#ALSO GIRL WHOS LESSON I WATCH SOUNDED BEAUTIFUL

[johnwickb1tsch]

lessons in anatomy XV

a yandere art professor John Wick x drawing model muse! reader AU... (also featuring Matt from River's Edge. If you haven't seen the movie that's ok, I will fill in the gaps as we go...) warnings: dark adult themes, violence, sex, drugs, obsession, yandere shit. plz don't read if u can't handle it ->chapter map

XV.

You stare at each other in perfect stillness for what feels like an eternity, a sparking live wire in place of your spine. Adrenaline sings through your veins; is he angry that you invaded his space, or contrite at all about this obvious fixation with you? You cannot read him. 

He hid it all so well. 

“John…what is this?”

“An art project?”

A total body of work, was more like it.

“Why?”

He looks down at the floor, his hands in his pockets. 

“I can’t…stop looking at you, y/n. Since…the moment we met.”

He raises his gaze to meet yours; his glittering black eyes shining dark pools of agony, and your heart breaks for him, even if deep down you know this is probably a cause for alarm.

Your pulse thunders in your ears. He takes a step towards you, and out of pure instinct you back away. 

He holds up his hands in a gesture of peace. “Please, don’t be afraid. I would never hurt you.” 

“John…” You look around at the scope of this body of work again. “This is a lot.” 

“I know.” He lets out a shuddering breath, looking to you like you could be his salvation, or his absolute damnation. “I’m sorry. I…I know.” 

He takes another step towards you, as though he can’t help it, drawn to you like a magnet. But again, you retreat. 

Some of the sketches feel more like scenes from your day to day, rather than what he could just concoct in the studio. There’s the coffee shop you frequent.

There’s the dress you wore last week. 

A cold dread worms through the marrow of your bones. “Have you been watching me?” 

He tilts his head, and you can tell he’s gauging how to answer this. “I see you around the neighborhood.” 

“We don’t live in the same neighborhood.” 

He answers this with silence, and your heart falls. 

Again, you look around at the staggering quantity. It could amount to a drawing a day, since the start of the semester. But you have to admit…they’re stunning. You hardly even see yourself, in the way he’s arranged your form and lines. He’s transformed your paltry flesh into something wonderfully other. 

“This is how you see me?” you dare ask, your voice small and fragile as hand blown glass. 

“I told you, y/n. You’re beautiful.” 

You’re not the sort of girl who could ever be on the cover of a fashion magazine. But to you, this is infinitely more beguiling. To be the muse of an artist like John Wick is a certain form of immortality the likes of which you thought you could only dream. It’s disturbing and flattering, all in the same package. 

Yet you remind yourself that just because he likes to draw you…doesn’t mean he cares for you.

“Do you even like me, John?” 

It sounds so third grade, but in the moment you don’t know how else to voice it.  

“Like you?” he scoffs. “I adore you, y/n. Isn’t it obvious?” He gestures around the room agitatedly, like he’s trying to tell you something but you’re too thick to grasp it.

Yet you can’t help but think about how distant he was in class, after the Jackalope incident, and then your little blowup about Matt’s critique. 

“It didn’t feel like it.” 

His bottom jaw juts as he grinds his teeth thinking about it. “I…may have overcompensated a bit.”

You narrow your eyes. “What, like…when a boy likes you on the playground he pulls your hair?”

He frowns at the comparison–but he does not negate it. “I knew it wasn’t…appropriate. I tried to stop.” He shrugs, looking around the room, and he doesn't have to say it aloud. See how that worked out? “I never thought I’d feel this way about anyone, after my wife died, y/n. At first…I didn’t want to.”

Your heart aches for him at that moment; you understand that all too well. Love is wonderful…but it’s messy, and it hurts, and it requires regular offerings of blood, sweat, and tears to keep it alive, much less to make it grow. It makes life worth living–but one way or the other, it always takes its pound of flesh in the end. After enduring such a loss, you sympathize that this poor man didn’t want to open himself up to all that again. 

And yet, here you are, in a room that almost feels like a sanctum, and somehow you are his icon of devotion. 

You should be on your guard, for surely this is a form of mental illness–and what does it say about you that you assume a man must be ill, if he is this into you?–but no one has ever wanted you so completely, so obsessively, before. 

It’s more titillating than you’d like to admit, and you have to mentally knock yourself upside the head not to give in to this. 

You wonder if he's been with anyone since his wife passed, and your heart breaks for him all over again. How much of this has to do with that, you wonder? Again, you find yourself assuming this fixation isn’t actually about you, but some external circumstances that makes you convenient to him. It's how most of your relationships have started, looking back, and it never ends well for you in the end. You look around at the shrine he's constructed in this studio. So he likes your shapes in their particular order. But what does he even know about you? 

You don't realize the answer is far more than you want to know. 

Then another thought occurs to you. “Were you cruel to Matt…over me?”

A sigh escapes him that seems to come from the bottom depths of his soul. “I wasn’t cruel,” he grumbles, looking away at a drawing of you. 

“You were definitely extra.”

He growls at this, a primal sound that more belongs in the time of the caves than here in this elegant old house. It lifts every hair on your body. 

“Fine.” He approaches you with one slow step, hoping not to spook you. “Maybe I was mean to him, but I was never dishonest.” Another step, and you can only watch as he approaches you like a slow-stalking predator on those impossibly long legs, looking at you like he might like to eat you if he catches you. 

“It drove me mad, thinking about you together, when I knew that boy had no idea how to handle a woman like you.”

He keeps advancing with that hungry look, and finally you remember how to move, scrambling backwards until your butt bumps into something solid. Too late, you realize he's backed you into his paint-stained worktable. You regain some sense, skittering around it just as he tries to close the distance between you. 

He’s being lazy about it, you realize. A man built like that could snatch you up in a second–he is but a panther toying with a mouse. 

“John…wait.” 

“I’ve been waiting,” he grouses, leaning on the table, letting you put it between you. He grips the edge of it with those huge hands as though holding himself back, the muscles playing in his bared forearms, his cuffs rolled up from doing the dishes. You cannot help but stare. This man should not be allowed to be so ridiculously good looking, when he is possibly so very unstable. 

He’s so beautiful. Fuck is he beautiful, but this…is borderline insane.

When he speaks his voice is low and full of gravel, rough with desire, the sound of which makes you press your thighs for some relief. “I know I’m not a good man, y/n. But I would be so good, to you.”

After the magic of earlier in just sharing a meal with this man, talking easily over food and wine with his dogs at your feet…you're afraid you believe him. There's a part of you that wants that, so badly. The logical part of you, however, cautions that it’s surely too good to be true.

You’re afraid you’re like a moth to the flame, unable to stop yourself from self-immolation. You just barely escaped something terrible happening to you via Matt’s friends. You have got to be smarter than you were then. 

“John…maybe…I should go home to think about all this.”

“Don’t go home,” he pleads, though it somehow also sounds like a command. “Stay here with me a little longer. We were having a nice time.” 

It’s true. You were, while blissfully ignorant of this smoking gun just down the hall. With your heart in your throat you know you shouldn’t even be entertaining the thought…but here you are. “What happens…if I stay?” 

Like…do you want to wear my skin? 

“Anything you want,” he answers gently, doing his best, you can tell, not to scare you. “If you haven’t noticed, I’m a patient man.” 

You were smart enough not to go to Matt’s apartment where his predatory friends hung out, and your instincts were right. You know you should listen to your instincts now. Why is this harder? You shake your head, at yourself as much as him. 

“No. No. I'm going.” You turn to make for the door, and you were right about him. He is fast as lightning, and when he grabs you up the most embarrassingly girly little squeal escapes you. You flail, knocking a stack of papers askew, some fluttering to the ground. His arms are like iron bands around you, not hurting you but there is no escaping his hold. All you manage is to turn, so that your back is pressed in an agonizing line against the solid wall of his front.

He is warm, and strapped with muscle, and it should not feel this good to be engulfed by his larger frame. 

You push on his arms around your waist, to absolutely zero avail. 

“Y/n, please, calm down.” 

You scan the worktable, hoping for some tool to help you that might startle him without doing any real damage. You don’t want to hurt him. You just want him to let you go. Your eyes settle upon one of the unearthed papers, and that’s when you freeze in your struggles, going still as a stone. 

“Oh my god.”

It’s a paper filled with sketches, of the sort a sculptor might make before executing a project. It has views from the front and sides, various variations of designs.They’re plans for a mask–in the shape of a wolf’s head. The same stylized masquerade style half mask that you’ve been seeing in your fractured memories and your hazy dreams. 

Exactly like the one that still rests on your nightstand. 

“It was you.” 

You cannot raise your voice above a whisper, your fingertips like claws digging into his arms. You don’t know why you go limp in his grasp, your head rocking back on his shoulder. Shock, surely, or a reluctant acceptance. His voice is a low grumble beside your ear, his nose nuzzling in your hair.  A wave of gooseflesh erupts across your body, and the most shamefully delicious thrill shoots down your spine. 

“You’re finding all my secrets tonight, aren’t you Little Red?”

Your Lone Wolf has got you, and you’re afraid there’s no escape.

TBC...

___

->chapter map pinterest board/ photo credits

[sgiandubh]

Things that make you go hmmm - the Live with Kelly and Mark October 2024 edition

I have long suspected that hostile Anons were, in reality, pre-emptive strikes of sorts.

But never has it been more clear than today.

You can watch C's appearance at the Live with Kelly and Mark Show, in full, here:

Instead of bothering you with convoluted explanations, I took the liberty of clipping the part that made me (and not only me) go hmmm. I will transcribe it for our Spanish girls, who normally use a translator.

It is almost too good to be true and goes to show one can never have 100% control over what one says. Especially when on a packed, tiresome and tedious schedule:

[FYI, this clipped portion's time stamp on the original video is 22:24 - 23:00 - nothing has been altered by me, just extracted with as much context as possible, lest you'd accuse me, or something]

A thing of beauty, indeed (thank God for days off, huh?):

Mark Consuelos (MC): 'And you've recently had a... uhm... a birthday...'

C: 'I did'

MC: 'Yeah... did you guys do anything special?'

C: 'Uhm, I had an amazing day, we were in London and we just had wrapped, like a couple of days before, uhm, so I got to, I went to, my husband took me to an art show, then to a three-hour lunch and then to the theatre.'

Kelly Ripa (KR): 'Oh, that sounds like heaven!'

C:' It was heaven and then his birthday was like five days later and I gave him a card (inaudible- if someone can make something out of it, please step forward, by all means, I feel it's sort of important, in the context). It was....'

[laughter in the public]

KR: 'That's okay. That's alright. You also gave him a son, come on, come on, come on.'

C: 'This is true, this is true. How long can I kind of run on that one?'

MC: 'A long time, a long time'.

KR:' Oh, at least eighteen to twenty-five years.'

C:' Okay, great.'

KR:' Yeah'.

One more time: 'we were in London and we just had wrapped, like a couple of days before'. I mean, this made me stop in my tracks, right?

Who is the 'we' that 'were in London'? The same 'we' who' just wrapped, like a couple of days before?' Did I miss something, here?

Since when was Tony McGill involved in the wrapping of the OL production, mind you? And if not, was it a cast trip, just after 'we' (the cast) 'wrapped, like a couple of days before'? Now that would be perfectly absurd, wouldn't it? The question was about her birthday, an intimate, family moment: why bring a collective we, like a sore thumb, in that context?

In English grammar, 'and' is a coordinating conjunction. It mainly serves to connect two words, phrases or, like in this case, clauses together.

[Source: https://www.learngrammar.net/english-grammar/clauses]

In the phrase ' 'we were in London and we just had wrapped, like a couple of days before ', ' we were in London' and 'we just had wrapped, like a couple of days before' are two independent clauses, connected by a coordinator, 'and' (coordinating conjunction). Therefore, the first 'we' and the second 'we' logically refer to the same persons.

Exactly like in the following example:

'I heard her saying this and I just had to stop in my tracks, almost in disbelief'. LOL

This grammar lesson has been brought to you for free, courtesy of Sgian-dubh, Inc.

I rest my case.

PS: ' I got to, I went to, my husband took me'. Enough said. Bless her heart, she is still a very lousy, unconvincing (yet very endearing) liar.

[mulletmitsuya]

Toman groupchat

Warnings: swearing, suggestive, mentions of poop, mentions of homophobia (joke), mentions of men getting pregnant

Desc: here the boys discuss whether men can get pregnant or not and other shenanigans. this also very fucking stupid

Mikey: i just took the biggest shit

Mikey: you guys will not believe the sheer size of this thing like it's as big as my forearm

Mikey: makes me wonder how women give birth

Kazutora: ?

Draken: keep this shit to yourself what the hell is wrong with you

Mikey: how can i keep this shit to myself when i've already flushed it down the toilet🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

Mitsuya: what does you shitting have to do with women giving birth?

Mitsuya: never mind shouldn't have asked

Mikey: well the poop tore my butt up so imagine what babies do to vaginas

Baji: this is why i'm never giving birth. looks too hard

Draken: ...you're not a candidate to do so? you're male?

Baji: what does my gender have to do with giving birth

Draken: it has everything to do with it??? what are you talking about

Baji: wow didn't know you guys were so sexist

Chifuyu: Baji-san, gender and sex are two different things...

Baji: ?

Chifuyu: sex is your chromosomes and basically what you were born with and gender is what you identify as. so since you're male, you don't have the reproductive organs to get pregnant and have a child. only female bodied people can.

Smiley: bro you're 17 how the fuck do you not know this

Baji: never been good at biology

Smiley: you don't have to be good at it to know you can't get pregnant💀

Baji: so men can't get pregnant?

Chifuyu: well if someone born as a female transitions into a man, then gets pregnant, we can pretty much say that men can get pregnant

Baji: so men can get pregnant but not males?

Chifuyu: yeah i guess

Baji: interesting

Baji: i don't think anyone's tried hard enough

Baji: i'll get a male pregnant one day, watch

Mitsuya: wtf

Draken: is the biology lesson over?

Mikey: my ass still hurts i think i'll need ointment

Kazutora: why r u reporting this to us

Mikey: you guys are my friends

Mitsuya: no ones wants to know about your bowel movements

Baji: why do you always wanna sound smart Mitsuya. just say shit or shitting

Smiley: watch, next time he'll say defecation

Chifuyu: excretion

Mikey: excrement

Kazutora: fecal matter

Draken: guys what the fuck can we not talk about this? it's fucking gross

Baji: oho here comes the fucking poop police

Kazutora: instead of his siren going "wee woo wee woo" it probably goes "pee poo pee poo" lmao

Mikey: LMAO😭

Draken: what are you a bunch of 5 year olds??

Baji: we're 17

Draken: 😐

Mitsuya: can we change the subject? christ

Smiley: i did crack for the first time yesterday. shit was crazy

Mikey: YOU DO DRUGS???? BRO

Baji: yo Nahoya what the fuck

Draken: we're not supposed to do drugs

Smiley: who's we?? i'm doing them not you🤨??

Draken: and what's Angry gonna think?

Smiley: he doesn't need to know. and i did it to impress a girl so chill it's not a regular thing

Mikey: why would you try and impress a girl with doing crack?

Smiley: she's a drug addict

Smiley: but the sex was fire tho even though she tried to kill me halfway through

Mikey: YOU'RE HAVING SEX??

Kazutora: that's not fair☹️

Kazutora: where are you meeting women?

Smiley: outside

Kazutora: oh

Draken: why did she try to kill you?

Smiley: halfway through she started choking the shit outta me while she was on top and i almost died but also it was the best nut i've ever experienced so it's a win win

Mikey: that doesn't sound appealing at all😭

Draken: that sounds like assault actually

Smiley: idgaf a beautiful woman can do whatever she wants with me and if she wants to kill me then so be it (i'm a feminist)

Mitsuya: yeah but like, she should have asked

Smiley: we were both high off our rockers

Draken: yeah i feel like she should have asked you so you could have developed a healthy sex dynamic where you both share each other kinks before hand

Baji: oho here comes the fucking sex police

Kazutora: this time the siren would be men whimpering

Chifuyu: why men?

Kazutora: i don't think Draken would use women moaning cause of how the brothel might have traumatized him i think and he respects women too much

Kazutora: also he's gay

Draken: fuck off i'm not

Draken: and Baji say something else i dare you

Baji: what are you gonna do? have sex with me?

Smiley: you're all taking this way too seriously😁

Baji: with what Kazutora said, i'ma start blasting whimpering audios when i get a car

Mitsuya: i'm pretty sure that's illegal or something

Smiley: dawg no one wants to hear that

Baji: who wouldn't want to hear men whimpering?

Baji: especially the high pitched ones

Baji: cause you can associate them with twinks

Baji: with dual coloured hair, jingly earnings and large unsettling eyes

Baji: and maybe even a blonde with an undercut and big blue cow eyes

Kazutora: Baji what are you on about

Chifuyu: wait are you being serious or is this a joke Baji-san 😂😂😂😂

Draken: uhh

Smiley: i keep hoping you being gay is a joke but then you say shit like this

Baji: why

Smiley: i'm not fond of gay people

Baji: homophobia's got you missing out on some good head

Draken: we support and respect all identies, Smiley. don't make this a problem

Smiley: i'll ask again, WHO'S WE?

[chillentertainer]

an interlude (to my john wick au)

thomas is seventeen—a quiet lad, thoughtful. bright, too. and uncommonly beautiful. angelic, his mother’s friend once drunkenly called him. he has his mother’s roman nose and his father’s pensive blue eyes. pretty like a girl, his classmate henry anglteton, sneers at him.

angleton, who holds a particular hatred for thomas and is built like goliath, frightens thomas. he would never admit it, no, but angleton could easily pummel thomas into a paste. in fact, thomas had witnessed him beat another poor boy until his face was a mass of blood and bruises. then angleton turned around, spotted thomas hiding behind the trees, and smiled. 

thomas knew in that moment he was next. and he knew that this was god’s punishment for his fear and inaction. he had stood by and watched as this horror had been committed, and now he had been condemned to experiencing the same. 

still, he prayed for god’s guidance. he asked Him for the wisdom and courage to face angleton, for a way thomas could stop his reign of terror. he asked forgiveness for what he had done to gregory, for penance. he asked Him for mercy. he begged for it. 

and god could be merciful, yes, but sometimes he could be cruel. it was all for our own good in the end, though His actions might be inscrutable. 

it is a rainy night when thomas returns from another failed confession with father samuel. another night of stammering and half-complete sentences finally petering out into an oppressive silence. 

“what it is it, my child,” father samuel had said, impatience underlying his gentle tone. 

thomas could not say. 

thunder roars above him. a hundred years ago, they would’ve said, god is angry. now thomas knows better. (but does he?) the trail through the countryside is quiet. there is no one there except for a figure leaning against a tree. thomas nears him, his steps quickening. a nonsensical string of words pour from his lips, the world’s most pathetic prayer. please god, please god, please god. not today. let it not be today that i am punished. i am not ready, i am afraid—

“hey pretty boy,” angleton calls out and waves a hand. “was waitin’ for you to come by.” lightning flashes and his brass knuckles are illuminated. 

god’s will be done. 

—

the beating is bad enough that thomas is hospitalized for a week and a half. his left eye is sealed shut. his ribs are bruised. the doctors, his parents, and police all ask, who and why? thomas does not answer. 

god did this, he wants to say, which sounds ridiculous but is true. god placed angleton in my path, as both punishment and lesson. 

they would take him to a mental facility if he said all this. he keeps his lips clamped shut. 

his uncle, an SAS officer who has just returned home from service in Afghanistan, enters and sits at his bedside. thomas ignored uncle marcus. they sit in silence. thomas is always sitting in silence lately. finally uncle marcus nods at the crucifix necklace hanging around thomas’s neck. “how much did that help you?” he says. “because it looks to me like your god did jack shit.” he leans forward. “tommy, god can’t save you. he won’t help you. but with some training and a gun? the same bastards who did this to you will be begging for mercy at your feet.”

thomas turns his head to meet his uncle’s gaze. “i don’t want that,” he whispers. “i just want to make sure they don’t do that to anyone else ever again.” 

“and you can,” uncle marcus responds. “there are bullies and evil everywhere in the world. someone needs to go and clean it up. that could be you.” 

he squeezes thomas’s shoulder before he stands. “think about it. get better soon, tommy, i’m tired of your mum crying over the phone to me about your condition.” 

—

the next month, thomas graduates, and instead of entering a seminary like he had always planned, he joins the army. he picks up a gun for the first time in his life, aims, and pulls the trigger. this is how he finds out he is a crack shot. this is also how he falls further from god’s grace. 

—

he hasn’t been considered pretty in many decades now. but grown men flinch when he steps near them. this is called a trade-off. you make many trade-offs in life. you trade in your kindness for evil, your god for a gun, your collar and cassock for camos and dress uniforms. by the time you’ve realized you’ve made a mistake, it’s too late. there is no return. 

[exololyunho]

make you see god

masterlist

wc: 5.1k

summary: your dad had always warned you nothing good would come from relations with navy boys, but you were never one to listen

warnings: kinda e2l, drinking, this fictional mingi would be a red flag to me but its fiction so its hot, sexualizing the US military, oral sex, unprotected sex, cream pie, multiple orgasms, mingi picks the reader up, kinda rough sex, very minor sacrilege but its probably only offensive if you're super catholic, role-play??, tentative daddy kink but 'daddy' is never mentioned, reader does call him 'father' but I promise it's not as weird as it sounds

an: I wrote half of this over the summer when I went through a phase where all I could think about was glen powell so I watched like all of his movies and this was the result. I am aware this is very much a summer fling fic but it's cold where I am and the summer vibes feel fun. also sorry I've been gone so long but since I last posted I moved across the country, broke up with my bf, got a cat, got better antidepressants and got diagnosed with adhd so I've had a bit going on lol. I probably won't be posting often but once again I am soft launching a return. kinda. shits complicated

taglist: @staytinyinmybpack @jeonride @becky4733107-blog @ignoretheskies

Being raised by your dad and his navy buddies had taught you many things. Chief among them being not to mess around with navy guys. And to never surf at dusk. Of course you never learned your lesson.

It was during a surfing session at dusk that you met the navy man who would rock your world.

Sitting on your board, you took in the gentle rocking of the small waves as you waited for the swell that would carry you into shore. The sun was setting, casting a beautiful orange glow over the water. It was serene, peaceful, a gorgeous warm summer evening.

Until a shout broke through the air.

“SHARK!”

Immediately you drew your legs up on the board, frantically scanning the water around you. The only sharks around Miramar were white sharks and that meant almost certainly losing a limb if not your life.  When your eyes failed to find the telltale dark shape, you turned to look back at the shore.

Standing there, chuckling at his shitty joke, was a man. It was too far to make out the details, but from what you can see he was tall and lean, wearing a white short sleeve button down and khaki shorts.

“Just kidding!” he yelled. To say you were unamused was putting it lightly.

With a sigh, you decided to call it a night, having not seen any surfable swells coming your way anytime soon. Putting your feet back into the water and pivoting your board back towards the beach, you paddled in. 

Reaching the shore, you unclipped your ankle tether, gathering your board under your arm and storming up the man.

“Did you think that was funny? Everyone knows you don’t do that,” you glared at him. Up close you could see this man was a lot more handsome than you’d expected. His eyes were covered by aviators, but his jawline was strong, and his smile was cocky. His clean cut appearance and the way he carried himself gave you an inkling that he had military training

“I thought it was a little funny,” he quirked his head, nodding at you. “What were you doing out there?”

“Surfing, dipshit,” you moved past him. “Don’t do that again.”

“Are you going to at least tell me your name?” he shouted after you.

In response, all you offered him was your middle finger.

Working at the Hard Deck was a great job. It got tedious at times, dealing with overbearing and overly flirtatious sailors, but it was overall great. You loved bartending, loved meeting new people, loved eavesdropping on ridiculous conversations, and loved the lively atmosphere.

As with every usual night, you were enjoying your shift. You’d made friends with a few spring breakers, serving them tequila sodas and making plans to meet the girls at the beach the next day. 

The night was still young, so you balanced chatting with them while pouring beers and shots for the other patrons. The music was loud and so was the chatter.

Until a new group walked in, wearing service khakis. When the other patrons spotted them, they went quiet for a moment, raising their glasses in appreciation. You watched them make their way in, indifferent, as all it meant for you was more beer to pour. 

Your mood suddenly changed as you made eye contact with your prankster from last night. Rolling your eyes, you returned to polishing the glasses before you. 

“Hey surfer girl,” there he was, standing before you on the other side of the bar. Without his sunglasses, you could see his brown eyes looking back at you with a glimmer of something that had the dual effect of making your stomach flutter and making your fists itch to hit him.

“Hey asshole,” you kept up your work with the glasses, averting your eyes from his.

“So welcoming,” he placed a toothpick between his absurdly straight teeth. 

You sighed, setting down the glasses. “Can I get you something?”

“A friendly conversation and your name would be nice,” his eyes looked over you.

“Sorry we don’t serve that here,” you braced your hands on the counter. “How about a beer?”

“That’s a start,” his grin was blinding.

You rolled your eyes again, grabbing a freshly cleaned glass, pouring him the shittiest beer you had on tap. You placed the glass in front of him. Neither of you said anything for a moment, him staring at the glass, you staring at him expectantly.

“Weren’t you going to ask what beer I wanted?”

You raised an eyebrow. “Weren’t you going to pay me?”

“Makes no sense but here,” he threw a card on the counter. “Close me out, would ya?”

“It’s $2.50 with a military discount, you don’t have any cash?”

“Nope,” he popped the ‘p’, picking up the card and dangling it lazily between two fingers. He waited for you to take the card, and after a moment of glaring at him, you snatched it. Quickly running the card, you returned it to him. 

“Anything else I can get you?” your tone was dry.

“Your name,” he responded, taking a small sip of his beer and grimacing.

“Yours first,” you countered.

“Priest,” he grinned.

“That’s your name?”

“It’s my call sign,” he looked smug.

“I wanted to know your name, not your call sign, douchebag,” you picked up another glass to polish.

“Give me yours first.”

“Nice to meet you, Priest,” you gave him one last smile before turning to serve another guest.

“Hey!” Priest called after you. “Your name?” 

“Next time!”

Next time came sooner than you had expected. 

It was the following day, you were with the two girls you’d met the night before, relaxing on the beach, your board next to you. The three of you were making small talk about the books you were reading mixed with questions about your backgrounds.

“So, Y/n, did you grow up here in Miramar?” the blonde, Yeji, asked.

You opened your mouth to respond, but you were interrupted before you could.

“So your name is Y/n, then.”

A shadow fell over you, forcing you to remove your sunglasses to face Priest. It was the first time you’d seen him shirtless and as much as the man annoyed you, you were very appreciative of the view above you. His chest was chiseled, strong and muscled, but lean. His thighs were equally as strong and toned, covered by navy blue swim trunks that hung low on his hips.

“My eyes are up here, babe,” he was grinning, his own eyes flicking over you.

Leaning up on your elbows you grinned back. “So are mine, Priest.”

“Touche,” he took his own sunglasses off. “Who are your friends?”

“This is Yeji and Lia,” you gestured to the two girls.

“Hey.”

“Hi.”

“Nice to meet you,” Priest gave a half-hearted wave. “Hey, Y/n, you wanna take a walk?”

“No not really,” you lowered your sunglasses.

“I’ll buy you a daiquiri.”

“What makes you think I like daiquiris?”

“Everyone loves daiquiris.”

“Fair enough,” you took his hand, letting him help you up. Grabbing the oversized button down you used as a cover up, you threw it on. “Watch my stuff?”

“Sorry, babe but we’re heading out soon,” Lia looked between you and Priest apologetically.

“No worries,” Priest grabbed your tote bag and surfboard for you. “We can leave it with my friends.”

“You think I trust your friends?” you put your hand on your hip.

“Just cooperate for once in your life,” Priest rolled his eyes.

“You’ve known me for 3 days and you just learned my name.”

“Let’s fix that,” Priest grinned down at you.

“Fine, fine,” you waved him off, then waved to the girls. “See ya.”

The two of you started down the beach, Priest holding your bag and board. A few hundred feet down the beach, you stumbled on his friends. A bunch of men, all toned and laughing as they tossed around a football. 

“Guys, this is surfer girl,” Priest called out to them. The seven men before you all turned, waving hello. “Introductions can wait. Watch her stuff?”

“Sure,” one of them called out and Priest dropped your stuff on a towel.

“Come on,” he took your hand. Priest was dragging you along, but he only made it a few paces before you were jerking your hand out of his.

“I can walk on my own, you know,” he started chuckling. “I don’t know what you think this is, but I'm following you for a free drink.”

“I like to think that my company also has something to do with you following me,” he slowed his pace to match yours.

“Presumptuous,” you stared straight ahead, refusing to have to look up at him.

Priest grumbled something under his breath, but you weren’t listening. Instead you were focused on the beachfront bar you were rapidly approaching. It was tacky, decorated with tiki torches, fake coconuts, and plastic leis. The bartender was wearing an open Hawaiian shirt.

“Aloha and welcome to Miramar’s premier Hawaiian style beach bar!” Priest made small talk with the man as you scanned the menu, picking out the most expensive drink you could find since it was on his dime.

“I think I’ll take the Ultra Aloha,” you gave your best smile to the bartender.

“Coming right up, pretty lady,” he turned his focus to Priest, his smile dying. “For you?”

“The same,” Priest was pulling out his wallet.

As the blender whirred away, you turned to him.

“So where did Priest come from?”

“Oh come on now,” he ran a hand through his black hair. “I can’t give away all of my secrets on the first date.”

Your eyebrows shot up. “I thought I told you I was just here for the free drink.”

“You’re the one who called me presumptuous,”  the bartender set your drinks on the counter, taking the $40 from Priest. “Keep the change.”

The two of you took the drinks, walking away as the bartender called after you. “The change is 50 cents!”

You followed Priest down to some chairs nearby, slowly sipping your drink. It was actually pretty good. So good, you couldn’t taste the rum over the pineapple. Dangerous.

“What were we talking about?” he asked as he sat in the chair. His legs were spread tantalizingly. Seeing him like this made you so mad for a reason you couldn’t put your finger on. Something about how lazily and confidently he looked over the beach before you, the casual confidence with which he held himself. What was really getting to you was the way his tongue played with the straw of his drink.

Shaking yourself out of it, you cleared your throat. “We were talking about how you thought this was a date.”

“Ah yes,” he nodded sagely. “Two people, getting drinks, talking alone on a beach, getting to know each other. Not a date.”

You snorted, gesturing to the quite busy area around you. “First of all, we’re not alone, there's a million other people on this beach. Second of all, we are not getting to know each other, you won’t even tell me your name.”

“You wouldn’t tell me your name either, I had to find it out from other people,” he shifted to face you. “So, in exchange for buying you a second drink, can we cut the crap? I think we can both agree that I clearly find you attractive, and I have a sneaking suspicion that you feel the same about me, and I want to know more about you.”

You were quiet for a moment, taking in his words and thinking over yours carefully. You moved to look at him better. “What’s your name?”

“Now we’re getting somewhere,” his grin was wider now. “It’s Mingi.”

“Mingi,” you repeated with a smile on your face. Taking a moment, you started sucking down your drink, rushing to finish it.

“In a hurry for that next drink?”

“Sure,” you finished your drink, handing him the cup. “Mingi’s a nice name.”

With that, you were standing up, and walking away from him.

“Where are you going?” he called after you.

Turning and walking backwards, you lifted your middle fingers. “To surf!

It was a week before you saw him again. A Thursday night to be specific. It was your day off, yet here you were, sitting at the bar of the Hard Deck, chatting with your coworkers between them serving other patrons and you sipping on your vodka cran.

Your night was peaceful. Not quiet, with the music playing and the few other patrons chatting, but still peaceful.

Until, once again, your peace was ruined by someone sliding into the barstool next to you. Glancing up, you weren’t surprised to see Mingi sliding into the seat. He was dressed casually, jeans and a t-shirt. He didn’t look quite as cocky as he usually did. In fact, he looked almost irritated. 

“Rough day?” 

Mingi snorted, and ordered a beer. “You have no idea.”

He took a long drink. “Made worse by you running away from me last week.”

You glanced at him. You hadn’t felt bad before, but seeing him so frustrated now made you feel slightly shitty. “I’m here now. Wanna talk about what’s got you in a mood?”

“I didn’t think we were close enough for that. You know, since you ran away when I said I wanted to get to you?”

“I get it, I get it,” you waved your hand. “So what’s wrong?”

Mingi sighed. “Shitty instructor.”

“Wait, you're still in flight school?” you looked at him quizzically.

“Kinda. It’s complicated but I graduated a while ago, top of my class by the way, but a bunch of us got recalled for extra training. Top secret mission, y’know? If-”

“If you tell me you’ll have to kill me?” you smiled at him.

His cocky smile was back. “Exactly.”

You laughed, finally willing to admit to yourself that you were starting to enjoy his company. 

“So, if I buy you another drink, are you going to run away from me?” he arched an eyebrow. 

“I think it’s my turn to buy you a drink,” your eyes met and both of your smiles started to fall, the tension building between you.

Before it could build anymore, you cleared your throat. Looking away, you ordered both of you a new round of drinks. As the bartender poured them, you glanced back at him.

“So, where’d Priest come from?” new drinks were placed before you and you eagerly accepted the glass.

“If you were to ask me, I’d say it’s because I could make you see god,” Mingi’s smile was salacious, his eyes dropping to scan over your cropped t-shirt and daisy dukes. 

You swallowed hard. “And if I were to ask anyone else?”

He took a gulp of his beer. “If you were to ask anyone else, they’d say it was because I fly recklessly. Make the guys I’m flying with need their last rights.”

You were silent for a minute, taking in his words. “Why?”

He looked at you, clearly confused. “Why what?”

“Why do you fly like an ass?”

He chuckled, watching for a moment as you took a sip, waiting for him to answer. “I fly like I do because it gets the job done.”

“You don’t worry your buddies won’t have your back if you put them in danger?” your eyes scanned his face over the rim of your glass.

A faint smile graced his lips. “Our missions are important. And sometimes they call for drastic measures.”

You hummed in response, still focused on his face. You could see his face shift ever so slightly with what could only have been memories of past missions.

“So have they ever needed them?”

He quirked his head, not quite following your chain of thought. All you could do was hope that this hot man before hadn’t actually killed someone because of his own reckless nature.

“Needed their last rights.”

He laughed again, but it wasn’t nearly as joyful. “Not through any fault of mine, thankfully. I’ve lost people, sure, but I’ve never been the reason.” Mingi took a deep drink. “As much of an asshole as I can be, and my call sign aside, I don’t think I could live with myself if it ever was my fault.”

You nodded, finally tearing your eyes away from his face to fiddle with the two tiny straws in your glass.

Mingi clearing his throat drew your eyes back up. “Do you want to get out of here?”

At your raised eyebrow, he backpedaled. “We can just take a walk that’s totally fine but I-”

“Yeah,” you interrupted. “Let’s get out of here.”

Your back slammed against your closed front door. Mingi’s lips were on yours the moment the two of you made it inside your apartment. A combination of the furious kisses and the sudden impact of your back into the door had knocked the breath from your lungs, but not a single cell in your body wanted to pull away from Mingi.

He was intoxicating. He tasted faintly of beer and something indescribable that was just him. His lips were soft, his tongue insistent, and his hands wandering over every inch of you was exhilarating.

Eventually, you did have to come up for air, pulling away from him to let your head rest back against the door. Mingi didn’t miss a beat, his mouth migrating to your neck, nipping and sucking and kissing across your pulse point. 

Your left hand was grasping the front of his shirt and your right was on his back, feeling the flexing of the muscles there as he held onto you as if you’d disappear if he loosened his grip for even a second. 

Without missing a beat, his lips still attacking your neck, his hands slid to your thighs, picking you up in one fluid motion. A gasp escaped your lips as he settled your legs around his waist, perfectly situating you to feel exactly how hard he was under his jeans. 

The pressure of that length pressing right between your thighs combined with a perfectly targeted bite to a sensitive point on your neck had you releasing a breathy moan. 

Mingi’s lips parted from your neck as he now looked up to face you. One of your hands instinctively went to tangle in his hair as you crashed your lips onto his again. The force had his mouth dropping open as you took your turn to entwine your tongue with his. The two of you were aggressively fighting to see who’d come out on top.

You had thought you were winning until it was Mingi’s turn to grab your hair. He pulled your mouths apart and the act had you clenching around nothing as his face nuzzled into your neck, licking a stripe up the side before he spoke in a low tone. “Where’s your room?”

“Down-” you were cut off by his hips grinding into yours. Painting, you pulled yourself together enough to answer him. “Down the hall, first door on the right.”

Mingi immediately pulled you away from the door, his steady hands holding on tight as he seamlessly navigated your small space. He damn near kicked your door down, slamming it open before he was tossing you onto your bed. 

You let out a startled yelp before laughing. Scooting farther up your bed, you gave him your best bedroom eyes and spread your legs, suddenly remembering his call sign.

“Forgive me, father,” your lips curved into a faux pout as you made your voice as sultry as you possibly could. “For I have sinned.”

Mingi stopped for a moment before he put his head in his hands. For a moment you feared you’d made a mistake. Until you saw his shoulders shaking with laughter. He managed to compose himself, crawling towards you on the bed until he was situated between your spread legs on his knees. He still looked as if he was trying to hold it together.

“I don’t know if that was the corniest or the hottest thing I’ve ever heard.”

Both of you were trying to hold back laughter, but his hand making contact with your thigh sobered you up. His long, nimble fingers stole your attention away from the joking atmosphere.

“So how should I repent?” your teeth bit into your lower lip as you laid back to pull your shirt over your head, revealing you weren’t wearing anything underneath. Mingi’s laughter disappeared as well as he took in your breasts. 

His lips curved into a wicked smile as he leaned over you, laying a kiss between your breasts, his eyes meeting yours. “I think 3 orgasms should be enough to forgive your sins.”

Your breath caught in your throat as his lips found one of your nipples and your hand once again found his hair. His own hand rose up, those long fingers playing with your other breast. 

He savaged it with the same vigor he had attacked your neck with earlier. His teeth left small nips all around as his tongue soothed the bites. You were panting, holding him tight to you with your eyes closed. 

Leaning back slightly to admire his work for a moment, Mingi quickly switched his focus to your other breast. He lavished the same treatment, leaving small marks all over. 

When you were thoroughly decorated in hickeys, he finally sat back up, admiring you splayed out before him as you caught your breath. As he stared, his hand came up to grab his shirt by the back of the collar, pulling it over his head.

Now it was your turn to ogle, thoroughly enjoying his broad muscled chest and a light dusting of hair that trailed down his abs and disappeared into his pants. 

You were broken out of your trance as his hands came down to pop the button on his jeans and then your shorts. Recognizing his goal, you lifted your hips, allowing him to pull your shorts and underwear down in one fluid movement. He flung them across the room.

Once you were naked beneath him, his hands fell to your thighs. They slid up until they reached your hips. Mingi slid himself down the bed until he was on his stomach, face level with your core. 

His hot breath fanning over you was enough to have your breath hitching and body tensing as you waited for him to touch you where you so desperately needed him. But he didn’t move, his eyes locked on yours. 

Both of you were frozen for what felt like a century, until he was suddenly moving forward, parting your folds with his tongue. The exhalation of relief that left you quickly morphed into a moan as his tongue found and circled your clit. You were so distracted by the bliss of finally feeling the pleasure you’d been hoping he’d give you that you didn’t even notice his hands moving. 

One hooked under your thigh, finally coming to rest on your stomach, right above your pelvic bone. The other slipped a finger inside of you. You were practically dripping at this point.

Mingi’s tongue never stopped working tight circles around your clit as his finger quirked up, stroking along your walls in a way that had your legs shaking while you gasped out moans and whimpers.

He slid a second finger inside you, alternating between scissoring them and swirling them around inside you. The pressure in your abdomen was tightening more and more every second. Your hand was fisted in the sheets, your head thrown back, breath coming quicker and quicker.

Mingi could tell you were close. He kept the same rhythm on your clit, but focused his fingers' attention purely on your g-spot, applying more pressure.

You were right on the edge and then you tumbled into the best orgasms you’d ever had. Your whole body tensed and your moans were silenced for a moment as your muscles clenched around him before whimpers were escaping you as your hips jerked and your breath came in shaky spurts.

Mingi hadn’t let up with his fingers or his tongue, keeping your high going until your body was trembling and you were pushing his head away. He relented, pulling back and wiping his mouth.

Your eyes were closed as you laid there, panting, legs still twitching as you tried to recover. You could have sworn you blacked out for a moment when he kept your orgasm going.

“That’s one down,” Mingi’s smug tone had you opening one eye to glare at him before it slipped shut again.

“I think any more might kill me.”

In response, he grabbed your hips, jerking you down the bed and pulling your legs over his thighs until your core was pressed to the front of his boxers. He’d pulled down his jeans at some point while you were recovering.

You could feel the heat of him against you, the hardness of his cock pressing into you as he subtly ground his hips into yours.

“I think you’ll probably live,” his hands slipped from your hips to grab your ass.

“I highly doubt it,” you shook your head, then a smile crossed your face. “At least you’ll be here. I can get my last rights and finally have a hope of going to heaven.”

He smiled, but was quickly pulling down his boxers. “I told you I could make you see god. I just hope I can do it without actually killing you.”

You would have laughed, if not for the fact that as he finished removing his boxers, his dick finally came into view. He was bigger than you’d thought he’d be. He wasn’t horrifyingly big, but he looked long enough to reach the deepest parts of you and thick enough to stretch you out enough that you’d be feeling it tomorrow.

Mingi tracked your gaze focused on his cock and grinned. “I think it’s time we finish your penance.”

His words had you swallowing as he guided his length into you. God damn were you right. He was moving slowly, but you felt every inch of him sliding into you, stretching you and filling you in all the right ways. 

When he bottomed out, you were expecting him to give you a minute to adjust, but what you weren’t expecting was for him to not move at all. He stayed seated all the way inside you as his fingers moved to your clit. 

“What are you-” you cut yourself off with a whimper as his fingers began moving in quick circles. 

“We’ve got to get you to three orgasms,” he leaned over you, his lips once again connecting with your breasts. “And I am so hard, I won’t last if I try to get you through two by fucking you.” 

His teeth gently bit down on your hard nipple. 

“That, and I really want to be able to focus on how fucking good you feel when you cum on my cock.” His voice was low, his eyes flicking up to meet yours.

Already you were so close. Still sensitive from the orgasm you just had, his fingers were pushing you right up to the edge once again. It was all you could do to cling to his strong arms as your back began to arch and your legs tightened around him.

Mingi kissed up from your breasts to your ear. He took your earlobe between his teeth before brushing his lips along the shell of your ear. “Cum.”

And you did, thankfully, not as intensely as before. But still, you cried out as you held on to him, your hips twitch up on their own and your muscles contracting around him.

“Fuck,” Mingi groaning in your ear had a high pitched moan leaving your lips. 

This time, he didn’t prolong your orgasm for too long. He gradually slowed his pace before pushing himself back up onto his knees.

“Thats. Two.” he punctuated each word with a thrust. Your head dropped back, the feeling of him finally moving was ecstatic. The slight upward curve of his length dragged across your g-spot every time he moved in and out.

“God, fuck, I think I could watch you cum all day,” he was settling into a rhythm that combined power with deep, slow thrusts. The force of each inward push was moving you up the bed. Mingi’s solution was to simply drag you back down to meet every one of his movements.

Each time your hips met, your skin slapping together combined with your moans and his low curses and grunts. It was music to your ears as you lost yourself in the sensation.

His thrust gradually grew in speed as he got closer. You were still a ways off from your third orgasm and he could tell. You yelped in shock as his hand on your hip shifted so his thumb could softly brush over your clit. 

“I-I can’t” you stuttered out.

“Yes you can,” he slowed his thrusts ever so slightly, leaning over you. “Gotta finish your penance, yeah?”

You laughed, only for it to be broken off into a moan as he leaned back up, increasing the speed of his thrusts and the rate at which he rubbed your clit. Your body was tensing up again, the pressure building up alarmingly quickly.

“Mingi- I-”

“Do it,” he grunted, thrusting even faster. “Cum. Cum on my fucking cock. You can do it. Cum for me.”

And you did, one last time. Everything was so intense. The sensation washed over you, an all consuming wave of pleasure that quite literally had tears falling down your face. Your vision went white and you felt like you were floating.

Mingi continued thrusting into you rapidly, prolonging your orgasm, although he did thankfully take his thumb off your clit to spare you some overstimulation. 

You were just starting to come down when Mingi was finally moaning out his own release, spilling deep inside you. His hips stuttered and his head hung as he rode out his own waves of pleasure.

Both of you were panting heavily, but he stayed inside you for a few moments after he came. 

Finally, he pulled out of you. He flopped down beside you on the bed, pulling you into his side. You happily snuggled up to him, resting your head and hand on his chest and throwing a leg over his.

The two of you basked in the silence. 

Until you broke it. “So, am I forgiven for my sins?”

Mingi was silent for a moment. 

“Mmm, I don’t know. Three might not have been enough.”

You lifted your head to look up at him incredulously. He met your gaze with laughter before he pulled you into a kiss.

[fantasies-fairytales-n-fics]

Code Blue Ch. 72- Let the Good Times Roll

Summary: This chapter goes back and forth between Salem and Boston as Craig and Jo endure the highs and lows of his art class and Lee and Travis get their party started.

*Chapter Warnings* Strong language, angst, drug use, alcohol consumption, sexual content, mentions of date rape

Stories Stories Stories Masterlist

March 25

Salem, Massachusetts

3:30 P.M.

With a fresh application of her cherry chap stick and a fluff of her long blonde locks, Josie raced her way up to Craig's apartment for his college student art lessons that she was thirty minutes late for. Although Craig had told her not to rush, she did so anyways with remorse for being tardy to something that was so important to him and that he deemed her special enough to be invited to, plus there was also the fact that she really wanted to see the sweet and spicy mob man.

Making her way to his door, she could hear the sound of muffled laughter and chatter in the hall and when Craig's voice came through, butterflies swarmed her stomach, stunning her, for it was the first time she had experienced them for another man since Lee.

"Geez," she whispered as she rummaged through her purse for the key Craig had given her, "What the hell? Get a grip Josie."

Quietly, she snuck in unnoticed and stood in the back, watching at least a dozen young students, all painting as they sat in a spread out circle upon the floor and at front and center was Craig, squatting down in his all black attire that consisted of a V-neck tee, painter's pants and combat boots while comically answering a question from one of the students.

"So what made you want to become an artist?"

"Ohhh, I don't know. I always liked to paint and create things. It's therapeutic for the mind and soul and honestly, it was the only thing I was good at really AND I didn't feel I had a lot of other options because I totally sucked at school."

There were smiles and laughs in response to his answer, including Josie as she covered her mouth to contain her uncontrollable giggle. He was so beautiful to her in that moment. She didn't see a man of organized crime. She just saw Craig.

Another student quickly asked a question, "Like, what inspires your work?"

"Well, for me, it's not a what. It's a who. A few who's actually whom I hold great love for. One being a very sweet little girl I call my daughter and another who helped me to regain my vision at a time when I struggled to find it and...."

He paused, brows furrowed, nose lifting as he smelled Josie's Jasmine perfume, then his blues darted up to meet the emotionally moved expression upon her face that his complimentary words had induced.

Standing up and plopping down on a stool, Craig smiled at her and while wiping the paint from his hands, Gael turned in the direction of Craig's beaming gaze.

"AND there's the strikingly gorgeous creature right now," Craig raved and proudly gave introduction, "Everyone, this is Jo, my beautiful friend and neighbor from across the hall who has thankfully chosen to grace us with her angelic presence."

Feeling shy, Josie gave a little wave, a smile and a soft greeting, "Hello," then as her eyes met Gael's, her smile fell flat.

That morning, when Craig had almost hit the guy on his bicycle, Josie had remained in the car when Craig went to check on him, so she had not seen Gael up close to realize he had an uncanny resemblance to Ethan and it made her skin crawl.

Noticing her reaction, Craig hopped up. "Excuse me everyone. Go ahead and keep painting. I'll be right back. Gael, will you take over for a minute please?"

Gael noticed her reaction too, but shrugged it off and happily obliged with a smile, "Yeah sure. No problem. So is that your girl?"

Craig couldn't control the smile that grew. He patted Gael's arm and winked, "I'm workin on it man."

Walking over to Josie, he gently placed his hand on her arm and led Josie to a corner where he gave her cheek a single, soft stroke with his fingertips, "Hey sweetheart, what's wrong?"

"You...you don't see it?" she whispered, peeking around his shoulder at Gael.

Brows furrowed, he turned, following her stare that led to straight to his new assistant, "Umm see what love?"

"Ethan!," she loudly whispered, jerking him back to her.

"What????"

"That guy, Gael, he looks just like Ethan, Craig."

Brow raised, he turned again, "Well, ok, he does have brown hair but it's curly and too short and," he turned back, "no Jo, I don't see it."

"Yeah well, I guess I've just had too many close encounters with the asshole to see that this guy looks a lot like him!"

Chuckling, "He's not Ethan Jo."

She firmly but softly smacked his bicep, "I know that! It's just...so uncanny and...creepy."

Hands on her upper arms, he smiled as he reassured her and pleaded his case, "Look love, I'll admit I see a teeny weeny little smidgeon of a resemblance but one thing I CAN assure you of is that Gael is nothing like that sewer rat. He's kind, caring, smart and even funny so could you please give him a chance and stop burning him at the stake with your eyes because I think he's feeling the heat. He's just too polite to say anything and I'd reeeeeally like him to stick around. Maybe just give him a chance?"

Shame, guilt and remorse found her, "Oh god Craig, I am so sorry. I'm being so selfish and overreacting and totally ruining this important day for you and embarrassing you as well and..."

"And you're rambling Jo. Sweetheart, don't apologize and feel bad. You're not embarrassing me or ruining anything, nor are you being selfish or overreacting. You're just having a trauma response after all Ethan has put you through. If anything, maybe I'm being insensitive to your feelings and making light of something that's really heavy for you."

"Ok, no, please don't do that. You did nothing wrong so just let me take responsibility for my utterly ridiculous actions."

Heavily, he sighed and smiled, then took her face in his hands, "Fine BUT, you sweet lady are in no way ridiculous. The only thing that's utterly ridiculous is how fucking crazy I am about you...." He paused, his cheeks flushing with embarrassment, "Annnnnnnd, I've totally done it again. Blurted out my boyish feelings without taking into consideration that it makes you uncomfortable because you don't feel the same way."

She gazed at him with a soft smile, "There's nothing boyish about it. I see a man who wears his heart on his sleeve and it's super sweet."

He gazed back, his thumb caressing her cheekbone until the tender moment was interrupted by the student's teacher calling out, "Craig, could you help us for a minute?"

Annoyed, Josie peeked around Craig again to see a quite pretty, plus sized woman with wavy blonde hair, burning a hole right through him with her intense stare.

Craig whispered to Josie with a frown, "That's Emma, their professor. She's quite pushy. Ok love, I gotta go finish up this class."

Craig squatted back down and assessed the situation, "Yep here's the problem. You just need a different brush."

As he got up and went to go get one, Emma very indiscreetly turned and ogled his backside.

"And clearly horny," Josie muttered, leering at the woman who then trapped him into an on the spot conversation upon his return. She already disliked the woman solely based on her name's closeness to her deceitful ex-friend Emily.

"So Craig, after the Boston art gala tonight, there's going to be a small after party of sorts at one of the campus houses. Drinks, snacks, music, games and just all around fun and shenanigans for the adults and older students. I'd really love it if you and Gael came. Maybe we could get to know each other better over some drinks?"

Craig's body language was an obvious sign that he was clearly uncomfortable and astonished even, for the woman was basically hitting on him right there in front of her students and Josie too, who was also shocked, but even more so over the fact that she was feeling an unexpected bout of jealousy.

The clever mob man handled Emma perfectly with his response, which in turn floored Josie, "Sure, why not. You won't mind if I bring my girlfriend? You can get to know her too."

She took the hit by simply downplaying the situation in order to not appear affected, "Oh no of course not. Sure. The more the merrier." She then glanced over at Gael, "So, would you happen to know if Gael is seeing anyone?"

Josie almost choked on the wine she was sipping as Craig's inner voice was rolling in laughter, "You'd have to take that up with him. I actually just met the guy this morning and haven't a clue on his personal life."

To add to her wound, Craig sat down and rubbed more salt in it, "Jo my love, we've been cordially invited by Emma here to an after party tonight following the art show. Does that sound like something you are up for?"

Josie sat down on the arm of the couch, head hung low, trying not to laugh as she played along while Emma, standing with her arms crossed, watched, "Why yes....babe, I would love to go."

Craig too, was trying to contain his laughter as he gazed at her, nodding and smiling. He even contemplated on going over to Josie and giving her a big, fat kiss but he didn't want to risk the he, in turn, could earn a big, fat lip.

"Alright!" Craig cheered, slapping his palms down on his knees, "It's settled then. Now, if you'll excuse me ladies, I must get back to class."

Boston

"This is far better than any hotel," Lee complimented as he carried his suitcases into Travis' living room, "but you should have told me we were coming here instead."

"Would you have wanted to come?"

"Considering you just split with some guy who lived here with you, probably not."

"Exactly. But I assure you, it's over with him. All he did was cheat. So um, why did you and your girl break up?"

Deflecting, Lee went to the fridge, "You got any beer?"

"Plenty, and there's booze in the cabinet beside it, now stop avoiding the question. Tell me man, what happened?"

Lee chose the Fireball whiskey instead and poured a double over ice, "First of all, she's not my girl anymore so don't call her that and second..." he paused, swirled the ice around in the glass, then knocked the fiery liquid back, "Wooooo that was good! Anyways, it was many reasons, one being another dude. She claims she never fucked him but yeah, I don't buy it. Now, can we talk about something else?? It's my birthday. Another year around the sun and time to start anew. Let's not do it by living in the past. Onwards and upwards from here is my motto on life now."

"Alright, deal. No ex talk tonight or any other night...well, I mean if we're still hanging out in the future."

Lee's thick brows furrowed as he poured another double, "Uh why wouldn't we? We're friends man. Have been for years."

"Well, because maybe I might want mo...."

Travis' phone rang which Lee was grateful for because he knew where the conversation was headed and he wasn't ready for another relationship. He simply wanted to have fun like he did in his med school days and the menu did in fact have casual sex as a main course. Whether it be with Travis or not, he didn't know and would just take things as they came, then decide.

Travis smiled and put his phone on speaker, "Hey girl!! My friend and I just got to my house. Are you in Boston yet?"

"I am yes!! Johnny's at the club doing boring boss man business shit."

"Well get your cute booty over here and play with us while he's working. Why sit alone in a hotel? Now that's boring."

"It's a penthouse suite so it's not that boring silly but I'll have his driver bring me over shortly! AND I will come bearing gifts."

"Oh you def know the way to a man's heart. Bring plenty for my friend too. I got plenty of cash to cover it."

"Yeah cool, I will. Does this friend have a name?"

"It's Lee, Go on and say hello Emmy, you're on speaker."

"Hi Leeeeeeee!!!!"

Lee chuckled, still not putting two and two together from the clues as to who she was, "Uhh, hi there."

Travis laughed too, "Ok. We'll see you soon babe! Bye."

"Bye Trav! Bye Lee!"

Lee was impressed, "Wow, look at you. Seems like you got some big wig friends."

He grinned, "It pays to be a bartender, especially in the big cities."

"Apparently. I'm certainly not complaining. What's this club called again?"

"Pandemonium. The title says it all. Trust me, this night will be unforgettable, although while you're there, you'll forget everything."

Lee chuckled, "I suppose so when the club's name has the word demon in it."

Travis laughed and went to the stereo, "What ya say we crank some tunes and play some drinking games until she gets here?"

"Sounds like a plan! Just no sappy shit."

Back to Salem

The art class was wrapping up with Craig talking about his work he had on display behind him and wanting to know the students' opinions on it.

"So, what do you all think about this piece?"

The group was silent as their confused faces peered up at the swirls of all blue on the canvas.

"Anyone? Don't be afraid. Your thoughts all matter."

Three of them finally spoke in turn, each agreeing that they didn't know what it even meant.

"Well, let me say this. Art is kind of like music. Not everyone understands it and it's interpreted differently from one person to the next. It's really more about the emotions you feel when you hear it and it's the same when you look at a piece of art. So what do you guys feel when you look at this?"

For Josie, she both felt and saw something in it, starting with his choice of color. He seemed to use blue a lot as she glanced around the room at his other work. It was even the color of the paint he once chucked at the wall in a moment of rage over Elizabeth keeping Blaise from him. The piece he was sharing had a sense of nostalgia to it. She saw a family in it that he once had and lost. A family that was happy unlike his childhood. A mother holding a child and a father embracing them both. She saw a dream to be loved and to love.

There was more silence and confused expressions. One finally found the courage to speak, "I don't feel anything really."

With the ice broken, another chimed in, "Same. Sorry. Like, I feel nothing."

"Alright, well....anyone else?"

There were no more responses.

He gave a soft chuckle, "You know what? It's fine. Art, writing, fashion, music, it's all subjective. Not everyone will understand it and not everyone enjoys it. It can be an acquired taste for some. With that said, I think that's a wrap for today. I thank you all so much for coming and being bored out of your minds and I hope to see all of you again tonight in Boston."

In that moment, Josie really wanted to tell him how she saw it, for she could see it in his eyes that he was hurt. Even Gael looked sad for him. She loved that Craig had a sensitivity about him but she didn't enjoy his spirit being crushed. That was the entire reason he had lost his inspiration in the first place. She felt that she could help them all understand the piece but she too chose silence. It was his class and she didn't feel it was her place to speak out due to her opinion appearing biased. Craig wanted the thoughts and opinions of those who didn't know him or his work. It was all about objectivity.

Craig watched as they all packed up, then they said their thank you's and goodbyes and were gone which is when Gael tried to make him feel better.

"Hey man, don't sweat it. They're what? In their early twenties? Their still kids basically and don't have the appreciation for art like we do. Honestly, I think your work is brilliant and..."

"Gael, I appreciate what you're trying to do but as I said to them, not everyone is going to get it, no matter their age and to be quite honest myself...I don't get my work either."

He stood up, walked over to the painting and looked it up and down for a brief moment, then picked up a cutting tool and shockingly shredded it down the center with two aggressive swipes.

Hands over her mouth, gaping eyes, Josie watched alongside a frozen Gael as Craig quietly exited into his adjoined apartment. The silence was so deafening that the soft click of his door closing was heard at maximum volume, sounding and speaking louder than a slamming door which she had expected.

Finally, Gael found his words, "Uh....what just happened? Is he ok?"

After monitoring and studying the Ethan look-alike throughout the class, Josie had come to see that Craig was right. He was simply an overall good guy and the features of a monster had significantly diminished in her eyes.

"He will be. Let's just give him some space. I don't know what all you and he spoke about before the class but he's going through a lot right now."

"He was brief on his personal life but he did mention that his daughter was missing and even though he did his best to hide his pain, he failed miserably. I could see how broken up he was about it in the way he spoke about her. It's similar to how he speaks about you."

The guilt-ridden anxiety choked her once again about knowing what she knew about Blaise and she feared that once she told him, which would not be anytime soon for his own hot-headed good, that Craig's feelings for her would change altogether. He wouldn't understand that she was doing it to save him from himself. For the time being, she would have to trust Jeffrey and Jason's plan, although she really wanted to be in on it and help bring Blaise back to him since she felt she was responsible for her kidnapping in the first place. The problem was, how could she when she knew Jeffrey and her brother would never allow it? Not only that, but she had no way of knowing when the two Morgans were going to embark on Operation Wyndemere.

As far as telling him about Elizabeth's sister and her plan to gain custody of Blaise, that had to stay on the downlow as well. Craig would snap and Josie had a terrible feeling that Rebecca would go missing too because once he got his daughter back, there was no way in hell he was ever going to let someone take her from him again, especially one of his ex-wife's relations and from Josie's interaction with the counterfeit Christian, Rebecca was just as black hearted as her sister.

"Actually Gael, I think I am going to go check on him."

"Cool, no problem. I'll just clean up the place since we all need to get ready for tonight's outing. It was nice to meet you and I'm really glad I got to meet Craig. He's a great guy for helping me out."

Josie smiled and chuckled, "He really is. I'm just sorry you almost became road kill first."

His hazel eyes widened as he laughed, "I know right???"

After a few soft taps on the door, there was a muttered approval for entry, "Come in."

Once inside, Josie found him hastily rummaging through his closet, "What to wear, what to wear," he mumbled and pulled out two garments of the same color, black as usual, and held them up to Josie with a grin.

To humor him, she pointed to a black leather blazer and offered an idea for an accenting piece of clothing, "Umm, that one with one of your crisp, white dress shirts underneath, slightly unbuttoned over your chest."

He turned the leather towards him and gazed at it, then smiled, "Ahhh yes. Alright then. That will pair lovely together. I like your taste Jo March."

He continued on in silence, fumbling through a dresser drawer to locate a shirt, clearly trying to avoid conversation about his previous display of rage.

"Craig....are you alright?"

His quick movements halted and he turned to her with a smile full of teeth, "Never better," he piped, then he resumed his search.

She went to him, moved his hands from the drawer and closed it, then stood between him and the dresser, "Hey, take a breath and relax for a minute please."

With an annoyed sigh, he gripped her small waist, then hoisted her up and placed her down beside him, "No," he snapped and carried on, digging through another drawer.

Mouth gaping, her hands went to her hips, "Really???"

He sighed heavier and turned, his hands also on his hips, "Yes. Really. I need to get ready and so do you. The class went on ridiculously longer and pointlessly than expected. So how about you run along and do whatever it is that you need to do and I'll text you when it's time to go."

Her eyes narrowed, "Then why did you invite me in if you're just going to be a fucking dick??"

His mouth then gaped, "What did you just call me?"

"You heard me and don't you ever manhandle me again or I'll make an art display out of those big ass balls you have," she threatened and stormed out.

"Oh yeah!!??," he jeered as his door slammed, "I'd like to see you try, you...you....you....."

Hands back on hips, he paused in frustration over his loss for words. With a nose-flaring sigh, he slammed the dresser drawer shut with a swift kick of his foot as he bellowed, "FUCKKKKK!!!!!"

In slow motion, Gael's head turned, his wide eyes following Josie as she marched through the studio and stopped at the door to shout back before her dramatic departure, "YOUUUUUU!!!!"

As she stomped down the hall to her apartment and opened the door, his muffled retort sounded through the walls, "IN YOUR DREAMS BABE!!!"

"AAAARRRRGH!!!" she shrieked and hurled the door shut so hard that a picture frame in the hall crashed to the floor.

"I'm adding that to your rent!"

With a strong middle finger to the air, Josie began a frantic search for her missing journal to release her emotions or she feared she would run back to him and either try to strangle him like she did to Angel or tear his clothes off and fuck him stupid, for she was insanely aroused and highly deprived of physical intimacy.

She wasn't the only one aroused and lacking in the sex department. Craig scowled at the solidifying mass between his legs as he cupped and shifted it to ease the discomfort but the simple touch and movement only brought him to full attention.

"Nope," he snarled, refusing to pleasure his aching cock when he considered it to be a form of sexual manipulation that Josie had unintentionally done to him and it wasn't the first time. Once before, he had brought himself to fruition with impure thoughts of her and all it had done was make him yearn to be with her even more.

Feeling defeated by her wicked control over him and by life as well, Craig turned the shower on to cold only and with his clothes still on, he sat beneath the arctic waterfall, having an emotional breakdown.

While Craig was numbing himself, Josie's scavenger hunt for the diary had been unsuccessful. As a last ditch effort, she went to an unpacked suitcase and rummaged through it, but still, there was no sign of her most private, personal thoughts.

Coming to the conclusion that she must have left it at her mom's house since that's the last place she remembered seeing it, she gave up and settled for a spiral notebook to scribble her muddled thoughts onto and it began with Craig.

March 25- Why? Why does that man make me feel this way? Both angry and aroused, although I'm not really even angry at all. Not at him anyways. I'm angry that I can't help him. I'm angry that I can't bring his daughter back. I'm angry that I can't tell him what I know. I'm angry that he's hurting and won't let me in. I'm angry that it's all my fault and I'm angry because I have these fucking feelings for him when I am still very much in love with Lee and I'm angry about that too because he certainly does not love me. His actions AND words proved that. It was all a big fat lie. I'm also angry at myself because maybe he wasn't so wrong to be worried about my closeness with Craig but...if ONLY Lee hadn't pushed me away, these feelings, whatever they are, most likely would not have...no...they wouldn't have developed. It's Lee's fault, not mine. All his secrets and how he is just fucking ghosting me now. I tried so hard to fix it. Did I not try hard enough? Should I keep trying when he won't even talk to me? Or should I let him go when he's certainly not trying to fix things. I know I can be happy with Craig. He loves me too and always shows it. He doesn't lie to me. He doesn't hurt me, not intentionally anyways like today. He didn't mean to explode. I triggered him. I pushed too hard when I should have just left him alone. He protects me. He's done things for me that I cannot write on paper. He's so sweet and kind. That's who he really is under that tough exterior. I want to protect him too, from his father and from himself. I've said it before, that maybe I was meant to be with him all along. There's even been signs. I've always believed that God will keep allowing a person to hurt you if they're not your person and that's all Lee does is hurt me. The things he told Orlando about me, I can't get it out of my head. HOW IS THAT LOVE???? And fuck Dr. Bloom. Might as well vent about that too. How could he go and screw Emily after I had told him what she did to me and my family???? She slept with my father!!! IN OUR HOUSE while my mom was upstairs sleeping!! Orlando knew who she was and still put his dick in her. It's unforgiveable. I guess that is all for now. I have to get ready for a night out with Craig. Ugh, I just got butterflies again thinking about him. There's something here and it's growing. I know I could love him too. Really, truly love him. I just wish I knew how to let go of Lee. I mean, hasn't God shown me enough??? Happy fucking birthday Lee.

Back to Boston

"HA HAAAA!!! I win again! Drink up!," Lee gloated and grinned as he gathered up all the playing cards from the floor where he and Travis sat Indian style and began to shuffle.

"You cheat bro," Travis claimed with an eye roll and knocked back his sixth shot of Tequila, "Let me shuffle this time."

Lee's lips curled up on one side, then he bent the deck between his thumb and other four fingers, "Ok sure. 52 pickup is all yours!"

As the cards showered over Travis, Lee stumbled to his feet and ran off to the bathroom laughing, "Muahahahahaaaa!!!"

After taking a long, pent up leak, Lee washed his hands and gazed into his glassy eyed reflection. The booze was priming him well but it still wasn't shaking off the habitual thoughts of Jo. He was going to need a hell of a lot more than whiskey to clear his head of her, for as the Nate Smith song went, her memory must be bulletproof..

Lee ran his hands through his dark hair and sighed, then opened the door and entered the hall where he was stealthily ambushed by Travis from behind and pushed and pinned against the wall, face first, by the buff bartender's pressing weight.

"Muahahahaaaa! Back at ya babe," he teasingly mocked and inhaled the scent of Lee's neck, "God damn you smell delicious. What cologne is that? I could literally drink you."

Lee's chuckle was sardonic, finding no humor in the forceful play and forward remarks, "Yeah ok, you got me back, now get off me."

Travis' lips grazed Lee's ear lobe, "But I don't want to. This feels nice. You feel nice."

Lee sighed, shaking his head, "You better slow down on the booze. It's making you thick."

He chuckled, tickling Lee's neck with the tip of his nose and grinded his groin into his backside, "No, you're making me thick. Feel that?"

Travis didn't even know what happened, for in a split second, he found himself in a firm choke hold by one of Lee's ridiculously strong arms with his arm was bent up behind his back, gripped at the wrist by Lee's squeezing hand.

"Fuck man," Travis squeaked, his face turning a mulberry hue, "I...I can har...hardly breathe."

Lee's teeth clenched together as he snarled into Travis' burning ear, "You're lucky I'm allowing you to breathe at all. Don't you ever touch me or hold me down in that way again without my consent or I'll snap that chubby of yours right in two, leaving you with a permanently crippled cock. Understood?"

Travis' head vigorously nodded.

"Good boy," Lee quipped as he heard a car door from outside, then pushed Travis into a stumbling tumble to his ass.

Coughing and rubbing his neck, Travis' eyes watered as his gaping eyes peered up at Lee's towering stance, "Who the fuck are you man?"

The doorbell rang.

Lee's intimidating eyes glared down his long nose, "Fuck around and find out. I'm going out back for a smoke."

After Lee disappeared and the back door slammed shut, Travis collected himself and let Emily in.

"Heyyyy Tra...oh my god. Why is your face so red??"

"Oh, that..." he coughed again and cleared his throat, gave a little lie of omission, "I was just doing a bunch of Fireball shots. Shit burns."

The petite brunette giggled, knowing he was fibbing, "Trav, sometimes I think you forget how long I've known you. I'm sure you and your buddy were doing a bunch of," she made quotation marks with her fingers and winked, "something." Did I interrupt some boy toy time?"

"Hardly. We're just friends."

Laughing, she headed to the living room, "Whatever. So where is he?"

"Having a smoke. So what did you bring me?"

From her handbag, she revealed a clear baggie with a handful of large and round white pills, then took one out and handed it to him, "I like to call these," she did the finger quote again, "Crazy Train." It will take you on one wild ride around the world in one night. The more you take, the better the thrill. All aboard!! Last stop, nobody knows! Choo choo!!"

"Hell yeah!" he cheered and instantly popped one, "just what I need."

He then handed her five one hundred dollar bills, one for each pill, "Will this cover it?"

"Sure will and there's plenty more where that came from."

"Sweet! I'm sure we'll make use of them. You want a drink to wash one down?"

"Yes please Mr. Bartender sir. Vodka rocks, double."

With a trembling hand, Lee puffed away in the chilly, evening breeze as triggered thoughts of his traumatic wedding night with Ethan plagued his mind, all thanks to Travis' bold pass. The anger all resurfaced, not only because of being roofied and raped by his ex-husband but also because of everything Ethan had done since his return to Salem. He had Lee fooled then, thinking he had changed and Travis was beginning to remind him of his abuser. He was willing though, to let this incident slide and give Travis another chance because like Lee, he was going through a bad break up too and was just looking for comfort and of course, Lee was pretty sure he put the fear of God into Travis so he didn't feel he would be stupid enough to try it again.

Taking the last drag, Lee placed the butt between his thumb and middle finger and gave it a skillful flick across the yard, then went back inside where he headed straight for the whiskey without a glance at the girl Travis was handing a drink to.

"Here you go love. I made a triple."

Emily saw him though and she gasped as her ebony eyes widened, "Oh my god."

Her emphasized words drew Lee's sapphires to her and they widened too, then, their response was simultaneous, consisting of one identical word.

"You."

Travis' head moved between the two, brows furrowed, "You...know each other??"

Emily stood with a smile as she looked him up and down, "Yeah. We met briefly at the ice skating rink not too long ago."

Brows even more furrowed, Travis took his eyes to Lee, "You skate??"

Befuddled at the situation, Lee briefly answered, keeping his eyes locked on the much prettier version of the girl he once met, "No, I was there for a party. Wow, small world." His eyes also traveled up and down her small curved form, liking what he saw, "Nice to see you again Emily."

Travis didn't like what he saw though. He quickly picked up on the instant attraction and chemistry happening right before him and he made sure to innocently mention her boyfriend, "Yeah so Emmy, what time is Johnny opening up tonight? I'm so ready to dance my ass off and it's really awesome that Johnny will actually be there since he rarely ever is."

That's when it clicked for Lee, "Holy shit. That's right. Johnny came in to the rink that day to see you and you and Jo argued about it because of who he is. Zacharra's your fucking boyfriend??"

Now Travis was really baffled, "Wait, you know Johnny too??? Can someone explain what's going on here? and who's Jo??"

Eyes closed, palms out, Emily took over, "Everybody chill. I got this. So...I'll start with Josie, or Jo because that's what Lee calls her. She's my....or was my friend and she's Lee's girlfriend and...."

"Nope," he happily corrected, "Not anymore."

Her brow arched as she pulled her smiling, bottom lip in by her teeth, "Alright. EX....girlfriend then. Anyways, yeah, Johnny came there to see me but Josie was adamant he came there to see her and taunt her because he they had some fling years ago and she said he was still hooked on her blah blah blah and we argued because she didn't want me seeing him, telling me what a bad guy he was and all that and then he and Lee clashed and Lee got in his face and that was all she wrote."

Lee chuckled, "Well, I can see this is going to be one hell of a night when he sees me there." He then frowned at Travis, "So you're friends with a mob dude?? You could have fucking mentioned that."

He frowned back, "Well Emmy's dating him so what's the fucking difference?? He's always been good to me so I don't solely see him as that and going around announcing it either. I'd like to remain on his good side, not to mention he pays me very generously."

Lee tossed his hands up, "Alright, alright, whatever. Fuck it. It is what it is and I just want to have a fucking good time and forget a lot of shit for just one fucking night. It's my birthday damn it!"

Emily picked up the baggie and held it up, "Well I can make that happen. Happppppy Birrrrthdaaaaaay Leeeeeee."

"What is that?" he asked, then folded his arms and deviously smiled as she gave him the same description she had given Travis.

"Long story but it seems I'm destined in my life to ride a fucking train so why not?

Travis raised his hand, "Wait, so hold up. Are we going to have a problem tonight since you and Johnny aren't on good terms? I'd like to keep my job and all my body parts as well."

"If he don't have one with me, then I don't have one with him."

Emily quickly fixed the situation, "Look guys. I will call Johnny in a little bit and talk to him. I'll handle it. It's all good. Now, do you want one of these? Travis already paid for them so you might as well take advantage."

Lee's eyes moved to his friend for approval, considering what had just transpired between them.

"Yeah sure man. Go ahead. That's what I got them for."

Lee smiled, softening with him, "Hey...sorry about earlier."

Travis smiled back, "Me too."

Emily opened the baggie and took out one pill, and held it up to Lee, "Alright then, Now that that's settled, Iet's fucking get this party started. We have a few hours yet before it's time to head out."

With a pearly white smile, Lee moved to her, "Alright."

Standing before her, he opened his mouth, inviting her to serve it to him. She accepted and quickly placed the pill upon his tongue, then he swallowed it, along with a taste of her sweet perfume.

Salem

Feeling better after her emotional release onto paper, Josie stood at the body length mirror, looking over her primped and preened self for the impending party life. She felt like she was staring at a stranger. She was always so casual in appearance and there, looking back at her was a woman with a head full of hairspray and makeup that took almost an hour to do and would probably take even longer to remove. Then there was the bold, heavy and cheap accessory around her neck that to her, looked more like a dog choker and to complete the makeover, she was wearing a strapless dress, green in color, that barely covered her. She NEVER wore dresses. The particular child sized gown that she was currently freezing in was actually purchased for a night out with Lee that never happened and it was also chosen because green was his favorite color but there she stood wearing it along with a pair of black heels she had to practice walking in so she didn't end up in a cast like her sister and she had done it all to impress Craig.

Craig was in the same predicament as he jazzed himself up. The fancier attire and image wasn't the problem. He was used to being stylish from time to time. The issue was that he was doing it for Josie and wanted to look perfect, otherwise, he never would have put so much effort into it.

All lathered up in his Hugo Boss cologne, there he stood, also checking himself over in the mirror. Hair, brows, mustache and beard all finely groomed and wearing the white shirt with it unbuttoned to show his chest as Josie had suggested. Over the shirt was a black blazer and below the waist, black trousers and the infamous shiny black shoes. Last but not least, on his fingers were his usual sterling silver rings, three on each hand. It was all Craig approved but to him, it wasn't fully approved until he received one more opinion, which was going to be his way of apologizing.

Still before the mirror, Craig snapped a photo of himself. It was much easier to him to get a full body shot than the backwards camera since he was never really good at taking pictures of himself, nor did he ever desire to unless it was with Blaise.

Before sending Josie the photo, he first chugged down a large glass of sweet red wine and then typed out a short, apologetic text, "Hi. Do you still think I'm a dick? 😢I'm really really sorry."

As she went to her phone, it was the first time she didn't rush to it with hopes of it being Lee. After being ghosted by him all day regarding her long, heartfelt voicemail earlier that morning, she had come to accept that she was not going to receive a reply and that he just didn't care. This time, she actually hoped it was Craig.

Upon opening the text, her eyes lit up and she burst into laughter but at the same time, she felt bad, "No 😢I never did. I'm really sorry too."

"Music to my ears. Can I come over so we can talk?"

"Please do."

"Ok, but first....what do you think?"

Covering her huge smile in shock, she stared at him longer than she should have. He was just so truly beautiful to her.

"That bad huh?"

"No, stop it lol. Far from it. It would have been better though if those baby blues of yours were looking at me. Oh and, where's the leather?? Otherwise, you Mr. Parker are a strikingly gorgeous creature. 😉😎"

His laugh was hearty over the use of his descriptive introduction to her at the art class upon him, "You're amazing and much too sweet for me. I'll change jackets and be right over."

As she placed her phone in her purse, staring back at her was the two playing cards she had forgotten about that Britt had given to her. The Queen of hearts and two of hearts.

She tucked them away inside her new makeshift journal and stuffed it under her mattress for safe keeping, then last minute, she decided to wear a different pair of heels that weren't so spiky and as she was slipping them on, Craig was knocking on the door.

"Coming!!" she shouted and successfully ran to the door without falling.

Swinging it open, her heart dropped at the sight and smell of him, for the photo did not do him justice whatsoever and instead of complimenting him up front, her anxiety chose her reaction, "Ummm, where's the leather?"

Unlike her, Craig had no words at all. His mouth dropped open but nothing came out. He literally had to bring his hand to his lips to close them and then he rested his fingertips upon them as his astonished blues slowly traveled from her head to her toes, then back to her worried face.

When he finally found his words, they were tongue-tied, "It's uhhh...it's...I forgot that...I um, left it in....yeah it's in the car."

Her giggle snapped him out of his verbal stupor, "But....wow. Just....fucking wow," he raved in awe of her stunning transformation, "Jo...you...you look insanely splendid. Absolutely and ridiculously glorious."

Another giggle as her smile glowed, "Awwww, right back at ya babe."

"Ahhh, babe huh? Well I'll take that any day over dick. So umm, may I...come in?"

"Oh my gosh, how rude of me! Of course! I'm so sorry." She moved out of his way, balancing herself on the door handle, for her knees had suddenly become weak, "Do you want some wine before we go?"

His grin was wide, "I think you know the answer to that."

"Ok, I'lllll....go get it."

Fearing the walk from the door to the kitchen, Josie took in a breath and let go of her crutch, then with one wobbling foot in front of the other, she slowly crept across the floor, praying Craig wouldn't notice her instability. It amazed her because she had just been able to run to the door. That's when she figured it out. It was because he was watching her and she didn't want to appear like a klutz.

Her prayers failed, "Jo, are you going to be able to walk in those things all night?"

With overconfidence, she loudly assured him with an unsure smile, "YEP! I'm goo......"

The mistake was that she looked at him and then her ankle buckled. With a gasping squeal, gravity pulled her down but her fall was promptly intercepted by Craig's agile arms.

Still in his strong arms, he steadied her. "I've got you love."

Giddiness consumed her as she gripped his brawny biceps. Was it his intoxicating cologne? Was it the brightening of his blue hues as they gazed into hers? Or was it the fact that his lips were in such close proximity to hers that his sweet and warm wine breath tickled her nose, making her thirsty to taste him? She felt she was about to from the way he was looking at her, for he was having similar thoughts about her cherry scented lips but instead, the big bad mob man chickened out, forcing himself to back away.

"Why don't you go sit down love, before you break your pretty little neck and I mean that sincerely, not as some patronizing dick," he assured her with a teasing smirk, "I'll go get us the wine."

He took her hand and helped her to sit on the couch and just as his hand was almost free to get the drinks, she clutched his fingertips, peering up at him with remorse, "Hey. I truly am sorry for calling you that. I swear I didn't mean it or to hurt your feelings."

His smile was kind as he placed his other hand atop hers, "Hold that thought, I'll be right back."

Knowing right where the wine and glasses were, Craig retrieved them and hurried back, sitting beside her and pouring the red vintage and respectfully handing a glass to her first, "Ok...now," he began with his eyes eagerly engaging hers, "I know you came in to console me after the students ever so kindly critiqued my work and I'd like to explain why I shut you down so harshly, or even at all. That particular piece that I went full Freddy Krueger on, I created the day I found out I was going to be a father and....all of it became a lie with Lizzy's infidelity with Ethan and finding out Blaise was most likely his, so when the students said they didn't feel anything or understand the painting, that only reminded of how true that lie really was, if that makes any sense? I guess the reality truly hit me for the first time with someone else validating it for me and I just didn't know how to process it but I never should have treated you as I did when you were just trying to be there for me and for that, I am whole-heartedly sorry. You had every right to threaten to Picasso my manhood." His brows raised, eyes wide, "What a sight that would be huh?"

Josie softly laughed, then took his hand, "Well, to be fair, I should have just given you some space but, apology accepted. Maybe if I had told you during the class that I understood the painting, it would still be alive and none of this would have happened."

"Wait," his brows furrowed, "You...knew?"

"I did. All the swirling strokes, they represented people, a family. I didn't need to know your backstory to see it. Those students are taking art classes for a reason. They're still learning and don't understand all the concepts yet and even as you said, not everyone will get it, so I'm sorry you took their opinions to heart and I also want you to know that the painting was beautiful."

"Not as beautiful as you."

The fixed gaze they shared was interrupted by a call to Craig's cell, "Oh, it's Gael. Hello? Everything ok?"

"Yep, just wanted to let you know that the studio is all back in place, brushes cleaned, paint put away, oh and, I'm ready to hit the road when you are. Is....everything good with you and Josie?"

Craig chuckled, then smiled at Jo, "Yeah man, we're both good. Thanks for cleaning up. We'll meet you in the hall in just a few."

"Sounds like a plan. Can't wait for tonight. It's gonna be a night to remember."

Craig ended the call, then swallowed down the rest of his wine, "Well, you ready love? My car's out back in the garage. I'll swing around and get it, then pick you up out front."

She quickly downed her wine too, "Mmmm. Yep, I'm so ready for some normal fun stuff for once." She then chuckled, "So, about Gael. We actually didn't scare him off? I can only imagine what he thinks of me after my petulant tantrum."

He laughed too, "Yeah, he and I talked for a bit after you left and I apologized to him for my actions. I did get the vibe that he's a tiny bit intimidated by you, but rest assured, I set the record straight in your defense and took on all the blame. It's all good. No worries sweetheart."

"Well, I will apologize to him too because it was not ALL your fault Craig."

"Alright. As you wish. How about we put it all behind us and get the fuck out of dodge? You gonna be ok in those shoes love? Especially when drinking?"

Josie stood right up with Craig rising quickly to hold her arm, "Yep. Watch this."

"Should I hold your beer?"

"Ha...Ha...! Funny guy got jokes. No, seriously, let go. I got this."

Slowly but gracefully, Josie made her way across the room and picked up her leopard print coat, then spun around, posing with her arm in the air as if she were a Price Is Right model, "TA DA!!!! There, see? If I can do triple axels on the ice, then I should be able to walk in a simple pair of shoes. I just need to focus. And besides, I have your arm to cling to if I get too tipsy."

Craig went to her and helped her put her coat on, "You know, I sure would love to see you skate someday."

Her train of thought shifted, "That would be great but wait," She turned to him with concern, "if we're taking your car, especially being Boston bound and we're going to be drinking...."

"Gael's the D.D. He don't drink. Stop worrying and let loose. Tonight is going to be a ridiculous good time."

"You're letting him drive your classic, mint condition Chevelle???"

" I sure am. It will be nice to have a chauffeur and although it will be very odd to be sitting in the back seat of my own car, it will be absolutely delightful because it will be with you. Oh!!," he reeled and snapped his fingers, "I almost forgot. I cleared out a spot for you to put your car in my garage where it will be locked up and safe and out of view from those rednecks as well. It's coded entry AND I'm changing this complex to that as well. Anyone that doesn't have it will have to be buzzed in. Installing it next week. No more unwanted people will just be walking in here like my fath...damn it, I mean Cyrus has or Lee has...sorry. Didn't mean to mention him. Anyways, I never used to have any need for all of that security here until Cyrus was released from prison and Ethan came back around so now, I think it will be best. I want you to be and feel safe Jo. That's all I care about."

"I do feel safe with you. Always. Thank you Craig, for everything. You...IT means more to me than you know."

Craig grinned at her slip of the tongue, then he leaned down and tenderly kissed her cheek, "As you do to me Cheri lady."

With Josie blushing on his arm and the bottle of wine in his other hand, Craig escorted her and Gael outside where they waited for him valet style and Josie used the time to apologize for her obnoxious behavior but during her rambling attempt at making amends, her words were cut short by a car driving by at a high rate of speed, basil green in color. Unable to see the driver with the tinted windows, she certainly recognized the make and model of the vehicle, for she had been inside of it once. It was a Dodge Charger.

After the car passed by, going fast enough to give her hair a whirl, she watched it tear around the corner, tires squealing, until it was gone and all was silent.

"Luke??" she whispered as her confused eyes remained locked on the empty corner.

"I'm sorry?" Gael responded, also confused.

"Oh...oh nothing, I...I...," she stammered and paused, still fixated on the street corner, "I...I just thought I saw someone I knew. No biggie."

It was then that Craig came whipping around the corner.

Upon pulling up, Craig hopped right out of his black beauty, leather blazer now on, and sweetly displayed a gentlemanly mannerism of opening the door for her, "Your chariot my lady."

Once everyone was seated in their places and buckled in, Gael turned the key and the engine rumbled and purred which enticed him to pump the pedal a few times just to hear the beastly growl but then he gasped and turned around to look at Craig, "Oh shit, sorry man. I just got a bit carried away. Never been in a monster like this, let alone drove one."

Craig reassured Gael that it was ok as he chuckled, "Go on man, don't be afraid of her. Give this car some love. She was meant to roar. Just whatever you do, don't turn on the fucking radio."

With perplexed brows, Gael just smiled and gave a nod, then revved up the engine and made an announcement before he sped off down the road, "Alright ladies and gentlemen, Boston here we fucking come!"

Boston

Walking on clouds of medication induced euphoria, a glassy eyed Lee readied himself in the bedroom as Emily did the same in the bathroom, feeling rather high as well. She had made the call to Johnny about Lee, explaining the situation and surprisingly, the mobster bully didn't seem to have a problem with Josie's ex partying in his club or hanging around his girl.

Laughing as he stumbled out of the bedroom, Lee returned to the living room, took another shot of tequila and plopped on the couch, arms sprawled out on the back and legs crossed as he grinned from ear to ear, "What do ya think Trav??" he asked, referring to his attire.

Travis, also high and grinning, rolled his eyes up and down Lee's six foot five form that was wearing all white. A white tee, a white blazer, sleeves pushed up to the elbows, white trousers and even his loafers were white.

"You make a better God than Morgan Freeman did in Bruce Almighty."

Lee winked with a wicked smile, "Only I'm the devil in disguise."

"Ooooh, me likey."

Emily then entered, dark hair pinned back and wearing an extremely provocative dress that barely covered her ass and breasts and coincidentally, it was white as well. Lee's lips parted as his enamored eyes ran up her endless, tan legs and over all of her curves, then made a stop at her cat-like eyes that her winged eyeliner and false lashes had converted them to.

"Well now....did it hurt? When you fell from Heaven?"

Travis frowned as if he had smelled an egg fart.

Emily giggled as she eye-fucked him back, "It did and now I think I need a doctor."

Lee patted the couch beside him, "Well you happen to be in luck. Dr. Pace here, at your service."

As Emily sat down beside him, Travis' eyes rolled, "Are we ready to go now?? Or would you rather fuck each other right here on the couch first?"

He got up, shaking his head and went to the kitchen for more booze.

Lee gave Emily a wink, "I'll be right back."

He went to the kitchen and leaned on the counter, folding his arms, "So what was all that?"

Travis gulped down a double whiskey neat, "Gee, I could ask you the same thing. Did you forget that she has a man who also happens to be in the fucking mafia?? Or are you trying to get your knees shot off if he's feeling nice?"

Lee nonchalantly chuckled, "Is that supposed to scare me? If you knew my past, you'd be worried for Johnny, not me."

Travis turned to him, changing the subject and his tone to a kinder and more caring one, "Speaking of your past, did...did someone do something to you that caused you to react to my advances the way you did?"

Lee sighed and poured a drink, then reveled in the burn as it rolled down his throat, "They did and we're not talking about it."

"Alright. I'm sorry though and again, I'm sorry for coming on so strong. I'll back off but just be careful around Emmy ok? I know you can hold your own since I was almost turned into a fucking pretzel by Hulk fucking Hogan but Johnny plays dirty. I mean, if you really know him, then you know that already but, I just don't want to see anything bad happen."

"Yeah well," he tossed another drink back and placed the glass down with a hard clunk, "I play in a league of my own and it's much dirtier. So are we going or what? I'm losing my buzz."

"Emmy!" Travis shouted, "You ready???"

As they all walked out the door, Lee's eyes popped, "A fucking Limo??? I really AM in Heaven!"

They all climbed in and his eyes widened even more. It was like a perfect man cave. Small but spacious. The plentiful, black seating looked like a leather couch that wrapped around the walls and they were heated as well. The floor was covered in a black shag carpet. The ceiling had soft dim lighting in every corner and LCD lights over the doors and there was a TV and a stereo system and to top it all off, there was even a mini bar which Lee delved right in to.

"Champagne anyone????"he cheerfully asked as he popped the cork.

Emily's squeal and all of their boisterous laughter exploded as the bubbly volcano erupted over his hand and onto the floor. With real crystal glasses, not the cheap plastic ones, Lee poured the fizzy gold goodness, one by one, all the way up to the rims and Travis turned on the music, cranking up a classic The Cars song which was a perfect for his birthday celebration.

Sporting a grin of pearly whites, Lee raised his glass with the others following suit, "Cheers my friends! Happy fucking birthday to me. Now drink up and let the good times roll!!"

@redeemer46

[pinknipszz]

golden girl

↷ ˊ- neteyam/metkayina reader | (i.), (ii.), (iii.), (iv.)

“every day, people came to see the girl without any name”

neteyam tried so hard to find some semblance of his home in the sea, but how could he when they were nothing alike? he scorns the sand and salt that replaced the sweet smell of morning dew and soft soil. he misses the trees he used to climb to and fro. there’s beauty in the mangroves, of course, but nothing compares to home.

his heart ached bitterly at the thought. as if i’ll ever see it again. neteyam returned to cleaning his bone knife in a shaded spot that overlooked the beach. the spot put a great distance between him and the salty water, but it was enough to keep a close eye on his siblings playing near the shoreline. he wasn’t asked to by anyone, but old habits die hard. 

they splashed about like babies, having given up on their efforts to convince him to join them. it’s not like he minded; he was still exhausted from the breathing lessons a few hours prior. 

his ear twitched at the unmistakable sound of footsteps approaching. he kept his eyes trained on the curved bone knife, not sparing a glance at the quiet weight beside him. neteyam bit his cheek. he waited and waited, expecting to hear his mother’s voice, or even his father ready with another lecture. when he heard neither, he finally looked to see who was invading his space.

it was you, the beautiful metkayina girl who took the liberty of teaching tuk one-on-one.

it was by some miracle really. you weren’t even supposed to be on that side of the beach that day, but by ewya’s will, you went against your mother and stumbled upon a very frustrated ao’nung and a pitiful batch of sully children. you didn’t have plans to interfere, until you caught sight of sweet tuk struggling to mount her ilu. apparently, something in her expression moved you to lend a helping hand.

ao’nung jumped at the opportunity to abandon his duties and join his friends, leaving the omatikaya at your mercy. thankfully, you have been merciful, far more than anyone else has been. you spoke with unending patience and guided their hands to the right place, going so far as to reposition neteyam's legs when he mounted incorrectly. your touch was brief, but the sensation lingered.

the sun was long gone by the time you finished. you left first, not before bidding farewell with a single promise to help tuk, and the others, again if necessary. as you spoke, he caught the fondness in your eyes when you smiled at him. kiri and lo’ak quickly caught on as he watched your disappearing figure.

days passed like this. lessons with ao’nung and tsireya resumed with you occasionally joining them, and the sully kids made great progress. it was admirable, really, how much you balanced them out. you were kind, but also stern when you needed to be. you came up with solutions that accommodated everyone, not without establishing your own objectives. you had every quality of a leader. even the chief’s children looked up to you.

and you were sitting beside him, right now. 

“are you alright?” you asked with a kindness that made his heart clench. neteyam quickly rid himself of those thoughts. you were just a good person checking up on him, he reasoned.

“yeah, ‘m still tired from the lessons. i didn’t even know I could stay underwater for that long.” he shuddered at the memory. it was only half a lie—spun up in a spur of the moment to spare the details of his homesickness and thoughts of you. whatever it was he said, it made you laugh, and neteyam swore he never heard a sweeter sound.

“i understand how difficult it is. on the bright side, you beat your brother’s record of four minutes. don’t tell him i said that, though.” the corner of his lips quirked up into a smile at the mention of his brother. “it’s a commendable achievement worth sharing with your parents later.” 

“you’re right, but the glory won't last long. he’ll stay up all night trying to regain his honor.”

“i suppose he is quite competitive.” you hummed, watching his siblings play tag in the distance. “still, i am amazed by your willingness to learn our ways. you are a quick learner.” it was a brief compliment, but he still scratched the back of his neck and chuckled, growing shy under your praise.

however, at the mention of his "willingness" to learn, he faltered.

neteyam was no stranger to guilt. he was born into war as the eldest of four; it was a dangerous concoction. it felt different when he looked at you, one of the few who didn’t think they were alien trash, as if he wasn’t thinking ill of your home just a few moments prior.

and here you were, praising him for something he doubts he possesses. guilt sat like a stone in his stomach. 

he cleared his throat. “honestly, i doubt we would’ve made it this far on our own. you and tsireya were a huge help. we owe you guys big time.”

“nonsense!” you laughed as if it was the most preposterous thing. you reached out to pat him gently, and you pulled back just as fast. his skin burned from the loss of contact. “we only do half the work while you guys do the rest. progress wouldn’t come so easily if you didn’t appreciate the work you're doing. tsireya and i can’t control that kind of stuff.”

neteyam nodded, his mouth dry. you babbled on and on about nonsensical things, like how your day went and how a new necklace was coming along, and he greedily soaked them up. he studied you, meanwhile. have you always been so perceptive? his heart rattled in his chest—from guilt or infatuation—he didn’t know what, but it pumped through his veins like adrenaline.

he loved the forest—loves it still. he doubted any amount of time at sea would change that for him, but you enraptured him to a degree he couldn't even begin to comprehend.

(masterlist)

[justanoasisimagines]

My girl

Summary; Negan's in search for you. However, he find's a group of men staring and making comments about you instead. Pairing; Negan x Female Reader WordCount; 529 A/N; Credit to cafekitsune for the banner and the divider!

Negan marched through the sanctuary, head raised hair as crowds parted, some bowed their heads in respect. Negan smirked as he remained focused on his journey.

Negan pulled open the door to see you away from the others, sitting with a piece of canvas in front of you. He knew he'd find you here, Whenever Negan couldn't locate you, you were usually off painting something. Negan purposely sent people on runs to find your materials.

Negan stopped on his journey to observe you from afar. You were something special. Your body, your mind and your heart all complimented each other perfectly.

He loved the way you reacted to him. He'd never been with a woman who was tuned into him the way you were. You knew when to discourage and encourage. You spoke your mind. Negan appreciated every minuscule detail about you.

There was always something to learn about you. Negan turned his head at the sound of men talking loudly. Men liked to bust each other's balls. He did it constantly with Simon, Dwight and a few others. However, his face falters.

They all appeared to be gawping at you. Negan wasn't blind. He knew you were attractive. Beautiful wasn't a strong enough word. A Goddess to walk on the earth. He understood why they were staring at you.

Negan stared at you often. However, they were not allowed such rights. You were his. That meant no one could look at you. No one could touch you. No one could make any lewd remarks. Only he had the power to partake in any of those activities.

Negan turned in the direction as he sauntered towards the group of men. Now it was his turn to have some fun. Negan was about to teach them a lesson. One they would never forget.

"What's everyone starin' at?" Negan called out as he was met with sheepish grins. A response of 'nothing' as the men suddenly glanced down at their meet.

"Well, it sure as shit doesn't look like it. It looks like you are staring at my girl."

"We weren't" Negan smirked. It was one thing to stare at and make comments about his girl. It was another to lie to him to his face. Negan's hand clenched. Someone was going to pay.

"Now I know you're fuckin' lying. I watched you standing over here, makin' remarks. So how about you all grow a pair and start telling the truth."

No one answered, however, Negan needed to set an example so he threw a punch at the closest man. He landed on the ground with a thump.

"I'm gonna say this once. From now on, I want no one lookin' at her. No one making comments about her. In fact when she walks by I want you to bow your heads. Also as of right now, you're currently in debt to me, when I say jump, you do whatever I say no matter what. You're also gonna keep an eye out for art supplies so I can supply my girl with an art room."

The men solely agreed, and Negan turned around with a smug expression on his face. He still had it.

[queenbeyondthewall]

Oh who am I kidding I think a lot about a lot of things because I am a massive nerd. HOWEVER two things I definitely think too much about are asoiaf and my favourite songwriter Andrew Hozier-Byrne, so what better subject for my inaugural post? The album Hozier, with all its themes of identity, toxic relationships, disillusionment, love, sex, and substance abuse, was unintentionally written for the Lannister siblings. Here's why.

Ladies first, so let me begin with our disastrous girl Cersei and the absolute banger that is Angel of Small Death and the Codeine Scene. This one starts off strong:

I watch the work of my kin, bold and boyful

Cersei’s one half of the famous incest ship from the famous incest series, of course, so we’re talking of her kin. Bold and boyful sounds to me how Cersei would describe Jaime in his youth - the picture of Westerosi masculinity and everything she could never be on account of her sex.

Toying somewhere between love and abuse

How better to describe Jaime and Cersei’s dynamic? Twisted, toxic, narcissistic, and yet the two definitely see their feelings for each other as love.

Freshly disowned in some frozen devotion

To me, this lyric can be generally applied to all three of the Lannister siblings and their relationship with their father. Tywin has disowned them all in some manner - Cersei for being a woman, Tyrion for being a dwarf, and Jaime for his refusal to forsake his position as a Kingsguard. Cersei, however, is the only one of the three who has not been completely disillusioned of her devotion to the man - a primary motivation throughout feast is an aspiration to live up to him and prove herself as his heir. 

With her sweetened breath, and her tongue so mean She's the angel of small death and the codeine scene With her straw-blonde hair, her arms hard and lean She's the angel of small death and the codeine scene

The whole of the chorus couldn’t be more Cersei - Jaime’s continually calling her his “sweet sister,” she has a famously mean mind and sharp tongue, and of course that characteristically Lannister blonde hair and beauty. “Small death and the codeine scene” is Hozier-speak for sex and substance abuse, which are both things that Cersei defines herself and her relationships by. I can’t help but think of the Sansa POV Blackwater chapters, where Cersei is getting drunk and “teaching” her a horrifying lesson about the power of female sexuality.

All fetor and fertile, it’s bloody and raw but I swear it is sweet

Fetor like the rot that Cersei inherits from Tywin’s legacy and that permeates his corpse at the funeral, and fertile like the one value she has as a queen in Westeros. Her blazing rise to power after Tywin’s death is built on cruelty and avarice - it’s also what Cersei craves beyond anything else.

I’ll wander the concrete  Wonder if better now, having survived

Coming down from her blaze of glory, of course, is the horror of her walk of shame. Cersei intended to get through it on pride alone, but where we left her POV in feast was with her horrible realisation of the intense vulnerability of her exposure to the public. She survived it, however, and with the hints in the Kevan epilogue of her scheming at full force once again… damn it George we need to see winds!

[dinozarr]

since baefy demanded i do gymtrainer!choso... ¹⁸⁺

𝐆𝐘𝐌𝐓𝐑𝐀𝐈𝐍𝐄𝐑!𝐂𝐇𝐎𝐒𝐎 . . . who offered you “private lessons” for after your relentless gym work outs. he’s been your number one supporter throughout your journey and you couldn’t have adored him more. he was practically every girls dream man. funny. smart. supportive. he had it all down to the bone.

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀he had to know his way around a woman’s body, and you wouldn’t be surprised if he did seeing as how attractive he is. he had the personality and the looks? he most definitely knew how to seduce a woman. and, he absolutely did. well, he was able to please you, at least.

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀the first time he brought you back to his place for your private lessons, he found out you were still a virgin and sat you in front of his full-length mirror. for the next hour, or so, he had your legs spread completely with your back leaning into his broad-rock solid chest. one arm wrapped around you to rip your panties off, gliding his thick calloused fingers through your dripping folds; opposite hand reaching for your sports bra and ripping it off completely with his raw strength. he fondled your breast, stimulating your body with the simultaneous kneading of each sensitive area.

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀he watched with an arrogant shaped grin spread across his face, allowing your head to rest along his shoulder as he planted kitten kisses against the silky skin of your neck. each time he’d pump his fingers into you, your body caved in and whimpering murmurs were traveling through his sense of hearing. he loved every bit of it, purposely dragging out slow thrusts just to see you squirm against his firm grasp and practically fuck yourself by bucking your hips against his fingers. the double stimulation had your mind going haywire, eyes barely able to stay open all the while you hit your climax.

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀the second time you went over to his place, you could feel a heartbeat in your cervix the minute you stepped foot into his apartment. you thought by sitting on his couch, that you could calm yourself down. however, when one conversation led to another, he had you face down-ass up against the arm rest. your hands gripped the fabric like your life depended on it, eyes rolling with each stern rut he thrusted into your desperate cunt. mewls and broken gasps exasperated from your trembling lips, mixing into the sounds of his lower abdomen smacking against your ass.

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀the way his pulsating erection dragged against your walls was like no other. you’ve never dealt with a man his size, taking a minute to adjust to him. after a while into him pounding your drenched pussy, he grabbed one of your arms and pinned it to your lower back, your other gripping his couch even tighter. he had one hand pinning you down, the other in a life-threatening grasp around the skin of your hip. every time he pulled out, he left just the tip opening your sopping hole, thrusting back in with such merciless force it had you quite literally seeing stars. he didn’t care that all of your juices were coating his couch, he wanted to make sure your tight cunt was marred into the shape of his dick.

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀you’d be lying if you said you didn’t enjoy fucking in every position possible all over every inch of his apartment, your body practically craving him at this point. and, he craved you just as much as you did him. maybe a bit more. he loved watching you suck him in further whenever he dared to pull out, your cries growing whinier throughout his veins raking against your walls oh so deliciously. he also loved looking down at you whilst your mouth was overfilled with his dick, one hand resting atop your head as he guided you through taking every inch of him. all he did was coo your sobs and use the pad of his thumb to wipe away the tears that messed up your beautiful makeup. it was definitely a sight for sore eyes.

NOTEZ : i most definitely wrote this for my beautiful gf @angelsfae 😻😻👐👐(jazz hands) but i guess i hope you guys enjoy it too🙄🙄

© TAKST4Z 2023 — all rights reserved. mature discretion. please do not plagiarize or steal any of my works or grapnics.

[ririya-translates]

Soshiro Yonaga's Story

For his birthday on May 15th, I translated Sou's pre-release short story (original) written by Shin Towada (lead scenario writer) with concept art by the artist Lownine. No real spoilers as it takes place before the newcomers' performance as usual. I opted to keep some honorifics in this one between Sou and Kisa just because I couldn't find a good solution around that in the time I had for this. Hopefully it doesn't read too out of place.

That day we shared a dream together, and even now I'm still in it. --Where is this? His field of vision opens abruptly. Warm rays of sunlight fall gently at his feet. Unable to grasp the situation, he looks around at his surroundings. A single torii gate beckons him. Beyond the gate lies a sleepy shrine nodding off to sleep. Memories come to Soshiro Yonaga's mind at the sight of it. "Sou-chan!" As soon as he connects this place to his memories, he hears the voice of a child ring out. Yonaga's body jumps inside as it takes in the sound of that affectionate nickname again. Reliving it in his mind, he sees three kids racing towards him. The one running in the lead is a wide-eyed adorable girl. And right behind her is a boy a couple years older. A boy with a refined beauty who quite resembles the girl. Trailing behind them is the sort of typical boy you'd find anywhere, running with all his might. --That's me. Yonaga instinctively takes in a breath. And with that breath comes a deep understanding. This is a dream. He's watching a dream of the distant past. "Sou-chan! C'mon hurry up, let's play pretend!" The girl takes the young Yonaga's hand. --…chan Yonaga calls out the girl's name, but the voice does not come out. The kids pass him by, dashing through the gate towards the shrine. --Hey, wait…! Trying to chase after them, Yonaga also passes through the torii gate. The moment he does, the figures of the three kids go dim, as if being mocked by his own mind. Not just the kids, but the gate, the shrine, even Yonaga himself starts to disappear. "Okay, you play the lead today Sou-chan!" The only thing left is the children's playful voices. --Wait. "Please, wait!!" Yonaga shouts. He realizes he's in bed with his hand stretched up into the air like in the beginning of a story. "Ah…" Light shines through a crack in the curtain. Vrr, vrr--his morning phone alarm urges him out of bed. It's morning. "Ugh…" He rubs his eyes to avoid facing it, feeling a bit embarrassed about his hand stretched towards the empty air. He's at Univeil Drama School as one of the new first-years of the Quartz class. "I've gotta get out of bed." Another day begins.

He sluggishly finishes getting ready, shoves down some breakfast from the dorm cafeteria, and then heads off to school a little late. "Um…." At Univeil, the mornings consist of rigorous study of a wide variety of topics pertaining to theatre under the expert faculty. Students are permitted to choose their own courses, meaning that those in the same class wouldn't all study the same subjects. Knowing this, Yonaga scans the classroom thoroughly. (Ah…) There's a student of short stature with a delicate frame who demonstrates a strength of will like no one else. It's the same person from the dream, the childhood friend he used to play pretend with. And now they're assigned to the same class in the same grade. "Morn-" "Class is starting now" Unfortunately the teacher appears before he can hardly open his mouth. Despite his interest being on his friend, the class mercilessly continues. He rushes in to take his seat, stealing one last glimpse before focusing on the lesson. After the morning lessons crammed full of new things to learn, time moves into the afternoon. Quartz class rehearsals start from this point onwards. Students from all years gather in the rehearsal room. They're practicing for the newcomers' performance planned for the end of May. "Okay, okaaay, now let's run through everything again so far!" (Neji) As a place that recognizes independence, Univeil Drama School has come to revolve around its performances and students. Kokuto Neji is the class leader directing Quartz. He's a genius, handling everything from the scripts to the stage. "All you older students, watch the first-years carefully to help them out." Neji energetically gives out directions. "Okay then, all the Jeannes come over here," says Quartz's Al Jeanne, Sarafumi Takashina, as he steps forward. He always acts friendly towards everyone, but the overwhelmingly brilliant flowering aura he radiates makes Yonaga nervous just standing next to him. And Fumi isn't the only one like this. There's also Kai Mutsumi, the Jack Ace with a diligent expression who leads the Jacks, and Mitsuki Shirota, the tresor who gives out his opinions on songs without an ounce of intimidation from Neji. And then there's Neji who brings everyone together to propel them further and further forward. Just these people alone make quite the impression. Yonaga's anxiety reaches a point where he questions if it's even okay for someone like him to be standing here right now. And he seems far from the only new student feeling the pressure.

"…Okay everyooone, let's take a break!" The second after hearing Neji's order, the first-years collapse to sit down with worn-out expressions. Yonaga also takes in a big breath as if trying to quench a dry throat. But there's a few in the group acting differently. "Hey, Orimaki's dancing with someone." Suzu Orimaki. Yonaga instinctively searches the room for a certain person. The noisy pounding in his chest gives him a feeling of who it might be. (Ah…) The one facing Suzu as a dance partner is Yonaga's same childhood friend. Suzu likely asked her so they could try out what they had practiced in rehearsal. She-- That's right, she's a girl. His female childhood friend is here at Univeil, the school where boys play all the male and female roles. She enrolled at the all-boys school while hiding her gender. "All right, let's do it!" "Yeah!" She and Suzu exchange words then she takes his hand to begin the dance. The two of them have no stage experience so there's a lot of rough patches. Yet even so, there's something about them that captures people's attention. "Hmm, these two stand out." As their class lead, Neji watches the pair with great interest whilst muttering to himself. Fumi standing next to him agrees and says, "They sure do. I haven't had a chance to see Orimaki dance yet, but he really stands out in whatever he does. Doesn't he, Kai?" "…It's because the other one is so good at supporting him." Kai's eyes focus on the girl dancing with Suzu.

"That's typically a Jack's role," Shirota grumbles with an exasperated expression. Still, the third-years seem to have come to a consensus. "Well…the two of them do have good chemistry though." These words stab Yonaga deep in the chest. They're sharp at first before turning into a dull lasting ache. (I need some water.) Giving himself an excuse to leave the practice room, he starts chugging water like it's his job. But no matter how much he drinks, it's never enough to quench the thirst.

Practice continues as the sun quietly sets and the lights on the school grounds are lit. Neji finally declares that practice is over. The trio of Yonaga, Suzu, and the childhood friend all leave the practice room together. "Whew, I'm beat!" Despite his words, Suzu still seems full of energy. A single nod takes everything for Yonaga to muster, both his legs and his eyelids feeling heavy. "But the upperclassmen are amazing, aren't they?" Suzu says while thinking back on their practice. "The perfect way they sing, dance, and act…and them guiding us. When I see that sorta thing I think…." Suzu's face becomes suddenly determined. "I think there's no way we can lose!" Suzu's burning excitement chills Yonaga's body to the point of shivering. This guy just started here on the same day, at the same time, and should have the same amount of experience yet he seems to live in an entirely different world. Yonaga reflexively steals another glance at his childhood friend. She has a gentle expression as she listens intently to Suzu. He doesn't know what she's thinking but she's definitely in this other world too. He thinks back on the dream he had today. That distant memory where he once stood by her side in the story's lead role. The girl walking by his side now is still living within that dream. "…Sou-chan, what's wrong?" She asks after seeing Yonaga's expression fade and go silent. "Oh, you all right? Practice sure was tough today huh?" Suzu turns his head and looks at Yonaga with concern. "Oh uh, I-I'm okay! I'm just hungry, that's all." "Yeah I feel ya." Their conversation continues meandering along. It's more comfortable like this. As he listens to Suzu talk, Yonaga looks at his friend in a way that's become a habit. "….!" And as he does, their eyes meet. Perhaps she's still feeling concern for Yonaga. He manufactures a smile to try to hide it. Then questions if he's doing it right.

[littlealeta]

Spellbound (2024) Review [Spoilers]

Long post! Scroll down for a TL;DR and Aleta Rewrites Version!

I, at first, didn't want to watch this movie. But after hearing some surprisingly decent reviews, I decided to give it a chance. Coming out of it, I can understand why it resonated with some people, even if the writing is ultimately a mess. I think if this came out earlier, in the mid 2010s, without all the controversy John Lasseter has got into as well, I think this could've done a bit better among other simplistic films such as Home and Secret Life of Pets. And I probably would've liked it better myself back then, but alas, I am not a slightly mindless 17 year old anymore, and we live in different times where cute, heartfelt stories are not the only things a movie needs to be good. So, I must view this film objectively as it is.

I will have to say, though, the trailers hid way too much. It's not as horrible as they made it out to be, but still mediocre.

Story

So much to say here...

The story is a real mess. It literally pops off with the parents being monsters. We know nothing of their life beforehand at this point.

There are some good ideas here, like the dark emotions tornado. the parents being monsters concept and having the child be the one to parent their own parents sounds like it could be ridiculously funny, but the problem is, it doesn't do much to set it apart from other stories that have done this before, Brave and Spirited Away with the parents being creatures concept, Wonder Park with the dark emotions symbolism, and It Takes Two with two fighting parents going on an adventure. The monsters at the start could just be Eileen's annoying pets and there would be no difference.

I also like that the main conflict revolves around divorce, a theme that is rarely touched upon in media, especially for children. It's unfortunate that this doesn't come into play until halfway through the story. The message is very heartfelt and a good lesson for children going through this same situation.

There are some good scenes here. Like there's some creative and beautiful segments like the echo or the Look for the Light scene. Most of the humor is actually well-written, although, I probably could've done without the freaky friday thing as it doesn't really contribute to the story. There are a couple times where I felt the humor is tacked on, but other than that, most of them felt natural.

One thing that doesn't make sense about the story, though, is the parents gradually getting their humanity back after it was said that they would get it back at the lake. This was never explained. I believe I could subtly see the reason why that may be the case. The parents and Elliaan are starting to accept the reality of the marriage. But, there's not enough implication to connect that reasoning to the story, and it just feels contrived.

The way conflict gets resolved is often anticlimatic. Like, in the echo scene, the parents suddenly saying "Girl" for no reason and getting their humanity back felt rushed and contrived as well as Bolinar being able to somehow call in the other flinks during the big climatic moment.

Characters

The characters either don't really have much personality or feel one-note.

Princess Elliaan is just your typical Disney protagonist. She's cheerful, optimistic, good-natured, and a bit clumsy. She lacks any flaws, quirks, or depth to help her stand out.

The parents only show their personalities when they're fighting. They, too, have nothing to make them stand out.

The only characters who kinda have a personality are Bolinar and the Oracles, but even they feel a bit one-note. Bolinar's only characteristic is that he's perpetually negative, and he really doesn't contribute anything to the story. The Oracles, being minor characters, aren't very memorable.

Flink is just your average trouble-making Disney sidekick.

Animation/Music/Voice Acting

I love Princess Eileen's design, I think she's very cute. However, that is all the positives I have in regards to the animation. There are some different artistic styles used in some of the musical segments, but most of the animation is just your average 2010s 3D animation.

Music is alright. Most of it is not memorable. There are a couple of weird moments where it seems like the characters were talking more than singing. My personal favorite would be The Way it Was Before. It's catchy, and the sweetest and most heartfelt song out of them all.

The voice actors do well with both funny and serious moments. I have to give props especially to Rachel Zegler, for both her singing and her ability to convey emotions. I really felt her character there.

Overall/TL;DR

I give Spellbound 5.4 bells out of 10

The story takes too long to reveal itself and get interesting. There is barely a concrete arc there, it could easily be seen as a movie where "things happen". A lot of the conflict is resolved anticlimatically, too. There are inklings of a deep, emotional, and creative movie in there, but it needed some more drafting to get there. The comedic timing is mostly well-written, though, besides a few tacked on moments.

Characters feel pretty one-note and Elliaan is just your average Disney princess.

Besides a few artistic musical segments, the animation is mostly generic. Although, I think Princess Elliaan is very cute.

Music is ok, quite forgettable. The only catchy one being the heartfelt The Way It Was Before.

Voice actors did their jobs well, especially Rachel Zegler in terms of both her singing and emotional range.

It's passable enough for kids and those who want to Netflix and chill. It's a simple movie with a good heart and there's nothing wrong with that, but in terms of story and characterization, it's pretty bland with nothing much to make it stand out from other animated kids fare.

In an Aleta Rewrites story, I would of course start off with the parents being humans. Elli is harboring resentment for them due to their constant fighting and planned divorce and just wants everything to be peaceful again. Due to Elli's resentment, the parents themselves are having trouble going through with the divorce because they want to "stay together for the kid". Their fighting causes the parents to turn into monsters because this is how Elliaan sees them. At the start, I would try to do something a little more creative with the parents being monsters concept to set it apart from other movies that have done this before. Like, maybe instead of just having them be rambunctious creatures, show more facets of their personalities. Like, maybe the parents' personalities are still somewhere in there and they're trying to talk to Eileen or trying to help Eileen, but their monster sides just keep coming out and it just all ends in the wrong way. Also, show more of the parents fighting as monster forms instead of just acting like pets causing trouble around the castle.

Let Elliaan's growth happen more naturally instead of at the last minute. And her growth (her acceptance of the changes the parents want to make to their marriage) is the reason her parents slowly gain back humanity. Their adventure is a representation of Elliaan and her parents' journey to accept the truth that the marriage is not going to work out well. Show more symbolic elements of Elliaan's resentment and her growth similar to how you showed symbolic scenes of the parents fighting with the quicksand and the echo.

I would also have Bolinar be more of the foil who often ditches and kinda gets in the way of Elliaan and her parents' adventure. His selfish attempts at trying to get back his body hurt their plans (more scenes like the acorn trail scene), until he grows to be more helpful in the adventure and realize his selfish ways.

[junkomc]

Thank you for reading my work [Lesson of Love] to the end.

To be honest, I didn't think I would be able to finish this story safely to the end.

The story I thought up in my head turned out terrible when I first wrote it out in Japanese, and it got even worse when I translated it with Google…but I'm very grateful that so many people read it despite that.

I still want to write more COD fanfiction, but I also want to write an original male x male novel. I wish I could do both at the same time, but I'm not sure…

This is unrelated, but just when I thought the sparrows had left the nest, swallows built a nest under the eaves of my house. No chicks have been born yet, but I'm looking forward to it! I'll post some cute photos if I can (do you need them?)

Also, as a token of my appreciation to those who have read this far, I'll post a little bit of the ghost x babysitter male reader story I wrote last time as a trial. As always, I'm relying on Google Translate, so please excuse any mistranslations.

I don't know if I'll continue this story… By the way, here's what I wrote before

On Saturday morning, you headed to the address you had received from Kyle. It was your first day at your new job and your first opportunity to meet Mr Riley and his daughter. Following the navigation system's directions, you arrived in a quiet residential area lined with lovely houses, home to ideal families. Mr Riley's house was no exception: a lovely single-family home with white walls and a neatly manicured lawn. After reciting the three promises that Kyle had made to you beforehand in your mind, you pressed the intercom at Riley's house and a low, husky man's voice answered. You waved at the security camera by the door and announced that you were the babysitter. After a while, the door opened and you gasped at the black figure that appeared. The man was wearing black trousers and a black hoodie with the hood up. His face was covered by the black balaclava Kyle had mentioned, making him look like a black lump. He was huge, with broad shoulders and a broad chest, and he was tall, so even though you were by no means small, you had to lift your head slightly to reach his line of sight.

Inside, you were in a frenzy, thinking, 'Is this Mr Riley? He certainly doesn't seem like an ordinary guy, but he's so hot!' On the surface, however, you pretended to be completely calm.

Despite it being your first time meeting him, you were intoxicated by this unique and attractive man's pheromones, and stood there in silence with your mouth agape, gazing into Mr Riley's beautiful brown eyes and giving him the worst possible first impression.

'I've heard about you from Kyle. Come in,' Mr Riley said with a sigh.

As you followed him into the house, you heard the sound of a child running towards you. An adorable voice called out, 'Dad! Is my babysitter here?' A cute girl with light brown hair and eyes came running out of the living room. You remembered Mr Riley's eyes from earlier and wondered if his hair was the same colour as his daughter's. While you were trying to imagine what her father looked like, she had already clung to your leg. She was jumping up and down on the spot, shouting, "You're my sitter? You're young and handsome!" Yay! I wanted a brother!" You had never received many compliments like 'handsome'before, so you were genuinely happy and replied with a smile, "Thank you! You're cute too! Your hair and clothes suit you." Mr Riley, who had been watching the situation in silence, cleared his throat, lightly patted the girl on the head, and said: "Hey, calm down, Amy. Say hello properly."

She straightened up after hearing Mr. Riley's words, looked up at Mr. Riley, and then smiled at you.

"Nice to meet you! I'm Amelia Grace Riley! Call me Amy! I'm four years old."

"Nice to meet you, too. I'm your new babysitter, starting today."

"…Amy, today and tomorrow we'll be spending time together. But starting next week, you'll be spending a week with him. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Dad! I know! So we have to become friends soon!'

Amy said this and gave you an angelic smile, which made you smile too.

"Amy, we're friends now. Let's play together later."

You said this and handed Amy a sticker book that she could use to play with princess clothes and accessories, and Amy held it to her chest and started jumping up and down again, singing some song you didn't know.

You and Mr. Riley stared at the adorable Amy for a while, but then Mr. Riley said, "Amy, Daddy has something important to talk about with him, so please watch the TV for a little while and wait," so both you and Amy turned to him.

"Okay, Daddy!"

Amy expertly operated the remote control and quickly found her favourite anime channel.

You were shown to the dining room, where Mr Riley poured you a hot cup of tea. It was delicious, and the expensive-looking teacup with its beautiful pattern enhanced the taste even more. As you sipped your tea, you wondered if the teacup had belonged to his late wife.

"…I'm late in introducing myself, but I'm Simon Riley."

Mr. Riley… Simon held out his right hand, so you hurriedly put the teacup on the table and shook hands with him. You were excited by the thickness and strength of his hand, but your reason immediately warned you that this was the workplace! and you hurriedly changed your feelings.

"Thank you for hiring me this time, Mr. Riley."

"You can call me Simon. Also, this is still a provisional contract. I'll see how you and Amy get along for the next two days, and then I'll think about it."

"I see. That's right, that's right. Understood!"

"Did Kyle tell you about the restrictions?"

"Yes. of course I won't pry into anything unnecessary, and I'll keep my promise!"

You said this clearly, but Simon stared at you, which made you feel a little uneasy. You were actually curious about what he looked like under that mask. You wanted to take off his clothes and see what kind of amazing body he had.

But Simon is a straight man and an employer with a child, so he's not the ideal man. You told yourself that and focused on keeping Amy safe, happy and comfortable in the house. You put your sex fantasies to one side.

After you had finished your tea, Simon gave you a tour of the house.

He showed you Amy's room and the room he had prepared for you. Simon stopped in front of a certain room and gave you a warning. "This is my private room. It's always locked, and only I can enter. Of course, Amy can't enter either." You were curious about what was in the room, but thought it was only natural to be reluctant to have someone look into your private space, so you just nodded silently in agreement.

After that, we received a detailed explanation of the equipment and Amy's schedule. We then spent about 30 minutes confirming various details, such as the weekly shopping list and the location of her kindergarten. When we returned to the living room, Amy asked nervously, 'Is the room tour over?' "Yes. It's about time we turned off the TV and had a snack." When Simon said that, Amy seemed relieved and ran up to him with a big smile, clinging to his leg and saying, "Yes!" "I have to tell you about the secret shelf for Amy." Simon took Amy's hand and headed to the kitchen, and you followed them. After making Amy sit down, Simon pointed to the cupboard above the sink and said, 'That's where her favourite snacks are.' You stretched to open the cupboard and reached for the children's snacks you could see, but they were in an awkward position and you couldn't quite reach them. "Hmm, I can almost reach them, but I can't…" Just as you tried to grab them with your fingertips, you suddenly felt warmth and pressure behind you. Simon's thick arm touched yours and he easily grabbed the snacks that you hadn't been able to reach. Just before he left, his crotch probably pressed lightly against your bottom and you held back a groan. The sudden, unexpected contact made your heart pound, and you felt a sweet numbness in your lower back. "Maybe I should move the snacks to a place where you can reach them more easily" Simon muttered behind you, taking them to Amy. It was slightly humiliating for a man to be unable to reach a high place, but you were more saddened by the sudden loss of Simon's warmth behind you.

"I suppose so."

You said, forcing the evil thoughts out of your head, and you sat down opposite Amy and watched the angel eat fruit chips.

"Hey, Dad, are we all going to the park after this?"

"Yeah, sure, let's go — all three of us."

Simon said it so naturally that it made you feel a little strange. But Amy was friendly and angelic, and Simon didn't seem that weird — except for the fact that he never took his mask off at home. He was hot, and you thought you'd be really lucky to work for the Rileys.

[indigostreaking]

Sweet Spot

Danny x Reader

Warnings: none really. Language maybe? Also if you see any typos, no you didn’t.

Word count: ~2500(but I didn’t really count)

You weren’t supposed to be at the golf course. Nothing about it sounded appealing to you, but you couldn’t say no when your best friend asked you to come to the “Swinging Singles” charity event she organized.

You hated early mornings, polos made your chest look weird, and the idea of mingling with strangers who took golf too seriously made your eye twitch. Yet here you were in borrowed sneakers, a too-tight visor and a scratchy polo at 9:03am on a Saturday morning holding a driver upside down like a toddler left unattended.

“You’re holding that like a baseball bat..” a voice drawled from behind you. “Are you about to tee off or beat someone to death?” He added with a laugh.

You turned, fully prepared to lay into him for his snark, but when you’re eyes landed on the man, you forgot how to breathe.

He was tall and lean, with the wiry muscles of a man that used them regularly. His dark curly hair was tucked under a backwards baseball cap, leaving you to admire the way his warm brown eyes sparkled in the sunshine and the striking sharpness to his features—a strong Roman nose and angular jawline. He had an intimidating kind of beauty that you don’t think you had ever encountered before…but it was his smirk that got you. The cocky, I-know-I’m-irritating-and-I-enjoy-it smile.

You gathered a small semblance of dignity and shot back a reply. “I’m sorry. Who are you?” You smiled, playing nice and unimpressed, hoping to humble him a bit.

“Danny,” he replied coolly, unbothered as he stepped forward and offered you a gloved hand.

You shook his hand, trying not to think of how warm and strong it felt in yours. “I’m—“

He cut you off with another laugh. “You’re the girl who just tried to use a golf club as a lightsaber. Iconic.”

“I was stretching..” you rolled your eyes.

“Oh yeah? Is that what they’re calling it?” His smile widened. He was clearly amused by you..and himself. “Here, let me help,” he stepped towards you, taking a spot behind you that felt much closer than strangers should be. He reached around you, adjusting your grip on the driver as he lead you through a mock swing. His cologne was subtle—cedar and citrus—but it was enough to make your knees feel weak. “Better,” he murmured softly before stepping back. “Now swing like you’re aiming at your ex.”

You laughed and did as he asked, sending the ball flying in a small arc that landed much further down the green than you’d ever managed before.

“See?” He grinned proudly. “I knew you could do it.”

You had to fight the urge to hug him, instead settling on a high five that felt like it lingered..but maybe that was your imagination.

When the actual event started, you found yourself caught up in the chaos of speed dating. It was hard to maintain the balance of asking and answering questions within the limited time with each person, but you finally got into the swing of things—pun intended—when you were once again face to face with Danny as your final date of the day.

“Saved the best for last, huh?” He teased as he approached you for the final hole of the course.

You rolled your eyes and fought back a smile. “Nah, I just wanted another free golf lesson,” you smirked and felt butterflies when he let out a cackle laugh.

Your mini-date was a chaotic blend of laughter, sarcastic banter and flirty trash-talk with the occasional brush of arms that sent sparks tingling down your spine.

When the event ended, the two of you had snuck away from the crowd and were sitting in the grass together, watching the sun set while sipping from solo cups. “These are pretty good for bootleg margaritas,” you teased and licked your lips.

“Bootleg?! These are my signature drink!” He pretended to be surprised but cracked with a giggle. “I was working with a time crunch because I didn’t know when the bar cart girl would come back..”

You had snickered as quietly as you could while watching him attempt to sneakily make a cocktail while the cart was unattended, and laughed even louder when he nearly fell while racing back after getting yelled at.

“Yeah yeah, it would be better with some fruit or something, though,” you replied in an unimpressed tone, as if he had not blown you away in every category from looks to humor to skill.

He loosed a breath as if the verbal blow you hit him with was almost too much. “You wound me…but not as much as you would have if I hadn’t helped you with your golf swing.”

You couldn’t help but laugh because damnit if he wasn’t right. “It wasn’t THAT bad! Maybe I was just distracted..”

“By my rugged handsomeness?” He did his best smoldering look before a smile spread across his face.

“No,” you deadpanned. “Probably because some arrogant asshole started talking to me..”

“Ouch. Wounded again.” His smile didn’t falter though, if anything it brightened even more. “Hey, how do you feel about keeping this date going?”

You blushed a little at his forwardness because you had almost forgotten this was a date since it felt so natural and easy. “I wouldn’t be opposed…”

“Great! Because there’s this amazing taco truck right down the road. I’ll drive!” He jumped up and took your hand, practically dragging you to his Jeep. You climbed in and made sure to buckle up before pulling out your phone as he drove. “Watcha doing?” He asked softly.

“Filling out a Buzzfeed quiz called ‘am I being kidnapped?’” You replied nonchalantly, and he cackled with laughter. “Next is the ‘is this man going to ruin my life?’ quiz..” you added in the same cool tone, which only made him laugh harder.

“Let me know what they say,” he played along, and you could see the light blush on his cheeks.

When you finally saw the taco truck he had mentioned, your mouth fell open. Danny parked the jeep and helped you out before escorting you over to the seating area set up beside the truck. It had fairy lights draped over a little awning that covered a few bistro tables.

“Pick a seat and I’ll grab the food. Steak okay?” He started to walk away but paused to wait for your answer. “Oh shit! You don’t have any food allergies or dietary restrictions do you? I’m sorry I didn’t think to ask before..” he started to ramble nervously, and it made you laugh softly.

“No, I’m good. Steak sounds perfect. Not too spicy, though..” you replied, and he nodded in agreement. You glanced around the quiet area, noting the parking lot was actually adjacent to a dog park where you could see a man throwing tennis balls for his three brindle dogs.

“Here we are. Honey lime steak tacos with an avocado crema…fucking amazing,” he pretended to wipe drool from his mouth after setting them down in front of you.

You took one bite and nearly moaned. “You’re the best kidnapper ever,” you mumbled through a mouthful of food.

He snorted a laugh before taking a sip of his drink. The rest of the meal was more or less the same as your golf date. You bantered back and forth, flirting and teasing, but mostly laughing. He was clever, intelligent, and he listened. Like he filed away each quip or secret that you dropped in conversation for future use. It was mesmerizing and refreshing.

When dinner was over, the two of you climbed back into his jeep and buckled up. You felt anxious suddenly because the date was coming to an end, and you didn’t want it to. You glanced over at him, only to feel the same nervous energy.

Moments of silence passed while he drove, but he broke it when he said, “Do you care if we make one more stop? I want to show you something..”

Your heart nearly fell to your ass. This was definitely gonna be the murder part of the night. You had known he seemed too good to be true.

Before you could panic too much, he quickly added, “I swear I’m not a murderer!”

“That’s exactly what a murderer would say!” You replied a little too loudly before laughing anxiously. You took a deep breath to calm yourself. “You promise?”

He smiled warmly, “I promise.” Then he took a deep breath and added, “Just don’t run away…because it’s at this warehouse and it’s gonna look even more sketchy before it gets better..”

“I don’t run,” you laughed at the thought. “Well, unless it’s from emotionally unavailable men with guitars..”

He cackled. “I’ll have to keep that in mind,” he bemused.

The warehouse was smaller than expected and definitely looked a little more murdery than you’d prefer, but you put on a brave face and followed him inside where you found a full drum kit sitting on top of an old worn-out rug. The walls had some soundproofing material hung on them, and a tangled weave of cords ran from the amps to empty spaces that were likely filled by guitars, bass, and microphones more often than not.

As you pieced together what you’re looking at, Danny smiled. “When things get too loud, I come here to…well I guess to make things louder,” he laughed quietly to himself.

He didn’t say anything else, he just sat behind the kit and started playing. Slow at first, almost lazy, before building into a rhythm that thudded in your chest like a second heartbeat. Watching him—focused, intense, passionate and alive—your breath got caught in your throat.

Suddenly, he looked up, eyes locked on yours, and the beat shifted. It became rougher, louder, like the sound made by a man daring you to feel something.

You didn’t realize you’d moved closer until you could practically feel the heat and wind from his movements.

All of a sudden, he stopped playing and silence slammed into the space, leaving an incessant tingling in your ears.

“You good?” he asked, voice huskier now, mouth tilted in that crooked, knowing way.

You nodded. Barely. “Yeah, why?

“Because you’re looking at me like you want to kiss me or you’re afraid of me..”

You tilted your head. “What if it’s both?”

He stood, slowly, until the space between you evaporated. “Then I’m really hoping you kiss me first,” he whispered. “Because I’m not sure I’ll survive the second option.”

Your breath hitched, and for a second, the air buzzed with indecision.

Then you kissed him.

And it was nothing like you expected.

He didn’t rush. He didn’t dominate. He kissed like the musician you now knew he was—timing, rhythm, restraint, then heat. Like he wanted to memorize the way your mouth moved. Like you were a melody he couldn’t stop playing, one that he longed to figure out.

When you finally pulled back, dazed and breathless, he brushed his thumb across your cheek. The feel of his rough calluses making you shiver.

“Still think I’m gonna ruin your life?” he asked softly.

You swallowed. “Yeah.”

“Good,” he murmured. “It’s only fair. You’re already ruining mine.”

[themasterofalchemy]

I met with my younger self for a drink

We arrived at the same time - driving the same car. I noted my grey bird had a few more dents than hers.

I took her in for a few moments. My freshly twenty one year old self-dressed in what used to be our favorite dress; baby blue in color and covered in little yellow flowers. The white flats on her feet showed her pink toenails. I thought to myself a pair of yellow heels would really bring the outfit together. I knew she felt beautiful so I kept this thought to myself. She'll experiment with her style when she is ready. For now I knew, being beautiful and small is all she wanted to feel and be.

We made our way inside an Irish pub she liked to frequent. The smell of burnt popcorn and liquor hit my nose and I wondered to myself, why did I ever like this place? My younger self was squinting as her eyes traced the room. I laughed as I remembered how I would leave my glasses in the car because I hated how I looked in them and how terribly frustrating I found contacts to be.

"What's so funny?" She asked as her eyes still wandered the room we sat in. Her hands fidgeting with the label on the hard cider she ordered.

"Who are you looking for?" I asked bemused. I was instantly sorry as soon as the question left my mouth. My younger self cheeks flushed and she started to study the table. I remembered who she was looking for. The reason she liked the bar.

"It's annoying to answer a question with a question." Her brows furrowed as she huffed lower into her seat.

I took a sip of the bourbon I ordered and shrugged, "I know it."

Her gaze firmly locked on me. A flicker of a moment passed and her wounded doe eyes turned intense and questioning. "Are we...happy?" Though her gaze was fierce her voice sounded afraid of the question she had just prosed.

My brow raised, "You know, you shouldn't ask questions you are afraid to hear the answers to."

She sat up straight and crossed her arms, "I am not afraid." Said now with such fire and assuredness I would have believed her if I were not her.

I considered her question. I considered the woman in front of me. A woman afraid of taking up any space at all that to even suggest yellow heels would have been blasphemous. A woman who does not even know the bar she is going to love with her whole heart. A bar she loves for her own reasons, not because a person she loves loves it.

I opened my mouth to speak and hesitated, how could I describe to this girl how much better things get.

"Ahem, this is not really the kind of question you try to dodge and then leave hanging." Her tone light but dripped with weariness.

I sat back in my chair and studied the table. "Yes, we are happy." My reply quieter than I meant to. I could hear the smile form on my younger self's face. I then fixed my gaze on hers and said calmly, "There will be days where you will think of this day and think me a liar. I promise you I am not."

She looked down at the bottle she was fidgeting with. I could hear the condensation form on my glass.

We sat quietly for a few moments. I took the time to look around the room. Metaphorically buzzing with youth and literally buzzing with flies. I caught myself in the mirror hanging above the bar; There I sat poised on a barstool: navy blue bandana to match the navy blue heels, a flowy white shirt tucked into black leather pants. Of course I was also rocking my favorite John Lennon glasses. It's important to be able to see.

I looked back to my younger self; she herself gazing the room. Not in the way she was before - with intent to find someone. More so like she was watching a movie where she thought everyone in the room the main character.

I broke the silence by asking her I who she trusts these days. She jumped into rattling off dozens of names I had not heard in ages. I flinched at the mention of a few and I was glad to see she didn't notice through reciting her lengthly list. The lessons learned are painful but so necessary. Beaming still from describing the people in her life she gave me an encouraging look with her big hopeful eyes. I had to look down from her gaze and take a deep taste of four roses. Her shock and confusion were painful to see when I said plainly, we trust family and two names she doesn't know yet.

I saw her thinking of a way to ask why our list is so short now, I laughed to myself at how expressive our face is. Every emotion is plain to see and one can literally see our gears turning. Before she could find a way to ask I jumped up from my seat and gestured to the pool table, "You want to play with me?"

"I'd love to! Please keep in mind I'm awful," she said rather sheepishly.

I took her hand, "That's okay, you get better with practice."

Knowing full well she does. In everything.

[aphroditesmoon]

I'm holding my night in your hands

gwen stacy x fem!reader

summary: gwen is a talented dancer, but once you found out she's never slowdanced before, you decided to fix it. romantic feelings ensues.

warnings: ballerina!reader, reader has at least collarbones length hair, flirty gwen, fluff, title is from indigo de souza's song "what are we gonna do now"

taglist: @catherine-112 , @urdeadpoet , @primaviva

A/N: thank you for 1.6k followers, i love you all sm!

♡♡♡

YOU CUPPED YOUR HAND under the sink. Watching the water fill them up slowly until its full, before gently spreading it all over your face. The water pressure is still shit, but

The relief you feel as the water hits your skin was undeniable.

Your reflection stares back at you through the mirror, It also tells you to dry your face up and get your shit together. You use your wrist to wipe off your the drops of water on your chin.

You had always considered yourself a perfectionist, the last worker to leave the office type of girl. Who knew all it took to break you was a night with less than 3 hours of sleep and accidentally tripping in the bathroom floor after a shower. You still went to your lesson with your dismissive limp.

An hour in, and your instructor had already noticed how you're having inabilty to straighted your left foot. She made you go freshen up in the restroom, concerned that you could've popped a nerve out of your feet or something whole practising.

Having no excuse to deny her, you did as you're told to.

You flex your bruised feet in circles, lifting it slightly to see if the pain had lessen. Despite the loud hiss escaping your lips as it twists on a certain angle, it was definitely lessening for at least 20% compared to the pain from the morning.

Definitely not broken then, just my little bones still in shock from the fall.

You flinch suddenly as the restroom door opens wide, Gwen Stacy entering before it.

Scanning her presence, you let out a relaxed sigh.

You've never talked to her before. You've definitely seen her around though. She's known as a pretty smart person in school, despite constantly missing class. She's also known to be more of a loner, especially since the passing of her friend, Peter something.

You wonder if she was like you, someone who prioritises their goals over stupid high school boys. You knew her as much as everyone else did. Absolutely nothing. She's beautiful too. But that's an observation more than information.

Her eyes meet yours in the mirror currently staring back at you, she gives a small smile as a sign of acknowledgement before leading herself into a toilet stall. You should just leave right after that, but your still throbbing feet had convinced you to stay a little while.

The blonde ballerina finishes up her business quite quick, leaving her stall and going straight for the sink next to yours to wash her hands.

The two of you greet eachother with a small nod and smile as you usully do, but you notice how her eyes wander to your left foot, still lifting up frok the ground as your right side carries your whole weight.

"Fell?" She asks, being the first to speak.

"Yeah, this morning." You answer with a hoarse laugh. Gwen hums understandingly before raising another question. "Did you get a cough too?" You shook your head.

"Flu, dunno why I sound like shit today." She laughs shortly at that, the corner of hee eyes crinkling as she does it. "No, you sound fine, just a little throaty." Gwen clarifies, earning a thank you from you.

You watch her retie her hair as your fingers grip the sink counter for balance. "You going to the party this Sunday?" The company had organised an end of year party for your dancing class, you'll be going of course. "I'm not sure, are you?" She asks back, wiggling her brows wiile turning around to lean her back againts the counter.

"Oh yeah, hardworkers also needs a drink or two sometimes." You joke. She snorts at that and squints her eyes at you. "We're underage, I don't think we're getting anything other than orange juice." You shrug at that nonchalantly, "I have a good enough imagination to pretend its booze."

Your laugh melts together with hers at the joke. "Well as long as everyone won't start slow dancing or anything, I guess I won't be needing any alcohol." You raise a brow in confusion at her words. "What, you hate slow dancing?" She makes purse her lips and and make a small noise of consideration. "Hate? No, no-um, I can't slow dance, never done it before and never going to. It was a joke." She clarifies.

You answer with an understanding 'Ohh'.

"It's not that bad, I mean this isn't some ball from the 1700s or something." She frowns. "I don't think they had balls during the 1700s."

"Well either you're right ot we both failed History." She smiles at you. "Anyways-" You continue, "-you don't have to count steps or anything, just hold your partner, waist or shoulder, and just sway with them and try not to step on their feet, at least thats how I do it. I'm sure the people in the 1700s would disagree with me." She opens her mouth to respond but was cut off when you suddenly move from the sink to hold on to her arm.

"Here, let me show you." Gwen is about to disagree, panick evident in her eyes. "Your feet-" She starts. "My feet, is feeling much better now." You conclude, shutting her up.

Her hands meets your waist just as you explained earlier, and yours find their way onto her shoulder. You notice now that you're closer to her, that her smell is a mix of shea butter and lavender. You sniffed at your red nose and shook of the thought of her scent.

"See, now we just, sway." She raises a brow, trying to hide her grin as the tow of you starts swaying to your sides in an incredibly slow motion because of your feet. "So, do we, not move around or?"

You look up to the ceiling for a second, trying to remember the last time you slowdanced with someone and how it went. "Not sure, I mean, I guess we can move from one spot to another and do the same thing." Your words fished out a sudden laugh out of Gwen who is now shaking her head. "That...sounds stupid."

You laugh awkwardly as you try to imagine what you just proposed. "Yeah, that definitely would look weird, now that I think about it." She hummed in an agreement.

A few more seconds of swaying continued until your hands let go of her shoulder to find the sink counter back. Your right hand manages to grip the edge of it, but your left was immediately grasped by Gwen's own hand, her fingers sliding up to your forearm and gripping it for your stability. You mumbled a thanks before your eyes looks back to the ground.

When you lift up your head to look at her, Gwen's eyes has already been zeroing on your face. An uncomfortable second passes by before her smile returns and she speaks for the both of you. "We should get going, I'll help you, come on."

You don't try to say no as she begins to wrap an arm around your back while the other one is placed on your shoulder, dragging you with her as gentle as she could.

¤¤¤¤¤¤

That night you were restless again, the flu had subsided and your feet was ready to be used again. But your houghts were loud and kept you awake depite the tiredness you were feeling.

In the end, your body finally gave into itself around 3:45AM, and you fell into an uneasy sleep, bizarre dreams filling your subconscious.

You dreamed of a unicorn, in the middle of the highway. A unicorn that you were comfortably placed onto. The sky was dark and only a singular streetlamp lighted up our way.

The next and last bit of your dreams you could remember was as you're slowly riding the white and rainbow horned animal, the road doesn't end, yet you stopped when you reached a girl standing in your way. She had her back facing you, but her hair gave away her identity quite quickly. You're not sure if experts have ever confirmed if you could smell in your dreams, but when you woke up, an hour late to your dance lesson, you swore your nostrils were filled with the scent of lavender for a whole minute at least.

Which was weird as hell.

You groaned when you check the time. No one would question you missing one lesson, especially after seeing you walk back in limping in Gwen's arms yesterday, which was definitely in your top 10 most embarrassing moments in life.

You let yourself fall back into your pillow until you were physically ready to get up again. The party was tomorrow. At least missing this class means you'll have more time to ice your feet a few more times to lessen the risk of it hurting again during the event.

You forced yourself up to clean your room and get a shower before calling up a food delivery service for some pancakes and coffee from your favourite downtown cafe. When all things go bad, coffee is usually a good start of fixing things.

You checked your email and messages to see if anyone had tried reaching out to you for missing class, but fortunately there was none. Though a slight dissapointment still made it's way to your chest. The kind that makes you feel stupid for having the audacity to be disappointed in the first place.

You shook Gwen off your thoughts and retreated back into your room, deciding it's better to try and finish the book that's been lying around on your table for weeks now.

Morning soon enough became afternoon, and soon again, turned into night. Your copy of The Master And Margarita had at least 40 pages left to finish. Your growling stomach made you put it down and concluded that those pages will be read tomorrow night instead. You've forgotten to eat lunch today. And as much as your old ballet teacher would've probably praised you for that, you needed to eat.

Your feet is starting to feel cold and your ribcage was getting small sharp pains from not eating, your body was getting gassy.

As you reach your kitchen, your hands got to work, pulling out the bag of instant mac and cheese, you begin to prepare your meal. 15 minutes of boiling and mixing in the pot, and your meal was done. You took your time eating it, indulging the taste of supermarket pasta while scrolling through instagram on your phone.

When a notification pops in, you almost let yourself hope, until you notice the message was from your mom, letting you know she'll be coming home late again today.

That night, you fell asleep easier than the the night before, and you thankfully dreamt of nothing.

¤¤¤¤

The party starts in 10 minutes. You're fully dressed in a dark blue, shortsleeved dress. You contemplated if you should try styling your hair until you eventually gave up and tied it up in a ponytail...before pulling it off again and tying it up again, in a bun instead.

The studio was 7 minutes away from your house by feet, so you strapped on your heels that you knew you'll be cursing yourself for wearing as soon as you got moving, and left your house fully locked.

Despite being a pretty fit person, you reached the studio breathing heavily with a pair of heels in your hand, strapping them on before pushing the door open.

Loud unrecognized music fills the big space, a lot of people have arrived much early than you. When you reached the crowded space, you're immediately greeted by acquaintances, complimenting your dress and asking if you're feeling better. You let yourself mingle and chat around with your instructor and friends before excusing yourself to get a drink.

The studio is getting fuller, and the music, louder. The place reeked sweat and expensive perfumes as everyone starts to get comfortable dancing and walking around chatting.

You scan the crowd for a particular blonde haired girl and sighed in frustration when you were sure you she's not anywhere to be seen.

Spinning your back towards the party, you grabbed one of the plastic cups filled with orange juice, the only drink available. Taking a sip, you scrunched up your nose at the too sour taste. With all the funds from the rich parents of wannabe ballerinas, they couldn't even afford to get some kiwi juice in, or even watered down champagne. It's disappointing.

At least it wasn't rootbeer or something, the gas is bad for you, and you're not taking a risk of burping your way home. Or worse, farting.

Your thoughts of the disgusting drink being served was put on pause when a hand reached out infront of you to pour out a medium amount of what looked like piss from a thermos.

You looked up to meet your disturber and audibly gasped at her.

She has a grin plastered on her face as she closes the bottle. "Vodka, with your orange juice. It's a really good mix, try it." She says. You break out of your suprise and roll your eyes at her. "Leather jacket, really? This isn't a frat house party, you know." You noted, ignoring her words from earlier.

Gwen just laughs at you before swinging an arm around your shoulder and turning you around towards the dancing people. "You're wearing heels, that's crazier, the veins on your feet looks like its seconds away from bursting out. You grumbled incoherently, accepting your loss and trying out the drink.

She watches as you make a sound of delight before chugging the rest of the drink. Her eyes widening as you finished it. "Fucking god, take it easy." She scolds. You snort and shoves her lightly before wiggling the cup at her for more. "Later, I can't get arrested for getting minors wasted, especially because it'll be my dad arresting me."

You burst out laughing at that, nodding your head. "Your dad's a cop? I knew there's a reason you're not in jail yet." Gwen gasps loudly, faking hurt. "All I have is just a bit of stolen vodka, I am quite innocent as a person. You'll see it soon after you spend more time with me."

The two of you join the crowd, her hands finding your waist with more ease than the first time. Understanding where she's getting at, you bite your empty cup as your hands reaches for her shoulder.

She laughs before taking the drink between your teeth, she takes it from your mouth and passes it to a random brunette passing behind her, she took it while looking confused and walked away. "I don't like to litter." You explained.

She hums and pulls you closer. "You don't have to, they have trash cans." She whispers, head leaning down until her lips are againts your ear. "Is that why you brought a jacket, to hide your alcohol in it?" You inquire, noticing how she tucked it in after a drink.

"Mmhm, that and incase you get cold and I can pull the 'you can wear my jacket' thing."

Your mouth is agape but no words leave your mouth. You pull away slightly so she'd look at you and you frowned at her. You gave her a stern and long look, waiting to see if she'd defend herself. She says nothing and just stared at you expressionless.

"Are you flirting with me?" Gwen nods seriously. "I have been, thank you for noticing." You tilt your head at her and think of something smart to say, trying to ignore how fast your heart was beating.

"Well..." you start. Gwen raises a brow. "Well its- it's working." Out of all the things you could've said, of course that's where you landed on.

Fortunately, it pulls a smile out of Gwen that seemed different than before, more sincere you would say. The smile someone gives when they didn't even expect to smile themselves. A mixture of pure genuine joy. "Good." Gwen responded after a while. "Good." You repeat after her.

Letting yourself let go of your need to overthink anything, you lay your head in the crook of her neck as your hands falls onto her chest, feeling how her arms closes themselves tighter around you.