#20 year old soap

[bugeyedfreaks]

IT CAME IT IS HERE THE 20-YEAR-OLD PPG SOAP MAKING KIT FOR CHILDREN YAAAY 💖🥳🎉

I saw this being sold online, you all wanted me to buy it, so I did, and now you can all see what horrors you’ve wrought upon me.

The first thing that I noticed when I opened this package up is that it smelled terrible. I didn’t even have to open up the envelope you see in the picture: the actual shipping envelope smelled bad. It was definitely a soap smell gone very wrong. Needless to say, this wasn’t a good sign of what was to come.

… well, spoiler alert, it really doesn’t get any worse. In fact it’s a little underwhelming. 😆 But read on anyway because I do suffer a little while doing this, and I know if you all love at least one thing about me… it’s my suffering. 💖

I opened it up, and the first thing I looked at was the instruction manual that seems to be written in the perspective of the Professor. That’s kind of cute and on brand. I also chuckled because both of the soaps in this kit are named after Buttercup, the Powerpuff Girl who hates bathing the most. Whoever made this knew what they were doing and I love them for it. I hope putting this together made working at the Delta Education company a bit more fun for them.

Here are the instructions for people who like to read 20-year-old instructions of crafts for babbies:

After I looked through all of the instructions, I found some PPG stickers (not shown because I’m already pushing my photo limit for this post) as well as all of the ingredients for our experiments. Oooooh~.

I was actually a little bit disappointed, because I thought there would be more ingredients involved to make these things (you know, like an actual educational science kit would normally have), but this is all it came with. The shampoo base was just premade shampoo without the (apple!) scent in it. The green soap was just premade soap, cut into chunks that you would melt and pour into little heart shaped molds. The little glitter stickers in this picture weren’t PPG themed, and the “PPG trinkets” were straight up just erasers.

So, yeah, it was… underwhelming. From what I can gather from the other kits I saw being sold online, I suppose these were “educational” in the sense that they were used in educational settings. They were probably just little craft kits for kids in classrooms rather than kits that were going to teach them anything substantial (I think the other kits I saw were for making jewelry and door hangers… just fun projects for kids to have fun and learn how to put things together 🤷‍♀️).

Still, I purchased this kit, and I’d be damned if I didn’t actually get some shampoo and soap makin’ out of some of these ingredients. …and I say some because I had to find out whether I should even USE these products, given the warning on the front of the bag that said the contents warranted adult supervision. I mean, I’m an adult and I felt like I needed another adult.

There was absolutely no way that I was going to use the shampoo base, because I am pretty sure that it would make my hair fall out or disintegrate my scalp if I tried using it (or even if I touched it). It looked really slimy, and had a weird, translucent stringy texture to it, so I tossed it. I snipped open the apple scent packet because I was curious to find out if it still had a scent to it… and it was actually sort of pleasant! It had a bit of a chemical after-scent to it, but it wasn’t the worst thing I’ve ever smelled. Still, I don’t think I should be putting a 20-year-old scent anywhere near my body (I probably shouldn’t have even smelled it, come to think of it… my chemistry teachers would have been so ashamed of me) so I decided I would not be using it in the final product either.

I opened up the green soap, hoping that that would actually be okay or at least smell normal, and… I actually gagged. BLEEEEECH. That’s where the awful smell had been coming from. Immediately tossed it in the trash. It was AWFUL, and there’s absolutely no way, not even for the sake of comedy, that I would willingly put it in my microwave or even let it come in contact with my skin (although yet again, like an idiot, I smelled it… oh well, my idiocy has its limits, I guess). I looked online later and also found out that, apparently, glycerin soap can produce mold and ferment after 4-5 years… so yeah, it was probably a good call for me to trash it.

That means I now didn’t have any of the actual soap products I was going to use to make these! However, I had a trick up my sleeve (at least for the solid soap) and that trick was called… buying new soap to use. 🤣 I got some dye, grabbed some apple scent to add to the soap, and voila! BUTTERCUP SOAP!

Beautiful! 💚

They’re actually kind of cute, and I’m using them as little dish soaps right now (I’ll probably toss the erasers later though… I don’t think they’ll work after being in glycerin soap that long). The new apple smell I bought is, weirdly enough, not as great as the 20-year-old one, but it’s still something I totally think Buttercup wouldn’t mind using, even if bathtime was still torture for her. I also ended up making some blue soap themed for Bubbles (aka the original Soap). As for the shampoo, I basically just added the apple scent to some shampoo I already had and decorated the bottle that came with the kit accordingly.

…and that’s all she wrote! There it is! Soap and soap for your hair made with help from a kit no one else but me would, in their right mind, ever purchase! I hope you are all now fulfilled, free to live enriched lives knowing what mysteries were enclosed in the kit, and that I successfully made something with it for your enjoyment. It was all… for you! 💖🫵💖

[gofishygo]

john price fans is THIS ur mans 😭😭😭😭😭

in figure 1 ho looks like he a vicious uncle tryna sell me char kuey teow in a shady hawker store (malaysia reference)

in figure 2 he looks like that one corny ass sloth from zootopia

ion want to talk about this image

(…@miwsolovely come get ur mans)

[atopvisenyashill]

i just feel like rhaegar is the weakest version of george’s “light and dark both” types, i don’t find any light in him, and the darkness that’s there is not compelling it’s just dumb.

[whatev-i-guess]

Tell someone you love them

Soap: Did you ever tell someone that you love them? Ghost: My mum. Soap: Did anyone ever tell you? Ghost: ...my mum. Soap: I love you, Ghost. Ghost: I know, Johnny. I am sorry.

[doublel27]

I’m not going to use the word stan (as I’m old enough to hold the negative origin of the term) but as another person who enjoys teasing apart the lines between promotional activities and personal activities, it’s fairly well considered they’re together but no one talks about it.

I mean, the thing about earthmix is they don’t actively engage in wild levels of independent “fanservice” while still a lot of stuff they do post jointly are ads like the traveloka ind right now. (I’m personally of the opinion that celebrities know that everything they share is for an audience, and therefore whether they’re in a real couple or a fake couple anything not shared to close friends only or on their locked private Instagram is fanservice aka a service for the fans. But that leads me to want to talk about American actors and fanservice but that’s a separate post.)

Specifically post divorce era they’ve gotten even quieter on social media than they were before (and wildly more quiet since the passing of marriage equality which I find particularly curious) but there are little things like the many late night videos of Earth’s cast with Mix in Earth’s pajamas. They also, like FirstKhaotung, have a shared closet where clothing and jewelry seem to flow between them seamlessly. Though unlike FKT I’ve yet to see them pack one suitcase for a trip. They also tell on themselves about how much they’re together. A few months ago, Earth pulled a whole “it’s been a long time since we’ve been together like this” at some event and Mix immediately shot back they see each other every day. And Earth was like “for work, it’s been a long time since we’ve been together like this for work, with the fans.”

When Mix wasn’t posting from Earth’s house earlier in the year Earth made it clear that he was spending significant time at Mix’s house in an interview (while mix was finishing his degree) saying if Mix couldn’t come to him then he goes to Mix. This week at their book fair fansign when Earth was asked which of his cats Mix most resembled, Earth wrote down one of Mix’s cats first before that was pointed out he was asked about his cats and then crossed it out and wrote one of his own. They co-plan vacations and Earth was supposed to go on Mix’s solo graduation vacation but couldn’t make it. They had originally wanted to do Europe (Scotland which is Earth’s bias) for that trip but when Earth couldn’t make it Mix switched to Japan and Korea with friends. Mix also when taking about that trip discussed how hard it was to do that trip alone as usually all international travel is coordinated by the company or by P’Earth, and how because he’d done japan with Earth it felt safer to do alone but he got lost. In relation to that, their individual friends comment and react to each of their respective posts. Mix’s P’ who is living in Korea replied to earth he needs to come with Mix next time. Earth’s friends posted on Mix’s graduation posts. Many shots of them together are captured and posted by others (like the aforementioned p’aof who posted a picture of them curled together asleep on his couch for New Years Eve 2023-24) as are references to how often they’re together. With Neo’s Mint joining the company, NeoMint went on a special EarthMix Space and Mint was like “well, I’ve already met EarthMix before. We played board games.” And as we know, Neo was perennially EMFK’s favorite Steve (I wonder what Earth tastes like. I bet he’s salty. I’ll go ask Mix and Have you forgotten I’m here are both pre-divorce era Neo as EM’s Steve) and it’s interesting that on two different vlogs, NeoMint have referenced essentially double dates with FKT and EM respectively. Joong outright refers to them as Mom and Dad.

The stuff they do post is also interesting. They were retweeting the same sets of house images a couple of months ago with in seconds of each other. They also habitually post birthday messages for friends in rapid succession, once this year accidentally wishing Rin a very early birthday. Their posts have a habit of sharing the same songs. Earth and Mix both posted for Mix’s birthday with the same song, and then Mix deleted the song from his Instagram post for his birthday but left a “great song choice, dad” comment on Earth’s. Mix’s birthday this year lead also to a 7 day spree of Earth posting various quotes about daisies and love, with regular good nights on his main IG and his broadcast. Daisies have been a symbol of his for Mix for years (at least since ATOTS) and he was making his own fan edits of himself with daisies and a picture Mix took of him surrounded with hearts. Most of Earth’s thirst trap ig posts are all taken on days he’s with Mix (including the last one in Europe) They’ve also been very quiet about what Earth’s actual gifts for Mix for birthday and graduation were this year aside from the immediate shopping spree. There was a jewelry box for graduation that Earth said had 10k baht, but Thai fans were quick to point out the box was too small for all that. His birthday message to Mix ended with the non-sequitur “Let’s discuss it again after your birthday, alright?” and Mix almost tipped out of his chair. And then when Earth walked out on stage with the largest bouquet of roses, Mix turned bright red, looked ready to die, and just stared at Earth like “Really?!” And Earth immediately burst into awkward laughter and covered his mouth, until the roses were revealed to be from Mix’s sister that Earth delivered.

Which is also an interesting point of how close Earth remains with Mix’s family. At the graduation event last week, Earth held hands and walked with both of Mix’s parents at different times. Like, if they were for real still broken up, considering how emotional Mix was during divorce era, I wouldn’t expect them to be that close now.

And then I think there’s the little cues post divorce era, which is how emotional they both still are when they talk about it. The way they both get shy when talking about their trip where they finally made up during divorce era. (And it still comes up as one of their favorite places to go two years later) There have been multiple trips to temples, but the favorites are the New Year’s Day 2024 one with Mix’s family and FKT, where Mix sits in relation to Earth as a spouse would, and a trip to the Temple of Red Thread in Hong Kong during their fan meet this year which is known for people looking for love or to solidify relationships.

They’ve also been very loudly in support of marriage equality for years, and did (together) respond in a live after the vote went through “we can get married now” before looking at each other and nodding with a “yes it’s very exciting” it’s very debatable if they were reading a comment in the live, and what we they were using…but…

It’s just if we’re going to make comparisons Mosbank and Daouroad (and BillyBabe for me personally) are close to a Ryan Reynolds/Blake Lively type of professional couple, whereas Earthmix is on a Tom Holland/Zendaya vibe for how public they want their private relationship vs their professional relationship.

But you know, judge for yourself. (I recommend checking out some of MewTul’s content and comparing it to EarthMix and judging from there. They have similar vibes) Also, be polite and don’t go yelling this stuff on Twitter or IG and in comments on lives. Again, I’m old, and I like to pretend that celebrities don’t walk among us here in the gremlin site and if they do people aren’t out here tagging them in the comments.

Hii! I hope you don’t mind me asking, but what do you mean EarthMix are probably dating? I try to keep up with all the basics of the QL rumor mill, but most of it still passes right by me, so I spend a lot of time in a confused state, honestly. I thought EarthMix were roughly on the same level as a lot of other GMMTV pairs, which is to say: fanservice-y, but probably not a thing. So would you maybe mind explaining that one a little more? 👀🙏

I woke up to three separate asks about this and it was a very sobering realization that while I thought we were all just pretending not to know EarthMix are dating, apparently that was just me??? I don’t actually follow them all that closely though, so someone else feel free to jump in with the actual evidence because I know y’all have it.

Here’s the thing about EarthMix: they were 100% dating prior to their divorce era. There’s plenty of evidence that they were living together (my favorite is here) and the way they each reacted to their “break-up” was not…platonic. Mix was posting moody poems about lost loves on his Instagram for god’s sake.

I waffle about whether they’re back together now but to me, it comes down to proximity. They try to be coy about it, but Mix posts way too many videos of Earth’s cats after midnight to not be living with him. And when actors live together, I’m inclined to believe they’re dating because no one’s going to do that for fanservice.

We know that Khaotung gifted Earth and Mix a copy of Oscar Wilde’s De Profundis—a letter he wrote to his lover from prison while he was jailed for homosexual acts—and we also know that P’Aof, a queer director, favors them. P’Jojo has talked openly on his Twitter about how, if given the choice, he will always cast queer actors because he knows how hard it is to be queer in the BL industry. I would imagine that most queer directors feel the same.

We’ve been talking a lot on my blog about how GMMTV seems to discourage any verbal acknowledgement of queerness, so whereas the other two couples I mentioned—MosBank and DaouOffroad—have been as explicit as they can about the nature of their relationship, I don’t have any evidence of that nature about EarthMix. But like I said, I don’t follow them all that closely. EarthMix stans have my full permission to hijack this post and educate me because this is not my area of expertise and the thin line between “fanservice” and “actually dating” is one of my favorite topics of discussion.

[meowmeowriley]

Current TF 141 wakes up in the OG universe, in their OG bodies.

For Price, not much is different, though he feels older, his facial hair is wrong, and his voice is less destroyed by years of smoking. At least the facial hair is fixable. Grumpy about his now aching more than ever back, he makes his way to his office and starts looking into his own file as well as those of his teammates.

For Soap, though he'd never admit it, he feels like he got an upgrade. A scar over his left eye and a squarer jaw, coupled with his apparent promotion, as those around him have been falling him Captain since he left his room, have him practically preening. Opening his mouth reveals a voice not quite as low, and more accented, which he can (has to) live with.

Ghost is pissed. Not only is he now downgraded to his old balaclava, rip 20+ custom skull plate masks, he thinks, but he's also lost several centimeters of altitude. As he makes his way towards Captain Price's office it become increasingly clear that in this universe, him stalking through the base like an angry wet cat is common, as no one bats an eye and several men toss him a decently cheery "hey Lt!" as he goes. Being forced to look up to see Soap, who apparently outranks him now, fills him with the urge to put his fist through something. Perhaps a computer monitor.

Gaz is having an awful time. Not only did he wake up in a body that most definitely isn't his, but the men at the gate tried to arrest him because apparently in this universe, and isn't that a fucking wild thought, the operator known as Gaz is dead. He had to sneak in after losing the guards, at least he was still a highly skilled soldier. He snuck up to the window of Price's office, and could hear 3 unfamiliar voices from within. After eavesdropping for a moment he surmised that it was his team, in the exact same predicament as himself. He wasn't alone. Thank fuck. Climbing through the window was the quickest option, but had him tossed back against a wall by some little guy in a skull mas- Ghost?

"Who the fuck are you?" Small Ghost spits up at him.

"I'm Gaz." He replies, admittedly miserably.

Ghost relents, but hesitantly. "Why are you white?"

"Why are you short?" Gaz shoots back without thinking.

A much larger Soap than Gaz is used to lunges forward to restrain Ghost, stopping him from presumably fileting Gaz for his cheek.

[lovifie]

Price had a young girlfriend and did not tell anybody until he decided to get married...

He probably didn't tell them until the night before the wedding…He asked them to come over for a little celebration and everyone expected a middle-aged woman. But when they saw a girl in her mid-20s opening the door with Price they were shocked

Soap probably even asked if she's his stepdaughter LOL

Hey, love!! 💗💗

I wrote you a little something...

I hope you like it 💗

❤️Mr. & Mrs. Price❤️

Fluff | Sugestive | 1547 words | Back to Masterlist

They were having a pint at a pub close to base when he told them. 

“I'm getting married next Saturday, you have the weekend free, so drop by so I can introduce you to the missus.”

Now, Ghost wasn't surprised he didn't know about his captain having a girlfriend, let alone a relationship serious enough to talk about marriage. What surprised Ghost was that neither Soap nor Gaz knew about it. 

“Married?!” Gaz asked, loud enough to make some people turn their heads. 

Price furrows his eyebrow, surprised by the reaction as if he had just told them about what he's having from breakfast. 

“I didnae ken ye had a pretty bird waiting for ye at home, Captain!” Soap says, just as loud.

“Yeah, I have for a couple of years now.” Price simply answers, shrugging his shoulders as he takes a sip.

“A couple of years?!” The three men ask in unison like a bad comedic joke. 

A chain of questions starts to unravel, curiosity for the mysterious woman pouring out; but Price waves his hand shutting them up. “No point in that, you are meeting her this weekend, easier that way”

They begrudgingly agree, keeping to themselves the mental image of the possible woman. She must be around Price's age, so between 40 and 50 years old; knowing how little the man likes to go out they probably met at work so she must be military too. Stern woman. 

Price tells them that is something minor, the close family and a bunch of friends; that they can join at the reception at his house and to dress nicely. 

“No ghost mask.” He chastises the man pointing at him. “I don't want work involved, alright?”

During the week until the wedding, they keep thinking about her, about how she must look like, her personality, her age, her eye colour.

“What do you think she'll look like?”

“In my mind, she's like Laswell… but being into men.”

And out of every possibility and different mental image, the last thing they expected was the pretty thing that opened the door for them on Saturday. 

Pretty little thing, around 25 years old, with the kindest smile on her face even when looking at the three giants on her doorframe, flowy white dress, little hair strands framing her cute face with the rest of it gathered up in an intricate updo in the back hold together with shiny pins and a silky bow. 

“Oh, you must be John's friends.” You say, voice sweet as an angel. “Please, come in, don't just stand there. I'm gonna go get him, be back in a second”

You step back, holding the door open for them, inviting them in and once inside you close the door, walking past them to reach their captain who is looking in the opposite direction, talking to somebody else.

“That must be the stepdaughter… right?” Soap asks what all of them are thinking. 

They stare as you walk up to Price, placing your hand on his lower back making him turn to look at you; a wide smile appearing immediately. He leans forward, his arm moving behind your shoulder and his hand keeping your jaw in place as he kisses you. 

Lips crashing against yours, closing his eyes and letting his tongue into your mouth tasting the champagne you were drinking just a moment ago. A passionate, sloppy kiss that would make a maiden blush at the impropriety of it even for the newlyweds.

“Mate, I sure fucking hope she's not.” Gaz answers after a moment.

The two of you finally pull back, telling Price about his friends arriving and he looks behind you to see them. He smiles, not as wide as when he looked at you, and gives you a quick peck before walking to the door. 

“Welcome, lads. Thank you for coming.” He says simply, crossing his arms and looking proud. You appear from behind him, hand resting on his arm slightly leaning to his side.

“Do you want anything to drink? To eat?” You ask softly, love pouring out of Price's eyes as he looks down on you. 

“I'll help you.” Ghost says, a curl of his lips you could identify as a smile if you wanted to. And once the captain is left with the sergeants, the attack starts. 

“How does an old churl like you manages to get a pretty thing like her?”

“Where do you even meet a doll like her?”

“How many years have you exactly been dating for?”

Ghost clears his throat when he turns around the corner on his way back, with you chirping on his side about how happy you are to finally meet them. He has a more natural smile on his face now, clearly infected with your enthusiasm. 

Price finally introduces you to them, exchanging everyone's name. You hug both the sergeants and shake Ghost's hand, the man glad that you made the observation of his lack of appreciation towards body contact. 

After a little chat, you excuse yourself; promising to get back in a while wanting to talk to your own friends still waiting around the room. It leaves Price on his own and that's when he tells the nosy men how he met you. 

You were his neighbour, sharing half the walls of the old flat he house to live in before moving in together. How he introduced himself to you one day when he saw you leaving your house, how he told you he was military so you wouldn't freak out if you saw him in the middle of the night or suddenly disappeared for months, how after a specially long deployment he got back and you dropped by hours later with a bunch of tupperwares with homemade food “I assumed you would be tired, it's nothing special but I'll save you the hustle of cooking”, about how he had wanted to marry you ever since, how he gave you the tupperwares back one by one so he had more reasons to talk to you, how he finally asked you out with the last one and how after that it all was easy between you two.

The four of them swiftly move to sit down on the kitchen table, Price still telling them everything about you and the relationship. Ghost is just as invested as the other two, trying to play it off as polite interest. Slowly and smoothly people leave the house as the day goes by, the sun having set a couple of hours ago; and you walk into the kitchen, sitting on Price's lap with a sigh. 

“I know it isn't proper of a good host, but these shoes are killing me.” You announce looking at the three men as you bend down and take them off, a sigh of comfort leaving your mouth as you lean back on Price. “I'm also sure you have endurance worse than some stinky feet.” You joke with a tiny chuckle making them smile. 

“Everyone gone, darling?” Price asks, his hands resting on your lap as you nod smiling. He looks up to the boys as he says. “Better to tidy up then”

“Jonathan Price, don't be rude!” You exclaim looking at him. “They are your friends and there are more than enough rooms for them if they want to spend the night. They have been drinking too!”

“Mrs. Price.” John says with a teasing tone, standing up and helping you stand. “Talk to me for a second, love.”

Price bends down to pick your shoes up, holding your hand to walk you to the living room. They hear the two of you whispering back and forth, then silence and lastly the unmistakable sound of kisses. They peak behind the door, managing to see you sitting in the backrest of the sofa with Price standing between your legs, grinding his hips against yours. You moan softly against his lips, before pulling back and whispering something they can't make out; Price pulls back as well and they sit back on their chairs. 

Price walks in just a second later. “Lads… thank you for coming, I'll see you when I'm back from the honeymoon, now… OUT!” He barks the last word making Soap chuckle as they all finish their drink in a gulp and start to walk out of the house, congratulating Price on the marriage and walking out one by one; meanwhile, you remain completely out of sight for them.

“They gone?” You ask for the top of the stairs, looking at Price with a smile. 

“Yep.” Price says locking the door.

“You didn't have to kick them out like that, though.” You say cocking your head with a smile.

“Oh, yes, I did.” He says, turning around to start to walk up the stairs. 

“Why? Afraid they might join?” You say winking at him, making him laugh before he throws you over his shoulder making you shriek.

“Wouldn't you like that, you little minx!” He jokes, landing a smack on your asscheek. 

You gasp dramatically holding onto his clothes. “It's Mrs. Price to you, young man.”

He chuckles, making your body shake, before he throws you down on the bed; him instantly crawling on top of you. 

“Who's your husband, darling?”

“You, Mr. Price.”

A bit more of this

[littlecajunlady]

how annoying would it be if I liveblogged the first 7 or 8 episodes of The O.C.?

[quarterlifekitty]

Read buttermilk today and now @ceilidho got me on that babysitter grindset… but what if I freaked it up a little.

cw: age gap (reader is around 21 and Soap is like 29ish), something sorta flirting with/on the edge of fauxcest due to a sibling-like bond, so I’m gonna tag it as such just in case.

Before Johnny enlisted, he’d only ever had one paying job.

Taking care of you.

About eight years your senior, your mom decided to go back to working when you were around 4 and he was on the cusp of 13. And for 5 years (an eternity to a kid like you) he was your best friend in the world. Would get out of school, walk to the elementary school to get you, bring you home, and hang out until whenever your parents got off of work.

And the boy was devoted. Didn’t mind that he had to put off hanging with his friends till the weekend. Didn’t mind making your snacks or watching silly kids movies. Didn’t mind when you asked him to play pretend veterinarian with you, and he had to lay down and act like a really sick horse. And you loved him.

The first time your parents took you on a vacation and you realized he wouldn’t be there? You were so mad. As mad as a 4 year old can be.

You’re embarrassed when you cry at the news that he’s enlisting— at age 10 you’re not supposed to cry anymore, you’re a big girl. He hugs you so tight, early in the morning before he has to go.

His folks move during his first tour. There isn’t an anchor to bring him back to you for a very long time. Over a decade, as it turns out.

He’s getting ready to go on leave when he gets a call— his mum buzzing with some kind of gossip as usual.

“You’ll never guess who I saw down at Sainsbury’s—“

Your university happens to be in the town his family moved to. He has his own place now of course, but he likes to keep close to them.

His first night back and his mum is beside herself— trying to get the place nice, because you’re joining them for dinner. Johnny never even considers that when you come to the door, you’re not the little girl he left tearing up on her parents porch.

He has to remember to close his mouth at the sight of you. His dad offers you a beer for fuck’s sake. He’s amazed at how much has changed— but also, how much is the same. The curve of your nose, and bubble of your laughter, the way your eyes widen with interest.

You happen to be on break right now. So of course, he ends up unwittingly spending all of his leave with you. You were always a funny kid— you’re a lot funnier now that you can swear. And you were always cute but now you’re so… pretty.

And he is not a fucking fan of the kind of attention it gets you. The way guys look at you when you’re sitting alone, waiting for him at a coffee shop. How your phone goes off at least once every 20 minutes, and it’s almost always ‘this guy from your class’. He tells himself that it’s just because he was responsible for you for so long— that he’s just having trouble shaking that off. He just remembers when you were so innocent— he doesn’t wanna see you get chewed up and spit out by college boys.

And he keeps finding himself falling into old patterns. Making you stay still so he can wipe your mouth after having a bit of a messy danish. Holding your hand tight when you’re in a busy place, crossing any streets. Having you tell him what you want so he can order things for you. Picking you up so he can hear you giggle and tell him to put you down.

He tells himself that when he touches himself later that it’s just because being away for work has left him touch starved and sensitive. It’s only natural to get turned on by a pretty girl who leans into him… especially when you get along so famously.

(Even though he remembers playing I spy while he held your hand and walked you home from school, your little backpack slung over his shoulder, even though he had his own to carry. )

Before he knows it, it’s his last night at home, ending it off with another of his mum’s dinners. At the table you casually mention the graduate schools you’re thinking of going to— some close by, some not. He almost chokes when you mention that there’s a really nice school in Canada you were considering.

That’s when he knows he’s fucked. Because he doesn’t think of that as you getting on with your life. Of a girl getting her education. He thinks of that as losing you, and after the bliss of the past couple of weeks he’s had with you, he’s not sure he’ll take being separated from you nearly as long as he did the last time. Not to mention all of the guys at your school trying to get their hands on you.

So he’s gonna have to find a way to get you too invested to travel far. And figure out how to protect you from those assholes when he’s not around.

Making you a part of his family and putting his ring on your finger should be enough, right?

[ghouljams]

I feel like each of the 141 has a difference preference when dicking down their mate.

Kyle prefers to stay human, it lets him really get a good show while fucking into the pretty thing he managed to take home. Seeing how your skin contrasts to his softly colored sheets is more reassuring to him that you're his than any scenting could be. Also, he's a lighter sleeper as a human, letting him keep you in his bed if you try to slip out while he's asleep.

Price likes the little hint of other, as a sign of his age and experience. He's the only one of the 141 who can shift only a few senses instead of having to start properly shifting. Let's him memorize your scent while fucking you, all so he can let you have the illusion of choice by letting you go and "finding" you again later. Eventually, he'll make it seem like a bit of fate and offer you out on a date.

Ghost partially shifts, and that's the most he can hold himself back when it comes to you. Claws and teeth come out, drool dripping from his maw to your skin. He needs to taste you, to make sure you taste the same. Taste like his.

Soap is a dog and he will fuck you in full transformation because of it. This man needs you on the most primal level, so why not just fuck you at his most primal. It also gives him a better nose to smell your sweat soaked skin, a longer tongue to shove into you, better hearing to catch each and every whimper you make. He needs to consume you and the best way to do that is with his wolf.

At least, that's my thought.

As usual how does it feel to be so fucking right?

Gaz absolutely prefers fucking you as a human, it feels too much like taking advantage of you when he has his semi-transformed strength and the idea of fucking you fully wolf makes him itch a little. He's so worried about damaging you with his claws and fangs :( his poor human mate, he doesn't want to ruin you. We'll, not like that at least. That won't stop him from knotting you, that's a luxury he can't afford not to indulge in. He loves the way you squirm and complain about the stretch, shushing you with soft coos, promising it'll be over soon, even when he knows it'll be a good 20 minutes at least.

Price is old hat at transformations and after years of growing and shrinking it's worn on his joints, if he doesn't have to transform he won't. He'll indulge in the sensed his wolf-form lends him, pressing his nose to your pulse and getting himself drunk on your scent. His eyes are always dark, animalistic, when he drags his flat tongue against your sex, and you worry that the teeth he's hiding might bite too hard, but he hasn't hurt you yet. And the only scare he gives you is when he presses his hand against your come filled stomach talking about pups.

Ghost simply lacks self control around you. The man has the control of a saint, but once he gets drunk on the scent of your arousal it's over for him. He grips you with heavy clawed hands, his skin splitting with fur and his nose starting to lengthen, and it scares you a little. His breathing is uneven, but his hips don't stop moving even when his bones start to break and his joints begin to pop. His drool dripping onto you is the only indication you get before he's sinking his teeth into your shoulder. You'll have to take wolfsbane in the morning if you don't want to end up going through the same pain.

Soap though... Soap fucks you like a dog, literally. He'll hunt you down on a full moon and hold you down with big paws, murmuring canned tones from his open maw about how he can't stop himself. He's all instinct, all panting and howling as he mounts you and ruts his cock against your sex, uncaring what hole he fucks himself into as long as it's yours. He'll lay directly on top of you once he's knotted you too, licking your face in apology but you know he doesn't mean it because he keeps asking for another round.

[sleepyconfusedpotato]

⚔️ MWII (2022) Character Ages (as of 2022) ⚔️

I was on a character age brainrot back in January and now It's back because of @angelsarewatching so I'm gonna go ahead and post this on Tumblr. Tell me what you think tho and discussions are open!

🐑 Gen. Shepherd - Around late 50s, Pushing 64. I searched it up and apparently, the mandatory retirement age for all general officers is 62, in some cases 64. But if he got into the recommendation list after Brigadier General (O-7), it's allowed to be more than 62. He's a Lt. Gen, so that's O-9. Also, Glenn Morshower (Shepherd's actor) is 64 so let's go with that.

🧠 Laswell - 47-ish. At MOST 55. (Rya Khilstedt is 52. AMAZING BEAUTIFUL SHOW -STOPPING)

🚁 Nikolai - 45 as well. I would go with 48 though.

🪦 Graves - 40. He gives Texan cowboy energy. I just know he's an old dude and is actually older than the rest of the gang.

🛖 Alejandro and 🦂 Valeria - 37. Maybe 38. I don't know at what age someone could make the rank Colonel 'cause that's quite high up the ladder. (They might as well be older than Price. Shit, they might be 40.)

🚬 Price - 37 (Canon) c. 1985.

🐎Rudy - 36. He's been close with Alejandro for 20 years now. Assuming they're bestest of friends and knew each other even before military, Rudy would be around 36/37 as well.

💀 Ghost - 35 or lower. As far as I know, lieutenants are usually young, unless he enlists first before a few years later he went to the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst (RMAS). OR. His preference and efficiency of working alone are far better for use on the battlefield. The higher you are in the ranks, the more soldiers you are responsible for. So the higher-ups might purposefully don't promote him (and he prefers and agrees to it as well) so that he can continue working alone rather than leading a squad. He surely can lead a team, but he's better at doing shit alone. Crazy theory but hey, it's fiction.

🦿Alex - 35 (Alex was a Delta Force until 2013. Assuming he's around 26 when he finally goes to the CIA, that means he's around 32yo in 2019 and 35yo in 2022)'

🔭 Hadir - 33/34 (Canon) 1986/1987. I’m choosing 34 tho since in the ‘Hometown’ mission he was almost a teenager.

☀️ Farah - 30 (Canon) January 12th 1990.

🧢 Gaz - 26 (Canon). The bio says he enlisted in the British Army in 2014. Assuming Gaz finished high school first, he must’ve enlisted when he was 18yo. That means he was 23yo in MW19 and 26yo in MW22. 

🧼 Soap - 26 (Canon). He’s canonically the youngest one in Task Force 141. The bio mentioned that his cousin is in SAS and he often time visits the base. Setting aside the fact that the cousin brought a fucking kid to a top-secret base, lil’ Johnny must’ve been like “I DON’T WANNA GO TO SCHOOL I WANT TO BE AN SAS SOLDIER” and he canonically LIED about his age. Apparently, he went in when he was 16 but got caught several times, until finally when he was 18 he got in. 

--

That's it folks! Tell me what you think (｡･∀･)ﾉﾞ

[gremlinmodetweeker]

Second part of the comic! You can read part one here. I hope y'all enjoy this little drabble of Gaz being a fish dad.

Btw, some notes, Gaz upgraded the tank to a 100 gallon with a hang on back filter and an air pump powered sponge filter. He also put in some Christmas moss to provide some live plants and has a sand bottom substrate. Gaz only upgraded to the big tank a month after setting up the rescue tank and used the filter media from the first tank to be able to jump-start the cycling process on the second tank, because he's a responsible fish dad.

While I'm at it! A few fish facts:

Every fish (including goldfish and betta fish) need a filter

A betta fish also need a heater, but goldfish is a cold water fish so that means it's fine at room temperature or cooler (think koi ponds)

A betta fish needs a 5g tank minimum, but goldfish get way bigger than betta fish. A single goldfish needs a minimum of twenty gallons, and each additional goldfish needs an additional 10 gallons of space

Speaking of how much space goldfish need, they need a lot because they can easily grow to be a foot long in length. The reason they don't get so big in bowls is because they either die young or they are crushed to death over time by their internal organs growing but their bodies not being able to grow bigger because of the size of their containers (or at least this is what I've been told)

Most goldfish die young. They can easily live to be 20 years old, but many can also live much longer. They are related to koi (which is a big point to make because goldfish and koi are both species of carp!), which easily live to be 100 years old in proper care

Why am I saying all this? Because if you can, please take proper care of your fish. Please get a large enough aquarium for your fish. And as I said, every aquarium needs a filter. EVERY FISH NEEDS A FILTER AND A PROPER AQUARIUM, NOT A BOWL.

In fact, there's a trend amongst goldfish keepers where many people don't keep any substrate (because goldfish can accidentally eat the substrate and get sick) or plants (goldfish tend to eat the plants), though this is currently being challenged by some aquarists.

Also, goldfish are very messy eaters so they need frequent water changes to keep their water clean and healthy for them.

Don't keep your fish like Soap. Be a good fish parent like Gaz.

[laswells-ashtray]

How I think different COD characters act with kids:

Price is like that scene from Heat where Pacino picks up the little girl from the middle of a shoot-out and walks away holding her, muttering "I got you, it's okay." If a toddler walks up to him looking for help finding Mum, he'll pick them up and walk around holding them as they try to find her: "What colour is Mum's hair, sweetheart?"

Soap is great with kids, rough at first but when he works out if they're the boisterous or quiet type, he'll adjust himself accordingly so that the little one isn't uncomfortable. If he has a snack on him then he'll share it with them. Has a lot of nieces and nephews and he is the favourite uncle because he will let them swear when Mum and Dad aren't around.

If you let Gaz look after your kids then they'll leave thinking he's the coolest person ever, no-one knows how he does it but kids just think he is the single most impressive guy they've ever met. Has one niece and she adores him, that's her best friend. Will lie to kids though, big fan of "I'm friends with Batman."

Ghost is unbelievably gentle with kids, hand him a baby and they're falling asleep in his arms. Toddlers will cling to his legs or grab at his hands. Even teenagers at their bitchiest trust him, isn't the first time he's had to defend a group of teens from some withering old pensioner with nothing better to do than yell at them. Soap takes him home and he very quickly replaces Johnny as the favourite uncle.

Nikolai will let a kid use him as a climbing frame. A kid comes up to him because they can't find Mum or Dad? He's lifting the kid up and telling them to point at where their parents are. No-one is stupid enough to try and approach the lost kid with him around because he mouths threats at them over the little one's head.

On more than one occasion a little girl has wandered up to Farah and asked if she can braid their hair like hers, she'll take a split second to look over at their guardian to see if they approve and if they do then she'll sit and very patiently braid their hair. Listening to anything the little one wants to ramble about with a smile.

Leave Alex with a kid of any age and he'll teach them about wrestling and WWE. He once accidentally spends 20 minutes talking to a teenager about The Undertaker and his lore. Had an entire conversation about the CM Punk/ Drew McIntyre feud with a 16-year-old girl once and walked away the happiest he'd been in weeks because he had no one to talk to about it before that.

Rudy is phenomenal at getting kids to calm down. If a toddler is crying or having a tantrum he'll get them calm and soon enough they'll be sitting on his knee. Kids just take to him, he visits Alejandro's family and one of the little ones grabs his hand and pulls him into the kitchen. They need to get something off of a shelf? They want Rudy's help. Need help with cutlery? Rudy has to help.

If you leave your kids with Alejandro then he will get them boisterous and excited, bouncing off of the walls and then give them back to you so he doesn't have to deal with it. Big fan of that thing guys do with babies where they lightly toss them up and catch them, subsequently scaring the tits off of any mother in the general vicinity. He has a handful of distant relatives that meet up around family times, he get's the kids all hyper and Rudy spends the next half hour calming them down while the parents drink

Valeria is a little awkward with kids. If one walks into her legs then her instinct is to scowl but once, and she'd deny it if anyone asked, a little boy walked into her legs and she automatically moved to scold him before seeing that he was crying and trailing his blankie about with him, no parents in sight. She picked him up, held him on her hip and hunted down his father before thoroughly scolding him for leaving a boy that small unattended. All while the little boy covers her shoulders with his blanket and keeps a hand fisted in her shirt, she doesn't even seem to notice that she's rubbing his back to keep him settled.

Graves isn't great with kids but he isn't bad either. If a kiddo comes wandering up to him in public because they lost their Mommy then you bet your ass he'll wait with them for as long as it takes. Any more than ten minutes and he's buying them juice. A kid wandered up to him once, their babysitter walked away and left them in a store. He finds the babysitter and forces them to call the kid's parents, waits for them to arrive and lectures the babysitter on not doing their job properly. By the time that kid goes home, he's bought them a hotdog, a juice box and a little plush bunny.

I know a lot of people are of the surprising opinion that Laswell sucks with kids but I disagree. Her wife comes from a big family and certainly, one with money. Any family event and there are seven kids minimum. Kate likes buying them animated Scooby-Doo films because it keeps the little ones quiet even for a little while. Every year the kids get a new blanket, new socks, an action figure/doll and candy of their choice from Auntie Kate. The two auntie Laswells are a favourite with little ones, school-age kids, teens and basically anyone under 25. Kate has a niece named after her on her wife's side and she'll die before anything happens to the chubby-cheeked baby girl.

[covington-shenanigans]

so I'm on this app, Marco Polo, where you stay in touch with people by means of sending video messages. (there are probably other features, but I'm a free user, so I remain blissfully ignorant of them.) mostly I use it to annoy my sister. ("BITCH WHAT IF I GOT A PHALLOPLASTY AND HAD A BABY SHOWER FOR MY DICK. WE COULD HAVE ZUCCHINI FRITTERS. DICK-SHAPED PASTA. BANANAS FOSTER. DO U SEE MY VISION")

anyway, during the Hell Year of 2020, I saw my childhood best friend (let's call her Lee) was on this app. and like.

when I say "my childhood best friend", I mean the Weird Girl next door, who saw the Weird Girl that I was. I mean the girl I played with from age five until just shy of eleven, when my family moved away. I mean the girl I played with every day, for hours and hours, making up all kinds of elaborate scenarios involving our menagerie of stuffed animals. there were multiple overlapping, soap opera-style plotlines that lasted for years. there was drama. heartbreak. glory. she was the first friend I remember having. she was the first girl I ever loved, in my five-year-old way.

well, I hadn't seen Lee in at least 20 years and I was like, "holy shit! Lee!!!" so I sent her a "hey, nice to see you here, how you been" message.

again, this was late 2020.

now, I had been on T for a scant three months when I sent the first message, so I was a mere baby child, relative to the gruff manly man I am now. no beard, my voice had only started to wobble, still had tits... you get it. keep this in mind, it'll be important later.

I never heard back from her, but we're both Old, so I was like "eh, she probably forgot she installed the app" and forgot about it. we'd exchanged text messages at some point during the Hell Year, but like many people my age she doesn't really text, and I'm not calling anyone if I don't have to, so our communication had been sporadic, at best.

well. today I got a notification that she sent me a reply on Marco Polo.

I figured, well, she's replying to me 3.5 years late, but better late than never. I have ADHD and no friendship degradation mechanic, so I'm excited! yay! friend! :D

and then I remember. "...oh shit. she doesn't know I'm trans."

so. the thing is. I'm from Mississippi, which is. very very fucking conservative. I know Lee grew up Southern Baptist. I also know she's still living in the same town where we grew up and where she eventually graduated from high school and college. last I checked she was still attending the same Southern Baptist church where she grew up and her remaining living parent is still living in Lee's childhood home.

so this is either going to be Fine or it's going to be a disaster. lol.

in thinking it through, I figure either she's seen my updated profile pic, where I have the beard etc., or she hasn't. so either she's going to acknowledge this change or she isn't. okay. these are the possibilities. so I watch the message.

...the secret third option is... she seems to not realize when I sent the message? "sorry, I missed this when I was at work!" girl. what? I mean, you probably did miss it while you were at work... three and a half years ago. possibly she meant to reply to someone else and got me instead?

whatever. who knows. doesn't matter.

because I have the opportunity to do the funniest fucking thing in the world now

[willowed-wisp]

a short-lived lifetime [ johnny ‘soap’ mactavish ]

Your mothers are best friends- living right next door from each other- so you had always known the MacTavishs and their only child John. He was two months older than you and in the same year at school.

There’s pictures of you in the bath together as infants, trying to kill each other as toddlers and cheering at the football together as children. Not spending a single day apart- even going on holidays with each other’s family.

You fell in love with marine eyes in the shadows of your bedroom. He’d just told you he would be gone for ten weeks and that he’d been in love with you for an eternity compared to that.

The mattress undulated, all slow motion. Lifting his shirt, him undoing your bra. Pebbled kisses coated the goosebumps covering your head to toe. Halting at the navel, asking you so sweetly if you wanted to go all the way…

You couldn’t think of anybody else you’d rather lose your virginity to.

Turned out he was one too, waiting for you to get the signals he was besotted with you. Thats why he had been so gentle with you, whispering sweet nothings.

Eighteen years old making love to the only crush you’d had, the only one you would ever have.

His absences were made up for when he returned in your arms- head in your lap the second you answered the door. The ritual of drawing him a bath, ending up clung onto him as Johnny planted haphazard kisses along your neck. Holding your hands… so close and intimate. A ring that matched yours on his left hand at the age of 20.

At 22, that turned into holding your stomach… a bundle of joy he cherished and he’d never met the little human yet.

When he turned 25, you both had to be careful around your little girl who ran rings around him but he could keep up, Johnny didn’t know how he’d keep up with two little ones but he would manage and live for every moment he could.

You didn’t get twenty nine years with Johnny MacTavish…

All you had left was the ghost of the man that had cherished you for a short-lived lifetime almost just as much as you had him.

————

masterlist

[valkyrieromanoff]

God bless your dad's genetics… Dilf! Anakin x son’s girlfriend!reader

PREVIOUS NEXT

CHAPTER FIVE: SAUNA

synopsis: trapped in a sweltering sauna with Anakin, a tense confrontation unravels hidden truths about his fractured marriage to Padmé, leaving you torn between guilt, forbidden desire, and a fragile connection that defies reason.

warning: age gap (Anakin is 44 years old and the reader is in her early 20s), cheating, alternate universe, angst

words: 3.0k 

a/n: hello there, I confess that I started writing thinking it would be something hotter, maybe something happening, but then I started listening to 'Love is pain' by Finneas, and it ended up being more depressing than I imagined, anyway, I hope you like it ;) I appreciate the comments to know if the story is flowing for you too

Say it's not okay to feel that way It's real, you may not make her happy So what's wrong with me? If honestly, I wanna be the only way she can be

You left the pool in a rush, every step feeling heavier than the last. Avoiding Anakin had become a survival instinct. You muttered something about a headache to Luke, your voice barely steady, and excused yourself, desperate for escape. Anakin had suggested walking you to your cabin, concern evident in his eyes, but you’d refused—your heart pounding, your resolve teetering. You had to get away before you slipped further, before the line you shouldn’t cross blurred beyond recognition.

In the sanctuary of your cabin, you stripped off the bikini and stepped into the cold shower. The icy water hit your skin like a shock, chasing away the warmth he’d left lingering. You lathered soap onto your body, each motion deliberate, as if scrubbing away the memory of his touch—the way his hands had grazed your thighs, the way his eyes had traced every curve.

You closed your eyes, letting the water cascade over your face, but the memories were relentless. His rough, calloused hands on your skin. That low, gravelly voice that curled around your senses, sending shivers down your spine. Heat pooled in your core, an ache that refused to be washed away.

Stop it. You forced your eyes open, breath unsteady. This was dangerous—a free fall with no safety net. You couldn’t let yourself get lost in these thoughts.

Stepping out of the shower, you wrapped yourself in a towel, needing something—anything—to pull you back to reality. Grabbing your phone, you opened the notes app and started a list. Pros and cons. Maybe seeing it in black and white would make it easier to resist.

Cons: he’s married, he’s Luke’s father, he’s much older. It’s reckless. Dangerous. Wrong.

Each point was a red flag, glaring and impossible to ignore. Rationally, you knew this. But your heart pounded, a traitorous rhythm that whispered other truths.

Pros: the way his eyes lingered on you, seeing more than anyone else, the warmth of his touch, the strength in his hands. That smile—dangerous, disarming, a weapon you had no defense against and the way your body responded, drawn to him like a magnet, every nerve alive and yearning.

You stared at the list, fingers trembling. The cons screamed caution, logic, self-preservation. But the pros—the pros were written in fire, each memory a brand on your skin, a temptation that refused to be ignored.

You can’t let this happen. But deep down, a darker, quieter voice whispered back, What if it already has?

_____________

“Come on, it’ll be nice…” Leia stood insistently at your cabin door, a playful smile tugging at her lips. “Maybe the massage will even help with your headache. You know, sometimes it’s more psychological than physical—stress and all that.” Her voice softened thoughtfully, her genuine concern shining through.

Beside her, Padmé nodded, the white terrycloth robe draped elegantly over her frame. “If you don’t like it, you can leave early,” she added gently, her tone soothing. “Just try to relax a little. You seem tense.”

Her kindness cut through you like a knife. The warmth in her voice, the sincerity in her eyes—it felt like a cruel reminder of the line you’d already crossed in your mind. Padmé wasn’t some distant, untouchable figure; she was right here, extending her hand to you, offering comfort. A good woman. A devoted wife. A loving mother.

How could you do this to her? The bitter taste of guilt churned in your stomach, rising like bile. She didn’t deserve this. Didn’t deserve the betrayal lurking in the corners of your heart, the passion you’d allowed to bloom for her husband.

It had been easier when you’d painted her as unreachable, cold—a distant figure, more concept than person. A political figurehead. A symbol. But now? Now she was real, flesh and blood, standing before you with empathy in her eyes and concern in her voice. Each word, each gentle look, felt like a condemnation.

“I don’t know, I…” The words barely escaped, your voice a whisper, cracking under the weight of shame. The air felt heavy, thick with unspoken truths. You couldn’t pretend everything was okay, not when the guilt was a stone in your chest, pressing down, suffocating.

Warm tears blurred your vision before you even realized you were crying. Padmé’s eyes widened, her brow furrowing with concern. She stepped forward, her hands resting gently on your shoulders, guiding you into an embrace.

You clung to her, your sobs muffled against the soft fabric of her robe. Her touch was comforting, maternal—everything you didn’t deserve. Each tear that fell was laced with guilt, each sob a silent confession. She held you, whispering reassurances, her kindness only deepening the ache inside you.

“Why are you crying, dear?” she asked softly, pulling back just enough to search your face.

The lie slipped out before you could stop it. “I… I miss my parents.” The words tasted hollow, but Padmé’s smile was understanding, her eyes filled with a compassion that twisted the knife deeper.

A few minutes later, the three of you walked together to the spa, the atmosphere heavy with unspoken truths. Leia and Padmé, already dressed in their robes, went straight to the massage area. You watched them, the weight of your guilt pressing down, a constant reminder of the betrayal you carried.

An employee handed you a robe, gesturing toward the changing room down the hall. Each step felt heavier than the last, the simple fabric in your hands a tangible symbol of the role you played—the lie you lived.

The mirror in the changing room reflected not just your image but the conflict etched in every line of your face. This trip was meant to be an escape, a simple act of kindness for a friend. But here, in the quiet moments between words, it was becoming a battle you weren’t sure you could win.

Should you turn left or right? You hesitated, brow furrowed, as you left the locker room. The ship felt like a maze, each identical hallway blurring into the next. It must be the last door at the end. You convinced yourself, hands stuffed into the pockets of your fluffy robe, heart pounding with an unease you couldn’t shake.

The moment you pushed open the fogged glass door, a wave of heat enveloped you. The air was thick, oppressive, making your cheeks flush from the contrast with the cooler hallway. Your eyes scanned the room—large wooden benches lining the walls, steam rising in ethereal curls.

This isn’t the massage room, you realized, your pulse quickening. There should have been stretchers, calming music, not this suffocating heat. You turned to leave, but the sound of approaching footsteps froze you.

Anakin.

He stood there, a white towel wrapped low around his waist, another draped around his neck. Droplets of sweat glistened on his skin, catching the flickering light. His hair, damp and tousled, framed those piercing blue eyes that locked onto yours.

Panic surged. You spun around, hands fumbling with the door handle. It wouldn’t budge. Desperation mounted as you pounded against the fogged glass.

“You’re going to hurt yourself. Stop.” His voice was calm, almost soft, but the weight of it made you freeze. His fingers closed around your wrist, gentle but firm. “They lock it for the duration of the sauna,” he explained.

You jerked your arm away, as if his touch scalded you more than the heat. Crossing your arms tightly over your chest, you avoided his gaze, staring at the floor instead.

“Looks like you’re stuck with me for twenty minutes, angel,” Anakin murmured, his tone laced with something dangerous. He took a step closer. “Are you sure you want to spend that time sulking over there?”

You shrank back, clutching your robe tighter. “Don’t touch me,” you whispered, voice trembling with something between anger and fear.

His smile didn’t falter. That infuriating, knowing glint remained in his eyes. “You didn’t complain about my touch earlier today,” he said, the words a sharp jab, dragging the memory out into the open.

“Is everything a fucking joke to you?” The words escaped in a rush, your voice raw, quivering with anger and shame.

Anakin raised his hands, his expression a mix of confusion and defiance. “Wow, angel. What the hell bit you?”

You laughed bitterly, the sound hollow in the thick air. Moving past him, you sank onto the sauna bench, eyes fixed on the floor. “Why?” The question was barely more than a whisper.

He frowned, pacing, frustration etched into every line of his body. “You’re going to have to give me more than that.”

“Padmé.” The name was a raw wound, guilt twisting in your chest. “She doesn’t deserve this. She’s… she’s kind. She’s everything.” Your voice cracked, the words a confession and an accusation all at once.

Anakin’s jaw clenched, his steps faltering. “Oh, so you’re feeling guilty, and you decided to take it out on me?” His voice was sharp, defensive, but there was something else beneath it—a fracture, a hint of something deeper.

Tears pricked your eyes. “You don’t deserve her.” The words were out before you could stop them, trembling with conviction.

He stopped pacing, exhaling a strangled sigh. For a moment, he stared at the door, as if the answers lay beyond it. “You don’t know shit,” he muttered, frustration threading through his voice.

You stood, anger and shame boiling over. “I know you shouldn’t have cheated on her.” You pointed a shaking finger at his chest, each word a stone thrown, heavy with accusation.

Anakin’s eyes flashed, something raw and dangerous surfacing. “Look, angel, I didn’t do it alone.” His voice dropped, low and rough. “In fact, you seemed pretty eager at the time.”

The truth of it hit you like a punch, leaving you breathless. His words weren’t just a defense—they were a mirror, reflecting the darkness you were trying so hard to avoid. You’re just as guilty. The realization twisted inside you, a storm you couldn’t escape.

Before you could stop yourself, your hand collided with his cheek, the sharp crack echoing in the steamy room. Shock and guilt hit you immediately, your eyes wide, breath shallow. “Fuck, I’m sorry,” you mumbled, stumbling back. But before you could escape, Anakin’s fingers wrapped around your wrist, his grip firm, knuckles white.

“Do you want to know the truth?” His voice was low, rough, the words simmering with something raw and dangerous. “Do you want to know the fucked-up truth about the ‘happy family’?” His face was so close to yours that your noses almost touched, the heat between you both stifling in more ways than one.

You swallowed hard, locked in his intense gaze, fear and something else—something thrilling—warring in your mind. He let go of your wrist, the sudden release making you stumble, falling onto the bench.

Anakin sighed, running a hand through his damp curls, his eyes distant. He sank onto the bench beside you, the space between you filled with a heavy silence. He didn’t look at you; instead, his gaze fixed on some point in the past only he could see.

“Padmé was my first love.” His voice was quiet, a mix of nostalgia and sadness. “I met her in school. She was a few years ahead of me, barely noticed I existed, but I swore I’d marry that girl one day.” A small, bitter smile played at his lips. “I met her again in college. I was nineteen. It was like those years had only made the feelings stronger. We thought we had everything figured out.”

You watched the way his fingers twisted together, the vulnerability in his posture unfamiliar. He was always so controlled, so intense. This was different—raw, unguarded.

“I proposed on our third date. Stupid, right?” He laughed, but it was hollow. “We got married that year. We were barely adults, but the love… it felt invincible. We thought we had our lives in our hands.”

You listened, your heart aching at the weight in his voice, the way his words carried the residue of dreams gone wrong.

“I joined the army right after. Months apart, letters are our only connection. It was hard, but it was worth it, our love worth it. Padmé got pregnant, and when I found out I was going to be a father... It was the best day of my life.” His eyes flickered with a light that dimmed as he continued. “I left the army when the twins were born. Padmé had just been elected, and I always knew she was always going to outshine me… Her future would be brighter”

His knee brushed against yours, the touch grounding, almost accidental. Yet it felt like a tether, holding you in the moment.

“The first few years were... perfect. Like an eternal honeymoon. I had everything I’d ever dreamed of. The wife. The kids. It felt like nothing could go wrong.” His voice faltered. “But it did. Slowly. Quietly. I don’t even know when we fell out of love. Was it the mornings waking up to an empty bed? The nights she worked late, barely noticing me anymore? I felt like I was falling down her priority list”

He laughed, a broken sound. “Maybe it was my fault. My jealousy of some stranger she met while I was gone. The arguments. The things I said that I can’t take back. I tried, but… she cried. And it was always my fault.”

You didn’t say anything, each word settling like a stone in your chest. Your heart ached—not just for him, but for Padmé, for the ghost of the love they’d lost.

“Leia and Luke were ten when we finally sat down and had a real conversation. We laid it all out. Everything.” He paused, his hands clenching into fists. “We should have divorced. We both knew it. But Padmé had just been elected to the Senate. She was already under scrutiny, criticized just for being a woman in power. If we divorced her career could have collapsed.”

Your eyes widened in surprise. This wasn’t what you’d expected. The image of their perfect marriage crumbled in front of you, replaced by something real, something flawed.

“We stayed together. Not out of love, but because we couldn’t afford to fall apart.” He finally looked at you, his eyes raw, haunted. “That’s the truth.”

You opened your mouth, searching for words, but nothing came. What could you say? He’d laid bare a part of himself you’d never seen, and the weight of it pressed down on you both. The guilt you felt twisted deeper, sharper, yet there was something else—a desperate need to comfort him, to ease his pain.

Your hand hovered near his, hesitant, the boundary between what you wanted and what you should do blurring. “Anakin…” you whispered, your voice soft, unsure.

He didn’t pull away, but the space between you was heavy with everything unspoken. In that moment, all you wanted was to bridge the gap, to offer solace. But you knew the line was thin, the risk too great. So you stayed there, the silence wrapping around you both, an unsteady truce in the heat of the sauna.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t know.” The words slipped out, barely more than a whisper. Your hand rested on his, a tentative connection.

Anakin’s eyes softened, a humorless laugh escaping his lips. “It’s not like we go around telling people.” There was a bitterness in his voice, a weight beneath the casual words.

You swallowed, the questions swirling in your mind too heavy to hold back. “But how? It’s been years. You’ve been married for over twenty years… How did you make it work?” Confusion and curiosity tangled in your voice, the pieces of his story not fitting the perfect image you’d held of his family.

He tilted his head, a wry smile playing at the corners of his lips. “You’re a curious little thing, aren’t you?” he teased, his tone lighter, but his eyes held a depth that pulled you in. He turned your hand, his fingers sliding between yours, the contact sending a jolt through you.

His voice dropped, quieter now. “We’re married on paper, but that’s all it is. Separate bedrooms. Separate lives. We stay married because… well, it’s easier that way. For Padmé’s career, for the image we’ve built. We can’t marry other people, but we… find companionship where we can.”

Your mouth fell open in surprise, the confession hitting you like a wave. This wasn’t the story you’d imagined.

Anakin’s expression was unreadable as he continued, his voice calm, almost detached. “I’ve had my fair share of… casual encounters. And Padmé has had hers. We have an understanding.” He paused, his eyes searching yours, as if waiting for judgment.

The words felt surreal. “You just… ignore it? The other people?”

A flicker of something—pain, maybe regret—crossed his face. “We don’t talk about it. We don’t need to. It’s none of my business what she does, just like it’s none of hers who I spend my nights with.” He exhaled, his grip on your hand tightening slightly. “I’m sure she and her secretary, Sabé, have something. I’ve never asked. It’s… easier that way.”

The silence stretched between you, heavy with unspoken thoughts. You tried to process it, to reconcile the man before you with the image of the family you’d known. There was a sadness in his voice, an emptiness that tugged at something deep inside you.

Your thumb brushed gently over his knuckles, the gesture instinctive, an attempt to offer comfort. “That… sounds lonely.”

His eyes met yours, the mask slipping just enough for you to see the truth beneath. “It is.” The admission was soft, raw. A single word that held years of quiet suffering, of nights spent in an empty bed, of dreams that had slowly unraveled.

Your heart ached for him, for Padmé, for the fragile facade they’d built and maintained for so long. You wanted to say something, anything, to bridge the gap between you. But the words wouldn’t come.

Instead, you sat there, your hand still in his, the heat of the sauna wrapping around you both. The silence was heavy, but it wasn’t empty. It was filled with everything you couldn’t say—the understanding, the guilt, the unspoken connection that pulled you toward him, even when you knew you shouldn’t.