Then let me?"

John stared up at Hickory for a moment, taking in the flower crown that sat askew on his head and the earnest expression he wore on his face as he waited patiently for John's response. He swallowed thickly, before giving a small nod, digging his fingers more firmly into Hickory's hips and pulling him in close. "Okay."

The brilliant grin that John got in return for his consent nearly made him dizzy. He gasped as Hickory ducked his head and pressed a kiss to his shoulder, slowly sinking to his knees as he trailed kisses down John's chest and stomach. He let his head fall back and hit the door with a dull thud, groaning quietly as Hickory all but worshipped him.

As Hickory reached John's hip he paused, tilting his head back to look up at John imploringly. "Is this okay?"

John tipped his head forward, letting out a slow breath as he lifted his hands to tangle his fingers in the yodeler's hair, dislodging the flower crown and causing it to fall to the floor. "More than," he murmured, momentarily distracted as the crown rolled across the room, only to snap his attention back to Hickory with a soft hiss as the yodeler tugged at his shorts and continued his trail of kisses down.

~

"You okay?" John asked, a lopsided grin on his face. The two had eventually migrated to Hickory's bed, where John currently found himself devoid of any of his clothes, laid back in a pile of pillows with a rather flustered looking Hickory between his knees.

"Es tut mir leid," Hickory murmured, licking his lips quickly as he sat back on his heels, "To be truthful, I have never done this before."

"Seriously?" John asked, stretching his arms above his head, grinning a little as he watched Hickory's eyes trail down over his chest. "Strapping young troll like yourself? I find that hard to believe."

"It's true," Hickory said with a self depreciating little laugh, "I think you are the first troll to ever use the word 'strapping' to describe me."

"Aw," John cooed, sitting up and taking Hickory's face in his hands, "Well, I think you're real handsome." He grinned as Hickory flushed, quickly taking the opportunity to kiss the yodeler deeply. When they broke apart, while Hickory was looking a little overwhelmed, John pushed him down into the pillows, swinging his leg over the yodeler to settle in his lap. "Let me take care of you now, okay?" He preened as Hickory's hands settled on his hips, fingers digging in slightly.

"All right."

~

Hickory wondered if this was what it was like to be in paradise. The troll of his dreams was in his lap, a dark flush coloring his cheeks as he panted, looking absolutely lost in the moment as he moved above Hickory. "You are so beautiful," he murmured, reaching up to cup John's jaw. The pop troll looked momentarily startled by the sentiment, only to let out a low moan and sweep down to catch Hickory's lips in a kiss.

"You're not too bad, yourself," John teased as he pulled back, earning a light chuckle from Hickory and a roll of his hips that left John gasping.

~

John huffed as he rolled off of Hickory, flopping back into the mound of pillows next to the yodeler. He looked rather pleased with himself, while Hickory stared up at the ceiling in a daze, both trying to catch their breath.

"That was…"

"Not too bad, huh?" John chuckled, turning his head to smirk at Hickory.

The yodeler blinked, turning his head slowly to frown at John. "Not too bad? John, that was…absolut vollkommen. You were - that was incredible," Hickory stated, pushing himself up onto his elbow to lean over the pop troll. "This was the best birthday I could have ever hoped for."

John's smirk melted into a genuine smile at Hickory's earnestness, reaching up to brush his fingers through wavy orange hair. "I'm glad I could make it memorable."

"The most memorable," Hickory agreed, leaning down to press a kiss to John's lips. He shifted and squirmed amongst the pillows until he managed to maneuver himself over John, pressing in between the pop trolls knees, somehow without breaking their kiss. When he did finally pull back, John let out a low chuckle, arching an eyebrow at Hickory.

"Again?"

Hickory flushed in embarrassment, gasping quietly as John wriggled his hips. "I…only if you'd like to…?"

John snorted, lifting a leg to wrap around Hickory's hips, tugging him close as he stretched his arms above his head and arched his back. "Only if you do all the work this time."

~

When John woke up in the morning it was to an empty bed. He grunted as he felt around the covers, finding the blankets cold. He scowled as he smacked his hands over his face, groaning as he rubbed at his eyes. He should have known better. This was not the first time someone had managed to sweet talk him into bed and then fled in the morning. It was, admittedly, a bit odd that Hickory had taken him back to his house, instead of where John was staying, but perhaps there was some unspoken rule between yodelers that one simply got up and left without a fuss the morning after a fling. He had hoped Hickory would be different, but who was he kidding. He was a washed up ex-boyband member, and because he was a pop troll a lot of other trolls seemed to think he was some sort of traveling strumpet.

He sighed as he spread his arms out over the expanse of the bed, frowning as he began to notice the faint ache in his hips, and the odd way some of his fur was sticking to his skin. As soon as he got back to where he was staying, he was taking a long, hot shower. But first, he needed to get there. He let out another grunt as he rolled out of bed, wincing as he stepped on his discarded goggles. He muttered a quiet curse to himself as he picked them up, cleaning them off with a blanket, and giving them a quick inspection to find them relatively unscathed. He slipped them on his head, before hunting around for his vest and shorts.

John had managed to pull on his shorts and was trying to figure out where Hickory had tossed his vest last night, when the bedroom door began to open. He stopped short as Hickory walked in with a soft little smile on his face, carrying a tray ladened with assorted breakfast foods. Hickory froze when he noticed John standing in the middle of the room, his smile turning into a confused frown.

"Mein liebling…? Did you need to go somewhere this morning?"

John simply stared at Hickory for a long moment, his brain needing the time to register that Hickory had not, in fact, run off on him. That he had, instead, made him breakfast, and brought it to him in bed.

"I…" John began, watching as the confusion on Hickory's face slowly shifted into realization, then resigned understanding. It suddenly felt like a weight was on John's chest as he watched Hickory set the tray aside, a sad little smile on his face as he shuffled across the room to tug John's vest from beneath a few pillows that had been shoved off the bed the night before.

"Here," Hickory offered the vest to John, tucking the thumb of his free hand into the waistband of the sleep pants he was wearing, "I take it you were looking for this?"

John took the vest, but was hesitant to put it on. He held it to his chest instead, tipping his head slightly to try and catch Hickory's gaze, but the yodeler was looking anywhere but directly at him.

"Hickory, I…" John floundered, not knowing what to say to fix the hurt look on Hickory's face. He was supposed to be a lyrical wordsmith, but his mind was drawing an absolutely blank.

"It's okay, schatz," Hickory said, shaking his head and gesturing towards the door. "I understand. And I am so very happy that I could have the time with you that I did. I don't regret it. And I hope you don't, either."

John felt like he'd been sucker punched in the gut. This sweet troll, who'd confessed to thinking about him for nearly four years and had showered him with nothing but compliments and sweet nothings all night, honestly thought John would regret spending the night with him. He dropped his vest and stepped quickly across the room, cupping Hickory's cheeks so he could force the yodeler to look at him. He wanted to kick himself at finding tears in Hickory's eyes.

"No! No, no, Hickory," John brushed his thumbs against the yodelers cheeks, finding his walls quickly crumbling at the way Hickory's expression turned a little hopeful, "I'm sorry. I thought you had left. I wouldn't've…If I'd known you were making me breakfast, I…" He cursed under his breath, squeezing Hickory's cheeks gently, earning a sound of confusion from the yodeler. John cussed again, a little louder this time, before stating quickly, "Can we try this again?"

Hickory gently extracted his face from John's hold, frowning slightly. "Try what again?"

Instead of answering, John picked up the breakfast try and pushed it into Hickory's hands, before ushering the yodeler back out the door. "Here. Wait, like, a minute. Okay? Just…one minute, and then come in again."

Hickory stumbled slightly as he was pushed out the door, turning with his mouth open to speak, only to find the door shut in his face.

Meanwhile, John hurried to slip his shorts back off and toss his goggles to the side, clamoring onto the bed quickly. He arranged the bedding just so around himself, managing to flop back into the pillows and hoping it came off as somewhat alluring, just as Hickory began to open the door again.

Hickory poked his head in first, still looking confused, only for a smile to bloom on his face as John made an exaggerated yawning sound and stretched across the pillows.

"Oh! Did you make breakfast?" John asked, propping his cheek up on the palm of his hand, a coy little smile on his face as Hickory walked across the room and set the tray on the bedside table.

"Ja. I thought, after last night, you might need the energy," Hickory teased easily back, sitting on the edge of the bed. He reached out to pick something off the tray, but paused as John's hand landed on his wrist. He turned his head, letting out a startled little moan as John surged up to press a kiss to his lips.

"Join me?" John asked as he broke the kiss, patting at the pillow next to him.

Who was Hickory to deny such a request? He stood from the bed to slip his sleep pants off before crawling under the covers with John, a pleased little smile on his face as the pop troll draped himself over his lap.

"Now… Feed me," John all but demanded, gesturing vaguely at the breakfast tray. Hickory snorted at the demand, but obliged, snagging a berry from the tray and feeding it to John, who made a show of licking his lips and moaning lowly while he ate.

"Oh," Hickory breathed, offering John another berry, only to find his fingers being drawn into the pop trolls mouth with another self satisfied moan. He swallowed thickly as he pulled his fingers free to reach for the tray again, only to be stopped as John sat up and properly sat himself in Hickory's lap. He blinked owlishly up at the pop troll, who simply grinned down at him.

"Again?" John teased, squeezing his knees around Hickory's hips.

"Yes, please."

[minimooberry]

List 5 facts about a favorite sim of yours, and send this to 10 simblrs whose sims you adore ✌️💗💗

ELIJAH RAI DEVI.*

Elijah is the epitome of daddy issues, but honestly he's got every single possible issue by the time he's old enough to drink. This poor man is going through it constantly 😭

Elijah almost got kidnapped when he was a week old and his mom Anya was so out of it she lowkey stabbed the guy and was so guilty that she just called his dad Asher and told them not to bother coming back home, that she was gonna start moving everything they needed into the house they were planning to move into anyway and to just drive there after his shift.

Elijah was born when Anya was 17 and Asher was 21. She had just barely finished high school by the time he was born and only started college when he was around 3 years old. Since his dad worked much longer shifts than his mom, he was always closer to Anya and Asher.

He met his best friend Roxy on the first day of kindergarten when they were paired together for an art project. They stayed friends until she was killed when they were 16 years old by her father.

Elijah is 8 years older than his sister Aathira and 12 years older than his brother JJ. He actually named Aathira lol

his addiction is like lowkey one of the only things he really remembers from being a teenager. most of elijah's memories are being high, hanging out with roxy, arguing with his dad, and being appointed the third parent to his little siblings.

and roxy dying, but he honestly considers that the end of his teenage years because he runs away and joins the military the second he can

and for like a while anya and asher don't notice because they have a one year old and a five year old at home that constantly need attention and elijah's always been like. independent

elijah looks older too. by the time he's like 14 that guy can grow a beard, so no one really looks at him weird when he buys stuff. it doesn't really start affecting his entire life until he's 15 and he does heroine for the first time, but that just spirals. he's always mad at his dad and that he talks so much shit but doesn't even blink when he's gone for hours, he's mad at roxy's dad for being fucking creepy and making her feel uncomfortable in her own house, he's mad at the town because nothing good ever fucking happens in it, and he's mad at himself for being so dependent on something he can't handle a few days without losing it. he hates being sober because he's literally just the embodiment of anger.

he runs away at 16 and the second he turns 18 he joins the military because he thinks that if he dies in battle it would be a 'good' way to die. better than overdosing.

OOKAY HAPPY STUFF NOW

he meets nilaani when he's 23 while he's drunkenly venting to him while he's serving her at tha bar and they eventually have a marriage of convenience (fake marriage) to appease her family

the tattoo on his hand in the henna that nilaani had on their wedding day. she admitted to him that she felt that he viewed her more as a burden than anything because it was her family that was the driving factor behind their marriage. elijah's like 'wtf, you're the coolest, smartest girl i've ever met dummy' and the next day he shows her the tattoo. that's when they have their first actual kiss 😋😋

when they find out that nilaani was having twins, she names their daughet lakshmi after the goddess lakshmi, and since at that point they didn't know that jj was still alive, he names their son jayden. their nicknames are lucky and jj 😓😓

[let-them-read-fics]

Empress of the Heart (Pt. 1)

Requested By Anon: "Reader is an actress, and she meets Jennie at an event. They have a one night stand afterward, and months later they meet again." (It was a long request so I had to sum it up lol)

Pairing: Jennie x Fem!Actress!Reader

Word Count: ~ 9,351 😳 (Both parts combined)

Warnings / Misc. -- Smut / Suggestive Themes, Angst, Fluff

Disclaimer: This writing is a work of fiction, and no disrespect is meant for those mentioned herein.

A/N: Hello again! Guys, I'm actually really proud of this one. It gets better as it goes on. I hope you enjoy it (you'd better, because I stayed up until 8am writing again 🥴😂). I had to split this story into two parts to appease the Tumblr overlords, just so we’re clear.

♡ Happy reading ♡

Part 2

🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤

"Who's that?" Rosé asks, leaning in closer to the maknae as she points to a slightly recognizable face in the crowd. 

"I dunno," Lisa shrugs, throwing a thumb over her shoulder, "ask Jisoo." The Australian does as she says, padding over to seek out an answer from their unnie. 

"Y/N L/N, I believe. Her company is supposed to make a big announcement later." Jisoo informs, adding a nod to the end of her statement for certainty. Jennie stands beside them all, taking in the crowd of staff and business people hailing from all of the most powerful entertainment companies in Korea. The big dogs have all gathered here tonight to drop some major announcements for their upcoming projects and set up arrangements for future endeavors. 

"What do you think it'll be?" Jennie asks, eyes still trained on you as you converse with a famous actress. Her breath catches in her throat when you throw your head back, eyes filling with tears of laughter at something the high class woman said. You're absolutely stunning. 

"It could be anything, honestly. Her company's full of talent in every category." 

"Yeah, their newest girl group broke a record for Youtube streams in the first hour after release. Still didn't beat ours, though," Lisa adds with a smug look, holding her head a little higher. She's only playing, of course -- she's one of the most humble people Jennie knows. 

"She's really pretty," Jennie breathes out, speaking the words that have been rolling around in her mind since she laid eyes on you. The other girls adamantly agree, nodding their heads with purpose. 

"Do you wanna go talk to her? YG would probably like that; maybe we can let Jisoo do a little schmoozing." Rosé smirks, playfully nudging the unnie. Jisoo rolls her eyes with an amused scoff, quickly swatting the blonde's hand away. 

"I don't know, she seems pretty busy." Her words are unsure, weary -- her normal confidence is wavering a bit, now replaced with some type of nervousness that she can't quite explain. This isn't like her; why is she so anxious?

"Come on, it'll be fun." Lisa decides for them, leading the way with Jennie's hand clutched in her own; the brunette would surely slip away otherwise. 

They approach you from an angle, caught right in your blind spot as you continue your small talk with a new business exec. The man sees the girls behind you, waiting for their turn, and after a few more moments he leaves you with an office number to reach him by.

"Good evening… Y/N, right?" Jisoo leads politely, smiling as you turn to face them. You look even more dazzling up close, and Jennie's posture stiffens. She's definitely seen you somewhere before.

"That's me," you say sweetly, greeting all of them and committing their names to memory. 

"Jennie," she introduces, stretching a hand out to you. Your eyes flutter down to it before you grasp it within your own, the simple action appearing unbelievably cute to her.

"How're you doing tonight? I hear you've got some big news for us." Lisa wiggles her eyebrows, voice bouncy with anticipation.

You giggle, and Jennie thinks it may just be the sweetest thing she's ever heard. "It's a little hectic, if I'm honest, but I'm enjoying myself. What about you guys? And you'll just have to wait and see what we have in store for you." You end the sentence with a wink that just happened to be directed at Jennie, despite Lisa being the one to ask the question. She tries to fight the blush that soon rises to her cheeks. 

"We're doing well, I'd say. It's actually kind of nice to get out of the dorm and meet some new people." Rosé says almost wistfully, her eyes sending a fleeting glance around the room at her statement. 

"I know how that can feel. When I was first starting out I didn't get many opportunities for roles. But then I met my manager at the café I picked up a second job at, and the rest is history." You smile softly at the memory, recalling the events of that fateful day. You can't imagine where you'd be right now if things had played out differently. 

"You're an actress?" Jisoo asks, sounding like she just put two-and-two together. You nod at her, noticing the way that Jennie looks at you in deep thought. You can practically see the wheels turning. 

"So that's where I recognize you from. You guest starred in that JTBC miniseries earlier this year, didn't you?" 

"Ding ding ding, we have a winner." You smile, bowing your head in praise. It warms your heart to see her face light up, knowing that she finally felt that rush of putting her finger on the elusive thoughts in her head. Pulling knowledge you previously believed forgotten from the foggy depths of your brain is a rewarding experience in itself, and you're pleased that she remembered you. 

"I'm glad I made an impression during my short time on screen," you quirk, leaning in closer to her. 

"With skills like yours? You're unmatched, Y/N." She flirts, finally finding her bearings again. Her confidence is returning now, slowly but surely, and she pats herself on the back for not hiding behind her hands when you send her a tempting smile. 

"Ah, you're too kind--" you begin, only to be cut off by a tap on your shoulder. It's one of your co-stars.

"Good evening, ladies," he bows, "I'm sorry to break this up, but Y/N is needed by management." 

Your shoulders sag at this, his words sinking in. You'd much rather spend the night tucked away with the girls, getting to know them better -- especially Jennie, who makes your heart speed up anytime she looks at you. 

"I hate to go," they nod in agreement, sad to have to part ways. They really enjoyed speaking with you, and they'd be lying if they said they wanted to stop anytime soon. 

"But maybe I'll catch you later?" The question sounds hopeful, albeit a bit unsure as you scrunch your face up. They affirm that they'd "like that very much," and your shoulders relax a bit. Maybe there's still some hope for you all. 

◇◇◇◇◇  2 Hours Later  ◇◇◇◇◇

"Exactly! She shouldn't have forgiven him after that," you rant to Jisoo, talking about some characters from your favorite kdrama. 

"Babo, I tell you." She says dramatically, rolling her eyes. The action garners a chuckle from you, and Jennie finds herself smiling as she follows along with the conversation. She must've made her staring too obvious, because a minute later your eyes meet hers from across the table. She blinks, surprise etched gracefully into her features, and she clears her throat. Both of you have been stealing glances at one another all night, and things have only ramped up since you snuck away from management to see them again. You assured them you wouldn't get in trouble, but that was honestly the last thing on your mind. 

From her seat across from you, Jennie can see the curve of your body, your silhouette highlighted by the lights that shine on the wall behind you. They're dimmed somewhat to give a comfortable, soft glow to the room, and they contrast with the perfect curve of your face. She lets her eyes trail lower, admiring the expanse of your chest and how your fingers rest against the table, mindlessly playing with the expensive tablecloth. 

What you do next makes her choke on the water she had so bravely dared to take a drink of. 

You lean forward slightly, just enough for her to see your cleavage, while still appearing inconspicuous and innocent. The smirk you try to suppress tells her you know exactly what you're doing, and her cheeks grow hot. 

"Excuse me," she mutters to the table, quickly standing and all but running outside for some fresh air. She wants -- needs -- to put some distance between the two of you if she plans to have any self control. 

Cool air immediately greets her as she steps outside, hearing the sleek automatic door slide shut behind her. She can breathe now, and begin to soothe her racing mind. Despite only knowing you for the better part of 4 hours, she's already attracted to you. Way more than she cares to admit, as she presses her thighs together to put out the fire you started within her. 

No more than 5 minutes later, the doors slide open once more. 

"Everything alright?" You ask, tone dripping with amusement as you take in her flustered state. It's obvious that she's okay, just simply turned on. 

"Never better," she mumbles, glancing up at you with a lopsided smile. 

"You know, you ran out pretty fast back there. You sure know how to worry a girl." You fake a pout at her. 

"Oh, you don't say?" She plays along, approaching you with what few shreds of confidence she has left. She tucks a strand of hair behind your ear, whispering into it, "Well, I'm all good." 

"Wanna see for yourself?" She continues, drawing back slightly to take your hands within her own and wrap them around her waist. She smiles as they roam over her body, making sure to be thorough as you "check her out." 

She groans when your hand grazes over a sweet spot on her thigh, causing you to pause and tut at her, "Tsk tsk, Jennie. It looks like I'll have to inspect this a little further." She gulps at your words, mind clouded once again by filthy thoughts of you. 

"Let's get out of here," she suggests, taking your hand to lead you away. You chuckle at her eagerness, only capable of nodding as she basically drags you to her car. 

◇◇◇◇◇

Despite feeling like two horny teenagers, you and Jennie actually opted to slow things down and get to know each other more. She's one of the most interesting people you've ever met, and you could listen to her talk for hours on end. The feeling is beyond mutual, and she doesn't mind that she has to wait a little longer to have you. The promise of what the night will hold for the two of you thrills her, and the anticipation only heightens her feelings.

Takeout containers lay abandoned in her car, long forgotten about as you sit next to each other on the hood. The chilly surface of the windshield presses against your back, making you all the more thankful for having had the foresight to wear a coat tonight. You make a mental note to thank your stylist for the suggestion. 

Stars are beginning to twinkle in the distance, slowly coming out of their peaceful slumber to greet the evening sky. They bring to mind all the nights you spent in your backyard as a child, laid out on a warm blanket as you gazed up into space. Back when only trivial issues existed in your world, leaving you with an unscarred heart and unadulterated outlook on life. Those times were simple, only complicated by whatever drama was going on at school or what new person your friends liked. Back then you had no idea of what the future held for you -- what you'd end up doing with your life. If you had a chance to talk to your younger self, you'd tell her to enjoy those days as much as possible; to not take them for granted for even a second. 

Everyday you're reminded that fame is truly a blessing and a curse -- you miss the days that you could roam the streets freely with whomever you wanted to, not having to worry about paparazzi or the media, but you're thankful for where you are now. You get to do what you love, everyday, and make money from it -- it's what everyone wishes for in life; and although you've worked your ass off to get here, you owe a lot of credit to the fans. 

"It's so beautiful up here," Jennie says, voice stuck between a whisper and sigh as she lays her head on your shoulder. 

"You see that building over there, with the orange lights and trees around it?" You ask, pointing in the direction of the building. Her eyes follow the invisible path your finger makes, and she spots it, nodding for you to continue. 

"My mom used to work there; it's a daycare. I always loved helping out. The kids were so adorable." A bittersweet smile plays on your lips as you look down at your lap, clearly reminiscing. Jennie notices, brushing a strand of hair out of your face as she says, "I bet you miss it." 

"I do," you sigh, clenching your jaw briefly, "those were the days. Seoul's home, but sometimes it feels so distant."

"I know how that feels." You don't miss the way her eyes cast down, a hint of sadness behind them, her fingers toying with yours on her thigh. Life in the spotlight isn't all it's cracked up to be, and neither of you are strangers to that all too familiar pang of longing. 

"I'm happy to be here with you tonight, though," you try to turn the conversation cheery again, and Jennie's thankful for that. "I haven't had this much fun in a long time." 

Your plan works, and soon she's pepping up. "Me neither. Being with you feels...different. In a good way." Your smile widens exponentially when she adds, "A very good way." 

"Don't get too cheesy on me, now," you roll your eyes teasingly, wrapping both of your arms around her and pulling her flush up against your body. She lays her head on your chest, reveling in the scent of your perfume and the warmth radiating from you. Her hand comes to rest against your ribs, lightly rubbing patterns against them as the two of you continue star gazing. She can feel your heartbeat pick up when she slides her hand downwards, playing with the hem of your shirt innocently. 

Does she have any idea what she's doing to you?

Yes, yes she does. After all, your body is basically selling you out at this point. 

"Y/N?" 

"Mmm?" You hum, eyes closed and head leaned back against the windshield. Her skin is soft against yours, and your shared warmth has put you at ease.

"Do you wanna go somewhere? I really don't want the night to be over yet." Your heart flutters at her words; the fact that a woman such as Jennie is so reluctant to leave you is baffling in itself. 

"I'd love that, Jennie. What did you have in mind?" 

For a moment, Jennie's mind takes it there. She allows herself to imagine what it would be like to feel your skin against hers, connection unrestricted by clothing; how your kisses would feel against her lips, her body; what beautiful sounds you would make as she pushed you closer and closer to the edge. She can't deny how attracted she is to you, nor does she want to; but she also doesn't want to ruin the innocent moments you're sharing. She doesn't want to taint them with the lustful ideas that flood her mind anytime you give her that look, or caress her thigh absentmindedly. 

"How does the park sound?" 

"With you? There's nowhere I'd rather be." 

Despite her efforts, Jennie blushes at your statement, feeling that embarrassing warmth creep up the back of her neck. You've made her blush more in the span of one night than she previously had in her entire life, and that boosts your confidence tenfold.

"Who's being cheesy now, huh?" She asks, pinching your side playfully as she sits up. Her legs swing around until she's fully facing you, sitting criss-cross as the two of you smile at one another. 

Neither of you move for a while, both content with just admiring each other's beauty. Her fingers lace with yours, and after a moment she brings your hand up to her lips to lay a kiss to it. The action -- more so, how soft her lips are against your skin -- catches you off guard, and your breathing hitches. All at once, you're acutely aware of how badly you want to kiss her. 

As if things couldn't get anymore tempting, her tongue darts out of her mouth to soothe her lips, making them glisten in the dying light of the evening. 

She sees your eyes dart down to them, and her body leans closer to you ever so slightly, seemingly having a mind of its own. You meet her gaze again, silently asking for permission as you glance back down at her lips. She responds by giving one single nod before leaning in close enough that your noses almost brush against each other. 

"You're stunning." The compliment sounds breathy as it slips out of your mouth, but you're beyond caring at this point. Your pride was thrown out the window the second Jennie showed interest in you. 

"Don't look at me like that," she says, gently biting the inside of her cheek to keep herself from closing the distance. She wants you to be the one to do it.

"Like what?" 

"Like you're undressing me with your eyes." Her gaze casts down to your lips again, seemingly glued there as she watches them move when you speak your reply.

"You act like you weren't doing the same thing at the event." Her confidence falters momentarily, but she fights to hold her ground. "My colleagues even noticed it, babe -- you've gotta get better at hiding your attraction." You say with a chuckle, watching as Jennie's eyes grow wider. Had she really made it so obvious?

"We wouldn't be here right now if I was good at hiding it, so I think you owe me one." 

"Touché," you say, quirking an eyebrow in thought. She's right, as usual. "How can I ever make it up to you?" Your voice wiggles dramatically, face contorting in a mock apology. 

"I know a way," she says lowly, smiling as your hand finds its way to her knee a moment later. You hook your fingers in the crook of it, drawing a surprised gasp from her as she falls forward and into your arms. 

Here goes nothing. 

You raise your left hand to her cheek, brushing the back of your fingers against it gently as you build up the nerve to kiss her. Your other arm is wrapped securely around her waist in order to hold her steady above you. 

Her palms are pressed to the glass behind you, and her hair falls gracefully around you, creating a little curtain to shield you from the outside world. Finally gaining enough courage, you press your lips to hers in a soft kiss. It's slow and mild as you set a sensual rhythm, growing accustomed to the taste of each other. She sighs into your mouth as you reposition her so that she's straddling your lap. 

"Y/N, we're never gonna make it to the park if you keep kissing me like that." She warns, though her words hold no real threat at all. She wants this just as much as you do. 

You lay a trail of light kisses up her neck, all of them far too gentle for her liking right now. "Is this better, your highness?" You ask smugly, smiling against her throat as a frustrated sigh leaves her lips.

She places a hand on your chest to push you up against the glass, letting her fingers skim over your collarbone. Just as she's about to pounce, the sound of your phone ringing interrupts the moment. It vibrates in your pocket, right between Jennie's thighs, and you stifle a giggle at the reaction it would've drawn from her had you not quickly retrieved it. 

"Hello?" You ask, realizing you hadn't even bothered to check the caller ID. Jennie sits back on your legs, allowing her hands to rest on your hips and draw soothing circles.

"Y/N, I hate to tell you this on such short notice, but you have a new interview scheduled for tomorrow morning at 10AM. I'll send you all the details later." 

You sigh at your manager's words, running a hand over your face to relax yourself. The announcement party was supposed to signal the end of your busy week, but of course life just couldn't work in your favor for once. Now you'd be stuck in some random line of questioning, unable to give them any real answers for the sake of keeping spoilers from getting out. You can think of about a million things you'd rather be doing tomorrow morning, and one of them is sitting on your lap right now. 

"Yeah, okay. I'll talk to you later." You wait for him to say his goodbye before ending the call and turning back to Jennie with an apologetic look. 

"Sorry for ruining the moment." 

"You didn't ruin anything. But luckily for you…" she leans forward again, pressing a kiss to your lips that makes your heart stop for a second, "I can be very merciful." You nearly melt at her words, paired with how she whispers them in your ear. Her warm breath fans over your neck, rendering you speechless as you pull her back to your lips. 

This kiss is different -- full of passion and desire as you grow more used to each other. She raises up on her knees, towering over you as she stares down at you. You look so beautiful right now, your eyes appearing big as you look up into hers, waiting for her next move. She runs her hands through your hair before settling them on your cheeks, cupping the smooth skin and rubbing the pad of her thumb across it. You drag your nails up and down her exposed thighs, and you pat yourself on the back when you notice the trail of goosebumps they leave behind. 

"I actually do wanna go to the park with you, if that's alright. There's something I want to show you. I definitely want to continue this later, though." You say.

She nods at that, a smile making its way to her face that can't possibly be wiped away. As much as she wants to have you writhing underneath her, screaming her name, she can wait. She's content with making as many memories as possible with you tonight, and she's intrigued by the surprise you're hinting at.

A few gentle kisses later, you slide off the hood and help her down before going to open her car door for her. 

"Such a gentlewoman," she praises, pursing her lips at you. 

"Only for you," you wink, making her giggle. 

You quickly make your way to the driver's seat, set on getting to the park ASAP in order to spend as much time as you can with Jennie. After all, you can only stay up so late tonight if you want to be functioning for that interview tomorrow… and let's just say that you plan on being busy later. 

---------

"Voila!" You declare, motioning to some playground equipment in the kid's section of the sizable park. Of all the things she was guessing at, Jennie did not see this coming. 

"What, you came to show me monkey bars, Y/N? I've seen plenty of them--" She asks incredulously, looking around the area filled with miniature tables and chairs to go along with the equipment. 

"What? No, no. I used to play here when I was growing up, and my friend's and I had a secret hiding spot. We always stashed our favorite little knick knacks in it, and we promised we'd only show it to people we deemed worthy."

Jennie watches as your eyes light up at the recounting of such a dear memory, and she grins widely. You truly are a five year old at heart. 

"This is the first time I've been back here, since…" you trail off, realizing just how many years it's been. Being at such a different point in your life while standing in a place you frequented as a child is a weird juxtaposition that you weren't prepared for, but you push it from your mind.

"Anyway, I think you're pretty worthy." You joke, sizing her up. She laughs at that, and you revel in the pleasant sound. You know you probably won't see her again after tonight, so you're determined to ingrain the little things -- like her smile, her laugh -- into your brain. 

"Now, let's see… where did Ashley put it?" You whisper to yourself, scanning the length of the playground. Your eyes travel across the slides, over the swings, and around the monkey bars before you spot that little dip in the siding that you'd recognize anywhere. Jennie soon finds her hand slipping into yours as you lead her over to it, a childlike sense of giddiness on your face. She likes seeing you like this. 

"I hope it's still here," you say to no one, bending down to press your fingers against the old wood. It's far more worn down now, and you're worried that someone has already come by and cleaned out the hiding spot. Putting your doubts aside, you continue. 

"Okay, so don't laugh, but there's a special way you have to open it. Ashley showed it to me one day and it's the only way we could get it to budge after that."

She smiles her gummy smile at you, and you can't help but return the gesture and even steal a quick kiss. She's a bit taken aback when you ball your hand up, using the side of it to deliver a couple blows to the wood in two different spots. Next, you stand and line up your foot, remember exactly how your friend taught you, before executing a calculated kick to the other side. 

At first, Jennie wants to laugh at you; but upon closer inspection, she sees that in fact, a small opening is visible in the wood now. You smirk cockily, knowing full well that she hadn't expected that to work. 

"Told you so," you tease, now bending down again to work the panel free. You wiggle it back and forth repeatedly, being careful not to go too quickly and damage anything else, and eventually it pops out. She watches as you reach in and pull out a mini jewelry box -- the kind that can fit in your hand, mainly meant for rings or other small items. 

"We stole the box from our other friend, Janelle. Had to pay her our allowances for 2 months afterward. Can you believe that?" You ask, shaking your head with another smirk on your lips. Jennie laughs at you in full, loving how carefree you are right now. In a way, she's happy that your manager called earlier; otherwise the two of you most surely would be locked away in your bedroom right now. This experience is definitely one she'll cherish. 

"Unbelievable," she sighs, shaking her head and going along with it. 

You click the latch on the small box, it's material now weathered and rusty as it creaks when you open it. Jennie steps closer to you to examine its contents, and you fight to contain how hard your heart starts beating at the feeling of her hand on your lower back. 

"No way…" you utter, voice full of disbelief as your eyes land on one of your most prized possessions from childhood. 

"What?" Jennie asks, genuinely on the edge of her metaphorical seat. 

"This butterfly hair clip," you inform, slipping the small contraption between your fingers as you hold it up for her to see, "I won it at a fair with my mom and I always wondered where it went…" 

"It's beautiful, Y/N," she says, ooh-ing and ahh-ing at the details etched into it. For something so small and seemingly unassuming, it's actually very unique. 

"I want you to have it." You say, taking a step away so you can look at her. She instantly goes to refuse, saying, "I can't! You just found it after all this time--"

"And I went all that time without it. If you take it, I'll know it's safe with you. And you can use it to remember me by." You say, your gaze softening as you watch her debate with herself. 

"Okay. But if you ever want it back, call me." 

"Roger that." You say dorkily, earning yourself a roll of those dark eyes you find yourself getting lost in. 

"And for the record, Y/N, I could never forget you. Pretty hair clip or not." Her confession makes you feel happy on a whole new level; knowing that you've left an impact on her is truly a wonderful thing. 

"So, what now?" She asks, breaking the happy lull your conversation found itself in. 

"We can walk around the park for a little while, or…" you start, waiting for Jennie to prod you further. Both of you know exactly what game you're playing, but it's still fun nonetheless. 

"Or?" She inquires, stepping closer as she wraps her arms around your shoulders. She nonchalantly gives you a once over, knowing what power her darkening gaze holds over you. 

"We can go back to my place. Maybe play a little footsie, who knows?" You say, shrugging your shoulders with a stupid grin. Even while seducing someone, you can't resist being a geek. 

"Footsie?" Jennie gasps, raising her eyebrows, "What kind of girl do you take me for? That only happens after at least 2 dates in." 

"Such a prude, Ms. Kim. How can I change your mind?" 

She presses a finger to her cheek, pretending to think, before getting an idea. Her lips flirt with the shell of your ear as she whispers obscenities into it, turning you to mush with every new scenario she puts in your head. 

You stiffen as she kisses your jaw, the action catching you off guard as you continue reeling from her words. 

"I can do that, I think," you cough out, stumbling over the words a little bit. She laughs at the effect she has on you; seeing your confidence waver is a nice role reversal, and it's something she could definitely get used to. 

"Let's go." She commands, now taking your hand to pull you after her, just like you had done before.

◇◇◇◇◇

It's painful, how hard Jennie has to restrain herself from touching you as you fumble with your keys. She told herself she'd keep her hands to herself until you got inside, just in case any stray paparazzi managed to catch you two together. The last thing either of you need is some new scandal, especially with your careers in a vulnerable spot as they're really beginning to take off.

"If you don't get that door open within the next 10 seconds, then I'll just take you out here in the hallway." 

You audibly gulp at the image she just conjured up in your mind, and you speed up your movements. The prompting worked, evidently, because soon she's practically shoving you through the doorway.

"Finally," she breathes against your lips, pressing you up against the door once you've locked it back. 

"I've been waiting to do this since we met earlier." She indulges you in that little secret, smiling at the way you whimper when she pulls your leg up to wrap around her hips. 

"I'm all yours," you say, making Jennie's heart flutter at the sentiment. For the night, you're hers and she's yours. "...now kiss me," you command, growing more impatient with each feather-light kiss she presses to your jaw. 

"So bossy," she toys, making you roll your eyes. 

"You have no idea, babe." 

She bites her lip as your husky voice makes its way to her ears, thick with the desire she's been steadily building within you all night. You tug her forward, your fingers bunching up the material of her shirt with little care as her lips meet yours. 

Her tongue swipes across your bottom lip, asking for a permission that you granted the second she touched you. You pull her chin down slightly, allowing the kiss to deepen as you tangle your other hand in her hair. 

After an especially bruising bite to her lip -- one that thrills her to her core -- she pulls away, breathlessly asking, "How're you so good at this?" 

You cackle against her, taken aback by how genuine the question sounded. "Practice for the kdramas, of course." 

"I haven't had to do this," you slide a hand between your bodies, smirking at the gasp that sounds off deep in her throat as you make contact with her, "yet though. That might be a little extreme for the screen." 

"You think?" She scoffs softly, bringing her hands up to gather your hair to one side. She presses gentle kisses to your neck, prepping the surface for the dark marks she'll most certainly be leaving there later. 

"Ready?" You ask, making sure she wants to go through with this.

"You have no idea, babe." She copies your statement from earlier, garnering another smile from you. She swears she can never get enough of that sweet look on your face.

"Follow me," you say, giving her another peck to last until you reach the bedroom.

◇◇◇◇◇  The Morning After ◇◇◇◇◇

Warm, glittering rays of sunlight sneak past the curtains of your apartment window, shining gently through the light material. A dream-like haze befalls the room, serving as a wonderful greeting once you peek your eyes open. The only thing capable of rivaling such a wonderful sight is the woman beside you, her soft breaths keeping your shoulder warm. 

As you turn your head to look at her, careful not to wake her, your heart flips. Having her here next to you is the only reason you even believe last night happened; it was magical -- the stuff of fantasy. The two of you did everything: acted on every desire, every impulse -- you truly made the most of the night, determined to make it unforgettable. 

A few blissful minutes later, she stirs beside you. "Good morning, Y/N." Her eyes remain closed, still safe from the bright light of the morning as she smirks at the memories replaying in her mind. 

You lay a small kiss to her lips, simply missing how they feel against your own. "Morning, beautiful." 

A content sigh slips past her lips as she presses them against your neck, cuddling further into you. "Last night was fun." 

You decide to tease her. "Eh, I've had better." 

If there's one thing that Jennie knows, it's that she's good in bed -- great, even -- and you definitely seemed to be enjoying yourself last night, just as much as she was. Still though, a bit of insecurity runs through her as she raises up on her elbow to look at you through her lashes. 

"Really?" She stills her fingers on your arm, stopping them from continuing the trail that they had been blazing just seconds ago. Her eyebrows furrow subtly, the action almost unnoticed by you. 

Deciding the joke isn't worth it, you cup her cheek and raise her head so she can meet your eyes. 

"No, I'm kidding. Last night was… something else." You chuckle, smiling as your eyes move around the room in an attempt to find the right word for it. When none come to mind -- no words capable of conveying how great it was -- you look back to her.

She has a knowing grin on her face, "I couldn't agree more." 

Sneaking a glance at the clock propped up on your bedside table, you get an idea. "You know, Jennie…" you start, purring her name out as you had last night, garnering that achingly familiar groan from her, "...we still have a few hours before either of our schedules start." Your suggestion hangs in the air as you roll her over onto her back, hovering over her and brushing your noses together. 

"Hmm, you don't say? Well you're in luck; I still have some things I wanna try out." She plays back, leaning up to press a kiss to the corner of your lips as her hands wander over your body.

Your eyes widen in shock, "What the hell could you POSSIBLY be thinking of?? We tried just about everything." She laughs at your reaction and pulls you down closer to her body to whisper in your ear. Jennie can feel you tremble with every new image she puts in your head, just like she had in the park, her lips dragging you further under as she sneaks little kisses to your skin here and there. 

"Let me get this gay straight: you want me to do that on the balcony? What if my neighbors see?" 

"They won't, we're on one of the top floors. And even if they do… would that really be so bad?" She lets the question hang in the air; she'd be lying if she said the idea of getting caught doesn't thrill her. Thinking of your lips on her neck as she rocks against you, pinned to the railing while out in the open for the world to see, sends a rush of warmth through her. 

"I wish you weren't so good at convincing me to do things. You're dangerous, Jennie Kim." You warn, pointing a disapproving finger at her. Your eyes nearly pop out when she kisses it, taking the digit in between her lips while looking up at you innocently. This woman will be the death of you. 

◇◇ Back At The Blackpink Dorm ◇◇

"Yah, I know! The new update looks so weird--" 

"There she is," Lisa says, motioning to the doorway, interrupting Jisoo and Rosé’s conversation about whatever new video game the unnie had downloaded.

Jennie leans on the heavy door as she locks it behind her, lazily spinning around on her heel with her lips drawn back in a huge gummy smile. 

"Somebody's happy…" Jisoo teases, shooting her a smirk. She's still riding the high you put her on, and it's no wonder her members are noticing. It's not like she's exactly trying to hide it, either. 

"How was your night? Have fun with Y/N?" The maknae wiggles her eyebrows while propping herself up on her elbows to see Jennie's reaction.

"LISA! She wasn't supposed to know!" Rosé shouts, letting out a disappointed huff. The younger girl only shrugs, a stupid smirk on her lips. Some people just wanna watch the world burn. 

The brunette's daze is momentarily broken at this, and she asks what they're talking about. 

Jisoo lets out a hesitant breath before explaining, "We saw you two leave together, but we agreed to not bring it up until you did." She shoots some daggers at Lisa before continuing, "Somebody can't seem to keep her mouth shut, though." 

Jennie only chuckles now, not really caring if they knew or not. Her night was too wonderful to keep to herself; she would've ended up telling them anyway. 

"Gather round, girls; I'll fill you in." 

◇◇◇◇◇ Months Later  ◇◇◇◇◇

"Why exactly do we have to go to this premiere again?" Jennie grumbles, looking out the window of their limousine. She'd much rather be back at the dorm, snuggled into her cozy heap of pillows and blankets with Netflix playing on her tv. 

"Some of our colleagues are starring as background characters, so YG wants us to attend and show our support." Jisoo informs, always seeming to have more knowledge than all of the other girls combined. Jennie nods; the reasoning is sound, but she'd still prefer to be home. Mingling with business people for god knows how long doesn't seem all that enticing to her. 

"What's the movie?" Lisa asks, throwing the question behind her to the other girls as she searches the cubby for some complimentary snacks. 

"Empress of the Heart," Rosé answers, finally knowing something that Jisoo doesn't. 

"Let's watch the trailer for it. If we have to sit through it then we might as well see what we're getting ourselves into." Lisa suggests, her fingers busy opening the bag of chips she chose from the assortment. 

"Yeah, okay." Jennie says, her statement followed by words of agreement from the other girls. Rosé takes her phone out to search the title, pepping up when she spots it. She whispers something to Jisoo and Lisa, Jennie paying no mind as she watches the buildings pass by. Her favorite thing to fidget with is secure in her grip, occupying her mind. It's familiar design feels good in her hands -- like it's right where it belongs. (Yes, this is what you think it is).

The other girls put their acting skills to use as they hit play, keeping straight faces when your voice comes through the phone speakers. Jennie's head snaps over to them, recognizing the sound in an instant. "Y-Y/N's starring in it?" She asks, voice coming out as a stutter. The thought of seeing you again thrills her, but she doesn't know if she can do that without falling even deeper. Your night together left her with lasting feelings, none of which she was prepared for in the slightest, and she knows they'll be reignited the moment she lays eyes on you. 

"Mhm." They nod sympathetically, all knowing how much she's thought about you the last few months. 

Their driver knocks on the partition, requesting to open it. They give him the all clear, and soon he's rolling it down to inform them, "We're here, ladies." 

"I'll be okay," Jennie tells them, attempting to stop their worries from growing anymore than they already have. She plays the statement back in her head, whispering it to herself as she exits the limo; tonight could only go one of two ways, and it depends entirely on you.

☆☆ Part 2 Linked Up Top ☆☆

[cheeriecherry]

Reactions to our boi finding out that not only were you a fan before meeting but you were fan who wrote smut about them? A secret you've kept hidden but now... Aizawa, Mic, Nighteye

I’m still sick but i need to do something before i go nuts lol, but I’m sorry if it’s a little questionable, I’m like, half awake oof

Warnings: some mentions of smut but nothing super explicit

AIZAWA SHOUTA

-So he’s not necessarily a well known hero, or at least he isn’t usually in the running with the media. So he probably doesn’t have that much merch, or it’s really hard to find.

-So he notices the first time you let him into your room that you have an adorable tsumtsum of him. He doesn’t say anything, doesn’t even let on that he saw it, but he knows that it was probably hard for you to get. He figures out right then that you’re some kind of fan.

-But he thinks it’s pretty casual, and he’s actually (secretly) a little bit pleased that you admire him so much, especially if you don’t have any other hero merch.

-He doesn’t catch on until much later that you write smut about him.

-Like, he knows that such things exist. It’s just how people are, we all love our fanfic. 

-He doesn’t think much of your writing habits at first, always assumes you’re working on papers or other things for your job. He only starts to get suspicious when he walks in on you one night and you get flustered and slap your laptop closed.

-He’s not gonna pry into your business, but he’s definitely curious. 

-After that incident, you start writing less around him, and he starts to to worry. Like, all he did was walk into the room, but he didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable. He’s also a little perturbed that you feel like you have to hide things from him.

-He’ll probably ask you about it within a couple weeks, or rather he’ll tell you that you don’t have to be ashamed of the things you’re working on, no matter what it is.

-And you appreciate the sentiment, but you seriously don’t know what you’d do if your boyfriend realized you write porn about him. Most of it’s fantasies you’ve had about him, but written to cater to all his fans.

-You’re not super possessive of him, so like, you don’t mind that people thirst over him. You know that at the end of the day, you’re the only one who’s got his attention.

-But then you fall asleep on the couch one night. You had intended to just shut your eyes for a moment to give them a break, so you’d left your laptop open and leaned back on the sofa. Shouta wasn’t supposed to be home for another couple hours, so you figured you’d be safe.

-But you end up falling asleep, and he ends up coming home early.

-He thinks you’re cute when he sees you cozied up on the cushions, but he sees that your laptop is about to die. He has no idea where you usually keep the cord, so he...well, his intention is to save whatever documents you were so hard on, so you didn’t lose your progress. But his eyes scan a few lines without thinking, and before long he’s reading through the whole thing.

-Ngl he’s flustered as hell. He’ll never admit it, but the things you’ve written are absolutely filthy. It’s nothing like anything you’ve ever done in the bedroom, which he’s actually grateful for (he doesn’t want his sex life being broadcasted on the internet, even if you do work under an alias), but reading your work is giving him ideas.

-Do you actually want to do things like this with him? Or is it really just a fantasy, a story written to appease other people.

-Of course, he’s also a teacher so he finds himself critiquing your writing style and use of language. It’s actually pretty good writing, however sinful the subject matter.

-He quickly goes to save the document, but right as he does, you stir awake.

-He looks at you, you look at him. You’re sleepy as hell, and he’s pink in the cheeks, and you just know right off the bat that he’s figured you out.

-You immediately hide your face in your hands and mumble out an ‘oh god im sorry you were never supposed to find out’ and he’s like ‘how the hell do i approach this’ because it’s such an embarrassing situation when it’s happening.

-He tells you that it’s okay, he really doesn’t mind that you write stuff like that. And truthfully he doesn’t. Lots of people write works directed at adults, and there’s nothing wrong with it. He’s just....it’s the fact that you’re writing about him. Of all the heroes you could have chosen from, you chose him. To write about, to appreciate, to pursue romantically.

-It’s turns into a mushy moment, because of course you chose him?? He’s kind and smart and loving and he cares a lot about you and other people. Plus he’s handsome as heck.

-You’re both still a little shy about it when you head to bed a few minutes later, but you still cuddle up to him in the dark and rest your head on his chest.

-But right when you think all is said and done, he asks ‘Is any of that stuff something you’d ever want to try?’ and a whole new wave of embarrassment washes over you. Like jesus christ have some tact Shouta.

-Whether or not you guys end up experimenting a little more is up to you, but it definitely feels nice to not have to hide it so much. You’re still a little iffy about actually showing him what you write, but that’s mostly because you’re worried your skills won’t be up to his standards.

YAMADA HIZASHI

-Definitely didn’t know you were a fan of his the first few times you met. You acted so normal around him, like he was just another guy, so he figured he wasn’t on your radar. Which is fine by him, he tries not to pursue fans simply because that attraction might not be genuine, y’know?

-Like, ‘is this person with me because they like the idea of me, or because they actually like me’ sort of thing.

-And you’re not an overzealous fan by any means, but the first time he visits your house he realizes he was mistaken. You have a couple of his collectibles; the nice ones that are tasteful, not the corny ones that are a quick cash grab for companies.

-He’s like ??? you didn’t tell me???

-And you’re like ???no???

-Honest to god you didn’t recognize him at first. You’d been in a dimly lit, high-end club, he’d had his hair down, you’d both had a couple of drinks. He just happened to be a guy that you had some things in common with, who was nice to talk to and who made you laugh.

-It relaxes him a little, knowing that you would have been into him even if he wasn’t a hero and a super popular DJ with a radio show. And by the time he’s coming over to your house, you guys probably know each other pretty well anyways. He’s let you into his life, but you’ve also let him into yours.

-He teasingly asks you if you’ve got any more little secrets (even though this was hardly a secret), and he doesn’t expect when you get flustered af and squeak out a ‘nope, not a single one, no secrets’. But he doesn’t think more of it until much later.

-Like, several months later. After you guys move in together.

-He knows that smut about heroes exists, he knows that there is smut about him, and if I’m being honest he probably reads it for shits and giggles. Never to make fun of anyone, but he’s honestly just curious about what people are writing.

-He notices that you write a lot, too. You never show him anything, and whenever he asks about it you tell him it’s ‘just work’. He wonders what kinds of projects you’re taking on that involve so much typing and concentration, and ngl he’s a little sad that you don’t tell him about it.

-Like, sure maybe it’s just work and you’re not particularly invested in it, but he always talks about his students, and his shows, and the ongoings at his job, he just wants to know more about what you do.

-He is a smart man, but sometimes he has stupid ideas.

-He concocts the wise plan to sneak onto your laptop while you’re in the shower and read your most recent document. Not being wholly nosey, just enough so he can do a little research on the subject and learn more about it. He just wants to know.

-Throws him for one bigass loop when he sees what you are actually working on. He’s no stranger to kinky shit, but his entire face goes beet red, redder than any fanfiction has ever made him.

-Something about that fact that it’s you who wrote this, and you who’re thinking those things about him, entertaining ideas like that. Like yeah, y’all have slept together but he had absolutely no clue you’d even be into stuff like that.

-And sure, you could just be writing things for your fans, but you also seem pretty knowledgeable on the subject so like. You had to have some interest in it, right?

-And now he’s thinking about trying those things out with you, and his pants are just a tad bit tighter than could be considered comfortable.

-He’s so distracted he doesn’t notice the shower turn off, nor does he hear you walk into the room. He does, however, catch your hideously embarrassed squawk.

-Which then makes him flustered, because he got caught, and you’d better pat yourself on the back for that one because you’re one of the only people that can make him embarrassed like that.

-But then he’s trying to explain himself, and you’re trying to explain yourself, and it’s a whole mess of words and burning cheeks and somehow you end up both admitting that the things you write about would be real fun to try.

-Lol you guys probably just end up in bed together after that,

-But despite the initial awkwardness, he’s pretty cool with it. He likes your writing, and how involved you are with the community. It’s also handy for him because it lets him keep an ear to his fans without digging too deep, you always let him know what kind of stuff everyone is up to.

-best use it to your advantage, tell him all kinds of filthy things that you’ve come across, especially if it something you know he’ll like. It’s a sure way to get him in the mood >u>

SASAKI MIRAI|SIR NIGHTEYE

-He’s nonplussed about whether or not you’re a fan at first. He doesn’t pay you much mind until he scopes out your sense of humour, or until you say something offhandedly and it makes him laugh.

-Fan or not, if you’re funny and you vibe with each other, then he’ll show some kind of interest in you. It’ll take a little while to progress to something romantic, but in the meantime you’ve got a nice friend.

-He’s kinda busy, so you probably don’t invite him over to your place until a couple months in. Your schedules are conflicting, and you’ve both got important jobs to do, so it’s probably been pushed back a couple times. But he finally makes it over one evening for a night of relaxing socialization.

-You know him well enough to know that it wouldn’t bug him that you were a fan of him before you met him. He’s not the kind of person to make a big deal about it, not really. He sees a couple pieces of merch around your apartment, just small things -some of which he’s surprised to managed to get a hold of- and he’s like ‘okay’

-Like, he really doesn’t care. As long as you treat him like a person and you’re not using him for anything, then hes just.  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

-It’s only afteryou start dating and getting close that he teases you a little bit for it. Not in a rude way, just in an ‘aw you sleep with a plushie of me’ way. He does it so he can fluster you and ruffle your feathers in a loving manner.

-After you move in with him, he notes that you’re on your computer a lot. He figures it’s just an overbearing workload that requires a lot of time, so he reminds you whenever he can to take a break and stretch and give your eyes a rest.

-He’d leave it alone mostly, so in order for him to find out that you’re actually writing smut, he’d have to catch you in the act. He comes home early one evening to get a little extra time with you, and he follows the tapping of the keyboard into your office. You haven’t noticed that he’s even there, that’s how focused you are.

-So he sneaks up behind you with the intent to startle you and wrap you up in a hug, but looking over your shoulder he gets a good view of your screen...and the words on the screen...and his name on the screen...

-It takes you a couple seconds to figure out he’s there, which is dumb because he’s literally just frozen over your shoulder going over the sentences you’ve written as his face gets redder and redder.

-Anyways, he still manages to scare you, and you leap out of your seat and fall onto the floor, but instead of hugging you and saying hello like he originally intended, he’s just kind of frozen on the spot with the pinkest cheeks you’ve seen him have.

-He’s a pretty stoic guy most of the time, at least on the outside. It’s really hard to fluster him, because most of your attempts either make him laugh because you’re cute, or result in some really nice romantic time. He’s just. Not really shy about stuff?

-But this is a whole different thing.

-You’re on the floor dying of embarrassment and telling him not to read, but he is Looking and Not Listening. You just seem so innocent and chill about things, he never would have expect something like this from you. It’s not a bad thing, it’s just really surprising.

-Secretly he’s a little bit pleased that you’re writing this kind of stuff about him, and not some other heroes, but he probably won’t say it out loud. Not to mention your writing is actually really good? Like, it flows perfectly and the descriptions are easy to imagine but not super complicated or convoluted.

-He’s a smart guy, and he knows that fans of heroes are into all kind of things, fanfiction included. He’s not offended by it, by any means. He just never supposed that he’d be popular enough to warrant fanfic about him, let alone written by his own partner.

-He tries to be chill about it, asking you if you’re into that kind of stuff and if you should switch it up in the bedroom a bit. It’s pretty obvious he’s flustered tho. 

-It would probably lead to a good long talk about what sort of stuff you’re both into, after the initial embarrassment dies down. And honestly, he’s home early to spend time with you, so why not just try some stuff out right now?  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

-He would definitely read your fics if you want him to, hell, even if you don’t outright ask him he might seek them out out of curiosity. He’s usually busy in the day, but he’ll find time to read through things and give you honest feedback.

-Lol tho if you’re still shy about it, he might make an account with an alias just so he can give you nice comments. It doesn’t take very long for you to figure him out though. He’s got a very specific typing style and his personality shines through, but only people who know him would recognize it.

-I headcanon this guy as a kinky mf ngl, but also as someone who can go without hardcore stuff, y’know? So whether or not you actually want to try out some of your fantasies is up to you, but he’s 100% down for it.

[alj4890]

Misfortune's Intentions

(Liam x OC* Elisse Mallin) (Drake x Riley) in a Choices The Royal Heir fan fiction

A/N This idea came to me one night when I couldn't sleep. In this version from The Royal Heir, it has been nearly three years since Riley married Drake. Their infant daughter, Hope, was named heir to Cordonia's crown. Liam considers the possibility of dating after pining for Riley all these years. Elisse is a noble and first cousin to Queen Amalas of Monterisso. She will eventually become an ambassador, settling in Cordonia to continue Amalas's alliance. She also has a small bit of significant history coinciding with Liam's social season. This first part though will take us through the past for our main characters.

Not sure who to tag for this new miniseries, LOL. Let me know if you want to be added.

Masterlist

Prologue

Two years ago, Cordonia...

"To keep people's attention away from your brother's," Constantine's voice hardened, "decision to abdicate," his fist clinched for a moment, "we will have you participate in a season for a potential bride."

Liam swallowed uncomfortably. He knew there was a possibility his father would insist on this particular custom. He had hoped though that like Leo, he would be given a few years reprieve before he had to choose a bride.

Constantine fought through the chest pain he hid from everyone as he continued to explain what the next few months would be like for his only obedient son.

"We will have the usual bevy of ladies from Cordonia's noble houses. Perhaps sprinkle a few from other countries to appease the people."

"Yes sir." Liam mumbled when his father seemed to silently demand his agreement. "Whatever you think is the best way to move forward."

"Good." Constantine waved toward the door. "You may go. We will make our announcement tomorrow."

Liam bowed his head in acceptance. Still in a state of disbelief as he made his way to his chambers, he didn't hear his best friend calling his name.

"Liam?" Drake jogged to catch up to him. "I heard about Leo. Is it true?"

The new crown prince waited to answer until they were behind closed doors.

"It is." He rubbed a hand down his face. "Leo abdicated."

Drake poured them both a drink. He observed the slight tremble in Liam's hand as he took a healthy gulp of whiskey. Eyes closed briefly as he gathered his thoughts.

"I--I'm going to have to get married."

"What?" Drake breathed in disbelief. "Why?"

"All part of being king." Liam's lips twisted in a bitter smile.

He rolled his glass between his hands as he stared down at its contents. "I have to choose one during this year's social season."

"You have to go through all that Leo did?" Drake asked.

"Yes, but unlike his, I won't know who I'm supposed to choose." Liam grimaced as he swallowed the rest of his drink. "Madeleine had been chosen years ago by Father and Regina. The competition was mostly for the public's entertainment than to actually choose a queen."

Drake slumped back in his chair. "I'm sorry, Liam."

"It's..." He got up to pace, "it's fine. It's an honor to have a chance to serve my country. To marry and have a family...perhaps life will be better."

Perhaps this palace will feel like a home, he thought.

"When will it be announced?"

"Tomorrow."

"So soon." Drake murmured.

Liam briskly nodded.

His closest friend held his glass up in a toast. "Here's hoping, Liam."

*****************

Monterisso Royal Palace, a week later...

"Elisse." Amalas hugged her cousin. "Thank you for coming so quickly."

"Of course." Elisse took the offered chair. Her eyes dropped down to the baby bump showing. "How are you feeling?"

"Good." Amalas gently patted her tummy. "This baby has finally decided I'm not the enemy and has agreed that food is definitely a good thing."

Elisse laughed, shaking her head at her cousin's humor.

"But enough about the spoiled future king or queen I’m having." Amalas handed over a letter with Cordonia's royal seal. "Read this."

Elisse scanned the invitation, eyes widening slightly. "Prince Leo abdicated? Do we know why?"

The spy queen chuckled. "You know I do." She leaned over and grabbed a file off her table. "Let's just say that the former crown prince did not want the responsibilities that went along with the crown."

Elisse opened the file and snorted. "I've heard that Lady Madeleine can be difficult to deal with."

"That along with wanting his freedom to wander the earth like a rich playboy are his reasons." Amalas pointed out a photograph one of her agents snapped recently on a cruise ship. "This woman, Katie, is an even bigger reason."

"They're engaged?" Elisse whispered in disbelief. "He didn't waste any time, did he?"

"No, he did not." Amalas reclined in her chair. "Elisse? What would you think of Monterisso gaining an alliance with Cordonia?"

"I think it would benefit our country as well as theirs." She replied, setting Leo's folder down.

Another folder was handed to her. Her lips curved into a soft smile at the pictures of Cordonia's new crown prince. Each aspect her cousin found on Liam had made him a man she thought she would enjoy meeting.

"Marriage is the easiest and strongest alliance one can have with a foreign power."

Elisse looked up. "You're suggesting  I take part in Prince Liam's search."

"Exactly." Amalas smiled at her. "I can't think of a better queen for Cordonia than you." She reached over and grasped her hand. "But feel free to say no. I won't force you to do this if you do not wish to."

"I would like to meet him." Elisse admitted. She lowered his eyes to his picture. "He is very handsome."

"You always did like blue eyes." Amalas teased.

Elisse bit back a smile. "I do."

"Would you like to attend Cordonia's social season?"

Elisse slowly nodded. "Yes, I think I would."

Amalas picked up the letter from Constantine. "I'll go ahead and schedule your health exam."

"My what?" Elisse blinked in surprise.

"Cordonia's king isn't taking any chances that his last possible heir marries a woman unable to have children." Amalas grinned at her cousin. "Lucky for him that our family is notorious for our reproduction abilities."

Elisse laughed. "Our mothers certainly came from a large family." Her smile turned tender. "Whenever I think of my future, I always see myself with three or four children."

*****************

A few weeks later, Cordonia, the King's study...

"Have you made a list of those that are participating?" Regina asked her husband.

"I have." He handed her a sheet of paper.

The Queen scanned the names. "What happened to the Monterisso viscountess? I thought from Queen Amalas's letter that they were hoping to make a match."

Constantine's lips firmed in a disappointed frown. "She cannot have children."

Regina's countenance fell. "How tragic."

"Indeed." He replied. "It would have been a profitable match for us." He released a resigned sigh. "I suppose we now settle for Madeleine to take the crown again."

***************

The viscountess's chambers, Monterisso Palace...

"Elisse." Amalas pleaded. "Please, talk to me."

The young viscountess shook her head. Tears fell silently as she clutched a pillow to her stomach. Her thoughts were too much for her. All the plans she had dreamed of as a little girl were destroyed from one simple examination.

All from thinking Liam had beautiful blue eyes and seemed like a nice man she could easily fall for.

A choked sob burst forth as she doubled over from the pain of it all.

"Elisse." Amalas tried to wrap her arms around her. "I'm so sorry."

Elisse knew her cousin was. She knew Amalas would move heaven and earth for her if she could. Unfortunately, there were some things even a powerful queen could not do.

"We'll call in every specialist we can find." Amalas whispered, gently rocking Elisse. "I refuse to believe--"

"Stop!" Elisse cried out. "Please stop." Her anguished eyes met her cousin's. "I can't continue to hear doctors say that it is impossible."

"It's not." Amalas argued. "I can’t believe you are unable to--"

"I only have one ovary!" Elisse snapped. "It is so damaged from the endometriosis and benign tumors that I'm lucky to have a period every few months." She looked down at her worthless womb. "Even my uterus is filled with fibroids to the point they have warped it beyond repair. Surgery won't help." She wiped angrily at her tears. "No one will marry me now."

"That's not true! You--"

"Amalas, you know what nobles need." Elisse bit out. "They need heirs. They need a woman to fulfill that role. I'm completely obsolete in our world now."

She turned away from her cousin's sudden tears. She didn't want her pity. She didn't want anything except those elusive images of cuddling her own children.

If she could turn her mind off and focus on something else, anything else...

"I'm going to go away for a while."

Amalas jerked upright. "What?"

"I need to be alone." Elisse turned to face her. Her eyes filled with tears when her gaze dropped down to her cousin's ever growing baby bump. "I need to come to terms with all of this."

"Will you back in time for..." An expression of guilt flickered over the queen's face for such a selfish question.

"I'll try." Elisse hedged. "I promise."

She knew Amalas depended on her. Though the two had numerous cousins sprinkled in various titled positions all over Europe, they had always had a special bond that made them more like sisters. Perhaps it was their mothers' doing that made certain they would always have the other close at hand.

But Elisse knew deep down, she would have been close to her cousin without any outside influence. The notorious Queen of Spies distrusted most people, even some of their blood relatives. Yet, she trusted Elisse with everything.

She hated to leave her during her pregnancy, but the viscountess didn’t think she could take being around an expectant mother right now.

Amalas hugged her once more. "I'll arrange your travel. But I insist you take Felix with you as a bodyguard." She waited on Elisse's agreement. "Let me know where and when you wish to leave."

"I don't care where." Elisse whispered. "Just as long as I can leave as soon as possible."

***************

New York City, a month later...

"One nondescript bar as requested." Maxwell announced, holding the door open.

"Steaks for the table!" He yelled out.

"And four whiskeys!" Drake chimed in.

Riley rolled her eyes at Daniel. "You're really going to leave me with these guys?"

"I promise I'll work two of your shifts whenever you want." He bargained.

She let out a tired sigh. "Make it three and we have a deal."

He shook her hand. "You are brutal with negotiations."

She laughed, piled the tumblers of whiskey on her tray, and headed for the bachelor party.

She passed three drinks out. "I thought there were four of you."

"There are." Drake winked at her, causing a blush to form on her cheeks. "Right behind you is number four."

She turned around and blinked.

He's so handsome.

Liam smiled at her. "Pardon me, Miss?"

"Hmm?" She shook herself out of her daze. "Of course."

His smile flashed, making her knees feel slightly weak. "If you would..." He gestured toward his seat that she was blocking.

Her cheeks flared even more with color. "Right. Sorry."

She decided then and there to not allow her eyes to rest on him the remainder of their time here.

A few hours later, Liam approached her.

"Thank you for being so patient with us." His charming smile was a bit bashful. "I don't suppose I could repay such kindness with buying you a drink."

Riley found herself mesmerized by his blue eyes. "Where were you planning on going next?"

"I actually hoped you could help with that." He rubbed the back of his neck. "The guys hoped to go to a nightclub."

Her nose wrinkled. "I say forget the nightclub. There's a beach cove I could show you that is just the place to unwind."

"That sounds perfect." He held his hand out. "Shall we?"

****************

Six months later, Edenbrook Hospital, Boston...

Elisse chewed on her lower lip, wishing she could hear what the group of doctors were saying behind the glass partition.

After taking her file and passing it to a man in surgical scrubs, Dr. Ramsey walked back into her room.

"Ms. Mallin, after further examination," his expression gentled, "I believe your doctors in Monterisso were correct."

Elisse lowered her eyes. "I see."

"I still want to perform the surgeries we discussed." He sat down beside her hospital bed. "The severe pain in your uterus will only increase if we don't remove the fibroids. Dr. Tanka isn’t sure though how it will be after your surgery."

"Whatever you think." She closed her eyes tight. "It doesn't really matter what shape it is in. I suppose we should just remove it altogether."

Her doctor rested his hand over hers. He waited patiently for her to make eye contact.

"We won't know for certain until Dr. Tanka gets in there, but we believe we can save your ovary."

A bitter laugh escaped her lips. "By all means, hold on to that worthless body part."

His brow furrowed. "Elisse, I don't like the thought of you in this state of mind before surgery."

"I'm sorry." She replied automatically. "I don't mean to sound like this." Her gaze held his. "I--I never wanted much in life." Her shoulder lifted. "Perhaps it was the life I was born into, but having a family was more than passing on my noble title."

Ethan remained silent, allowing her time to express herself.

"I know I need to accept this, but I couldn't help but hope after reading about your diagnostic team," She rested her head back against her pillow, "I wanted the impossible."

"There's still a chance your uterus can remain intact. We might even be able to save some of your eggs." Ethan reminded her. "You could find a surrogate and--"

"I know." She sniffed. "And I also know there is a chance my eggs might not be in any shape to be saved."

She noticed his frown and gently squeezed his hand. "Thank you for trying, Dr. Ramsey."

"We're not done yet." He stood up when Dr. Tanka walked inside. "We'll talk more later."

Once everything was settled for her surgery in the morning, her bodyguard returned and kept vigil by her bedside.

"Felix," Elisse smiled softly at the middle aged man. "You should go to the hotel and rest."

"I'm fine m'lady." He grumbled.

Her eyebrow lifted at the six foot seven man. "That chair has to be uncomfortable."

A flicker of humor flashed in his eyes. "I've had better and worse, m'lady."

She began to laugh. "I can't imagine anything being worse than that."

"You haven't been on some of the queen's missions." He smiled warmly at her.

Elisse reached for his hand. "Thank you for watching over me."

He gently patted it, becoming gruff with his words that a lady didn't have to thank him for doing his job.

She smiled, taking comfort in his admonishment. Felix had tried to keep a professional distance from her, yet her sadness had him stepping in more and more to offer what comfort he could. He thought of her as a little sister and couldn't help but smile whenever she teased him as if he was family.

Such fondness for her added to the devotion and care he would have normally never given any other noble he was assigned to.

But Elisse was special. He hoped that somehow she would find a piece of happiness that could be all her own.

****************

New York, Statue of Liberty...

Riley swallowed nervously. She didn't know how she could refuse Liam, but it was no use.

After spending so much time with Drake while Liam kept up appearances with Madeleine, she had fallen out of love for Cordonia's new king. The grumpy commoner had touched her heart with his stories of not belonging. She had felt the same way while enduring every snub and insult from Madeleine and some of the other ladies at court.

With so little opportunities to be with Liam, and with feeling a bit hurt that her Prince Charming had not defended her against the allegations, she convinced herself that she had no choice. She had to be with the man that had stood by her side as she tried to locate Tariq.

"Liam, I can't marry you." Her words somehow came out steady. "I came to Cordonia for you, but I fell in love with Drake."

Liam took a step back. "What? You and Drake..."

He couldn't believe it. How had this happened without him noticing? He knew that Drake was fond of her and took her out some evenings. But love?

"Liam?" Riley was growing more nervous by his silence.

Liam couldn't think of what to say.

What should I do?

He only knew he wasn't ready to lose her from his life.

"You...you intend to live in Cordonia?"

She slowly nodded. "If that's okay. I want to see where things go with Drake."

Her words were another bitter slash to his heart.

"Of course." He slid his hands in his pockets to keep from grasping her and forcing her to take her words back. "Just because you don't feel as I do, I would never hold that against you. Cordonia is your home."

She visibly relaxed. "Thank you Liam."

"I think," he focused on her, "I think you will be a benefit to Cordonia. I'm going to make you a duchess."

"A duchess?!" She gasped. "But..."

He knew this would keep her at hand. Give him a reason to see her without appearing as the desperate, rejected suitor. Perhaps now that the scandal was over and things calmed down, she might realize that what she thought was love for Drake was nothing more than gratefulness for his assistance.

Am I wrong for hoping this? Should I instead hope their love is true?

Liam forced a smile. "I arranged for us to go to the top." He motioned toward the statue. "Would you still like to?"

Riley returned his smile. "I really can't pass up an opportunity like that, can I?"

"I hoped you wouldn't." He replied.

He followed behind her, wishing this night had ended differently.

***************

Another five months later, Cordonia...

"Anton and his minions are in chains!" Riley held her glass high as the court cheered.

Liam tugged at the stiff collar of his jacket. It had been a day filled with emotions that he could not share with a single soul. Seeing the woman he thought he loved marry his best friend had cut deep. Discovering they had been kidnapped had caused both anger and worry as he rushed to face down the man who dared to take the throne from him.

Witnessing Riley and Drake fight side by side, each trying to protect the other had been eye opening. Neither cared about anything other than keeping the one they loved safe.

He couldn't begrudge their happiness. Nor could he continue to wish that circumstances had gone differently. Riley was not meant for him after all.

He knew he would have to let the past go and somehow find a way to move forward into the future.

******************

A month later, Monterisso Royal Palace...

"King Liam chose an heir!" Amalas exclaimed when Elisse walked into the main hall.

"He chose one? That is shocking." Elisse leaned forward to see the report that just came in. "Who's the lucky child?"

"That's just it." Amalas dropped the paper. "He has named the yet to be conceived child of the Duke and Duchess of Valtoria as his heir."

Elisse's brow furrowed. "But, he might still marry. His own children should be next in line."

"He says differently." Amalas pulled up his news conference for her cousin to watch.

"This seems wrong." Elisse mumbled. " I know those two are his closest friends--"

"And they are Guardian and Champion of the Realm." Amalas reminded her with an eye roll. "That's what he has had to use to get the people on board with his decision."

"Poor Liam." Elisse couldn't help but sympathize with the king. "He's being pressured on all sides for something he can't completely control."

"I think I might pay a visit." Amalas tapped her finger against her chin. "Perhaps see if the new duke and duchess are amenable to a possible alliance."

"It couldn't hurt." Elisse added.

"Indeed." The Queen smiled warmly at her. "I want you to come along. It has been too long since you and I went on a trip. I could use your ability to read people while I guide them toward a possible arranged marriage for their child and mine."

"I suppose I have to do as my queen commands." Elisse teased. "And I've yet to ever say no to my cousin."

"Doubly lucky for me." Amalas smirked.

"When do we leave?"

"Tomorrow."

[sweater-daddiesdumbdork]

Fun Times with Wankers and Twats

Summary- Set with Playing It Cool characters. Mike x You. Going to one of Mallorys one woman shows might actually prove to be a good time Mike finds out. Nsfw. Sexy time. 

Work Count- 5k

A/N- Named “Me” Mike cause I like that better. Mallory is doing some British Slang, given to me by @what-is-your-plan-today​ (thanks babes, I so appreciate the help) and well excuse how bad her imitations are. Lol

You looked over Mikes shoulder at the computer screen that he had been staring at for the past fifteen minutes, his eyes just roving back and forth reading. Proof reading quickly before he had Scott or Samson read it. Your hand slid along his shoulders and could feel the tension in them, knotting right where it always did when he was close to finishing. Digging your fingers into the muscle and rolling your palm into them made him sigh with relief. “You need to relax Mike, you know its good.”

“But is it good enough?” He pondered, sliding his fingers over the mouse to save it.

Causing you to roll your eyes at him, and grip the back of his wheely chair, pulling it away from the screen, turning it so he was facing away from the screen and more at you, you leaned down so your hands were bracing against the arms on either side of him and your face was inches away. “If I said it was fictional magic would you believe me? Action pack vividness? Dramatic flair making me just wanna throw myself at the main character? I mean, that would mean leaving you for a fictional character, but damn baby you wrote him just that damn good.”

“I would have to find his fictional ass and kick it for stealing my girl.” He said so solemnly that you chuckled and pecked his lips in a kiss. “and I can see down your shirt.” His head tilted, admiring the view. You tipped your own head to see what he was seeing, and you winked at him afterwards. “Preview for later, come on. You need to get dressed a bit more then tshirt and boxers.” Lifting yourself away and he scowled at loosing the view.

“Later? why the hell we waiting till later?” He groaned and tipped his head back, stretching out his arms over his head. “Where we going?”

You grabbed your purse and tossed your phone in, looking over at him low class acting like a child with that scowl on his face. “Mallory invited us to her one woman reading tonight. And were going to be supportive friends and go.”

He groaned once more in the child like whine of his, pushing his laptop shut. “Watch this is gonna be something like the vagina monologues. I can already see it now Y/N. There better be plenty of drinks coming to our table.”  You nodded listening to him and leaned your chin on your palm, elbow to the counter.

“Handsome, would I ever drag you to anything that doesn’t have beer? And You cant bring up that one time at my parents dinner party, cause I snuck it in for you.”

He grinned as he spun the chair and got up to head into the bedroom, grabbing a pair of jeans from the dresser. “Okay, I give you that. And like you said, were supporting Mallory.” You patiently wait, keys in hand, going to grab his phone off the table and tossing it as well in your bag. Mike had a writers brain, scattered and daydreaming alot. He came out patting his pockets, looking around.

“On the table by the door, along with the keys” You shoulder your bag, knowing he was looking for his wallet. Going to where you told him, a big grin crossed his face, and slipped both in his back pocket, wrapping an arm over your shoulder as he followed you out into the apartments lobby once locking the door. “What would I do without you sweetheart?” He kissed your temple and you smirk, looking up at him as you to wrap your arm around to rest your hand in his pocket, squeezing his ass lightly.

“Crash and burn Mike, Crash and burn.” chuckling as the two of you reach the car, you split away to get in on the passengers side once he unlocks it, and get comfy, the bar wasnt to far off, but you suspected you might be giving a few rides home. While Mike pulled off the curb, you dug out your phones and wallet, storing the rest of the bag on the back seat floor.

Mallory was already ringing your phone, and when you clicked answer, she didn't even give you a chance to say hello "oye! When ya getting here?!"

"Mal, relax. Fifteen minutes, plus you saved us a table front row right?" Your eyes rolled to see Mike give an audible groan, making you snicker.

"Course ya blimey wanker. Tell Mikey Boy to quit pissing and moaning."

"Mal said quite pissing and moaning."

Raising his voice he shouted. "This time she better not throw decapitated baby heads at my crotch either. Thats not art Mallory, that's battery."

"Oh what a twat. You can't censor me darlings, cheerio!" CLICK! And she was gone. Mallory was pretty ... Someone all her own.

"Sounds like were betting a British Mallory tonight" you exclaim excitedly as he looked to find parking. You search through the cars cup holders for change to toss into the parking meters.

"As long as its not that German one. Shes always violent when its the German one." He grumbled as he got out, recalling how fond he was when she threw several heads screaming in what you only assume was German, you were inclined to agree. Following him out, you handed the change to him to fill the meter.

Inside the local bar it was dark, a tad smokey, and the clinks of shots being taken at the bar are the first thing to notice. Next is a spotlight flooding the small stage towards the back, and there is Mallory dressed in a black dress, and a lit smoke balanced delicately between two fingers. She was sitting on the edge of the stage, rolling her heeled foot with impatience and bringing her fancy cigarette to her lips.

"My darlings! There you are!" She hops down and you look over your shoulder to see Mike close by, coming right up behind you and kissing the curve of your neck playfully, whispering. “Shes not armed is she?” 

You squint at the woman coming towards you, and whisper back. “Not that I can tell.” Grinning and placing a hand to your hip, acting as if you were checking Mallory out. “Well M’Lady, arnt you looking fine.” 

You could see that she soaked in the compliment, tilting her head back and bringing the cigarette to her lips, pursing them in an exaggerated manner to purr out a ring of smoke. “Thank you darling, its all for the art that is life. Now you bitches come sit down.” 

Charming as always. 

She grabbed your hand, and she tugged the two of you to a crowded table. You promptly took the seat next to Scott, and gave a small wave hello to the other two occupants there, Samson and Lyle. They currently were debating over beer, which was the better kind. Samson was all for an all american beer such as budweiser if his comments were anything to go by. “Why change whats already good! This shit gets the job done.” 

Mike behind you lowers towards your ear to speak with you. “What do you want from the bar babe?” You look down at your friends, arching brows. “Whats good tonight?” Scott just hands over his craft beer, allowing you to taste. It wasnt bad, dark though. Samson holds up the all familiar red and white bottle and gives a low burp, and Lyle, well.... whatever he had just looked messed up, sloshing neon poison in his cup. “My own brew, I snuck it in. Made it in the back of my van.” Yea, Hard pass buddy. 

“Think Im gonna go with what Scotts having.” You tip your head back and nip in play at his jawline, and his hand gives your ass a slight pinch making you wiggle in your seat. Mallory next to you finishes off her shot of Vodka, about to throw her glass cause she was just that out there of a woman, but you take it from her before that happens. 

“Vodka to Wanker! Refill me up Buddy” She yells before grasping her black clutch and pulling out a tube of red lipstick, applying it heavily. 

“You ready? Looks like a good crowd.” You look around the room, and it did seem exceptionally busy tonight. 

“Always, my life is nothing but a stage” She said enthusiastically and puckered her lips, kissing your cheek to leave a mark on it. “Now I must go appease my fans.” She handed off her clutch to you and dispersed to the stage. Mike came back, just as you were digging for a napkin to smudge off Mallorys lipstick, he handed off your beer to you and a smirk played on his lips. 

“You know if you wanted to get frisky with Mal, all you had to do was tell me, dont need to hide it.” He grinned, sipping from his beer he had gotten himself, and set Mallorys refilled vodka towards the middle of the table so no one would mess around with it. 

“You would like that wouldnt you.” You licked your thumb and scrubbed at your cheek. “Help me get it off?” You grab his hand and suck on his thumb to the first knuckle, using your tongue to moisten his fingertip. Smirking as you saw his eyes darken at the sight. Take that Handsome! He popped it from between your lips and started to wipe off the lipstick. 

“I would be lying if I didnt say that it would be pretty hott.” he shrugged, looking at you from a sideways glance while he tipped his glass up to his lips. You arched your brows, and bit your lip, glancing at Mallory getting herself prepared on stage. You know hes expecting you to call him on his shit, but oh no, your not about that today. 

“You know what Mike” Your hand slides against his thigh, sliding to the inside and grasping lightly. “You go ahead and ask her baby, see how she feels about it.” Might have been mean, you were well aware of there history together, Mike having told you when you two first started going out. Now it was truly all under the bridge between them, but he did spurt his beer back in his glass in surprise, causing you to snort laughing. It was this moment the rest of the guys decided to throw in there opinions. 

“You know there aint nothing wrong with adding a little spice to the bedroom.” Samson remarked. “Wham, Bam, Thank you Ma’am.” 

You snicker. “Im sure your wife is all about bringing another woman into the bed to join you two.” He shrugged and sighed at that. 

“She is less in favor then I am, that is for certain. It will happen one day though, I have faith!”

Lyles eyes never left Mallory as he remarked “Hey, as long as you both are into it, I dont see the harm in having a good fuck once in a while.” At this Scott rolled his eyes and shook his head. 

“You all are hopeless, if you love someone, whats the need to add anymore into the bedroom then just the two of you. Its supposed to be an expression of love.” Leave it to Scott to bring in the more serious aspect, you rest your head on his shoulder and remark. 

“Awww Scottie-too-hottie, we all love you.” He resigned that none of you would actually take him seriously, and turned his attention back to the stage once the lights started to dim. Mallory, in all her dramatic glory whipped on stage, her heels clicking, her hand holding her cigarette held jaunty in the air. “Women can fake orgasms, and men can fake a relationship.... My memoirs” 

There was a semi collective groan at your table. And you still having your hand on Mikes thigh gave a light squeeze. Be nice. He glanced over at you and rubbed your lower back as his way of forgiveness, not wanting to interrupt Mallorys opening. “When I was 13, I had my first period...” Oh boy. 

You kinda go in and out, of paying attention, cause Mike reached under the table for your hand grasping his thigh and slid it up, cause sure enough, there was something much more interesting to pay attention to for you. Your palm cupped his erection through his jeans, and he leaned his elbows on the table, hands cradling his face as he watched the stage. You know that apt focus, unblinking eyes and flared nostrils are not because the show was that good. 

Sorry Mal. We still love you though. 

You slide your chair over closer to Mike, changing from leaning on Scotts shoulder to his, and flicked your fingers to snap open the button of his pants. Tilting your head to bite his shoulder, whispering just for him to hear. “Get them down Stud, and I will really make this worth it.” Without looking or acknowledging you, he did as you asked, dropping a hand momentarily under then table, then bringing it back up. 

Drawing him from his pants and boxers, giving him a full palm wrap around, and your thumb circling the head, pressing lightly along the slit, a little moist. You kept your movements subtle, a light squeeze, fingertips trailing up and down his length, which now you could feel was fully perked due to interest in your part. A dip of the hand once you reached near his groin, rolling his testicles around your fingers. Your gaze went back and forth beween his face and the stage, where Mallory started in on her next traumatizing bit. 

“If sex is a pain in the ass, then trust me, your doing it wrong” 

Your attention returns to Mallory, still giving firm strokes to Mikes cock under the table, you could see when he went to grasp his beer bottle, he did a bit to hard, his knuckles growing white, the way he swallowed down his drink was harsh, not a sip but a large gulp. On the other side the rest were oblivious to what game you two were toying at, it made it that much more exciting. That much more of a risk. God you almost wanted to drag him home now. Or back to the backseat of the car, that was fun. 

Tensing in your hold, you felt him stiffen in his seat, and a rugged word commanding your movements. “Faster” and you rubbed your nose in against his neck, kissing that little spot near his ear that always made him inhale sharply. Today was no different. 

“Feel good doesnt it, playing out in the open.” A bite to his lobe and pulling away, sure to keep yourself angled into him. Now you worked him, your thumb sweeping over his head, following the slit collected pre cum, and you jerked your hand faster, to bring him to release. Now his breathing was ragged sharp inhales through his nose, not daring to open his mouth should he make a interrupting sound. Once in a while his hip would jerk, following your hand and you would press your face in against his shoulder to hide a chuckle from you. 

“Oh fuck.” He wheezed and there it was, his cock throbbing, and pumping in your hand, released, and he took a gasp, his leg accidentally kicking against the table leg. 

“Leg cramp babes?” You question to hide from the others who glanced at you with questioning looks, Mike promptly nodded in reply with what you were saying. When no one was paying attention, you lifted your hand away and sucked on a fingertip, tasting him as he hurriedly stuffed himself back away, his eyes flashing at the way you were sucking him off your hand. He groaned and couldnt tear his eyes away. Grinning as you bit the tip of your finger, you leaned into him and slanted your face to fit your lips against his. The tip of your tongue trailed the seam of his mouth and the moment he parted his lips, you plunged in. Oh baby, this was all your kiss, and you were sure to keep all control of it. Drawing back your tongue, and swiping over his teeth, back to tangle with his. 

“You two are seriously making out during this?” Scott chided the two of you while Samson at the other end of the table was doing a fist pump. Lyle at this point was drowsy and half hanging in his chair, probably whatever poison he managed to brew in the back of that van. 

“What? that was riveting emotional story telling.” You smile innocently at Scott who narrows his eyes at you, Mike loping an arm around your shoulder and bringing you in close. 

“We got caught up in the moment, Scott.” Mike grinned, obvious in being a shit about it.

“What was the play about, Hmm?” He arched his brows, and a slight panicked look crossed Mikes face as he sought out an answer hopefully from Samson or Lyle, but they both had a smug look on there face. You two werent necessarily caught, but they all knew something was up. 

“Uuuh er- about her weirdly adolescent life changes? With Wanker thrown in continuously?” Mike took a shot in the dark, and they all grumbled, yea he gotten it right. Dont ask him the personal details, which he was damn glad he didnt pay attention to now. Some things, you just dont need to know. If there was one thing he was good at, it was using his writers brain to bullshit a lie into believable. 

Mallory bounced off stage, her cigarette finally gone off the stick, but she collected her back satchel from you and dug on out. Not that she was a smoker, it was more once she was in a character, she remained in that character. “So? What did all my lovelies think?” 

Everyone was quiet for a moment, occupied with looking in there glasses, or finishing the last swallow or two, Mallory looked wide eyed around the table. “Well dont everyone gush about my performance at once.” 

You decided that you would break the seconds of silence. “Babes, Love. Magnificent, I might leave Mike and shack up with you instead. You get me, your performance, so great!” Shit shit shit shit, what did she say? Something about asses. “I think more men should take it in the ass to see what you were talking about.” 

So this made Scott start laughing, he was just about crying, Mike and Samson both choked on that last swallow, and Lyle just shrugged and gave a goofy grin. “Sure, I try anything once!” 

Mallory gave you the biggest hug and kiss on the cheek, replacing the one she had left there earlier. “Darling, YOUR THE BEST.” grabbing her vodka from before, she shot it down all to once, getting to finally smash her glass on the ground in a dramatic turn of events. “SHOTS ON ME!” She grabbed Scott this time as Mike ducked out of her reach, and she stomped off with him. Mike came back up to you, wrapping an arm around your waist and pulling you in close to him, swaying a bit to the jazz music playing. 

“You want to get me pegged?” He mused, arching a brow, and he lifted to lick the pad of his thumb, rubbing it over your cheek to remove the kiss mark once more. 

“Well as Lyle said, should at least try anything once.” You grin teasing as you to wrap your arms around him and tilt your head back enough to look up at him. He rolled his eyes, and gave you a playful kiss, nipping lightly. 

“Only thing Im pegging is you when we get home.” 

“Well Handsome, im looking forward to that very much” You are sure to grind your hips against his, and he roughly dragged you into a kiss, hissing against your lips. “Tease!” 

“Got the drinks Wankers, come and get them.” She said in her very fake accent, and you weaved a finger in Mikes belt loop, dragging him back to the table and taking two shots, handing one to him. Straight up tequila, you thought looking at the taunting liquid in the glasses, well it does make your clothes fall off apparently. 

“So let me start by saying, Mallory, as always, great set.” Mike started, followed by Samson saying “Hear hear, I feel like I know all the struggles you went through, and never want to hear it again.” 

Mallory grinned “Theres only five more of these you need to attend.” 

Lyle, he tipped his head and hold up both his shot and poison liquor “Heres to five more retelling of Mallorys sexual escapades.” 

There really was nothing more to add, and the group of you lifted your shots in honor of the performance, and tipped back. That burn made your eyes water, and gasp out. One of you said “Lets do another” It might have been you, were not keeping track... and the next couple hours you all were pounding shots and chasing with beers. There was no way you were going to be driving anyone home. 

Stumbling from the bar giggling with Mallory, you have her under your arm, and Mike is on the other side of you. Her apartment was nearby, as was yours so it just made sense to walk. You dig into Mallorys purse for the lipstick, leaning over the hood of the car and writing across the windshield. ‘NO DD, WE PICK UP IN SUN TIME’ 

Drunk you was a unable to think

“That looks right? They know who it be” You giggle again as you slid off the car hood, and luckily Mike was standing there to catch you as you stumble forward, the two of you giggling, as you use his shirt to stay upright. “Mikey, Im drunk.”

“Me to baby.” He snorted, his blue eyes shining a bit brighter the usual with the giddiness. 

Samson and Lyle went off another way, and you three take to the street. You and Mallory trying to list off British slang in what now sounded like Australian accents instead of British. 

“Knobheaded Twatters” 

“God those dick heads be fucking Mungers” 

“What the hell is a munger?” You question, and Mallory shrugs when Mike pipes up “A real ugly S.O.B” 

This went on for several blocks, getting shouted at from sleeping people opening there windows to tell them to shut up. Mallory threw off a fit with one of them 

“Come down here you Slag, thats right, I saw One Eyed Joe go in your apartment last week!” 

Finally you all make it to a breaking point, and split, You and Mike giggling all the way up your stairs, and your trying to find the key to the door while he is sloppily kissing your neck and reaching up your shirt to play with your breasts, massaging them in a way that had you whining. “Im trying to open the door Babe” 

“And Im trying to wank you” He grinned while biting your shoulder. 

“Is that even a term?” 

“It is today.” He shoves the door open once you get it unlocked and shoves it closed once you two are inside. Hes already shedding clothes, and you go to fall on the couch, arm over your face. “Ugh I cant tonight.” You peek at him and giggle once more as hes hoping around on one foot trying to get his jeans off. He tosses them across the room, any change, wallet and phone went skittering across the floor and he goes over to you, grabbing your arms, you groaning in protest. 

“Mikkkkeyyyyy Im tired” 

“Need an aspirin?” He asks as he gets you up and you lean into his chest, kissing and nipping around one of his nipples, cause you could, cause it was fun to get a reaction out of him, lightly scratching your nails up and down his sides. Deciding to further tease him. 

“No, I need the dick. Now!” Changing your mind, you backed away and he followed, his eyes going dark in lust again and you made a come hither motion. Unaware of how far you had gone, the back of your knees hit the bed and you fell backwards onto it. “Ooh!” 

Mike took this moment to pounce, straddling you and lifting your shirt, he tossed that away to. “Fuck baby, that was so hot tonight” talking about your under the table hand job. “The way you just jerked me off, then licking off those fingers.” You smirked and licked your lips, purring. “It was fun, we could have been caught and kicked out.” laughter bubbling up as your squirming underneath him, panting as you can feel the bulge in his boxers where he was straddling you, and your hands was trying to twist behind you to get your bra off, he assisted, finally pulling it free from your arms. 

“I wanted to be under that table so bad, you have no idea. Next time were going someplace more private.” He tilted over you and straightened out to lay over you, his knee parting your thighs and rubbing it against your core. You might have ground yourself back, feeling the pressure ignite a flame in your lower belly, starting from the core.

“Agree Sexy” He chained kisses down your neck, and over your collarbone, hyping you back up with anticipation to feel his mouth on your breasts, his hands firmly covering them. Getting to his hands covering you, he replaced them, rubbing his whiskered chin roughly in between the valley and sucking on the curve, lap of his tongue swirling and twirling over the erected nipples, making you whimper and giggle again in your drunken haze. Reaching down to slide your hands under his boxers waist band and dig your fingers into the cheeks, pressing him to grind into you.

“Then you agree I need you in me right this fucking second?” You bit his shoulder, and huffed against his neck. Your breasts muffled his next words and you let go of his ass cheek to cup his face, drawing him to look up. “What?” 

“I said, fucking hell yes Baby” He lifted off and luckily you were wearing a skirt, so he pushed it up around your hips, and slid his boxers down enough for his cock to spring out, you giggled once more seeing him at attention and reach up to wrap your hand around the back of his neck, bringing him down to your mouth, needing to taste him, feel him once more. Your kiss is clashing teeth, a pull and tug on both of your part, Hot sloppy, tongue lapping kiss as he shoves aside your panties enough and fills your entrance with his cock. 

So he was trying for slow, but you needed him now, so a push on his ass, and a lift of your hips, you whine into your fevered kiss at how he stretched you open so suddenly, loving that burn. You move your legs to wrap around his hips, thighs clasping his hips snugly. “Give it to me stud” His arms rested on either side of your head, and immediately started to rut and grind his hips, making you arch, going between moans and laughter. “Fuck yes! Oh you feel so good.” Vocal in your current mood, his grunts huff against your neck, your nails digging into his back, rocking with him. 

Having fallen on the edge of the bed, you two end up slipping off, your head banging on the floor and all of him tangled around you. He stutters to a stop and his hand lifts your head to check it. “Oh Shit baby, you okay!?” 

You wince and rock your hips, shuddering when you feel him hit your g-spot. “Yea baby, Im fine except you left me so close to cumming all over you. Dont let me loose it.” You whimper and look up at him, biting your lip as your channel flexes around him, just begging for more of him. So he returned to his fast rapid pace, Even he could feel his fast approaching orgasm, and it spurred him on. “Touch yourself baby” 

Nodding you reached between your grinding bodies, feeling for your bud, and when you pressed down, you jolted underneath him. “MIKE!” It spiked arousal through you to squirt, and you rolled it around with that pressure you liked so much. “Im there baby, Oh god, Oh god Oh fuck, I hope you are to.” 

“Yea I am” Gritting out, his balls tightening and staggering his thrusts filling you. You started clamping and tightening sharply around him, arching your back and grabbing his shoulders to anchor as you cried out his name, himself following right along, spilling hot jets of thick cum into you, pumping himself harder, till finally he was spent, you were spent, both of you stilling in a collapsed heap. You just lazed underneath him moaning on your bedroom floor, right next to your bed. His body sinking on yours, hot and sweaty, using his elbows to keep himself upright enough to not crush you. 

There was a few moments of silence before Mike lifted his head where he had it resting on your shoulder to catch his breath, looking down at you as you, closed eyed and humming softly in bliss was relaxing. 

“Why is knob head an insult? Shouldnt it be kind of a compliment? Im rather fond of my---” 

You shove at him before he could finish, the both of you laughing and he rose to get up, holding out a hand and getting you up off the floor to, his hands sliding to your hip and dragging your skirt down to step out of it, kissing on your neck and shoulder affectionately. 

“You are a knob head” You ran your hands over his buzzed head, and down the sides of his face to feel the scratch on your palms. Mike nudged you back onto the bed, and flopped down next to you, wrapping you in his arms, spooning you back to his chest. 

“Maybe, but Im your knob head.” He breathed softly against your neck, your hands sliding over his folded over your lower stomach, giggling once more as sleepiness started to close your eyelids. 

“Your right, Love you Knobhead” 

“Love you more Twat” 

@what-is-your-plan-today​ @official-and-unstable-satan​ @jtargaryen18​ @p8tn0lish​ @curtisbbq​ @stardancerluv​ @imanuglywombat​

[datingintampafails]

Chapter 22: Jaden*

“Better Together” Jack Johnson

I matched with Jaden*, and based on his main picture, a professionally taken headshot, I got the feeling this guy was out of my league for sure. I matched with him one time, my opening message being about his eye color, with some adjective I cannot remember, but the 24 hour window expired before he responded. A couple days later I saw him profile again, matching for a second time, my opener this attempt was simply “hello again.” He answered with “Let’s hang out.” I ask him about his intentions and he says no clue, asking me about mine. After explaining myself, he says he is “in the EXACT same boat.”

After that, I tried to get him to fill out the dating application. He refused, despite me telling him essentially I’d be asking the same questions anyway. He said he would rather learn about each other in person, which is fair. Since this is more or less the same time as Allen*, I tell him the same thing regarding waiting to get tested before I go out and meet anyone. He says “that’s nice of you.” I suggest instead a virtual drink and he just replies that he hates these times. I agree but acknowledge that at least I’m trying and once I’m negative we can get drinks in person. He asks when I took the test and I admit that I haven’t taken it yet and am getting it the following day. “At least you’re honest” he tells me. I tell him I don’t see the point of lying, which he says is a “good trait.” I make a joke about him being a realtor and that his job is not lying but putting positive spins on things and he finds that really funny for some reason.

I request that since he wouldn’t take my dating application, if I can at least ask him the most important question. He says “Yes” then “I do not like anal.” I sent him a full line of “haha”s. “Oh wait that wasn't the question sorry haha” was what he said next. Funny. “That’s a very important answer too… I’m glad” I tell him. Then I asked the actual important question, regarding children, and at first he said “I want kids, couple, not for at least 5 years or so.” I give him a “womp womp” essentially saying, wrong answer. I explain myself and then he says “Lol that'll probably be my path. [Kids are] too pricy and I want to travel and build my career.” The question with this 180 remains, is that how he really feels or is he trying to appease me? Either way it seems one of the answers was a lie or at least less truth.

After this, I send him five messages, two related to what he said, one saying I like his vibes and want to go out once my test is back, a follow up after he doesn’t reply a day later saying “if you’d like to of course,” and then “officially no rona” two days after the previous message when I got no responses. I figured this dude was bored, but he hadn’t unmatched me yet so I figured I’d still sort of try. He finally responds to that last message with a “yesssssssssss.” He tries to make plans for that afternoon but I tell him I’m working. I ask him about Saturday night, he says he has no plans so far and I say “You do now” with a wink emoji. We plan the night, settling on me cooking dinner and having some drinks at my place. I thank him for motivation/a reason to clean my house. The reason that I chose night, is I actually have a date scheduled as well with another guy for lunch.

He asks me about weed, if I smoke, getting Peter* flashbacks here. In my blurb about my feelings on weed, I specifically tell him “I prefer not on one on one time that someone be high.” He simply says “I dont act like a little stoner but I get it” I ask follow up questions which lead me to finding out he habitually, daily, smokes marijuana. I ask him about how that works during the COVID pandemic, he says that the price has gone up but otherwise it’s the same. I then inquire about what he’s up to that night. No response.

Then it’s past midnight and officially Saturday, the day we are supposed to meet up. I ask “Sooooo gameplan?” No response. I don’t want to keep messaging and messaging, so I just see if he will come back out of the woodwork. The guy that I was supposed to have lunch with messages me around that time saying unfortunately he cannot make lunch anymore, so that’s cancelled. I don’t see the point in telling Jaden* that my afternoon has freed up or anything like that.

When the day comes, my friend invites me to the beach and I say I’ll come since my daydate was cancelled and “I’m pretty sure that I’m being stood up for my nighttime date as well so I don’t care.” As we drive up to the beach, I see that lady and her two kids from when Ethan* and I was at the beach. I’m sure it's them. I’m weak in my vulnerability so I actually break down and text him, telling him that I spotted them. I do not expect a response. My friend and I had a good time at the beach, but got rained out so our four hour trip turned into only two. It was really hot outside though so we were okay with it being cut short. Still no word at all from Jaden*.

Now when it is 6:30pm, I feel that officially I have been stood up. By this point, I'd already cooked dinner and had finished it, so even if he did magically appear I would tell him too bad. I message him to redeem myself, “Well if you actually wanna meet up let me know. I’m pretty busy so my time is valuable” I also add a stone faced emoji, because I’m sick of this shit, frankly. An hour after that, he messages me “hey!!” I for some reason don’t get the notification, and when I check my phone about 40 minutes later, I just reply “lol hi.” An hour and a half after my response, he gives me his number and asks me to text him. Here’s some screenshots.

My phone rings and it’s him. “Are you in an SUV?” I am and I jump as a figure appears to my left, it is him. The lightning storm going on has transgressed into a full on rain. We quickly hug hello as he escorts me to the door and the safety of no rain.

Once inside, I am greeted by his lab, a really nice pupper that I give lots of pats to. I’m then introduced to his friend. Jaden* offers me a drink, I let him make me a drink with some local rum. It is made way too strong, and I add some of my sparkling juice to the mixture to try and soften it up. It marginally works, but I just slowly sip on it.

Both Jaden* and his friend are outgoing and friendly, we talk about random stuff, shoot the shit. Honestly, thus far I am getting along better with the friend, not in a romantic way, but just a regular way. Jaden* is a little too talkative, occasionally interrupting, and loud. I cannot tell if he is drunk, high, or whatever, but he just seems a little off. Since I have no baseline of what he is like sober, it’s hard to tell. Jaden* brags about me, essentially saying that I was so nice and awesome and was going to make him dinner, which I make a point of adding “oh don’t worry I still made it, I just ate it myself” to be cheeky. He continues talking about miscellaneous other stuff, mostly things I cannot connect to at all, as it relates to other mutual friends the other two have.

He stops at one point and says “oh! You said I have some explaining to do so here you are” and he goes on to say that he went to watch the Barcelona soccer game with friends, and upon them winning, continued the celebration with drinking all day, he repeats a few times, “it’s not a good excuse, but it’s an honest one.” I shrug and say “I mean that’s okay.” He goes on to tell another similar story about when he was in college and skipped hockey practice, again like “it’s not a good excuse but it’s an honest one.”

Then another friend comes by, it’s a female. She is nice and seems to be long time friends with them both. They (meaning the two friends of Jaden*) are discussing plans to go to another bar or something in a little, but they end up sticking around for another hour and a half. Jaden* mentions he’s hungry (munchies??) and upon looking in his fridge, there’s nothing to eat except literally lunch meat. He eats the lunch meat, offers me some, which I decline, and actually goes back a second time to eat the rest of it after 5 minutes. He complains he’s still hungry so I say I’ll look up food options for him. He orders food (McDonald’s) and offers me to get whatever I want, I’m barely hungry so I opt for some small fries and a small frozen coke.

Jaden* has prepared some weed and puts it in a vaporizer, him and the male friend partake, both myself and the other woman decline. He now brings out a guitar and tries to play the beginning of a song, making us all guess what it is. He plays so sloppily and in combination with the guitar being out of tune, I have no clue. He repeats the set of notes like five times before revealing it’s the beginning of “that one Jack Johnson song.” Upon later googling, it was “Better Together.” He asks everyone if anyone knows anything on guitar, I sheepishly go “oh I used to play as a kid, I know like one song.” I take the guitar and play the one song I know by heart on guitar in fast succession, Beethoven’s Fur Elise. They’re all just staring at me blankly, confused that this quiet chill chick just whipped out legitimate guitar skills out of nowhere. I also continue to just strum on the guitar while everyone talks, just to have something to do. Jaden* takes the guitar back to try and tune it with some app on his phone. He complains about how the app doesn’t really work to tune it and that it is still out of tune. The guitar gets put away.

Jaden* now is complaining about how he “ordered his food an hour ago and it’s still not here;” it has been fifteen minutes. His friend believes him; “it has not been an hour” I say so as to not sympathize with him. He is again bragging about me, and talking about how nice I am and that he liked that when we were talking on Bumble. The flattery is something I’m immune to but I thank him. Next he goes into a long winded story about when he partied with Justin Bieber back when he was dating Selena Gomez, “he could have had any girl he wanted at that party” he attested, “but he didn’t and he even went upstairs to talk to her on the phone. Biebs is loyal.” Also don’t really care about Biebs so I was not impressed by this anecdote. We did randomly bond over liking old Adam Sandler movies, specifically my favorite, Little Nicky, and agreed we’d watch that tonight. Randomly his dog jumped up on the couch next to me and I noticed that the dog had a boner, which was awkward and I pushed him away so I wouldn’t get humped.

The friends finally left a little before 1 am, I told Jaden* that I wanted to get going by 2 since I had stuff to do the next day and needed to get back to my dog. He says that’s fine and then gets mad about his food still not being there after at this point long enough to bitch. Now that he’s a little closer to me, I can smell his breath and it is horrid. It smells just like butt. I assume from a mix of the smoke and alcohol he had been drinking all day.

He calls McDonald's and gets in an argument with the lady. It’s really weird and off putting. On the phone he is saying how he’s worked at restaurants and know how the system works with delivery services, and the fact that they’re “still working on it” means such and such. They claim it’s already been picked up despite the app saying it hasn’t. He says he is just going to order from somewhere else. I’m arguing with him that nowhere he orders food from is going to get there quicker at this point and to just wait. Finally the UberEats updates and it will be there in 10 minutes which calms him down. He remembers he has a cookie and goes to eat it. I do find it pro status that he microwaves the cookie for a little bit. He asks me if I want some, I say sure, but then he tries to spoon feed a piece to me. I go with it; the cookie is actually pretty good. He offers me another piece, again spoon feeding it to me. A little weirdly intimate.

We go back to the couch to finally start Little Nicky. I’ve seen this movie countless times at this point so it’s not super important that I pay attention. He briefly rubs my shoulder and it feels good, I try to convince him to give me a full shoulder rub, and offer one to him as well. He gets his, I successfully break out a knot in his shoulder. When it's presumably now my turn, I get that same shoulder rubbed for maybe one minute, then he stops. Disappointing. He attempts to kiss me quite a few times, and I unenthusiastically peck/kiss back, but again, his breath is rancid so I’m not trying to get too close to that.

The food finally arrives. There’s no straws so I tried to open the top of my coke and it accidentally splattered on the (brown) couch. I run to the kitchen to get paper towels and come back to clean it. I apologize and he says it’s ok.

He’s eating his food, and is of course to my dismay chewing with his mouth open/smacking his lips, so if it wasn’t already a no go, it now officially was. I stay with my promise to just hang a little longer though. He snarfs down his food, I eat some fries and eat my frozen coke with a spoon. He’s done eating and we go back to spooning to watch the movie. He keeps lighting kind of humping me, which is just super weird, and I ignore that it’s happening. He seems to be completely flaccid which makes it even stranger.

After maybe 15 minutes, I notice that he’s no longer really laughing at the movie or doing anything, I peer back and realize this dude is sleeping. Great. I just lay there and continue to watch the movie. Honestly, I almost drift off to sleep a few times too; it’s late and I’m bored/tired. I check my watch and it’s now 1:58am. I start to get up and say “ok it’s almost 2, I gotta get going.” He awakens and grumbles at me.

He becomes legitimately angry at me for actually following through with what I said I was gonna do. “What the hell I thought we were gonna hang?” I tell him that like I came over but told him we weren’t hooking up so that shouldn’t have been an expectation. “I see, leaving at exactly 2, wow.” I’m just gathering my things and not saying a word. He mumbles at me and I cannot make out half the words he says, but says something like “I don’t think I’m the guy you’re looking for.” I respond, “I can’t really understand you right now, but yeah that’s okay.” It is clear to me this guy is not compatible with me whatsoever.

I’m still trying to be more or less not a total bitch, so I give him a peck on the forehead goodbye. I was holding my open frozen coke, so unfortunately in leaning over I again still had a little of the drink on the sofa. Whereas last time he was calm about it, now he is pissed. “AND YOU JUST KEEP SPILLING SHIT ON MY COUCH! GET IT TOGETHER!” He is being a jerk and I am no longer standing by and being friendly, “I’m gonna fucking clean it up again chill out, damn. You don’t have to be such a fucking asshole” He repeats yelling at me about his couch, that is the same color as the beverage so besides it looking wet, it will not stain. “Whatever” I say. I double check I have all my things, as the last thing I would want to do is have to come back here to get a belonging of mine. He is staring at me as I do this like “hurry up and leave. ”As I have my things and I’m about to head out the door, he randomly becomes nice again, “alright catch you later” “probably not,” I respond as I close the door behind me.

I shake my head to myself as I leave and at least the rain has stopped. I actually even feel tears sort of welling in my eyes. I am tired of having such terrible experiences, getting slack from guys I barely even know, having to put on a smile, some make-up, and put myself out there, just to be treated like shit. I drive home without incident, I think about blocking his number, but I figure that can wait until tomorrow. I get home a little before 2:30am, greet my dog, let her sniff me since I smell like another dog at this point, before changing into my pajamas again.

Later that morning, I get a text from Jaden*:

I have no reason to continue the conversation after that. I figured I would be honest because, why not. If I can at least try and teach him a lesson for the next woman, then my suffering will not be for nothing. Another night I won’t forget, similar to Peter*, but at least he did have a clean apartment before I came along.

[noona-clock]

For Now

Oo can i have a story with either hanbin or kibum! 💕💕💕 fluff please maybe friends to lovers? Honestly just have fun with this one lol whatever you write for them ill adore 💕. Thanks hun n congrats again on 8k!! 

Of course, @baekinmylife​!!! Please enjoy, my lovely friend!

Genre: Coffee Shop!AU/Friends to Lovers

Pairing: Hanbin x You

Warnings: None

Words: 2,951

As soon as you heard your manager had posted the schedule for next week, you slipped away from the front to go look.

Hanbin, unsurprisingly, had the same idea as you. He arrived at the cork board seconds after you, coming to stand close behind you and nearly resting his chin on your shoulder as you scanned the spreadsheet.

“Yes!” you whispered when you saw that the two of you had more than a few overlapping shifts, including two closings together on Tuesday and Friday.

“What?” Hanbin murmured, his breath blowing over your ear. But then he obviously saw what you had seen because you felt his mouth pull into a smile.

Hanbin was your best work friend here at the coffee shop. The two of you had started around the same time over a year ago, and from the first day you’d met, you’d just hit it off. It was like you had known each other for years, and you had been partners-in-crime ever since. 

Either your manager hadn’t caught on or she just didn’t care because she frequently scheduled the two of you together. Even though you guys spent way too much time goofing off and playing around and being friends rather than co-workers.

Were you going to say anything to her, though?

Absolutely not.

“Ugh, a Friday, though?!” Hanbin groaned.

“What, like you had plans?” you asked with a chuckle. “A hot date or something?”

Hanbin tsked, and you turned around to quirk an eyebrow playfully at him.

“...No,” he replied with a somewhat guilty roll of his eyes. “But I could.”

“You could have a hot date?”

“Maybe!” he defended. “I could meet someone between now and Friday!”

You responded by simply pursing your lips and raising your eyebrows.

“What?!” Hanbin cried, obviously quite offended. “I could!”

Just to appease your friend, you reached out and put a hand on his shoulder. “Okay, Hanbin. If you say so.”

And before he could protest yet again, you turned and headed back out to finish up the rest of your shift, a very amused smirk pulling at your lips.

“So did you ever find that hot date?” you asked Hanbin as soon as he came in through the back entrance of the shop on Friday afternoon.

“I’ve had enough of your sass,” Hanbin murmured, and if you didn’t know him well enough, you would think he was serious. But you did know him well enough, so you knew he was teasing you.

A smile crept onto his lips as he grabbed his apron from his locker, and you bumped into him playfully as you walked by.

This kind of playful teasing was probably your favorite aspect of your friendship with Hanbin. It helped the two of you get through some long hours at the shop, that’s for sure. Though some of your co-workers did like to point out the fact it got very close to flirting... but they were totally wrong!

You and Hanbin were friends! That’s it.

If either of you were interested in the other in that way, something would have come of it by now...

Right?

You shook your head slightly to stop yourself from going down that path. There was no need to think about being anything more than Hanbin’s friend because... that’s what you were! And that’s what you would always be.

Since your timesheet had noted you would be on the register for the first few hours of your shift, you headed up to the counter after slipping through the employee only door. You took your place at the open till and lifted a hand to signal the next customer in line.

Only a minute or so later, you saw Hanbin out of the corner of your eye. He would be helping make the drinks, and you knew automatically he would assign himself to your orders. It’s just what you always did whenever one of you was ringing up and the other was filling orders.

And, of course, it didn’t take long for the two of you to get into your working groove.

You smiled and greeted the customer, punched in their order, called it out to Hanbin, and he would start making it as soon as he could. You guys made a really good team, and it made the time go by so much faster.

“Good evening,” you smiled when the next customer in line -- a guy around your age -- approached the counter. “What can I get started for you?”

The guy smiled back at you as he leaned against the counter next to the register.

Your internal alarm bells immediately went off.

You’d been working here long enough to realize when a customer was going to flirt with you, and a counter lean was usually the start of it.

“Hey there,” the guy replied. “How are you?”

“I’m fine. What can I get started for you?” you repeated.

“Uh, let’s see...” He pretended to look over the menu, and you pretended not to be annoyed. “What would you recommend?”

Oh, Brother.

“It depends on what you like,” you answered. “Personally, I like lattes.”

“Well, I usually don’t like things that are too sweet --”

You knew exactly what he was going to say next.

“Except for cute coffee shop employees,” he said with a smarmy grin. “Those, the sweeter, the better.”

Truly, it took everything in you not to roll your eyes.

But before you could say anything, you felt a sudden presence behind you.

“What can I get started for you?” Hanbin asked, and you didn’t even need to see his facial expression to know what it looked like.

His tone of voice told you everything, and it was very clear he was not amused.

The guy immediately straightened up, his eyebrows lifting a little before he said, “Small Americano, please.”

Hanbin was a fluffy, goofy dumbass, but you did not want to get on his bad side. Because he could be terrifying when he wanted to.

With a smile still on your lips, you punched in a small Americano. And you mentally reminded yourself to thank Hanbin later.

As soon as the guy left the register, you shot Hanbin a look.

“Do not spit in his drink,” you muttered with raised eyebrows.

“I was --”

“Yes, you were.”

Hanbin let out a sigh, making it obvious he had been planning on it. But he wouldn’t now that you’d said something.

And before you could forget:

“Thank you.”

He simply nodded, and you noticed his jaw was set in a pretty harsh line. He was still upset.

After you assisted a couple more customers, there was a lull in the line so you headed to the espresso machine to help out.

You were about to say something to him, thank him again, maybe, but Hanbin beat you to it.

“I hate when that happens,” he murmured.

“It’s not a big deal,” you said softly.

“It is,” he urged. “You’re working. You shouldn’t be harassed while you’re working.”

“He wasn’t harassing me, he was just --”

“Flirting,” Hanbin interrupted. “I don’t like it. It’s annoying as hell.”

“Well, he stopped as soon as you stepped in,” you reminded him, realizing you weren’t actually helping him make a drink. But when you reached out to grab some milk, he nudged you and shook his head.

“But I can’t always be there to step in,” he grumbled. “And I know you would never tell me if it happened when I wasn’t around.”

Yeah, because he would still get upset, and what’s the point?

Hanbin paused, lifting his gaze up to meet yours. “Please tell me you’ve never flirted back.”

Your head jerked back, your brow furrowing deeply. “What?! What are you -- why would I?!”

He continued on making the last drink, and you waited for him to answer... but he didn’t.

“Why would I?” you repeated. “And why would it matter to you if I did?”

“Hazelnut latte,” he murmured, handing you a cup without looking at you.

You let out a soft sigh as you took the drink, deciding it would be best to just drop it. Hanbin hadn’t answered you, and that was that. There was no use trying to push it because he would probably just stop talking to you altogether if you did.

And, if the two of you were closing the shop together, it would be excruciating if he wasn’t talking to you.

“Thank you again,” you whispered after you handed the drink to the customer, on your way back to the register. “You’re the best friend ever.”

You were very tempted to give him a quick hug from behind, but you knew he would blush profusely and get way too embarrassed. And while you normally would love to embarrass him, you didn’t want to right now.

But maybe later.

You let out a deep sigh as you closed the door behind the last customer, turning the lock and resting your forehead against the cool glass.

Usually, evenings weren’t too bad since you worked at a coffee shop and all. Mornings were the worst, and business usually tapered off just before dinnertime. But it was a Friday, so there had been a lot of dates.

So many times, you had almost made a joke to Hanbin about how he could’ve been on a date, too... but you hadn’t.

For some reason, he hadn’t seemed to have gotten over that guy flirting with you. He’d barely spoken to you, and when he had, it had been super business-like and professional. Nothing like usual.

You flipped off one of the light switches, turning off the outside lights and the neon sign so customers would know you were no longer open.

And then you turned and set your sights on Hanbin. There was no way you could let him get away with this pouty silent treatment any longer.

He was already starting to clean the espresso machine, so you grabbed a towel and moved to join him.

“What’s going on?” you asked softly, doing nothing to hide your concern as you spoke.

“What do you mean?” he mumbled in response.

“You’ve hardly said anything to me the past few hours,” you shrugged. “You seem upset.”

“I’m not.”

“...I don’t believe you.”

Hanbin focused on cleaning for about a minute before he said anything else, the tension in the air growing between you two.

“I don’t want to talk about it,” he finally admitted.

“Why not?”

“Because I don’t.”

“But I’m your --”

“I don’t want to talk about it. Not here, not now.” Hanbin’s voice had gotten so quiet, you knew he was serious. So you backed off.

“All right,” you said gently.

But his words hinted that he would talk about it later, somewhere else.

...So you waited until the whole store was cleaned and closed up for the night. You hung up your apron, closed your locker, and darted out into the parking lot.

Hanbin had tried to escape, but you caught up to him easily enough before he had a chance to get to his car.

“Now will you tell me why you’re mad at me?” you asked, somewhat breathless.

“I --” Hanbin started before closing his eyes in frustration. “I’m not mad at you.”

“Then why aren’t you talking to me? Why are you giving me the silent treatment?” You crossed your arms over your chest and raised your eyebrows expectantly.

“What part of ‘I don’t want to talk about it’ don’t you understand?” he snapped as his glaring gaze locked on you.

...Whoa.

You took a step back, your arms falling to your side as your heart began to thump with anxiety. “I -- I’m sorry, I --” you stammered. Hanbin had never spoken to you like that in the year that you’d known him.

What was going on?

Immediately, his gaze softened, and he looked... well, he looked incredibly disappointed in himself.

“No, Y/N, I -- I didn’t mean it, I just --” He let out a sigh, lifting a hand and running it over his face. “I don’t... I don’t know.”

“You don’t know what?” you whispered.

“I don’t know why I’m so upset that he flirted with you!” he told you, chuckling with frustration.

Your heart calmed down, and a smile tugged at your lips at his words. He was still just upset about that guy from earlier. What a relief!

“You’re upset because you’re a good friend,” you told him, reaching out and putting a hand on his shoulder. “But he really wasn’t that bad.”

Rather than looking placated or guilty like you expected, Hanbin simply looked even more annoyed. “No, it’s not --”

But before he could say anything else, you stepped up and pulled him into a hug.

“You’re not just a good friend,” you assured him as you wrapped your arms around his shoulders. You felt his own arms come around your waist, so you continued. “You’re the best friend. Thank you for stepping in and telling him off. I really appreciate it. I appreciate you so much, and I --”

“I don’t think I want to be your friend anymore,” Hanbin mumbled into your hair.

You stopped short, freezing in his arms.

“...What?”

Hanbin only held you tighter, and your heart began to race.

“I don’t think I want to be just your friend anymore,” he corrected. “I think I’m so upset because I don’t want other guys flirting with you. I don’t want other guys to be interested in you.”

Your brow furrowed deeply, but you still didn’t pull away. “What are you --”

“Just me,” he breathed. “I want to be the only guy who flirts with you. Or... at least, the only guy you flirt back with. I guess that’s more important.”

You gulped, trying your best to breathe despite the fact your heart was now pounding in your chest.

“Hanbin, I --”

“It’s okay if you don’t feel the same way,” he continued. “Honestly, I’m still confused. Why now? Have I liked you this whole time and just never realized it? Have I always been flirting with you and playing it off as friendly teasing? What was so special about that one guy that made me so angry? I know you were smiling at him, but you were just doing your job. You weren’t flirting back, and I --”

“Hanbin, shut up,” you interrupted breathlessly.

And then you pulled away just enough to face him, leaving your arms wrapped around his neck and shoulders.

He did shut up, though he looked at you with an equal mixture of confusion and anxiety. “What?” he asked nervously.

You searched his eyes, trying to gather your thoughts because you honestly had no idea how to react.

Hanbin, one of your closest friends, was telling you... he had feelings for you?

Romantic feelings?

“Y/N, please say something,” he urged after almost a minute of silence.

You hadn’t even realized you hadn’t said anything because about a million thoughts were flying through your mind.

“I’m sorry,” you whispered.

And you immediately regretted it because Hanbin’s hold on you loosened, and he moved to step away from you. He looked dejected, and to be quite honest, it broke your heart.

“No, no, no, no,” you said quickly as you held fast to his shoulders, not letting him pull away from you. “No, I didn’t mean -- Hanbin, wait.”

He paused, lifting his gaze to meet yours, his expression very much like that of a kitten about to be scolded for scratching up a chair or something.

You moved your hands to the sides of his neck, reaching your thumbs up to trace his jawline. Your heart sped up even more as you met his gaze.

“I’m sorry you were upset,” you corrected. Because you were. You realized you really didn’t like seeing him upset. Especially when it had something to do with you. “I’m sorry that guy came in and -- and flirted with me, and I want you to know it made me uncomfortable. I didn’t want him to flirt with me, and I had absolutely no intention of flirting back with him, and I really was relieved when you stepped in.”

Hanbin raised his eyebrows at you as you continued to run your thumbs over his jaw. “Okay... so, what does that mean?” he murmured.

...What did it mean?

You opened your mouth to reply, but you closed it again when you realized you weren’t sure what to say.

And then you simply tilted your head forward, pressing your forehead against his.

“It means... I didn’t want him to flirt with me, and I’m glad you were there.”

“Y/N, if you’re just going to tell me you only want to stay friends, I can’t --”

“I don’t know if that’s what I’m going to tell you,” you blurted out. “All I know is I’m glad you were there.”

A somewhat tense silence filled the air for a few moments... but then Hanbin slowly snaked his arms back around your waist.

“You’re glad I was there.”

You nodded.

And you gulped.

“And... I’m glad you’re here now,” you whispered. Because you were.

You had no idea what would happen after tonight, after right now.

Maybe you and Hanbin would continue on being friends.

Or maybe you and Hanbin would never be friends again.

Maybe you would be more than friends.

Because, no matter how you looked at it, you knew one thing was true: you had been glad he was there earlier when the guy was flirting with you. And you were glad he was here with you now.

And... honestly... maybe that was all you needed to know.

For now, at least.

[danrdarrenc]

Will proposing to Sonny.

Wanonymous said: If you’re interested, I would love to hear about Will and Sonny renewing their vows/getting married again since idk if their marriage contract is still valid lol

anonymous said: Prompt: Will plans a surprise vow renewal for Sonny now that he has his memory back (but it’s just the two of them)

A sequel to this fic but can be read alone.

The idea comes to Will when he finds the papers stuffed in the back of his desk drawer. In the chaos and excitement of the return of his memories, he’s forgotten that he and Sonny are actually divorced. 

He remembers what he said to Sonny that first night: You’re my husband. And I’m yours. And it will always be that way. It was the truth then and it’s the truth now. In their hearts and their every day life they’re (still) married, but the law says otherwise. 

A plan begins to form.

“Adrienne? Justin? Can I talk to you?” Will finds them both in the sitting room of the Kiriakis mansion, Adrienne drinking tea, Justin reading over some paperwork. 

Despite it being nearly Christmas, Sonny is off on a week-long business trip to Chicago that Chad has sent him on and Will takes the opportunity to set his plan in motion. 

“Will, hi.” Adrienne greets him with a smile. She’s been nicer and more maternal to him in the few months since he’s gotten his memories back than she was to him during the entirety of the three years that Will was with Sonny before. He supposes she’s just glad to see Sonny happy again. 

“What can we do for you?” Justin asks, abandoning his papers. “Is Sonny okay?”

“Oh. Yeah. He’s fine. He’s in Chicago at some conference,” Will explains. “But Sonny is actually what I wanted to talk to you about.”

“Okay.” Will hears the warning in Adrienne’s voice.

“Adrienne, I know you were never a fan of mine. No, please let me finish,” Will says, as Adrienne opens her mouth to speak. “And I know that I broke Sonny’s heart - before. But I never stopped loving him. He’s a part of me in way no one else ever could be. I want to marry him again. So…I’m not asking for your permission but I would like your blessing.”

“Oh, Will.” Adrienne’s voice is soft and her body melts. “Of course you have our blessing,” she says and immediately envelopes him in a hug. 

Justin, too, hugs him tightly and shakes his hand in congratulations.

Will thanks them both and then on his way out says, “I’d like to try to keep this a surprise, so please don’t tell Sonny.”

They both agree.

Step two is to secure a dinner reservation at Doug’s Place. He’s never sure if Julie is a fan of his but today she appears to be. 

“I know it’s close to Christmas and I know it’s last minute, but I’d really appreciate it if I could get an 8 o’clock dinner reservation for two for Friday night. Sonny comes home on Thursday and I’d like for everything to be set before then.”

“Is there any special reason for this dinner?” She’s got a twinkle in her eye that tells him she knows the answer to that question.

His face splits into an embarrassed grin. “I want to ask him to marry me.”

“Oh, honey.” She melts the same way Adrienne had. “You know what? I can do better than just a dinner reservation for you. You can have the whole place to yourselves.”

“Are you sure?” Will asks, alarmed. “I don’t want to take business away from you.”

She waves his objection away with her hand. “Don’t worry about a thing. I’ll take care of everything. It’ll be perfect.”

“Thank you,” Will responds, overwhelmed by Julie’s sudden outpouring of love. 

Step three is to buy rings. Will wants this to be a fresh start, so it’s going to be new rings. In any case, Will has no idea where either original ring is. So he heads to the jewelry shop in the Square and picks out two pewter rings.

As he steps out of the store, he literally bumps into Lucas who is out with Will’s new baby sister, courtesy of Bonnie Lockhart.

”Is it weird?” Will asks, gesturing to the one-year old in the carriage Lucas is pushing.

”Having a new baby?” Lucas asks. When Bonnie had first dropped the news on him, he had insisted on a paternity test, which had proved she wasn’t lying. “Not really. You’re all grown up and Allie’s half way across the world. It’s kind of nice having a little person again who depends on me.”

Will grins. “You should bring her over to the apartment. I’m sure Ari would love to use her as a living doll.”

Lucas laughs and then asks, “Was that the jewelry store I saw you leaving?” His eyes sparkle and he has a devilish grin on his face.

Will blushes, caught out by his dad. “Uh, yeah. I’m going to ask Sonny to marry me tomorrow.”

”That’s great!” Lucas booms, startling some nearby passersby. “I’m so happy for you, Will.” He pulls Will into a bone-crushing hug.

When they break apart, Will admits he’s nervous.

”Why?”

”I don’t know. I know he’ll say yes. We still consider ourselves married. But it’s still nerve-wracking, y’know?”

”You’ll be fine,” Lucas encourages just as the baby starts getting fussy. “I should go.”

Will nods and heads in the opposite direction as his father and sister.

Step four is asking Gabi to take Ari for the weekend, starting tomorrow. It’s an unspoken agreement that Will and Sonny are Arianna’s primary caretakers.

”Of course I’ll have her for the weekend!” Gabi exclaims when he explains why he’s asking. “Oh. I’m so happy for you, Will. You deserve it. Both of you do.” She hugs him tight and he’s overwhelmed by how grateful he is to have her as his friend and the mother of his child.

Will picks Sonny up at the train station two hours later.

”I missed you,” Sonny says when they break apart from the lingering kiss with which Will has greeted Sonny.

”I missed you, too. Let’s go home. Ari’s there with Gabi waiting to see you.”

After a quick hello hug, Gabi lets herself out of the apartment, leaving the three of them to share a quiet evening.

As they’re climbing into bed after getting Ari settled for the night, Will says, “I thought we could go out for dinner tomorrow, just the two of us. Gabi’s agreed to have Ari for the weekend.”

Sonny looks at him curiously but acquiesces. “Okay. Any particular reason why?”

Will shrugs. “We haven’t really spent much time alone since I got my memory back and I realized how much I missed you this past week.”

Sonny grins slowly, more than appeased. “I love you,” he says, shuffling himself into the middle of the bed to pull Will into a kiss.

Will smiles, his heart full, and meets Sonny’s mouth with his.

”Doug’s Place?” Sonny asks rather unnecessarily, as they plot the familiar course through town to the club that once belonged to Sonny.

Will nods. “I made us a reservation this morning. I hope it’s okay.” The ring box sits comfortably in Will’s jacket pocket, rising and falling with each of his breaths.

”Of course it’s okay,” Sonny answers, kissing Will’s cheek and lacing their fingers together in between them.

They arrive at the restaurant at five minutes to eight. Inside, the lights are low, soft music plays on the speakers, and there’s a table in the middle set for two, a single rose in a vase sitting in the center of the table. A bottle of champagne rests in a bucket of ice next to the table. Conspicuously, the place is empty of patrons.

”Will?” Sonny questions.

”Julie was feeling generous and closed the place for us,” Will says.

Will leads Sonny to the table. “What are you up to?” Sonny asks as they sit down.”

Will is spared having to answer the question as a waiter appears with menus and to pop the champagne. Having eaten there many times, it takes Will and Sonny only minutes to decide what they want for dinner: steak and fries for Sonny, a bowl of pasta with shrimp and peas for Will.

While they wait for their food, they discuss mundane things: TV shows they want to watch; books Will has yet to read; Sonny’s trip to Chicago; Will’s work at the paper. Eventually, when their food arrives, talk turns to the shenanigans happening around Salem. They discuss the mess of Chad and Abigail’s lives (and Gabi’s part in it); the mess of Jennifer, Brady, and Eric’s lives, in only a small part due to the return of Nicole; Sonny asks about Marlena’s progress, which turns to talk about if either of them have had any news about Paul; and they take bets about how uncomfortable the Horton tree trimming will be this year.

”Is it strange to have a sister younger than Ari?” Sonny asks.

Will ponders the question. “I haven’t really thought about it. I guess so. I think it’s weird for Dad, though. I asked him yesterday about it, actually. He says it’s not but I don’t think he was entirely honest.”

”Will it be weird if she ends up looking like me?”

Will laughs. “Why would she look like you?”

”Bonnie looks just like mom,” Sonny answers. Don’t you think she might resemble me when she gets older?”

Will stares at him, speechless, a forkful of pasta frozen in midair halfway to his mouth. Sonny grins.

After that, Will is too disturbed by that image to carry on anymore conversation and they finish their meal in comfortable silence. When their plates are devoid of any food, Will stands and holds his hand out to Sonny. “Dance with me?”

Sonny’s face softens with a small smile and he takes Will’s hand, falls into Will’s arms, which encircle his waist as soon as Sonny is out of his chair. Sonny’s arms automatically go around Will’s shoulders, his hands resting together behind Will’s head. They sway on the spot, not really dancing, but not standing still either.

“Thank you for tonight,” Sonny says after a bit. “It was nice.”

“Only nice?” Will asks.

Sonny blushes. “More than nice.” After a beat, he says, “Sometimes I still can’t believe this is real. That you’re really here and with me. I don’t say it, but sometimes when I wake up and you’re not in bed, I panic. I have to remind myself that you’re only in the bathroom or Ari’s room.”

Will stops swaying, the mood turned serious, the ring box heavy in his jacket pocket. “I love you, you know that, right?” Will asks, suddenly unsure.

Sonny nods, lips turned up in a small smile. 

“Marry me,” Will says simply. He had planned on a big speech but standing with Sonny in his arms, a big speech doesn’t seem necessary. There are too many words and not enough words to express everything that he wants to say to Sonny.

Sonny’s mouth drops open in surprise. 

Will lets go of Sonny’s waist with one hand and pulls the ring box out of his pocket. “I had planned on making this a proposal,” Will says.

“But?” Sonny asks, his eyes on the box in Will’s hand. 

“My mom told me once when we were out in LA how she and EJ had privately renewed their vows after she forgave him for the Abigail fiasco. I want us to be married again, Sonny, legally, but we don’t need to wait until we’re in front of friends and family to say our vows. So will you marry me tonight?”

Sonny nods furiously, overcome with emotion, and surges forward to kiss Will. Will smiles into the kiss and pulls Sonny closer, their hearts beating in tandem against their chests. 

When they break apart, Will lets go of Sonny to open the ring box. He’s about to take a ring out when Sonny stalls his hand. 

“Can I - can I go first?” Sonny asks. 

Will drops his hand and lets Sonny take out the first ring. “I meant what I said at our wedding. You’re my anchor. When I came back to Salem after San Francisco, I came back with the intention of being gone in a few weeks. And then I met you, and suddenly I didn’t want to be anywhere else.” Sonny stops, searches Will’s eyes. His free hand finds Will’s. “I lost my mooring when you went to LA and I know - I know everything spiraled out of control from there. We both did and said things we shouldn’t have.” 

They’ve already talked about it, that last year, last eight months before Sonny left and Will “died”, but Sonny needs it to be clear now, in this moment, that he’s claiming responsibility in how things ended, needs Will to know that he will makes sure that it never happens again.

“You once said that you brought more of the imperfections to our relationship and I said that wasn’t true. That was the truth then and it’s true now. I took you for granted and I am so so sorry about that. I judged you more than I should have and I made you feel unloved. I abandoned you and I have hated myself for it every day for the past three years. I never stopped loving you, Will. Burying you was the most awful week of my life. I spent weeks, months after not believing it was real. It turned me cold, and hard, and into someone I didn’t even recognize.”

Sonny looks down, away from Will, and bites his lip. His heart still hurts when he thinks about WIll’s funeral. 

“Coming back to Salem was hard. Everything reminded me of you. And even when I pushed through the memories, I was still uncertain, unmoored, lost without my anchor. But then the most amazing miracle happened.” Sonny returns his gaze to Will and his face splits into a bright smile. “I got you back. You were alive. Suddenly I could breathe again. And even though you couldn’t remember me, you were still here, y’know? I got a piece of my heart back I never thought I would ever see again. These last four months have been a dream come true. 

“And I know that what happened before you died can’t be undone but I need you to know that I will never, ever take you for granted again. You are the most important person my life, Will, besides Ari.” Sonny takes the ring box from Will and drops it onto the table next to them. Then he lifts Will’s left hand to his mouth and kisses his knuckles before sliding the new wedding ring onto Will’s finger. “I love you so much, Will. As I give you this ring, so I give you my heart.”

Will swallows thickly, overcome with emotion. He laces their fingers together, swings their entwined hands a little at their sides. “When I was in Memphis, all I knew about my life was what Susan had told me. And then you came walking into the bar and completely changed my life. I know the amnesia was hard on you and I am so sorry that you had to suffer like that. But I meant what I said when I got my memory back. You’re in my heart. You’re in my bones. You are part of me in a way no else is. 

“I know that I was kind of a mess that last year before I - before I died. I betrayed your trust so badly. But I never want to be that person again. I also - I also called our life boring,” Will says, his brow furrowing at the bad memory. “That was unfair to you and what we had built together. The truth is you’re my anchor too. These past few months with you I have never felt more settled in my life, like I’m right where I’m supposed to be and who I’m supposed to be with. I didn’t just get my memories back, I got my heart and my soul back.” Will lets go of Sonny’s hands to pull the second ring out of the box on the table. Slipping it onto Sonny’s finger, Will says, “I love you more than anything, Sonny, except for Ari. As I give you this ring, so I give you my heart.”

As soon as the ring is secure on his finger, Sonny takes Will’s face in his hands and kisses him, deeply. 

“Husbands for life,” Sonny mumbles against Will’s mouth, his eyes closed and their foreheads touching.

“Husbands for life,” Will echoes quietly, his arms tightening around Sonny’s waist. 

They return to swaying to the soft music drifting out of the speakers, until eventually they make their way to the privacy of their home. 

[aelin-and-feyre]

Circumstance (Part 13)

This chapter is actually really fluffy and nice if you can believe it lol

Tagging: @aelinxfeyre @vilya1 @a-courtof-fangirls-and-fanfics @autumn03@rhysandpurred @crazybookladythings @devilsadvocate15@marimarac @carolineherr15 @musiccbeach @illyrian-wingspans @illyrianinterrasen @meowsekai @iwishitwasrocketscience @gavrielthelionn @2-bookmaster-2 @bluephoenix222 @daughterxofxnight @highladyofthedark@sugarcoated44 @fandoms-things-stuff @helloprinceling @wolffrising @the-court-of-terrasen @gcarroll @throne–of-sass @rowanismybae @peachyyymeg (let me know if you want to be tagged in future parts!)

Rowaelin Daughter x Feysand Son au

Fic Masterlist

“Dad,” Cade’s voice breaks as he addresses his father. “You can’t ask that of me. You can’t just tell me that I can never see my mate again.” The words themselves send a fierce, painful jolt through his body. The string that connects him to Ember pulls at his gut. He reluctantly pushes the feeling down so that he can focus on the conversation at hand.

Rhys’ eyes close for a couple moments, as if he too is having a hard time coming to terms with the circumstances. “Cadewyn, please.” There is fear in his eyes, genuine fear as he grips Feyre’s hand atop the table. Cade realizes that his father believes they may be in actual danger. He briefly wonders who their adversary could be that could render his usually fearless father so scared. There hadn’t been a war in Cade’s short lifetime, but he’s heard enough from the war with Hybern to know that they had been very close to losing. He also knew that his father had been among the hundreds who had died, and he was one of the only two who had come back. The other is sitting next to Cade.

“We wouldn’t be asking this of you if there was any other way,” Amren’s voice sounds like it’s trying to be sympathetic, but failing. Her calculating mind knows that this is the right thing to do, to save many people and preserve peace. “I’m sure Ember understands why we can’t take the risk either.”

That makes Cade freeze up. “I wouldn’t know what Ember thinks though, would I? She was wrenched from me the second you all got involved.” He is silently cursing himself for not being more careful with her, for not taking precautions. He had practically pranced down one of the main streets of Velaris with her in tow for everyone to see. How could he have been so stupid? “I don’t even think she knows that we are mates, yet.” He mumbles, mostly to himself.

Feyre shares a glance with Rhys. “I’m not saying it will be easy to leave her, Cade, but perhaps it’s for the best,” she is still holding her husbands hand, their entwined fingers resting comfortably on the table in front of them. Cade’s gaze zeroes in on that sign of his parent’s love and support of one another. His breathing becomes ragged as he entertains the possibility of never achieving that with Ember.

“She’s my mate,” he grounds out, “Dad, you would never have accepted this. You would have fought for mom until you’re dying breath.”

“You’re wrong,” Rhys replies, his tone becoming stone cold. “I was fully prepared to give up your mother and anything that might happen between us for her happiness and safety. I was going to let her marry another man if that was what she desired, if that was what would keep her safe and healthy and happy for the rest of her life. You should be prepared to do the same for your mate.”

Cade feels like he’s been slapped in the face. The air in the room becomes taut as the High Lord stares at his son, his eyes begging Cadewyn to understand. They want nothing but peace for Prythian, after they’ve worked so hard to build it. Cade understands that, he does. But Ember would be his High Lady, someone who the Night Court would protect no matter what, just like they are with Feyre.

Cade realizes that his parents are looking at the immediate future, the possibility of destruction and death, all for a foreign princess who they do not care for. However, Cadewyn - and perhaps Amren too - can see the years and years of prosperity Ember would bring to Velaris. The two of them would be kind, just, and powerful leaders who would earn the respect and love of their people.

He sighs. Cade knows that his parents wish they weren’t asking this of him, that they regret ever making the treaty and forcing him into this position. He also knows that they believe him mature and strong enough to make the ‘right’ decision. And they are correct, he will make the right choice, just perhaps not the one they want.

At this point in time, however, it is most pertinent to appease them until he has a more solid plan. Cade closes his eyes, like his father had moments ago, and takes a deep, calming breath. He dips his head down a bit, as if he’s thinking extra hard about something, before raising his face with a stern expression. “Would you allow me to sleep on it? This is a very big decision I must make, and I need a little time to think.”

Rhysand lets out a relieved breath, a small smile gracing his features as Feyre squeezes his hand comfortingly. Cade doesn’t like causing his parents pain - just as they do not enjoy inflicting it on him - so knowing how fearful Rhys had been, made Cade’s heart twinge. “Thank you, son,” Rhys replies, “Of course. Go rest up, we’ll be anxiously awaiting your response in the morning.”

Cade’s mouth is set in a straight line as he stands, barely seeing his parents as bright turquoise and gold eyes flash through his mind. He nods to each of them, and then to Amren who is watching him carefully. He measures his steps towards the door, making sure to not falter, and lets his hands hang loosely at his sides. He has a hand on the doorknob, grip tightening infinitesimally, when Feyre calls back to him.

“Perhaps before going to bed,” she suggests, “maybe stop by your aunt and wish her a happy birthday?” Cade almost feels guilty for having completely forgotten about the date. He will talk to his aunt, even if it is for only a short time.

The smile on Cade’s lips is not forced as he responds, “Of course, mom. Good night, I love you.”

His parents reciprocate the words and then Cade is out the door and silently clicking it shut behind him. However, the thin wood does not prohibit him from hearing what happens on the other side. He hears both of his parents sigh in relief.

“I hated that,” Rhys mutters, and if Cade could believe it, he thought he heard his father rest his head on the table. He can almost imagine his mother rubbing calming circles up and down his back.

“I know, I did too,” she soothes. “But it’s for Velaris, and for his own good. We’ve seen Ember. She’s skilled and powerful but is so tightly wound, she could explode any minute. We can’t have her endangering Cade or the Night Court with her secrets and schemes.”

Cadewyn has to work very hard to restrain his growl. Then he hears Amren speak. “It is true that the girl is unpredictable, but we’ve only known her for two weeks. I needed the full three months to assess her and without it, I can’t be sure whether she would be a hindrance or an aid to us if war comes.” Cade clenches his fists. They had been testing her. “Regardless, the plan is over, and it is in your son’s hands now. Both of you must trust him enough to accept his decision no matter what.”

His parents give a wordless reply that Cade is unable to hear. He rests his forehead against the cool wood of the door and whispers, “I can do this. Please trust me.” And then he pushes away and down the steps into the kitchen.

He places a somewhat troubled but nonviolent expression on his face as he sees Nesta and Cassian sitting there, the former drinking a glass of wine as she stares out the window. Cade clears his throat and they turn to him. Cassian’s face stretches into a hesitant smile, Nesta’s gaze searching his own. He has always had a strong connection to his aunt, what he thinks might be from Nesta trying to do better with him than she did with his mother.

“Happy birthday, Aunt Nesta,” he finally works up the courage to say. Nesta remains staring at him, expression devoid of emotion as she swishes her wine in the stemless glass. Cade works exceptionally hard not to fidget under her gaze, and keeps his expression impassive, trying not to convey his inner turmoil. He will be able to do that in the comfort of his room. Now that he is away from his parents, the pull in his abdomen is back in full force. He has no idea how his father put up with this for months. Cade briefly wonders if he could get used to it with time.

Eventually, Nesta sets down her glass and stands from her stool by the bay window. Cassian looks at the space between them warily as it quickly shrinks while Nesta approaches him. She’s standing right in front of Cade, tall enough to look him in the eye in her heels, when his aunt pulls him harshly into her arms. She never did get the whole ‘gentle hug’ thing, but Cade melts into her embrace anyway.

She holds him there for many seconds - Cassian’s jaw drops as he watches - before she turns her head to kiss the side of his own. “It’s gonna be okay, little bat,” she whispers, using her nickname for him and Brexton. Then, she pulls away, keeping his gaze locked on hers as if trying to convey some hidden meaning. “Go to bed, Cadewyn, we’ll see you in the morning.” He could have imagined it, but Cade thinks that she may have put a small emphasis on the last word. She holds his stare for a few moments longer, then picks up her wine glass and sits back on her stool. Nesta turns and stares out the window again, as if he had never been there.

Wordlessly, Cade nods, trying to recover from the short bout of affection. He turns on his heel with a quick salute to his uncle, and then marches for the hallway that leads to his room. Thankfully, he doesn’t pass any other people on his way, pushing the door open and locking it behind him. As soon as the latch clicks, Cade’s facade drops.

He sinks to the floor, his back sliding along the rigged surface of his door. Cade pulls his knees up to his chest and rest his forehead on the top of them, scrunching his eyes shut that he might hold in the tears threatening to slip. So much had happened in the last twelve hours, he barely believes it.

Quickly, Cade runs through the events in his head. He came back to Velaris. He found his mate. He spent all day with the woman he is meant to spend the rest of his life with. She was sent away. Now, he’s being told that he can never see her again or there will be a war.

Cade lets out a string of curses, banging his head against his door a couple times. His mind drifts to Ember. He’d felt her through the bond. Felt her. He’d known of her fear and distress from across the world. She is undoubtedly getting the same talk from her parents, and Cade lightly tugs on the little part of her mind that he latched onto a couple hours ago. Immediately, she clamps down around it, as if afraid he was trying to pull away.

One word suddenly shoots down the bond like a lightning bolt. ‘No.’ She commands, thoroughly shaking Cadewyn to his core. Gently, Cade caresses her mind. 

‘I’m not going anywhere kindling,’ he murmurs down the bond. Instantly, a jolt of annoyance but slight pleasure resounds back to him. Despite himself, Cade smirks a bit.

There is no way he can leave her. Absolutely no way.

Suddenly, as if she had grasped his talon and tugged, Cade is being invited into her mind. He shows no reluctance, following her until, while his body remains in Velaris, his soul is across oceans and countries and in Terrasen - in her thoughts.

...

The feeling of another person inhabiting her brain is just a bit disorienting for Ember, but she has to keep concentrated on the matter at hand. She will not allow Cade to distract her. She had called him here for two reasons; so that he could find out what is going on if he doesn’t already know and because as much as she hated to admit it, she wanted him here, with her, as a hand to hold on to.

As if in response to that thought, Cade sends a feeling of comfort and warmth down the bond. It courses through all of her limbs, settling in the tips of her fingers, restraining her from curling her hands into fists as she addressed her parents. “I want to be with my mate.” She says firmly for the third time. She feels Cade’s sense of shock at her words, and the joy that follows.

‘You know?’ He asks quietly in her mind, disbelief and happiness laced through the words. 

‘Ever since you first said hello to me’ she responds, not taking her eyes off her parents. 

‘Well that explains why you were so weird this morning’ he mutters jokingly. If Ember could mentally stomp on his foot, she would.

Aelin sighs, dragging a hand through her blonde hair. Sometimes, it felt like Ember was looking in a mirror whenever she faced her mom, but at the moment, Aelin’s advanced age shows. She has rings under her eyes from worry and little sleep. Her Ashryver eyes - usually perfect matches to Ember’s - have years of wisdom and experience shining in them, experience her parents have done everything they can to shield her from. They desperately do not want her fighting a war that does not need to be fought.

“I know you do, my little ember,” she says in a tired and placating voice. “But we have to do whats best for Terrasen.”

“Was marrying dad what was best for Terrasen?” Ember shoots back. They’d been at this for hours, going in circles trying to convince each other that their cause was the greater one. Both mother and daughter were starting to dig a little bit deeper with each round. Aelin has Rowan on her side, his large hand carefully placed on her shoulder as he looks at his daughter with sympathetic eyes. She knows that her father would never wish a fight with his queen on anyone - much less Ember. But now, the princess has her mate with her too, her anchor to stay levelheaded.

“Emberlei,” Rowan voices a warning.

Aelin grinds her teeth. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Oh, don’t I?” Ember raps her nails along the oak table, still feeling the warmth of Cade in the pads of her fingers. He is watching the whole exchange from her mind, slowly gathering where the conversation is headed. “I’ve heard the stories, mom, all of them. When you were going up against Erawan, weren’t there other, much more influential and prosperous pairings that could have been made. Princes and kings and dignitaries from rich countries with large armies that could have helped sway the war in our favor a lot faster than with dad?” She is playing on dangerous territory and she knows it, but she is not stopping. “This is the exact same situation mom, don’t pretend like it’s not. War is hanging above out heads and either I stay with my mate and face it with him,” she sends a swish of affection to him, which he reciprocates instantly, “Or I leave him and show those other countries that they have power over us, that they can sway our decisions and make us do such atrocious things as breaking up a mated pair just by teaming up. That is not the way Terrasen rules, and you know it.”

Cadewyn’s pride in her words cause flickers in her core, forcing her to suppress a smile. ‘There’s my firefly’ he whispers into her mind.

Aelin’s lips are pursed, her eyes slightly squinted. Her scheming face. Almost instinctively, the Queen reaches behind her and pulls Rowan’s hand up to her lips, placing a small kiss of the silver and green ring that circles his fourth finger. “Go fly, Ember,” Her mother says after a couple silent moments with a resigned sigh. “We both need to breathe for a little while. We’ll talk more about this in the morning.”

Ember doesn’t need anymore prompting than that. She stands from her chair, inclining her head to both her parents and pushing out the war room door with a huff. The hallway is completely empty, but her mind is not. Cadewyn is silent and she knows he has a thousand questions. ‘Meet me on the top of the Staghorn Mountain,’ she tells him, knowing he’d been there before and therefore will be able to winnow.

The princess reaches the door to the garden just as she feels his presence disappear from her mind - all but that one long talon that still clings to the outside. A quick flash of light and she shifts into her phoenix, flapping her wings furiously towards the mountain where she knows her mate is waiting.

The second Ember crests the last ridge, she’s shifting back, and running into Cade’s arms the next. His strong arms wrap tightly around her frame, pulling her into his warm and loving embrace. Cade’s nose buries itself in her neck, breathing her in as she runs her hands through his midnight blue hair, something she’s been wanting to do since this morning.

They stay like that for what might have been seconds, minutes, or hours, they aren’t really sure. When Ember finally pulls back, Cade’s does not release his hold on her. His arms fall to rest around her waist, not allowing her to go more than four inches away from him. A light blush blooms across Ember’s cheeks.

“I can feel your embarrassment but it’s so dark I can’t even see your beautiful blush,” Cadewyn complains. It’s true, though the stars are out, the moon is nearly gone, casting the plateau they stand on in almost complete darkness. Quickly, Ember conjures a flame to hover above her palm at the same time that Cadewyn’s skin begins to... glow.

Her eyes widen at the ethereal light emanating from his body. Cade chuckles. “One of my mother’s many powers,” he explains. Ember extinguishes her flame and places her hands on either side of his face. This close to him, she can see everything from his high cheekbones to the small scar on his chin. She searches his eyes wonderingly, memorizing them over and over as if she will never see them again. Cade’s hands tighten around her hips when he hears the thought.

“Get out of my mind,” she hisses, “I’m trying to admire you.”

Cade lets out a short laugh again, leaning forward to touch the tip of his nose to the tip of her own. “Sorry, kindling, I can’t really help it. You’re kind of screaming the words down the bond.”

“I wasn’t meaning to,” Ember murmurs, suddenly feeling self conscious. She glances away from him, hoping that perhaps without direct eye contact he won’t be able to hear her thoughts.

Cadewyn lets out a small growl of disapproval at the gesture. “Please look at me,” he whispers. She immediately meets his gaze again. “I don’t want to miss one second of those gorgeous eyes.” Even as he says it, his stare flickers to her lips, which Ember promptly bites nervously. “I truly did not do them justice,” he murmurs when his gaze finds her own once more. “In any of my paintings.” Her cheeks heat at the intensity of his stare, making Cade lean forward and just brush his lips against her cheekbone. “I’ve wanted to do that since we were five.”

“Kiss my cheek?” She asks incredulously.

Cade shrugs. “It was the only thing I knew you could do with a girl back then.” Before Ember can ask what he wants to do now - when he knows all the things to do with a girl - Cade’s gaze meets her forehead. One of his hands leave her waist to sweep along her hairline, just where a small white scare lies. “I did that to you,” he murmurs, regret pooling in him violet orbs.

“I forgive you,” Ember replies immediately, her tone soft and soothing.

Cade looks at her again, both his hands dropping as he takes a step away. Ember immediately misses his warmth. “Ember, I need to ask you something and I need you to be completely honest.” She nods. “Would you be... happier if we went our separate ways? If I went back to Velaris and you stayed here and we never saw each other again, if we lived by the rules of the treaty and,” he sucks in a breath, like it hurt him with each syllable he uttered, “and found other people.”

Ember’s entire body revolts at the thought. Her heart is pounding faster than it ever has as she tries to process his question. Her soul is convulsing at the mere mention of being ripped away from its other half. Cade stands perfectly still as he waits for her answer. That is, until he sees the tears that prick her eyes.

Cadewyn is across the space between them in an instant, clutching her body against his. Ember’s fingers fist in his shirt, trying to find some semblance of structure, of sense. It takes her two seconds - two seconds longer than it should take a future queen but two seconds nonetheless - to gather her wits and detach herself from her mate. She smooths down his shirt a couple times and steps out of his hold, clearing her throat.

“No,” she responds, loud and firm and clear. “That would not make me happier.” Cade’s body sags with relief. “I don’t understand it, because my sister has always been the one who understood mates more than me, but this bond is strong. I don’t feel like I’ve just met you this morning. I feel like we’ve known each other forever, and have just been slowly clawing our way back to one another.” She takes a deep breath, calming her racing nerves. “I don’t want to be fighting my way to you for the rest of my life. I just want to be with you. No matter what challenges we must face. I want to face them with you by my side.”

That was all Cadewyn needed to hear. She is back in his arms in a matter of moments, their faces centimeters apart as they stare at each other by way of Cade’s still glowing skin. “I have waited,” Cade whispers, his breath fanning across her skin. “For fifteen years to kiss you.”

Ember smiles. “Then what are you waiting for?”

And then his lips are connected with hers, and the whole world feels like it’s on fire.

Masterlist

[survivormagictreehouse]

Episode #11 “Revenge? is a dish best served cold” -Ali

-all i have to say. all i have to say. is revenge? is a dish best served cold. that whole vote was a nightmare. but i've promised to be nicer in my confessionals/host chat so i'm gonna keep it nice. chips is completely a liar, like he just played into the bodhi plan for no reason and its so annoying! he thinks he is playing the middle with tact, but he is just playing it really like... wobbly. jess? never dissed. was honest with me, tried to keep me calm. I STAN JESS. i think she will probably win the season and i'm? here for it. i also love gavin and i feel so bad that he burned his idol for no reason. i feel like none of me/cindi/ruthie is making it to the end, so i hope to be able to vote for gavin or jess. collin is a sweetheart, definitely the best player on his side. i also love rachael now that is also a sweetheart. timmy i do not vibe with, am never hear for men calling women bitches. as men we can and should do better than gross crap like that. birch is lovely, they never seem to know whats up in this game JKFDAS but they are a sweetheart never the less!. anyway so i gave ruthie the idol? because i stick with my allies. and if people are calling us a trio, why not keep cindi as the big threat and ruthie as the disconnected 'easier vote', keeps me cushioned comfortably in the middle mhmm. it was definitely risky but also having two idols was making me feel literally SICK. so agenda moving forwards? work down from that. i also have a jury of men who are likely to dislike me so what can you do about THAT, i'm here to have fun and pull off some cracked shenanigans and i sure did just do that. would LOVE to continue voting off men next round, chips or timmy suits me fine idc which one. my agenda this season is to make sure one of gavin/jess/ruthie/cindi wins the season JNKFDAS screw the rest. they can all GO. but once again bodhi... this is what happens when you tussle with me. in the words of that one game of thrones character (i havent seen the show)... tell bodhi.. i want him to know it was me.

-two final thoughts: - trent has pointed out that this is the third vote out in a row where i said twenty-four hours before tribal 'i want it to be' and then said who left. that streak will DEFINITELY end tho JNKDAFS - i feel like idoling bodhi while unambitious, was good for my game. he has the capacity to come after me lategame, he was connected to people i wasnt, breaks up that voting block of 4 while keeping in collin/rachael who trust me more. im... at peace.

-https://youtu.be/Yy5THF05qjg (from the day after Bodhi left)

-hello okay so today has been... so illuminating? main points are that i do not trust jess, and do trust collin and rachael again? also chips is full of LIES. and as i took a 10min break from writing this i started second guessing myself again, maybe collin is lying. honestly everyone on this tribe is confusing. i've been defending this trio narrative all day but people maybe dont even care. also i feel bad for bodhi that is a king even tho he is so shady all the time as a player NJDFKLAS. cant wait to join him in jury.

-okay so i am once again frustrated. ruthie, gavin and cindi never dissed. rachael and collin are also all good, but the rest whewie. first up jess. jess is my friend and this is by no means a reflection of her as a person, but as a player oh my GOD she is so frustrating. she just has no like... conviction as a player? like jess what do you stand for in this game, what are you as a player. i said in my host chat but talking to her is like trying to staple jelly to a wall, as a player she just... is so. so hollow? idk i just wanna see her have conviction and to see her fight for something . chips is also frustrating as a player he just sits and has an agenda of 'splitting up groups', but all that happens is he gets picked up by a group to target another group, what has he... actually done? he is #2 on my angry list, and top spot is taken by... timmy. timmy i am talking to for the first time in a few days today and its incredibly frustrating. he is sending me this wall of excuses and i? do not want to hear it. i should not have to explain to a grown man that calling a woman a bitch, and he can say he 'snapped and crossed the line' and that it was out of character all he wants but i- do not want to hear it. timmy can be mad all he wants after he gets blindsided and say the entire tribe talks down to him, but then when he leaks cindi's ENTIRE PLAN, cindi isnt allowed to be mad at him? and cindi also kept it as GAME. this is what is so frustrating to me, i've had videos made about how annoying i am in games, i've had people say all sorts of gross personal stuff about me and so i dont wanna hear it. i've had people call my game the worst they have EVER see and i just sat there and took. i. do. not. want. to. hear. it. this game has reminded me of three things, how much i love ruthie (my undisputed closest ally at this point), how much i love olivia and lukas and how much i hate men.

WELL, WELL, WELL... another round of complete and utter RADIO SILENCE. with allegiances to almost everyone left in the game aside from chips, bodhi, and collin, this round was destined to be extremely hard to navigate. there was a lot of talk about breaking up the "trio" of ali, cindi, and ruthie. while i can recognize the danger of keeping a trio in, it is also an enormous target ahead of myself and my duo with jess. an alliance was formed between myself, jess, timmy, and rachael, and we essentially wanted to vote with timmy and rachael to avoid them feeling discluded from the vote and having no trust with us. despite the silence, ruthie's name began to rise above, which as much as i love ruthie, i wanted to be able to appease to timmy and rachael while still being in a "middle position" where i could play both sides that are starting to form. however, during the final fifteen minutes of the vote, CHAOS broke free. bodhi's name started get pushed by ruthie and ali, and as much as i loved that idea, the numbers were not there. so, i encouraged ruthie to play an idol on herself if she had one because otherwise she was leaving, so either way, i would not be at fault for her getting votes. however, bodhi began to try to push a back-up plan to get votes on me instead of him... and when ruthie played her idol, i couldn't risk it knowing how few votes it would take to control the outcome of the vote. so, i wasted my idol. HOWEVER, this seemed to work out well for me, because people seem to trust me a lot more and were very sympathetic towards me wasting it... so i am going to ride on that sympathy for the next few rounds.

So class, today we're going to talk about the difference between a villain and a bitch. I think the class is confused about the distinction. A villain plays the game for themselves. They do not take their alliances seriously or they use them to steam roll. I have been guilty of both of these within this game. I am a villain in this game. You can call me that and I will give you game-related sass back because that is what villains do. Call out my game. It has been chaotic and has a lot of flaws. It's ugly. It hurts people who thought they were close to me (almost everyone thought they were close to me at merge so someone's gettin hurt). A bitch is a personal insult. To call someone that implies that they have explicitly hurt you personally within this game. I would consider a bitch to be someone who, I don't know, attacks someone's personality because they didn't align with them in-game. I'm done with Timmy. He can continue pulling his "No one talks to me" card all he wants, it's a game move that I will never respect, especially when people did talk to you about the Keegan vote. And to be clear, people did talk to both Timmy and Rachael about the Keegan vote. They can claim no one talked to them but the idea was floated by them and they shut it down and Keegan found out about it shortly after. So someone leaked it to him. So when we're looking to get him out last minute I'm sorry that you are not on my list of who to call to vote him out. I've been a shit ally to both Rachael and Timmy and I legitimately was going to try to make that better. Now I think I'm just gonna keep voting Timmy till he's gone and if Rachael stays I'll switch to her. I probably won't actually do that, but I'm over it. I will not vote with Timmy, if I learn he's in on a plan I'm throwing my damn vote somewhere else. 

-SO... ALI SENT ME HIS IDOL and I used it and I didn't go home!  It sucks that I got so many votes and it looked like the one that blabbed was Chips which is disappointing but oh well. I can't believe at one time I trusted him more than Cindi and Ali.  I'm so glad I told her about the counting to get an advantage and not Chips because I really thought about it but Cindi was the last person I had PM'd and had kept  me in the loop so I told her.   Also we made another alliance with the three of us annnnd Gavin and Jess who were both down but as soon as I made it, neither one of them talked? Like...  I know everyone has a life but I expect people to be around when I make an alliance chat!! :k So... we will see what happens with that, the three of us may be screwed after all, lol. 

-I really hope that Cindi is going to stay... time will tell what will happen and who people can kind of trust. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VcNPArwK8PM&feature=youtu.be

hello I am drinking at a wedding and hope I don’t get voted out ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

This vote and this round are sad and ugly because it became personal. I still really don't know what to do but am sticking with the first person who talked to me today. Hoping that once either of the two is out of the game that this can turn back into being a game.

After the confrontation with Cindi last round, I knew this round was going to be tricky. In the challenge, we all had two secret books we had to figure out who's books belonged to who. I was able to somehow get everyones except for Ruthie and Cindi. Cindi lied about her books to someone else and they told me the lie (not knowing it was a lie) so the 4 points I missed were both of their books. After the vote, Cindi posted in the main chat that it had to be her or I who went home this round, which tore a lot of people up because they are friends with both of us and do not want to choose sides. I do not believe that Cindi posted that for people to choose sides, but more for her mental health. Sadly, to find that closure it does involve people choosing sides. So far, everyone besides Ali and Ruthie have told me in a way they are saving me, but this is survivor anything can happen. I am on my guard, but we will see when the vote comes down today. If I survive, this could become a large turning point for my game.

an exhausted gavin has made an appearance to his confessional... my main goal was to win immunity after misplaying my idol last round. can we talk about how embarrassing that is? luckily, i think i am positioned well enough where i am no one's first target, and if i am, not enough people would turn against me. i have been trying to play the middle, and this vote between cindi and timmy has definitely put that position into jeopardy. i just need to do my best to remain close to ali and ruthie, and then from there i can focus on taking out people like collin who is in a similar position as i am trying to play the middle. unfortunately, this vote is breaking my heart, but i don't want a trio to dominate the game as much as i love cindi. so, at this point, i am voting for her... but i am not opposed to her staying.

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Click HERE to watch the Round 11 Cast Assessment 

[fantasyimmortal]

Soooo I started day 7 and had a writing itch I needed to scratch... So here is a new fic... then back to crafting lol

The title I have it as now is It’s Not Just a Game

               I grit my teeth as I looked at the screen of my laptop. “No traces yet…” I sighed as I reread, for the umpteenth time, the RFA logs I had saved. It had been a year since my brother had rushed in and saved myself, Rika and…V.

               I slammed my fist on the table. If it wasn’t for V she would still be with me. She promised to stay with me and even after everything. She was going to drink the elixir and was going be happy with me. I was going to be happy, but that would’ve been a lie.

               It was only after my brother had saved me that I realized Rika had given us the elixir to manipulate and mold us as she saw fit. There was no real happiness in that paradise. It was all an illusion. A mixture of lies and hallucinogenic drugs. Drugs that made you feel like a darkness lingered inside you. It was the perfect formula to fulfil Rika’s best laid plans.

               Rika had liked her. Though, even now, I was unsure of just how much she liked her. Those last few days I hardly saw her, she was plucked away from me. My happiness was plucked away. I pinched the bridge of my nose and closed my eyes tightly as I sighed again. I still remembered her voice and her smile. I pressed my hand to my chest and rubbed it roughly. Tsk. It really hurts…

               I opened my eyes slowly and looked back at the laptop. There was no sign of activity at any of the sister locations of Mint Eye. No electricity. No movement. No nothing. It didn’t make sense. Rika, as far as I knew, had her drink from that second batch of elixir I had prepared special. If she really did drink it then whatever followers were left would’ve done anything to make sure she escaped if it meant the Savior would be happy.

               I was sure I knew everything. I knew where every sister location was. Every algorithm used was my creation so I would know if anything was used. My gaze shot to the door as I heard Saeyoung walk into the bunker. I gripped the top of my laptop, turning the screen away from his always-prying eyes. “Go away.”

               His head tilted to the side as he put one of those horrid tasting chips into his mouth. “Aww but I just got here.” His eyes darted between myself and the computer. “Whatcha doing~?”

               “Nothing.” I slammed the lap top closed as he walked closer.

               He pouted dramatically as he looked at me. “Doesn’t look like nothing.”

               “Gardening tips.” I told him flatly.

                I rolled my eyes at him as his widened with curiosity. “We’re planting a garden?” He asked excitedly.

               “No.” I stood up and gathered my things, preparing to go to my room. “We aren’t. Ugh! What the fuck do you want?” I glared at him as he grabbed my arm when I walked past him.

               “Why won’t you tell me what you were really looking at?”

               I wrenched my arm free from his grasp. “Because you’ll get fucking nosy, and will be biting at my heels like a lost puppy.”

               He frowned and let out a whimper. “It’s only because I care about you.”

               “Yeah!” I growled at him before I sighed and slumped my shoulders. “Well…I care about something too. Shouldn’t you be getting ready to go to that RFA party thing?” I cocked an eyebrow as he looked up at the ceiling.

               “Oh right…That is tonight isn’t it?” He laughed as he shoved a hand in his pocket. He reached up with his free hand and played with the cord of the headphones resting on his neck. “You know. You are part of the RFA now too…”

               “I’m not going.” I turned away from him and began walking to my room once more. I twitched angrily as I heard him follow me.

               “You should go. I know tensions are still high after everything but you need to face things in order to heal wounds.”

               Spinning on my heels, I faced him. “Like you faced things when you up and left! You’re one to talk about facing things! Get off me!” I struggled against him as he suddenly hugged me.

               “What I did was a mistake. One I don’t want to make again. I know I have a lot to make up for. If you need help I want to help. Please brother.” He pleaded as his arms tightened around me.

               I looked away. There was no way he was going to leave me alone if I didn’t give something to appease some of his curiosity. “As of now I don’t need help. But…that doesn’t mean I won’t need it…” Vague, but hopefully it will do for now.

               He bounced back and clapped happily. “Yay we’re bonding!”

               My lip curled up in disgust while I watched him. What the fuck is wrong with him?! He switched back to his serious mode and pushed his glasses up his nose. He cleared his throat and steadily looked at me. “In all seriousness I believe you should come to the party tonight. Like I said, tensions may still be high even though it’s been a year, but we’re all family.” He turned, held up his hand, and waved it slightly as he walked back down the hallway.

               I opened the door to my room and tossed my things on the bed. “Family.” I whispered against the silent walls. Family was such a simple word, but it had a heavy emotional meaning. It could either hold serenity of your happiness or the crushing weight of your despair. Black or white, not much room for a gray area.

               I slumped into my desk chair and covered my face with my hands. I felt happy with her, and it wasn’t because of the drugs. I missed her and not being able to see her at all was hurting me more than I was letting on. I spread my fingers and looked at the closed laptop from between them. I had proven I was better than my brother. I was the best, he wouldn’t have found out anything without someone’s help. Though, if that was the case… “Why can’t I find you, _____?”

                 A few hours later I was standing in the venue hosting the current RFA party. I had thought that getting out of the bunker would clear my thoughts. If I could clear my head I could go back and look at all the information I had with fresh eyes. However, instead of my head clearing, it was becoming clouded with frustration as well as the pain that accompanied a headache.

               Who the fuck invited all these people?! I leaned against the wall in the corner, as per usual when I came to these things. I crossed my arms and watched as the guests talked happily with the members of the RFA. Would your party have been like this, ____? I huffed as I rolled my shoulders. Even after a year she occupied majority of my thoughts.

               I looked out the window, watching the sun set as my mind raced with different scenarios. Rika had wanted to expand her grip on the world. Wanted to engulf it in her vision of paradise. If she had liked _____ as much as I think she did, she had to have been molding her to carry on her work elsewhere.

               My fingers dug into the fabric of my suit. It was the only logical reasoning I had. Which meant I had to find her and save her from the illusionistic hell she was in and was no longer was able to realize it. I was uneasy about letting her meet Rika. At the time she was my savior but I never should’ve let her meet _____. “That was my fault.”

               “What was your fault?”

               I turned slightly and saw Zen looking me up and down. “Go away, albino.”

               His shoulders squared and he held his hand delicately to his mouth. “Oh, I understand that jealousy of my good looks is natural but are those words really necessary?”

               I scoffed at him. “If you’re practicing for a roll, take it elsewhere. I don’t have time for this.”

               “Is that right. And what has you so busy?”

               “Jesus! Are all of you so fucking nosy? You don’t need to know everything.” I pushed myself away from the wall.

               “That goes for you, too.”

               I had heard him as I stormed off but couldn’t care any less. I was a hacker. I had to know everything. “Fucking idiotic albino! What information does an actor need?” I barged out of the entrance to the venue. I breathed in deeply as the wall of cool night air hit me. “You need to know nothing!” I sneered over my shoulder to no one in particular.

               I pulled out my smartphone and smirked to myself. Saeyoung had thought he deleted everything that had happened in the messenger, but I was the best! I kept some of the files. The ones that he couldn’t delete. The ones of just me and her.

               My brows furrowed as my phone began to vibrate. The screen suddenly began to glitch, exactly like when I would hack the system. My eyes widened when a chat bubble appeared on my screen.

“Tag. You’re it, Ray.”

[singingunderthecurtain]

Together For Real (ChanyeolxYOUxKris) Mini Series 1

Mini Masterlist

Picture not mine, found everything on Google

Author: @julietsoddeye AU: Canon/EXO Universe Genre: Angst | Fluff Pairing: Chanyeol x Reader x Kris Trigger Warning: Distrust, Feeling of Betrayal, basically some angsty stuff. Word Count: 2,036

Plot: You, an EXO manager, developed a dangerous relationship with Kris and one day he suddenly left EXO and it left you devastated. For some reason, you found yourself being in a relationship again with one of the boys. And it’s Park Chanyeol.You set boundaries with him, but he shamelessly breaks all the rules making you want to run away.

A/N: So like IDK if I should mark this as Mature. It has a bit of suggestive topics, but no smut at all. And this was supposed to be just a freaking oneshot but then I just keep writing and writing and ideas flow and I didn’t notice that it’s getting longer and longer lmfao. I wanted this to be just a 5K words one shot, but I’m already passed 5K and I’m still not in the climax of the stroy lmfaoooo. So yeah, here goes a mini series.Also a little back story: I intended for this fic to be another Threesome piece, but then I got tired of smut and lately I’ve been really obsessed with Angsty fics, so I turned it into Angst with a little bit of Fluff. hahahaha. hope you like it. XD Plus I think all Chanyeol did in this fic is cry, if you don’t like it then I’m sorry (no I’m not) lol

It wasn’t a strange thing that Idols and staff to hook up, as a matter of fact, it is kind of a thing that happens a lot since they are together almost 24/7 for days, weeks and even months on end. It was bound to happen because literally, their lives revolve around in the same business and each other. You just have to be discreet about it.

That’s why when Kris decided to leave EXO and SM finally; it was both good and bad news for you.

Good news because he was finally free from his misery. Mainly the reason why your relationship started was that because he needed someone to talk to. Sure, he was close friends with all of EXO, but he can’t complain to any of them about how the management mistreated him, not even the Chinese members. Especially not Tao, whom he was really close with. That kid was just naïve and happy. Among the Chinese members, he was spoiled, he was treated well because he was very young.

You found him one late evening, drinking and smoking alone while crying on the balcony of their dorm. You only went back because you forgot the documents you needed for the next day’s meeting. You were one of the managers for EXO and you left your document bag when you took them home. You were responsible for getting the boys of EXO home, along with a driver.

You wanted to scold him that day but you stopped yourself because he was still a year older than you are. It felt weird and you have no exact grip on him since you manage Jongdae. He still panicked though when he saw that you saw him and he begged you not to tell anyone.

Ever since then you both formed a friendship and eventually turned into something else. You weren’t official per se, but he treats you good. He treats you how a real man should. He treats you better than the last asshole you dated. The conversation and the sex were the best you’ve had in your life.

Bad news because it meant it was the end for the both of you. He didn’t even say anything to you when he left. Everyone, especially the EXO members were hurt when he decided to leave. But they didn’t know you were hurting the most. Because you were his emotional rock when he was struggling. You were patient with him and you were by his side always, listening to him when he can’t talk to his members.

The last time you both spoke to each other was a few months after he left. He kept apologizing and saying that he misses you a lot. You were silent most of the phone call, only answering a few ‘hmms’ or ‘yeahs’ while he talked. You know he only said those words to appease your silent strife. He knew you were upset but you chose not to speak up since you know the unspoken boundaries you both set for each other.

You understand why he left, but you never understood why he didn’t let you know of him leaving. You thought all those years of conversations out and in between the sheets, he would at least tell you of his plan. You knew this would happen; you were a witness when the three members of TVXQ and Han Geng left. You were just new to the company that time, and everyone was shaken because of it.

After Kris hangs up, you cried and didn’t notice that Chanyeol was just behind you all throughout the phone call and he heard everything clearly. From whom it was you were talking with and to the relationship you shared with Kris. At first, he was angry. Angry because you get to at least talk to Kris while the members didn’t even get a simple text message from him.

And that night was the start of the shitstorm that is Park Chanyeol.

Chanyeol’s demeanor towards you changed dramatically overnight. He was the playful and teasing kind, but with you, not anymore. From being friendly, he started being civil and professional around you. Nobody seemed to notice except you and it bothered you to a point where you have to confront him.

But when you did, he just scoffed and brushed you off as if you’re just nothing. He told you everything was fine and that you both should forget what happened.

So you did, you tried to mirror his attitude, which only took you a few weeks to succeed. But then you notice that he also started to look at you longingly, and sometimes judgingly. He seemed to always be in some kind of spell whenever you walk into a room he was in. But then he’ll snap back to life when he notices you’re looking back. He was hot and cold.

“What happened to Chanyeol?” Jae suddenly asks you, interrupting you from your intense focus on your shared TV. You and your roommate were catching up on your favorite TV show because you missed three weeks of it since you just got back from Europe. The EXO boys filmed in different places for their comeback.

“What happened to him?” You replied nonchalantly. You tried to ignore that she mentioned Chanyeol again.

“Like, why is he so mad at you? You were not the only one Kris called after leaving. “ Jae said as she puffed air to blow away a strand of hair on her face. Her right hand was greased with butter and popcorn bits, the other holding a can of beer.

The two of you finally get a well-deserved break after working non-stop for five weeks straight.

“What do you mean I wasn’t the only one who Kris called?” You scrunch your forehead and finally faced her with a big question mark forming on your face.

“After Kris called you, he called Luhan. I guess I forgot to tell you.” She shrugged her shoulders and grabbed a handful of her snack and popped it one by one inside her mouth. Luhan left SM 6 months after Kris did, but the difference between them was that Luhan told every one of his plans and most of the EXO boys supported his decisions.

You sighed, feeling tired all of a sudden and lazily focused your eyes back to the television, ignoring the fact that your friend forgot to tell you that one important detail. After a while, Game of Thrones suddenly seems uninteresting, you yawned and excused yourself, telling Jae you’re sleepy. She greets you good night as she promised you she will never spoil anything to you.

You smiled at her tiredly, convincing her that you’re sleepy. But the truth was, you just wanted to go to your room so you could wallow in self-pity while thinking about Kris again. It has been a year already, but you still can’t shake him off your head.

Soon enough sleep finally found your brain. You slackly stood up from your slump on the bed when your phone’s ringtone suddenly blares out. You jump up in surprise but moved on almost immediately after. You eye your phone and it was Youngjun, your team leader, aka the head of all EXO managers calling.

“Hello?” You answered attentively.

“Oh my gosh finally, somebody answered!” Youngjun groaned in triumph when he heard your voice. The alert in his tone suddenly wakes your mind up.

“What happened?” You replied immediately with concern.

“I know you’re on your day off, but I need you to go to the boys’ dorm. Chanyeol is home alone and very sick. Check if he needs to go to the hospital or not. I can’t go right now because I’m with Kyungsoo on the set. You were the first to answer the call!” Youngjun said in one long breath, explaining the situation.

“Okay, I will be there ASAP!” Your eyes widen when he said that Chanyeol is very sick. You dislike him for ignoring you but it’s still your job to cater to his needs. The moment Youngjun ended the call; you rapidly grab your messenger bag and hoodie from a corner in your room. You check the contents of the bag and were satisfied when all your necessary items are in there and stuff your phone inside.

When you got out of your room, Jae, the main person who was responsible for Chanyeol, is peacefully snoring on the sofa while the TV show continues to play. Her phone is always off whenever she’s on break, that’s probably why Youngjun cannot reach her. You sigh in defeat and decided to let her sleep for now and kick her ass later.

The boys’ dorm, thankfully was just a building away from your apartment. All the staff and artists live near each other so that when they need you, you’ll just cross the bridge that connects from building to building.

When you opened the door, you were met with silence. Where were they all could be, you think to yourself? Why did they leave Chanyeol alone, sick?

Chanyeol’s room was slightly ajar and dark. You pushed it silently and flicked the lights on. You saw him on his bed with his eyes closed, wearing nothing but a thin shirt and sweatpants. You closed the door behind you and dropped your bag on the floor as you make your way to him.

“Chanyeol…” You say as you shake his shoulders gently. His warm palms suddenly caged your wrist and you let out a slight shriek of surprise.

“Oh my God you scared me!” You say as you try to shake away from his strong grip.

Chanyeol unanticipatedly pulls you, making you lose your balance. He caught you just in time and his arm clenches tight around your waist. You are on top of him with your legs hanging off the edge of the bed.

“Chanyeol!” You said as you prop yourself up on the side with the hand that Chanyeol wasn’t holding.

“I knew Jae noona will not answer the call, I knew you’d come instead,” Chanyeol whispers, his warm breath blowing a lulling breeze on your face and you suddenly feel your cheeks heat up.

Without warning, Chanyeol twirls your body around, your back resting on the soft bed. He was pinning you down, his arms still around your waist with his legs in between your spread ones. You felt your middle suddenly enflames as his body blankets over you.

“What are you doing?” You question him silently, your voice weirdly sounded weak and small.

Chanyeol finally lets go of your wrist and his hand reach out to brush the strands of hair away from your face. The touch of his hand left a burning feeling on your skin as he trails your jaws and cup your neck with his warm palms.

You closed your eyes preparing for the pain that you thought he will inflict on you, but his hand suddenly slid on the nape of your neck and you felt his moist lips softly touch yours in a gentle kiss. He didn’t move for what felt like hours testing the waters, waiting if you will protest. When you didn’t shift at all, he finally moves his head to the side and presses harder on you to deepen the kiss.

Your skin started quivering when you felt his tongue brush delicately on your upper lip, asking for entrance. For some reason, you slightly open your mouth to respond and his tongue gracefully slithers its way to meet yours.

Chanyeol lets out a small moan from the back of his throat when you reach up your hand to run your fingers through his soft and silky hair. His hips start to gyrate skillfully, his boner growing and a wave of desire radiate through his hip movement straight to your core.

“Is this why you keep ignoring me?” You ask after you both pull away from each other’s kiss. Chanyeol inhales and exhales a deep breath before answering.

“Yes,” Chanyeol said, his eyes never leaving his gaze on you.

“You know you’re so unfair, I always blamed myself on why you hated me.” You closed your eyes and felt the strange pang in your chest grow as you breathe in and out through your mouth.

“I’m sorry I don’t know how to deal with my feelings for you. Kris Hyung always knew that I liked you, but he still came for you.” Chanyeol’s confession made you open your eyes to see water pooling around his tear ducts, threatening to fall. You can see the hurt in his eyes and your heart melted immediately.

“Chanyeol I—“ You struggle with your words as he closes his eyes and his tears trickles down his face and dripped on your cheeks, rolling down your neck.

[hudsonkang-blog]

       “Hey man, don’t worry about it.                                Whatever happens, happens.                                                            No use in getting stressed.”

NAME: hudson kang NICKNAMES: sunny AGE: 19 BIRTHDAY: june 2, 1998 SPECIES: human GENDER: cismale PRONOUNS: he / him

FAMILY

MOTHER: soomi kang // kang soo-mi FATHER: taemin kang // kang tae-min PARENTS: alive, still married FAMILY: all other family lives in south korea SIBLINGS: none

APPERANCE

FACE CLAIM: im jaebum RACE/ETHNICITY: korean / asian HEIGHT: 179 cm / 5′11″ WEIGHT: 142 lbs HAIR: short, usually a lil messy HAIR COLOR: black EYE COLOR: dark brown DOMINANT HAND: right SCENT: honestly he probably smells fruity ??? and sweet ??? like boy ... stop this. you’re gonna attract bugs. it’s because of all the sugar + juice + probably uses apple or coconut scented things in the shower ACCENT: he doesn’t have much of one. sometimes he’ll pronounce a word wrong, though. not even meaning to. then spend about the next five years of his life embarrassed about it. like that time he mispronounced vaginal as vagina with an added l on the end. he still wants Sweet Death over that one yikes PHYSICAL DISABILITIES: doesn’t have any LEARNING DISABILITIES: doesn’t have any of these either ALLERGIES: wool, fish / shellfish, tree nuts DISEASES: non-hodgkin’s lymphoma ( currently in remission ) DISORDERS: it’s not as bad as it once was but i figure due to the way everything was thrown at him when he was really young, sunny has an adjustment disorder that triggers occasionally. but he’s been dealing with his illness for so long he can easily just kind of ... deal with it aka internalize all of his anxiety like a damn idiot BLOOD TYPE: A FASHION: there’s never any in between with him. he’s either gonna be wearing tank tops and sweat pants, or long sleeves and jeans. dark colors or bright. a lot of hoodies. absolutely no middle ground. probably always wearing the same 2 pair of shoes tho. yolo. TATTOOS: none, but he’d like some tbh PIERCINGS: seven!! four in one ear and three in the other - though it depends on the day / his mood on how many he wears JEWELRY: he wears a lot of rings, usually one or two on each hand. occasionally he’ll wear a few bracelets, but he’s always wearing his watch. and, of course, his earrings. NERVOUS TICS: i don’t think he has any

HOME LIFE

HOME ADDRESS: idk his parents live in florida so that’s where his technical ‘home addess’ is but like?? he’d literally just say his room number if someone ask RESIDES: in a sweet af hospice room BORN: miami, florida RAISED: mostly in miami VEHICLE: sunny actually owns a car! it was an agreement thing, if he kept staying in the hospital to ease their mind, his parents would get him some sort of transportation if he ever wanted to check himself out. he doesn’t use it very often, but when he does you can bet your ass it’s because gabe wanted to go somewhere lbr PHONE: probably the type of person to get the new iphone every time it comes out. not entirely his fault. he’s usually fine with an older model. but his parents feel guilty sometimes and that’s a good way to appease themselves. just give him better gadgets~ LAPTOP/COMPUTER: macbook pro 13-inch PETS: he wISHES he wants a lil doggo but alas. he cannot have a lil doggo.

EDUCATION AND SPECIALIZATIONS

HIGH SCHOOL EDUCATION: he graduated early when he was sixteen, if there was one thing he was gonna be good at. it was gonna be school. even if he didn’t technically ever “go” to highschool. rip. COLLEGE EDUCATION: i think he’s probably taken some online classes, but nothing serious MAJOR: lol MINOR: he doesn’t plan that far ahead WEAPONS: no thanks? LANGUAGES: korean, english, japanese OTHER: please don’t ask him about his future he will short circuit and kind of change the topic because honestly he still doesn’t believe he’ll make it that long to have a future what a pessimist. or ... fatalist. one of the two.

BELIEFS

POLITICAL AFFILIATION: lol as if he knows or cares RELIGION: agnostic BELIEFS: he’s not too worried about anything, really. MISDEMEANORS: lol no FELONIES: pfffttt TICKETS AND/OR VIOLATIONS: nah DRUGS: never been on anything beyond what doctors give him SMOKES: no he can’t stand cigarette smoke, he will literally turn and walk the other way ALCOHOL: nope, he’s never really been interested in drinking. but even if he was, he wouldn’t because of his health DIET: not the best, esp now that he’s technically in remission. he eats a lot of junk food + sweets but he does try. it makes it easier that there’s probably some sort of diet plan laid out for him from his doctor so his weight doesn’t get too low or high

RELATIONSHIPS

ROMANTIC ORIENTATION: heteromantic SEXUAL ORIENTATION: heteosexual MARTIAL STATUS: never been married CHILDREN: no kids AVAILABILITY: single LOOKING FOR: ???? give him affection tbh he doesn’t know what he wants

PERSONALITY AND INTERACTION

PHOBIAS: failure, making the wrong choice, the dark HOBBIES: sunny’s really into photography, probably has a super fancy camera and everything. i think he’s also into like, drawing and shit. he’s a lot better at it than he’d ever admit, though TRAITS: witty, absent-minded, tolerant, anxious, supportive, clingy, soft-hearted, finicky, resourceful, forgetful, rational, gloomy, relaxed, hesitant, quiet, indecisive, polite, insecure, organized, lonely, impartial, meek, forgiving, nervous, educated, picky, dependable, sharp, competent, uncoordinated, cautious, vacant, attentive, withdrawn, adaptable, worried. QUIRKS: unless he’s with someone he probably has a bad habit of being ... late to everything. oh you’re gonna meet him at 5?? that’s what y’all planned?? lol he’s probably gonna get there fifteen minutes late by accident because he stopped to talk to people / wanted a snack on the way to meet you. yikes SOCIAL MEDIA: he literally doesn’t see the point of having instagram or twitter, but has them both any way just to keep track of like, celebrities and family members. he has facebook, too. that’s about it.

FAVOURITES

LOCATION: his bed or the beach MUSIC: mika, macklemore, sia, skylar grey, the beatles SHOWS: breaking bad, law & order, house MOVIES: jaws, jurassic park, osmosis jones BOOKS: the picture of dorian gray, it, memoirs of a geisha, interview with the vampire FOOD: junk food tbh BEVERAGE: this Child loves juice. any kind of juice. orange juice, grape juice, apple juice. lemonade. he Loves It All. COLOR: black, navy blue, white

MISCELLANEOUS

MORAL ALIGNMENT: lawful neutral MBTI: isfj-b MBTI ROLE: the defender ENNEAGRAM: type 9 ENNEAGRAM ROLE: the peacemaker ( the easy going accommodating type ) TEMPERAMENT: phlegmatic WESTERN ZODIAC: gemini CHINESE ZODIAC: tiger PRIMAL SIGN: chimpanzee HOGWARTS HOUSE: hufflepuff ILVERYMORNY HOUSE: pukwudgie SONG: hey jude - the beatles ( or here comes the sun LMFAO )

[snsmissionaries]

2/6/19 -- Sister Nicole Ritman, Spain, Madrid Mission

The Story of Sany/I'm Officially a Cultured Citizen

Subject Line: This email will have two parts! The first is the story of our amiga Sany, who got baptized last Sunday, shared with permission. The second is just about my week.

 The Story of Sany

 Right about when I got to Málaga, we got a text from one of the members saying she had a friend we could go visit. She'd been going through some rough times, and so a few weeks back their other friend gave her a Libro de Mormón and just said "Sany, you mean a lot to me and I know you are going through a hard time. I'm giving this to you because this is what brings me comfort when I'm not feeling good and so I wanted to share it with you because you know I'd do anything to make you feel better and this is something that's important to me. You don't have to read it if you don't want, but I know it can help you." Sany started reading and once she told them she liked it, they invited us to teach her more. I don't know if you all remember, but like a month back I said that we had a first lesson with someone and I'd never seen someone change so much in just one lesson? Well that was Sany! Everytime we taught her, she was so committed to really studying and learning. She applied what she was learning to what she already knew and what she found the guide to the scriptures even though we hadn't showed her yet and looked it up there. She did the 21 day challenge of the Libro de Mormón diligently and really followed the commitments we extended. I don't think we ever had to extend a commitment twice and some she was already doing before we could extend (like starting on Ven Seguime as soon as she finished the 21 day desafío). 

A miracle that happened with Sany was that she lives here and has two daughters living in the Dominican Republic. Well one day Sany told us "I just found out that the church my daughter goes to is the same one! I didn't remember the name but she told me she told me three years back when her boyfriend introduced her to the church and got baptized. She's going on a mission in a few months and is getting ready to go to the temple." Well we were speechless. I'm not making it sound as surprising as it was, but seriously the member we had in the cita and both if us were like" what??!". It's so crazy how they found the church independent of another and gained their own testimonies and now are working to go to the temple together. I wish the missionaries that baptized her daughter would know this extension of the story! 

What I was most impressed with was that most people who work as internas (live-in caretakers for a senior) don't come to church because they work. Well Sany took her work to church. (I'm sure not everyone could but this was her solution). She would get up super early to get both the Señora and herself ready and would carry the wheelchair down the flights of stairs and push her all the way up the giant hill. We'd help her and the Señora loved going out for a stroll, yelling "venga, vamos, rápido! Rápido!" No quiero llegar tarde!" until I was practically running. Going down the hill is almost harder because you have to pull it from not speeding down into traffic. Good times jaja. The day of the baptism, she got permission to get off a few hours earlier to go to church and drop off the Señora. She was so excited! But then this Sunday she got super sick. :/ Good thing we had the baptism last week. 

 I'm Officially a Cultured Citizen 

 So I'll start this part of with a sad story. Three days after the baptism, we got a text saying the man who had baptized Sany had passed away. We hardly believed it, but we asked the Elders and the pres de Sociedad de Socorro and the Elders confirmed the text was talking about him. 

We actually were on our way to a cita with Sany so we gave her the sad news and she was so sad because she was so grateful to him for being a part of her step on the convenant path. We had a good discussion about life and death and the plan of salvation and I was feeling pretty reflective and pensive. 

Then, we leave the cita and see that the pres texted us. And guess what--it's turns out that he's not actually dead! He's not dead its his brother in law! Still sad for his family, but man alive we were so embarrassed. What a big fat fail. Probably the biggest one I'll ever have on the mission. I reread the original text and totally not our fault--it was written in a way that didn't clarify who they were talking about. But literally it was so crazy because lemme tell you it's a weird feeling to find out someone passed but it's a weirder feeling to find out that PSYCH they haven't. Like a TV show in real life except the jokes on you because you have to text the mission office and say "nevermind- we don't actually have to know what happens when we need a signature on the baptismal record of someone who's dead." I'm sure they think we're crazy jaja. And then when we texted Sany all she said was "ahhhh- vale." Luckily she hadn't brought it up since. I'm also glad we found out before Sunday when he would've walked into church alive and all three of us faint of shock. 

 So I chose the header because I felt like it has been a very *cultural* week! Yesterday, we went over for almuerzo with a Tibetan Man and his Moroccan wife and had cous-cous. Literally one of the best things that's ever entered my mouth! Basically you boil a bunch of tasty vegetables and pumpkin and halal beef and spices like cinnamon in a pot for an hour, and then pour it over a giant thing of cous-cous (tiny ball-shaped grain) and pour the broth, gravy all over. We were so close to finishing but we had a slice of pumpkin and some cabbage left. They gave us plates to help us eat the meat, but they wouldn't let us portion it out. We all used our spoons and ate from the same giant platter. They also wouldn't let us drink cold water until after the hot food because I guess mixing cold and hot is bad for your stomach. I suppose that's why they traditionally drink tea at meals, but since we politely refused the tea 50 times no lie (the wife didn't understand until I said it wasn't halal for us jaja and even after the husband would sip his tea and say "oh how delicious! Oh how healthy! Made with 5 herbs!" and made us smell it because we wouldn't sip it lol), we had mint infusion, which is just a fresh mint sprig with hot water poured on top and a little spoon of sugar. It was so good we bought fresh mint today to make it again! Maybe it won't be the same because we don't have the fancy Arab teapot they used to heat the water jk. Definitely an eating cita I'll never forget. 

 Then for Pday today I felt extra cultural because we went to the interactive music museum and saw instruments from all over the world! We stayed in the room with the piano, guitars and cello the longest and all played songs together. (OK in reality I tinkered a tune  while Hermana Zito played the cello. It's her major at BYU and it was worth my museum entry fee to hear her play lol We would all request songs and if she had the tune in her head she could just play it). I also loved the rooms where you jam out to crazy world instruments like the zither, the nose flute, double-guitars and even an ancient harp thing made from a human skull. (you pressed buttons to hear sounds of the instruments you weren't allowed to play). There was also a gladd floor with a medieval wall they uncovered and put a museum time capsule for 2033. I'll be back when they open that! 

 After we went to an Italian restaurant because H Mecca said it looked close to authentic. She ordered in Italian and chatted with the waiter and told us what to order. I felt a little less fake with her lol. We got gnocchi and margherita pizza and the other Hermanas got pasta carbonara which I tried and was probably the best. She gave it a 9/10 for authenticity so I figured that's as close as I'll get until I go visit her in Italy. 

 Then as we were walking back some guy stopped me (somehow he didn't notice the other Hermanas-just me) and in English (was Spanish but was determined to use only English) said "are you from the Mormon church? I love that church! I studied with the boys in Granada. I want to learn again." Hope he's cool and not creepy so I'll keep you updated if he ends up being cool! 

 Also something special about today is a finally debuted my pants! Hermana Mecca did too. Some pics mine don't look too flattering but they're not that bad in real life I promise. I didn't realize how cold my legs were all the time until I wore my pants! 

 Sometimes it's frustrating when you think of everything you should be doing as a missionary that you're not or you try to do but noon shows up (cough cough people who told us they would come to the capacitación H Mecca and I planned and didn't) but the mission is about learning to deal with daily disappointment and trying to find the little adventures. Like when we found a gorgeous historic Barrio in the foothills and the wind was blowing too much for wearing a skirt and it was too confusing to find a single address we wanted to pass by, but it was so gorgeous and so Spanish we weren't even mad jaja. And tip: if you ever accidentally offend a member, they will be appeased with brownies. I'm telling you brownies are the secret here! Convinced!!! 

 Os quiero, 

 Hermana Ritman 

 Contact Information

email: nicole.ritman@myldsmail.net

 Sister Nicole Ritman

Madrid Spain Mission

Avenida de Tenerife, 11

28703 San Sebastian de los Reyes

Madrid, Espana

 Malaga Week 8

https://photos.app.goo.gl/ULpL71c36qcwtFw28