#CEO!Killian

[agirlwithoutmagic]

once upon a time should’ve gotten exactly one “fuck” per season and here’s who should have gotten it in each season

season 1: the “fuck” is emma’s to lose. she goes Through It in this season and honestly atp if anyone’s gonna say it it’s her. i think regina at this point is still too repressed to swear and trying so hard to pretend to not be the evil queen. HOWEVER if it happened in the pre-curse timeline I think it’d be Belle because imagine if she’d told rumplestiltskin “all you’ll have is a dark heart and a chipped FUCKING cup”

season 2: kinda think neal deserves this one tbh! his fiancé did shoot him and then knock him into a portal to the enchanted forest :/ also he found out he had a son after 11 years lmao that can’t be easy. maybe belle in Lacey form would’ve dropped it, though

season 3: REGINA REGINA REGINA. she had to go to neverland to save her son AND she found out she had a whole sister she’d never heard of AND she finally gets a boyfriend only for her sister to pretend to be her boyfriend’s dead wife so she can ruin everything lol. LET REGINA SAY FUCK

season 4: honestly I originally thought henry deserved this one because of all the author turmoil but i’m gonna have to give it to Belle because her dumbass idiot husband puts her through too damn much and I understand why she decided to knock herself out with a sleeping curse instead of dealing with his dumbass in season 5.

season 5: killian lol no question he literally dies and goes to hell. realistically the only character besides emma and regina who says “fuck” on a regular basis anyway. the only other option i’d accept is leroy 

season 6: belle AGAIN. she’s australian so she gets to say it twice <3 otherwise maybe snow or david they’ve been through a lot atp and I don’t agree with the fandom belief that they WOULDNT say fuck. they WOULD ‼️

season 7: no ❤️ 

[gunsandspaceships]

Tony Stark’s achievements

Childhood:

“Brilliant and unique mind”

At age 4 built his first circuit board

At age 6 built his first engine

Cracked the Pentagon’s firewall in high school on a dare

Went to college at 14

Built cool smart robots (Dum-E and U) when he was a teen

At 17 graduated summa cum laude from MIT

Polyglot

Before Afghanistan:

“Da Vinci of our time”

Became an owner and CEO of Stark Industries at 21

Successfully ran the company for decades

Advanced the world of technology, not only in weaponry and robotics but also:

created advanced AI J.A.R.V.I.S.

created holographic interface technology

created repulsor technology

Participated in charity

In and after Afghanistan:

“I’m sorry, I’m not Tony Stark”

Survived an open-heart surgery in a cave, without general anesthesia

Lived with, in fact, a debilitating wound, shrapnel, and a huge and dangerous technological device in his body for years and was willing and capable of doing not only his usual work but also being a superhero and doing all these next things...

Did not give up under torture and fought with his captors

Invented and built a miniaturized Arc Reactor, in a cave, with a box of scraps

Invented and built Iron Man armor, in the same cave, with the same box of scraps

Escaped from captivity by himself (with help from Yinsen, but without any armed assistance)

Became an expert in piloting and driving

Saved people in Gulmira

Saved a USAF pilot

Probably the best hacker in the world, was able to easily hack networks of the Pentagon, US government, AIM, and SHIELD

Fought with Iron Monger after nearly died. Defeated him and saved many lives. Was ready to die for that

Built many more different Iron Man armors

Fought terrorists between IM and IM2 (IM2 tie-in comics)

Saved a submarine crew (IM2 - newspapers in Vanko’s home)

Saved a woman from a fire (IM2 - newspapers in Vanko’s home)

“Stabilized East-West relations” (IM2 - newspapers in Vanko’s home), so the world was “enjoying its longest period of uninterrupted peace in years”

Organized Stark Expo

Was able to keep Iron Man armor in his safe hands despite the government’s and HYDRA’s attempts to take it for themselves

Defeated Ivan Vanko in Monaco

(Re)Discovered a new element

 Synthesized it, by building a particle accelerator, at home

Revolutionized energy industry and science. Gave clean energy to the world

Defeated Vanko in New York with Rhodey, Natasha, and Pepper and saved many lives again

Saved Peter Parker (IM2)

Made it so that the Abomination would not leave prison and join the Avengers

Built Stark/Avengers Tower powered by Arc Reactor technology

Saved Steve Rogers and many civilians in Germany from Loki

Was able to fight with Thor on equal terms

Biggest brain on Earth, arguably - in the Universe:

best scientist on the team, in SHIELD, on Earth, in the Universe

expert in nuclear, particle, and quantum physics

was able to learn very quickly – became an expert in thermonuclear astrophysics in one night

Successfully tracked Tesseract by its gamma radiation with Bruce

Saved Helicarrier with the Avengers and SHIELD agents on board, almost died

Saved Rogers from a merc right after that

Fought with Chitauri, killed many of them, saved a lot of people

Was able to blow up a Leviathan by himself

Saved New York City by redirecting a nuke to the wormhole

Saved the world by destroying Thanos’ Chitauri army, almost died again

Founded The United States Department of Damage Control to clean up after battles

Rebuilt Stark Tower into Avengers Tower and gave each team member their own quarters

One of the best biologists and biomedical engineers on Earth, even if it’s not his main area of expertise:

helped Maya with Extremis back in 1999, because knew more in her own field, and even didn’t remember that

was head hunted by Aldrich Killian to work on Extremis with/instead of Maya, who was the leading expert in tissue regeneration

improved and stabilized Extremis, so it became safe regenerative technology, and with it…

cured Pepper

healed extensive injuries in his chest

invented and implanted devices for remote control of his suits (into his forearm in IM3, and most probably into his brain for Mark L armor in Infinity War)

invented build-in diagnostic system in his suits

Invented many devices for protection purposes (ex. bomb disposal)

A capable detective. Figured out the cause of explosions in IM3 on his own

Saved Pepper instead of himself by putting Mark 42 on her during the attack on his Malibu mansion

Survived the attack with a barely working prototype suit. Shot down a helicopter with a piano

Was able to fight with enhanced fire-breathing regenerating terrorists without armor and weapons in Rose Hill. In handcuffs

Knowledgeable and skilled in medicine:

saved a kid with his arc reactor in a deleted scene from IM3, selflessly pulling it out of his chest and performing defibrillation under electric shocks

knew how to recognize hyperglycemia when Harley was eating 3rd bawl of candies

closed his wound in Infinity War with nanoparticles

performed first-aid on Bruce after his snap

Built a lot of stuff from random things he bought in a store for the assault on the Mandarin's mansion. In a motel

Successfully stormed the Mandarin's mansion full of armed and huge security guys with dogs. Alone. Without his armor

Successfully escaped captivity in the Mandarin's mansion with just a few pieces of armor on

Saved all the people who fell from the Air Force One

Stormed Roxxon Norco ship with Rhodey, without a suit. With one handgun

Saved the US president

Defeated Killian and his Extremis-enhanced terrorists, saved many lives

Built quinjets

Created Iron Legion

Became the benefactor of the Avengers, provided them with everything, was a combatant, and also the team’s pilot, hacker, engineer, medic, and scientist

As an Avenger saved many lives on missions, including destroying the rest of HYDRA in AoU

With Bruce’s help created Veronica and Hulkbuster suit

Defeated a rogue Iron Legionnaire with a fork

In contrast to other team members was able to function after Wanda played with his mind

Defeated mad Hulk. Saved a lot of lives in Johannesburg

Easily hacked nuclear codes in Nexus and found J.A.R.V.I.S. “in the world’s biggest haystack”

Created advanced AI F.R.I.D.A.Y.

Many advanced AIs

Created Vision

With the Avengers defeated Ultron and his army

Evacuated people who were left in Sokovia

Saved a falling evacuation shuttle with people on it

Together with Thor saved Earth by destroying the falling Sokovia

Rebuilt Stark Compound into Avengers Compound for the team in Upstate New York

Invented several medical devices, including leg braces, blood toxicity detector

Sponsored the development of technology for psychotherapy (B.A.R.F.). Prevented it from being used for harm

Funded all the students’ projects at MIT

Did everything possible to legally, politically, and physically protect the team before, during, and after the Civil War

Was able to disarm Winter Soldier without a suit, with only one armored glove

Figured out Spider-Man’s identity

Created Spider-Man’s suits

Mentored, sponsored, and looked after Peter Parker

Saved Peter Parker (SMH). Twice

Saved the ferry from sinking

Invented nanoparticles

 “Earth’s best defender”

Went to space to save Peter, Strange and bring back Time Stone

Saved Peter Parker (IW)

Saved Strange on the Donut spaceship. Killed Ebony Maw

Cloak of Levitation chose him as his second favorite (deleted scene with Tony wearing Levi and Strange in Mark L)

Was respected by Thanos himself

Withstood when Thanos hit him with a moon

Fought Thanos, made him bleed, kept fighting even without armor

Survived a severe injury thanks to his own invention

Was able to function, tried to fix Benatar, and return home while injured and ill with an infected wound

Built a lab for Bruce and helped him to become one with Hulk (combine the best of both worlds)

Became an amazing dad

Became an expert in time travel physics

Discovered/invented (controlled) Time travel

Built a time machine

Went on Time Heist and stole Tesseract from a guarded military base

Created his own Infinity Gauntlet

Thus brought half of the universe back to existence (Bruce snapped and partially sacrificed his health, but nothing would be possible without Tony)

Saved Bruce’s arm by providing emergency medical care

Fought with Thanos again and…

Saved the whole Universe

[ellawrites-if]

Development blog for the upcoming IF: The Whisper in the Mist. This IF is based on Pacific Rim media (with a focus on the 2013 film).

Asks are welcome (including explicit asks).

Rated 18+ for explicit language, unhealthy coping methods, dark humour, mental health issues, character death, sexual content (optional), violence, blood, gore, mutilation and body horror, and murder and attempted murder. Will be updated as needed.

Setting: Tsing Yi Island, Hong Kong (with futuristic elements).

Other IF account: @kalorphic

When I was a kid, whenever I'd feel small or lonely...I'd look up at the stars and wonder if there was life up there. Turns out I was looking in the wrong direction.

When alien life entered our world it was from deep beneath the Pacific Ocean. A fissure between two tectonic plates. A portal between dimensions.

They called it the Breach.

- Raleigh Beckett (Pacific Rim).

It’s funny how quickly things can change.

One minute you’re on top of the world, then the next, your world is crumbling down around you…

Five years ago, you and your drift partner had the highest success rates of any Jaeger pilots. Now, one horrific tragedy and a hasty promotion later, you’re pushing pencils thousands of miles away from the place you called home.

That is, until a Kaiju with stealth abilities like nothing that’s ever been seen before crawls out of the Breach.

Recalled back into service, you’re forced to team up with your once rival under the command of your former drift partner, and the advice of two scientists who seem more interested in the Kaiju’s than your safety. All while someone with more money than sense attempts to undermine you at every turn.

With everything seemingly against you, will you take up the mantle of hero once more or will you let the darkness plaguing your mind consume you?

Customisable MC (including name, pronouns, appearance, and identity). Personality is semi-set (MC uses humour and sarcasm as a coping method for their trauma) for a majority of the time, however there will be chances for character development and therefore more personality choices.

Pilot a Jaeger, fight Kaiju’s, and keep the world safe all while battling your own demons.

Five characters are available to romance. Two are only romanceable in a (triad) poly.

Found family.

RO PoVs.

Befriend (and potentially adopt) a baby Kaiju. Also give your dog lots of love.

Ciaran O’Doherty [M/F] - Hot-tempered and viciously in denial of the love they have for you that has only seemed to grow in your absence, Ciaran is your newly assigned drift partner and self-proclaimed rival. [PROFILE].

Killian Zhao [M/F] - Once a talented pilot and your former drift partner, Killian is now your formidable and highly respected commanding officer with a soft spot reserved just for you. [PROFILE].

Brin Kazlauskas [M/F/NB] - Waspish, fastidious, and someone that no one wants to be on the wrong side of, Brin is a K-Science officer with a wicked protective streak towards Zai and you . Only romanceable in a poly with Zai. [PROFILE].

Zai Oumarou [M/F/NB] - Despite a somewhat anxious disposition around those xe doesn’t know, Zai is a K-Science officer with a lot of enthusiasm and a deep curiosity towards Kaiju. Only romanceable in a poly with Brin. [PROFILE].

Ajax Nikolaou [M!NB/F!NB] - With a twisted determination to be a giant pain in your ass, Ajax is the ruthless CEO of Nikolaou Industries, a company that seeks to make the Pan Pacific Defense Corps completely redundant. [PROFILE].

Ferelith [F] - The baby Kaiju with a sweet character that was rescued by Zai, Ferelith loves cuddles, Lord of the Rings (according to Zai), and munching on Brin’s lab coat.

[agirllostinhermind]

I hate how much Pepper gets put aside. She's not just Tony's assistant/girlfriend/wife, she's her whole person. She's a CEO of a billion dollar company (and probably more), a survivor of abuse and torture (of Aldrich Killian when he injected her Extremis which probably resulted in mild ptsd), a loving mother (i loathe that she got forgotten and basically had one scene with her own daughter). She's even a superhero (RESCUE)!! And you're telling me that she wasn't important?!?!? I also hate mcu women that get minimized (Natasha romanoff, Maria hill, Carol Danvers, Melinda may, Bobbi morse, Shuri and many, many more). Don't get me wrong, Tony stark and Peter Parker are part of my favorite characters ever, but they get talked about so much and mcu women get sidelined so much it annoys me.

[ronearoundblindly]

Day Eighty-Three (1)

CEO!Steve Rogers x CEO!Reader

10 A.M., an It Had To Be You tale (see previous or series)

Summary: A joint meeting between AmCaps and the heads of four other major companies goes about as horribly as possible...or is it exactly as you expected? Either way, Steve messes up big time.

Warnings for (hi, I'm Ro) arguments, the absolute shittiness of misogyny, degrading use of petnames, language, social idjit!Steve (he honest-to-god tried his best but whoops). MINORS DNI. If this is not to your taste, please feel free to search lighter stories here. WC 2571

Sadly, the whole thing would have gone better if Tony Stark showed up.

Stark doesn’t do meetings like this though, and you may never bother with one again. You may have no need.

Clammy hands grip the leather spine of your monogrammed portfolio, comfortingly thick with the employee files you’ve brought as ammunition. This is a battle, no doubt in your mind, but Steve acts as if it’s any other day. To him, it probably is.

This is Steve’s fourteenth quarterly get-together of entities using the stabilizing, hydrostatic, insulated, electro-neutral, lead-dense (aka S.H.I.E.L.D) modules which American Capsules supplies. You’ve worked here for twelve of those but never been in the room.

The room feels as big as a concert hall with you an ant in the back pew.

Since the meeting is on your turf, you and Steve wait till the others arrive, your boyfriend highly aware of your nerves but without a clue as to why.

You’ve been preparing for this far longer than the not-quite three months you’ve held the title of co-CEO. It’s important to understand what is really happening between these companies and who exactly is to blame. It was also important to tell Steve nothing until you knew all the facts, and you didn’t until the phone call you just got off three minutes ago.

That’s not enough time. He’ll have to enjoy the show like everyone else,

Steve loosens his skinny black tie and repeats that you shouldn’t worry. He can take the lead. All the stats are printed in the binders laid in front of six chairs around the oblong table. He touches you, reassuringly he believes, at exactly the wrong moment.

Justin Hammer saunters through the door, clocking the intimate hand on your arm when Steve leans forward to whisper, “what’s wrong?” The outrageously pompous pumpkin sucks his teeth, winking at you, and spins to moonwalk closer. Hammer even goes so far as to cup your other elbow with an over-tanned palm.

“Peach, you’re gorgeous. Don’t ever change,” he flirts, damn well knowing that you aren’t the assistant anymore but are dating the man right beside him. “Hey, pal, how’s it going? Lookin’ sharp.”

Justin wheels the nearest chair away from the conference table and plunks down, lounging against the high-backed seat, swinging his feet up onto the adjacent chair. He may as well be at the beach.

He snaps, hand landing in a finger gun pointed at you—or your backside, more accurately, where he’s also staring.

“I like mine sweet and dark. Thanks. ‘Preciate you.”

There’s no elaboration. You’re just the coffee bitch to him.

What’s wrong, you want to tell Steve, what’s wrong is that asshole is only twenty-five percent of the shit I have to deal with this morning!

Before you or Steve can respond, however, the other three arrive in quick succession.

Darren Cross of Pym Technologies might actually be the least offensive of the bunch. His smile is polite and jovial, he greets Steve simply and shakes your hand, and he smacks Hammer’s calf hard enough to make a sound as he passes by.

He, unlike Justin, brought a briefcase, keeping up the illusion that he participates in the company he’s here to represent. Cross probably does still participate, considering he was only promoted recently after Hank Pym retired.

Aldrich Killian is undoubtedly (one of) the brains behind his think tank, AIM, and Brock Rumlow is undoubtedly smug, being a lowly former associate at Stark Industries, now an executive for the Roxxon Energy Corporation.

Each of them has skin in each other’s game; throughout the history of American Capsules’ products, innovations have been shared between them to either create suitable shipping containers or to have their products shipped via those containers. They’ve quite literally shielded their collective work.

It’s a symbiotic relationship.

It’s a circle jerk.

Killian and Rumlow do not bother to walk around and say hello. They fake niceties and unbutton their suit jackets to sit on the other side of the table.

Noticeably, none of them chose either ‘head’ of the table. No one was willing to take a position of power equal to Steve in his own house. Your boyfriend seems to interpret this as acquiescence of some sort—proof that they’ll blindly respect what and who Steve himself respects,—and then Steve wrongly decides to gently run his hand the rest of the way down your arm, his fingers curling to lift your limb until the very last second.

He made it look like you were reaching out for him, like you were a scared child in need of support. You are, in a sense, but he didn’t have to fucking advertise it to these men.

Steve doesn’t make mistakes. He did that on purpose. Maybe he meant to establish some sort of claim to you? To stop them objectifying you? Whatever they do now is solely out of respect or fear of him though, not you.

You’re frozen in place—in anger, truth be told—until Justin drops his feet to the floor dramatically.

“Indulge me, sweetcheeks.” He winks again. “I’m thirsty.”

Doing your very best Vanna White impression, you step back and sweep an arm out toward the drinks on the side server. “Help yourself,” you say with a smile.

It’s only because Justin is an idiot that he misses the dig.

Open to the page he wants, Steve tosses his binder to the wood surface, the slap of lamination to varnish attracting the attention of all the men, and takes his seat at the end.

You waltz to the other side, a clear and distinct separation between you and Steve, equals in life and work but opposites today.

“Shall we wait for Stark,” Rumlow growls in his low voice.

“Not necessary,” Steve allows. “If he shows, he shows. Let’s get to it.”

Steve begins, pointing out a few key concerns. Since you already know all of this, he doesn’t look to you while speaking, but neither do the other men when they respond.

They talk over you as if you’re not there, being blowhards and patting each other on the back for ’surviving in this economy.’ You let them go on. Steve gets nowhere. He gets excuses. He gets parroted promises.

Justin dismisses insufficient specs by saying he’s just a pretty face. He leaves all the numbers to nerds. He laughs about how he’ll have to check with his people about the nitty-gritty details, but he’s sure it’ll work out.

He stands to get his own black coffee, plopping three cubes of sugar in the chrome mug.

Rumlow barks out that shoddy Hammer tech nearly sank a Roxxon oil rig.

Justin feigns ignorance of the incident.

Killian uselessly offers a fix for that, at a price.

Darren argues that Pym has followed their agreement with AmCaps to the letter.

Everybody is fucking lying to themselves.

The shouting continues, escalating until it looks like Killian and Rumlow are close to throwing punches, though you’ve missed why those two are at odds.

Finally, Steve rises, stretching his hands out in peace.

“Everyone, calm down! Take a breath. Have some water. Sit.”

He’s stressed, clearly, defaulting to conditioned behavior which means Steve then looks right at you with a pleading expression.

Wrong again.

Darren lets out a huff and nods at you. “Yes, I think that would be nice.”

“I’ll take a glass,” Rumlow adds with a tap of the table in your direction.

Killian sighs an unmistakable ‘loser’ to Rumlow, and suddenly, the fight is back on.

Time to lock and load.

You cough and stand, flipping open the portfolio in front of you, adjusting your hips in your pencil skirt with a tug but only for affect. You know exactly what draws the attention of these men.

The room goes mostly quiet.

“Water. For the table,” you deadpan command Steve.

Picking up your copy of the report set, you clear your throat.

“I’m afraid Rogers has given you all the impression this is a negotiation. It’s not.” You slide the binder to the center. “It’s a courtesy. A courtesy which none of you deserve.”

“What the hell is she talking about?” Rumlow gruffly asks Steve.

“I’m talking about unpaid balances and unfulfilled orders. I’m talking about product tampering and verified illegal activity that hereby voids your contracts, effective immediately.”

Darren shoots out of his seat. “You can’t do that!” He turns to Steve. “She can’t do that, right?”

Steve, however, is blanched with shock. “Wait, I—“

“Each of your agreements with us—“ you barrel over his protest “—contains a morality clause which was broken by Hammer Tech when they conspired to produce a subpar protective lining and pad Roxxon gas sales in the region, unwittingly causing unsafe storage at a Stark factory in Galmira because the entire operation no longer followed American Capsules specifications—your specifications for transporting your own products.

“Pym,” you continue with force, “failed to produce compact enough items for the containers they ordered and instead chose to resell the regulated lining materials for a premium.” You toss a packet of papers down to Darren. “In your infinite wisdom, this also means you violated multiple Customs laws by forging shipping weights and ignoring safety guidelines.”

Killian puts a bejeweled hand over his vested heart. “Cross, you didn’t?”

“Which brings me to fucking AIM,” you grit.

“Precious,” Steve breaths with a warning tone, but you can’t stop. You’ve waited too long for this moment.

“Because who the hell do you think created the new formula for a light-weight, lower-cost, shitty lining?” You take such pleasure in stabbing a finger in his direction then flinging stapled proof across the table. “Evidence. Evidence of all of this provided by multiple sources. And you were warned…”

Now comes the really fun part.

You spread out eight folders.

“…warned by Roxxon’s own Betty Ross, Wanda Maximoff, and Kamala Khan. By Hammer’s Monica Rambeau and Kate Bishop. AIM’s doctors, Christine Palmer and Helen Cho, and finally, Pym Tech’s Mary Jane Watson—none of whom, I’m excited to say, work for you anymore.”

There’s a stunned heft to the frigidly controlled air in the large room. The florescent lights overhead buzz harshly.

“Are you fucking serious?” Killian rasps.

“Put your bitch back on her leash,” Rumlow bites to Steve.

“Don’t speak to her like—“

“Wait a minute,” Justin snorts, “I’m confused.”

“Your nerds will explain it to you once you crawl back into your hole.”

“Prec—” Steve snips in alarm but catches himself. He looks panicked and blind-sided, which he would be. You kept their complicity from him until you had everything you needed to invoke the morality clause.

You turn to the junior CEO for Pym Tech. “Expect a call from Hope Van Dyne. She has a few thoughts on Cross Technologies.”

Called out for his as-yet-unannounced rebranding of the company, Darren breaks, and he breaks viciously, vaulting the three chairs between you.

“Fucking cunt,” he screams through bared teeth.

Steve launches past the skittering seats and makes it to Cross milliseconds before he can intercept you.

“I didn’t make you lie, cheat, and steal,” you screech. “You screwed yourselves!”

Killian straightens his lapels and smooths his shirt nervously. “Surely, we can come to some arrangement.”

“This is all a misunderstanding,” Hammer adds.

Rumlow simply walks out with a shout of “you’ll be hearing from our lawyers.”

Steve slams Cross into the window, an ominous rattle shaking the frame, the cheek of the struggling man whining as it smears along the glass. When Darren still tries to hiss something else at you, Steve pins him against the wall instead, a forearm choking off any other choice words the bald man might offer.

“This meeting is over,” Steve grunts, pushing at Cross until the man settles.

“Right,” you sigh, keeping your voice as level as you can. “Gentlemen, I’d say get your houses in order, but I’m afraid the furniture is about to be repoed.”

Killian runs his hand through his styled hair. “Think I’ll leave you to talk some sense into your precious partner. Good day.”

You’ll never forgive Steve for blurting your private nickname out in front of the worst possible people to know it, but this is how you chose to play the meeting. You knew there’d be…pushback.

The AIM founder takes a lazy sip. “Thanks for the water, Rogers.” He taps his pinky ring several times on the glass, a hollow, high ting lingering after each strike, and then Aldrich heads for the door.

Steve releases Darren despite the wild look in his eyes, but Cross would be a fool to make any move except to leave. He gathers his things and slips through the exit before it fully closes.

The only one remaining is Justin Hammer, and he tosses out his arms with a chuckle, shaking his head.

“Kitten, come on. This is crazy. Isn’t this crazy? We’re all friends here. Let’s just chill, relax, and work this out. How ‘bout a drink?” More snaps. More finger guns. “You want coffee? Alright, perfect. Love ya. We’ll have coffee.” The man fidgets, sweat visible on his lip and forehead when he turns in the window’s light and approaches the drink cart.

“Sure thing, Justin. I take my coffee like I take my women—“ you smile “—from you.”

Okay, that part just felt good.

“That—” Hammer’s brow raises and he wipes down his jaw with one hand “—now that was uncalled for.”

Steve cuts in, a solid dismissal in the form of “I said ‘the meeting’s over.’”

“Oh, boy. You—well, you better watch…This ain’t over.” Hammer makes a fuss of buttoning his jacket again, puffing out his chest, then walking off even more empty-handed than he arrived.

The enormous, heavy door shuts slowly on buzzing, bright silence.

After a pause, Steve heaves out a breath.

“That went well.”

Sarcasm is not one of his strengths.

You’re not sure what you expected. You stand as a block of granite decor in the corner you retreated to once shit hit the fan.

It was the right decision. This was the right thing to do, the moral thing. It’s in the goddamn contract.

Though physically he shows no signs of duress—Steve used very little of his actual muscle to subdue Darren,—he hangs his head, stepping to your spot at the table to look at what you brought in. After a pause, Steve rubs his temple like it aches.

“I…I have no words,” he mutters, tone inscrutable.

You don’t care if he has words or not. You only have to wait until they’re out of the building.

“I don’t understand. What just happened?”

The door opens to reveal a bored-looking Topaz.

“Boss, Stark sent a catered lunch over. Where should they set up? It’s shawarma.”

“I don’t care,” Steve bursts. “Just take it down to R&D or something!”

That’s your cue to leave.

You shut your mostly-empty portfolio and tuck it to your chest.

A hand wraps around your wrist, unyielding.

Steve’s stormy blue eyes are felt more than seen, his hold tightening, trying to inch you closer, but you rip away.

“I’ll send you a memo,” you tell Steve without looking directly at him. “Keep those. I have copies.”

Fast as you can in heels and a skirt, you hurry after Topaz and past the food, fleeing first to your office and then to your own home.

[Day 83: 6pm]

[tender first aid drabble; Big Girls Don't Cry]

[Main Masterlist; Ko-Fi]

A/N: Ahhhhh! Next up is how Steve makes it up to you...or at least starts to...😱😵‍💫🥴

@supraveng @1950schick @patzammit @whiskeytangofoxtrot555

@yiiiikesmish @ashesofblackroses @jaqui-has-a-conspiracy-theory

@brandycranby @buckysprettybaby @ellethespaceunicorn @late-to-the-party-81

@bigtreefest @rogersbarber @bucky-fricking-barnes-reads

@fallinallinmendes @rach2602 @royalwritersoftheuniverses

[rayshippouuchiha]

Saw someone say that "with the reveal of Mysterio, Tony Stark created 7 villains" and I'm just adsfghmjsadfghfd *incoherent screeches of rage*

FIRST OF ALL, Tony didn't freaking do ANYTHING to Obadiah, Whiplash or Mysterio to "create" them. Obadiah freaking LITERALLY RIPPED OUT HIS HEART to get his tech and his company, Whiplash was pissed about something HOWARD STARK did that Tony didn't even know about until he told him, and Mysterio MADE TECH FOR TONY'S COMPANY, WHICH TONY EXHIBITED IN A BIG TECH DEMO THING. HE DIDN'T STEAL THE TECH, THE GUY WAS WORKING FOR TONY!!! Of course the head tech designer and owner of your company has a right to name the tech whatever he wants, dickhead. And even though they don't tell us outright, I find it reeeeeeeallly hard to believe that Tony "Always Buried to His Elbows In Tech To The Point That He Seemingly Rarely Sleeps" Stark, who was also trying to work out deep-seated emotional issues with the help of said tech, didn't have a direct hand in its planning/blueprint/creation. Plus, I think maybe, JUST MAYBE Tony was RIGHT to fire the "crazy" guy when he wanted to make a PUBLICLY, WHOLEHEARTEDLY WEAPONS-FREE COMPANY BUILD HIM WEAPONS, AND his solution to being fired was to PUT THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE AT SEVERE RISKS AND EVEN ATTEMPT MURDER SEVERAL TIMES.

SECOND OF ALL, his role in the "creation" of Killian, Zemo, Vulture and Ultron was freaking TINY. He played a kinda mean prank on Killian ONCE and then the dude decides that makes it A-Okay to start EXPERIMENTING ON HUMANS AND MAKING THEM EXPLODE??? FUCK him. Vulture got dealt a bad hand but I'm kind of on Tony's side on the whole "don't let regular people get their hands on highly dangerous and volatile alien tech" thing. Plus, the one who was mean to the workers directly wasn't even Tony! It was some random lady! I'm pretty sure if Tony had been there he would've made some sassy remark but still paid some compensation to the displaced workers (gift giving is his love language after all, and he's NEVER EVER been shown to be stingy with his money). And as for Ultron (+Zemo)? I think this post says it all better than I could, but TL;DR I don't think Tony should be blamed for his creation. Even if you don't believe that, the fault should be EQUALLY SHARED between him, Bruce and Wanda BUT SOMEHOW NO ONE GIVES THE OTHER TWO ANY SHIT ABOUT IT.

AND DON'T EVEN GET ME STARTED ON WANDA "BLAME THE GUN-MAKING COMPANY CEO INSTEAD OF THE FREAKING GUN SHOOTER OR THE GUN DISTRIBUTOR FOR THE MURDER" MAXIMOFF

Sorry for the long rant, it just makes me SO FREAKING MAD ASDFXCGHJASDFGSDZFG I WILL DIE MAD ABOUT THIS.

The MCU's relationship with Tony Stark is something that will always just piss me off so so much and is proof of how the MCU's musical chairs act with writers/directors/etc can lead to the most ridiculous mistakes/plot lines/etc.

[thena0315]

Revised Iron Man 3 AU

Going back to my other AU idea I came up with having Tony, Pepper, Hammer, Killian and Christine in a movie together, then learned that Stane had a son in the comics, and then I came up with my Harley AU; and decided why not put them all together.

Plot Summary below ↓

3 months after the events of Iron Man 2, Zeke Stane, the son of Obadiah Stane, breaks Justin Hammer out of prison after watching him for a while to have him work for him for his plan to take down Tony Stark & Pepper Potts, to take revenge for his father's death. That includes doing a deep dive into everyone they've interacted with in the past. That leads to a meeting with A.I.M.'s founder & CEO, Aldrich Killian, who as of lately has appeared more in the news for the company becoming a rise scientific research thanks to Maya Hansen's work and technology advancement that has landed them multiple military contracts with the US government. Also helps there's a contact with a certain blonde haired reporter from Vanity Fair willing to do articles for his company in exchange for a steamy night (and listen to her complain off the record of the increasing success Pepper Potts has done for Stark Industries and her status of being Iron Man's girlfriend). Still feeling bitter about how Tony treated him when they first met and in a relationship with his longtime crush, Killian joins forces with Stane's team on the condition to help assist with Extremis to help stabilize it for a bigger plan. With all the failed experiments in several parts of the country happening in the next two years, the group created the "Mandarin" and made the world think the Ten Rings were behind the attacks. Stane developing weapons for several terrorist to make things look more convincing. Few of these attacks includes Stark Industries related buildings.

One of the attacks takes place in a diner in Rose Hill, Tennessee, killing everyone in the building except for a young boy named, Harley Keener. Who claims that a man turned into flames and exploded.

Meanwhile, after the Battle of New York and the creation of Stark Tower now being turned into the Avengers Towers, Stark Industries has developed more innovated ways for clean power that they've become the the #1 company for clean energy in the world. Tony however has been dealing with PTSD from the Battle of New York and worries for the future where those aliens will return based on the size of that space ship he saw. He builds the Iron Legion to ease out his stress to cover all the bases for an all out attack. Building suits can only do so much, luckily for him, Pepper is there to help him deal with his PTSD that's more effective and helps with his mental health than building suits. Slowly helping him get over it.

Approaching the holiday season, the group begins their biggest attack yet. Taking down Tony Stark once and for all. Starting with taking down those close to him. And to eventually, take down the President of the United States of America in front of the whole world.

How This Story Ends:

Who Dies: Maya, Killian

Who Goes to Prison: Stane, Trevor, Vice President

Manages to Escape: Hammer

Christine leaves Vanity Fair to hide connections to Killian upon learning she's pregnant with his child and applies to WHiH Newsfront

Happy wakes up from his coma

Tony cures Pepper of Extremis

Harley is taken in by Tony to be his ward and moves to the Stark Mansion in Malibu

Tony finally has the operation to remove the shrapnel from his chest

Tony, Pepper and Harley lives together as a family

Mid Credit Scene:

Escapes from Prison: Stane (via HYDRA) & Trevor (via Ten Rings)

[acebytaemin]

top 5 perfumes, top 5 makeup products & top 5 songs you would play to bracha… 🙂‍↕️🙂‍↕️🙂‍↕️🤭💘

ouhhh i haven’t actually gotten to smell very many perfumes that i liked 😔 i truly mostly don’t like anything (at least out of the things i’ve gotten to smell which is all like. drugstore available stuff like no niche perfumery things which i rly do want to get into!) howeverrr… i do have some that i like:

1. killian angel’s share (i WILL buy this for myself.. one day 🧿)

2. givenchy l’interdit rouge

3. d&g the only one = ysl libre intense

4. tom ford black orchid

5. fuckass lush honey i washed the kids LMFAO i really love it it’s my after-shower scent, doesn’t smell incredible upon first spritz but it develops into this gorgeous subtly sweet scent that i looove to go to sleep with. same goes for lush twilight but it’s a lavender scent so you’d hate it kfhskkd

makeup products well 🤭 i WOULD usually put l’oreal 24h matte foundation here prob as number one however i haven’t worn foundation in almost a full year now so!

1. fenty beauty gloss bombs yes they’re incredible yes they’re worth it. every single cent. i get one every time i travel somewhere w a Sephora LMAO i currently have fenty glow & fu$$y currently 💋

2. maybelline lifter gloss (currently own 5 tubes (moon, 2x silk, topaz, red flag and looking to get more i need one in every bag at every occasion. way cheaper but also way less thick/long lasting version of fenty)

3. maxfactor 2000 calories mascara in waterproof listen no matter how i flip it no matter which mascara i try (ive tried too faced, benefit, ysl, dior and soooo fawking ON) this one is just IT. the only one with such good separation and holding up a curl and lasting the entire day. my main girl always

4. nudestix! i have 3 shades rn (naughty n spice, bondi bae, in the nude) i use them depending on my mood for the day as blush & bronzer and they give such a beautiful sunkissed vibe i love them sm. longwearing too

5. maybelline age rewind (fuck you in advance teo) concealer in shade 5 brightener it’s so good stays all day doesn’t crease mwaaah mwah i also use it for spot concealing if i get spots 😌 gorgeous & cheap you gotta love it

BEST FOR LAST…. literally where do i beginnnn bang chan answer my calls i need you to HEAR my vision. this is just going to be off the top of my head bc if i really got out my playlists and started to get into this i’d need to quit my job to focus on this alone 🙏🏼

1. periferija by voyage & nucci i have already gone ON abt this and i want to show this to them with super selfish intent like to talk them into doing something similar bc i just really really truly need chan and changbin going STUPID on a balkan beat it’s actually crucial to me. lyrics gotta be in a similar vein too A JA JAK KAO TERIJER i know you know. these fits bc you KNOW i need the tank top + chain combo

2. nad****a by zera oh listen this is again selfish of me bc i have this VISION of all of them doing this and ofc felix starts the song what with ‘dragon’ being in the meaning of his name and it’s gotta be a super dynamically shot video kinda like aespa supernova only at the club. felix insane face to voice ratio has to shock your system within the first 5 seconds of a song for it to truly HIT so he goes ‘ko zmaj bebo ja sam tako nadrkana’ [slaps the camera away from himself] ‘oko nas samo momci s lošim navikama’ [an almost 360 spin of the camera wherein you see bracha and then it gets to hyunjin who gets the next line] ‘ceo splav noćas popunjen je barbikama’ [zoom out to see all of danceracha aka my pretty dollface racha w hyunjin in the middle] i could go on. what i personally would change abt the song though is instead of the prechorus/verses i would do a lot of rapping i know my bracha would devour the track i am 100000% sure of it. the one other line i would NEED to keep is chan doing ‘gde god dođem imam pratnju kao predsednik’ ofc coupled w a shot of them all behind him 😌 uhm can you tell this was ALL i thought abt on todays walk LMFAOOOO i need to be like. sedated

3. keeping it SHORT NOW PROMISEEE i just gotta show nyokosuzi to my channieeeeeee i know he’d love it i know he’d relate jebeni lider etc you know how it goes i would LOVE to see his flustered face LMFAO you know how he writes the most suggestive nastiest lyrics and then pretends he doesn’t know shit. Yes exactly

4. opanci - nucci LOOK the nasty fucking tone of voice this man has just screams changbin to me and the mix of traditional singing w the rap strikes a chord to me (loš momak by nikolija another good example) i just think they’d both love it anddd sound so good on the track it’s a win win situation

5. a classic.. GLUH I NIJEM ZBOG NJE i can’t explain to you how much i want a bouncy beat from chan i know he’s got it in him ive heard what he can do. if they WANT to be pathetic i neeeeed ‘bacam ruže sto i jednu ružu na kučku bez duše ❤️‍🩹’ energy over a delicious beat and not fuckass lose my breath with underwhelming vocals type pathetic shit (+ bonus something like Divljam w the bouncy beat and added balkan spice in the instrumental PLUSS kako gleda me ko vučica vuka no no now ive said too much.)

[earth394hqs]

welcome to earth 394, pepper potts

« hilarie burton, 40, she/her, marvel cinematic universe » ∙∙ loading case file for virginia 'pepper' potts. known aliases, if any: n/a. current location: new york, new york.  current occupation: exectuive assistant to tony stark. she is known to be trustworthy and stubborn, so proceed with caution. their current alliance: civilian. (aj, she/her, pst)

short bio: Brains and beauty, Virginia Potts was always underestimated; everyone has always seen the pretty face, a model whose photo was everywhere, most people didn't know she had always earned his degree in accounting. She needed challenge in her life and not just standing around taking photos and smiling. She left her modeling career and entered the corporate world. Her early career saw her hired to work as the administrative assistant to Doctor Aldrich Killian, the founder and CEO of Advanced Idea Mechanics. She wanted to prove herself, however, at every turn Killian would flirt and make passes at her, she eventually quit and sought other employment.

Virginia would accept a position at Stark Industries and began working in the finance department, running numbers on projections for the company's future. It was in one such report she discovered an error and reported it to her supervisor, who immediately dismissed her. However, Virginia knew something was wrong and continued to bring her concerns up and was actually fired the day she stormed up to the CEO, Tony Stark's, office and confronted him with her findings and held them up inside his office declaring she had pepper spray in her purse and refused to leave unless he listened. That was how she got the nickname 'Pepper' and offered the executive assistant job.

Since then, Pepper has dealt with ALOT in her job, including thinking her boss was killed and finding him come back to life, discovering his secret as Iron Man, and dealing with the fall out when a year ago Tony declared to the world who his alter ego was. Now, with the Avengers Intiative and Shield taking a lot of Tony Stark/Iron Man's time, Pepper is filling the void of the CEO and attending meetings when her boss can't, including making deicsions for the best interest of the company.

[rededgecitycouncil]

Hello residents! It’s us, your favorite gossipers and we’re here to bring you some long awaited news! So enjoy and remember, it's up to you to know if this week's bulletin is true or false.

Anastasia Hill – Sugar Baby with a Secret Plan? Anastasia Hill has been spotted on the arm of one of Pirate’s Cove’s richest residents, but sources say she’s been cozying up to his business rival on the sly. Is this sugar baby playing a double game for double the rewards? @anastasiaxhill

Killian Quinn – CEO or Puppet Master? Killian Quinn, the powerful CEO of Quinn Industries, has been spotted hosting private meetings with some of Red Edge’s most controversial players. Is the Wave’s End mogul planning a business move, or something a bit more under-the-radar? @thekillianquinn

Isabella Santos – Falcon Haven’s Actress with a Double Life? Actress Isabella Santos may be lighting up the screen, but behind the scenes, she’s been meeting with a mysterious “director” for a project that’s hush-hush. Is she filming her big break, or caught up in something too scandalous for the tabloids? @isabellaxsantos

Nova Reynolds – Musician or Muse of Mischief? Wave’s End’s resident rockstar Nova Reynolds has been throwing wild afterparties with a guest list full of Red Edge’s elites—yet, she’s been seen sneaking out with a particular VIP. Could Nova be looking to mix music with power? @tfnovareynolds

Elena Dawson – Witch Store Owner or Spell-casting Queen? Hope Island’s mystical Elena Dawson has been selling out her tarot readings, but word is she’s got a few exclusive clients for some… more intense services. Could this tarot reader be using her “magic” to influence Hope Island’s movers and shakers? @elenaxdawson

Elijah Cavannaugh – Cardiologist or Heartbreaker? Dr. Elijah Cavannaugh of Wave’s End may be saving lives by day, but rumor has it he’s been breaking hearts by night, playing favorites with some rather wealthy patients. Is this heart doctor mixing business with pleasure? @elijahcavannaugh

[jcmarchi]

MIT community members honored with 2024 Franklin Institute Awards

New Post has been published on https://thedigitalinsider.com/mit-community-members-honored-with-2024-franklin-institute-awards/

MIT community members honored with 2024 Franklin Institute Awards

The Franklin Institute recently announced its 2024 cohort of award winners, as part of its bicentennial celebration. Since its inception, the Franklin Institute Awards Program has honored the most influential scientists, engineers, and inventors who have significantly advanced science and technology. It is one of the oldest comprehensive science awards in the world.

The 2024 honorees include Institute Professor and Vice Provost for Faculty Paula T. Hammond ’84 PhD ’93; Associate Professor Gabriela S. Schlau-Cohen; Research Affiliate Robert Metcalfe ’69; Mary Boyce SM ’84, PhD ’87; and Lisa Su ’90, SM ’91, PhD ’94. All 2024 Franklin Institute Award Laureates will be celebrated in a ceremony on April 18 at the Benjamin Franklin National Memorial of the Franklin Institute.

Paula Hammond was awarded the 2024 Benjamin Franklin Medal in Chemistry, one of the oldest comprehensive science awards in the world. The award cites her “innovative methods to create novel materials one molecular layer at a time and for applying these materials to areas ranging from drug delivery to energy storage.” Hammond’s techniques for creating thin polymer films and other materials using layer-by-layer assembly is groundbreaking. They can be used to build polymers with highly controlled architectures by alternately exposing a surface to positively and negatively charged particles. Materials can then be designed for many different applications, including drug delivery, regenerative medicine, noninvasive imaging, and battery technologies. Hammond is the recipient of MIT’s 2023-24 Killian Award and, in 2021, was named an Institute Professor, MIT’s highest faculty honor. Hammond is one of only 25 people who have been elected to all three U.S. National Academies — Engineering, Science, and Medicine.

Gabriela Schlau-Cohen earned the Benjamin Franklin NextGen Award for “illuminating the fundamental chemical processes that protect plants from sun damage, uncovering novel approaches to increasing crop yields.” Schlau-Cohen combines tools from chemistry, optics, biology, and microscopy to develop new approaches to probe dynamics. Her group focuses on dynamics in membrane proteins, particularly photosynthetic light-harvesting systems that are of interest for sustainable energy applications. Following a postdoc at Stanford University, Schlau-Cohen joined the Department of Chemistry faculty in 2015. She earned a bachelor’s degree in chemical physics from Brown University in 2003 followed by a PhD in chemistry at the University of California at Berkeley.

Robert Metcalfe ’69, a research affiliate of the MIT Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory and MIT Corporation life member emeritus, won the Benjamin Franklin Medal in Electrical Engineering for “his pioneering role in the design, development, and commercialization of Ethernet, an interface for networking and file sharing between computers.” MetCalfe is a graduate of MIT’s Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS) and is a former president of the MIT Alumni Association.

Mary Boyce SM ’84, PhD ’87 won the Benjamin Franklin Medal in Mechanical Engineering for “transformative contributions to our understanding of the physical behavior of polymers, materials made of long chains of molecules, leading to innovative product development of rubber and other soft materials.” A longtime MIT faculty member and former head of MIT’s Department of Mechanical Engineering, Boyce is currently a professor of mechanical engineering and provost emerita of Columbia University. 

Lisa Su ’90, SM ’91, PhD ’94, a graduate of MIT’s Department of EECS and the current president, CEO, and chair of AMD, won the Bower Award for Business Leadership for “her transformational leadership of AMD, a leader in high-performance and adaptive computing and one of the fastest growing semiconductor companies in the world.”

[problematic-faves-appreciation]

Problematic Millionaire/Billionaire/CEO/Tycoon Romance Male Leads Who Make Hades Look Like Perfection Incarnate!

I ranked these guys differently here (color-wise) than I did on a certain list of mine.

Cesare Falcone and his lover — The manga adaptation left out a lot of stuff, but it sure visually captured his jerkass energy perfectly.

Don't let his orange status 🟠 fool you into thinking he's less of a cruel hero. This dude — not even a dark romance MMC — told his wife he would kill her if she cheated on him. Maybe he was bluffing, but still... yikes.

Top = Most Problematique

🔴 Richard Payne (Dark Obsession series by Zoe Blake)

🔴 Gage Channing (The Devil's Kiss series by Gemma James)

🔴 Tony Rawlings (Consequences series by Aleatha Romig)

🔴 Joshua Smith (Tamara, Taken by Ginger Talbot)

🔴 Quincy "Q" Mercer (Monsters in the Dark series by Pepper Winters)

🔴 Calvin Cutler (Descent by Sam Marino)

🔴 Jesse Ward (This Man series by Jodi Ellen Malpas)

🔴 Nicholas Challoner (The Guarded Heart by Robyn Donald)

A proto-dark romance MMC?

🔴 Nikolas Constantinos (All That Glitters by Linda Howard)

Also something of a proto-dark romance MMC. The word "no" doesn't exist in his dictionary.

🔴 Sebastian Everett (Virtue & Vanity by Astrid Jane Ray)

🟠 Miles Osborne (Everything for Her by Alexa Riley)

🟠 Scott Blackstone (You Can Have Manhattan by P. Dangelico)

This man's the only MMC here that I hate. A lot. I'm still upset about the crappy cabin, and his public slandering of FMC. >:c

🟠 Cesare Falcone (A Savage Betrayal by Lynne Graham)

Harlequin Presents sure loves its vengeful, Mediterranean billionaire heroes!

🟠 Killian Spencer (A Vow of Hate by Lylah James)

🟠 Christian Grey (Fifty Shades)

🟡 Sandro De Lucci (The Unwanted Wife by Natasha Anders)

🟡 Bryce Palmer (A Husband's Regret by Natasha Anders)

🟡 Bram Gage (Going Nowhere Fast by Kati Wilde)

🟡 Aristide Kourous (The Greek's Christmas Baby by Lucy Monroe)

Bottom = Least Problematique

More proof that Lore Olympus!Hades is the softest millionaire/billionaire romance MMC (main male character) ever, period:

Your average billionaire MMC (a dominant, controlling, alpha male) would not give in to those puppy-dog eyes. At their worst, these dudes aren't even moved by their love interest's tears. Or if they are, they still don't fold. Huge asshole moments come before the grovelling.

Hades, however, never hurt Persephone in a major way that called for grovelling. He was too busy being a total pushover where she's concerned — from the get-go. XD

[ellawrites-if]

in a world without the kaiju, what would the RO’s professions be?

Good question!

Brin and Zai would still be scientists, but rather than Kaiju based, I think Brin would go into genetics and enzymes research and Zai would go into cancer research. They’d still go barging into each others labs though.

Ajax would still be the CEO of a company - probably still in robotics and AI.

Ciaran and Killian I’m a bit more torn on. I’m thinking that Killian would make a good teacher or an engineer and Ciaran would probably be a veterinarian.

[ronearoundblindly]

hi! just wanted to let you know that i read it just had to be you in its entirety, and i love the way you write 🫶 keep it up! you write tension so well and love the dynamic you created between steve and reader. you're talented!!!

CEO Steve!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

What a treat to write! He's a real-life good guy, and it was almost difficult not to give him superpowers. Idk. Does wearing a suit like that count as a superpower? It should.

I've got only one idea left (currently) for Steve & Precious, and I hope to flesh it out soon. Nothing big except a meeting where Steve is blindsided--but Reader is not--by the chauvinism of some fellow company heads. I'm thinking...little bit of Justin Hammer, some Killian Aldrich, touch of Brock Rumlow...all the bros we love to hate.

I am so, so glad you enjoyed their story so far! I was able to put a lot of professional/personal frustrations into IHTBY, and I feel very lucky it seems to have paid off and resonated with a few readers. That's the best gift I could ask for.

💜💚💜

[seriouslyhooked]

The Lady in Red

A/N: Reader requested fic for the song ‘The Lady in Red’ by Chris De Burgh. This is an AU where Emma and Killian have long been best friends but Killian has always loved Emma and was biding his time before making a move (can we tell that my muses are leading me in a similar direction lately?). He’s decided tonight is the night to tell her just as soon as this company gala they have to go to is finished. Only Emma shows up in a red dress meant for distraction and the plan goes a little off the rails. Will there be smut and an M rating to go along with all the years long pining? You know it! Anyway, hope you all enjoy and this chapter, and the rest of the mixtape collection, available on FF Here.

“Remind me again who thought it would be a good idea to throw a gala in the midst of our busiest selling season?” Killian Jones asked as he worked to get the bow tie that this tux required knotted up to satisfaction.

It wasn’t the formality of the evening that was off putting to Killian. After all this was just a step above the usual suit and tie that running a company as large as Jones & Co. required, but it was the call to his time and attention. The purpose of this evening was to bolster morale after a mightily successful year on the anniversary of the company’s founding forty years ago. Over the past few years Killian and his elder brother Liam had taken their already strong family business and brought it that much further into the 21st century. Now they were competing on a level that had seemed out of reach only a short time ago, and though Killian was proud as hell of him and his brother, he was also starting to realize that he needed more to his life than his work. He’d put too much on hold to help build up the empire, and now all he wanted was a chance to try at different segments of his world. He only hoped that the moves he was planning would be well received, since most every hope of happiness he clung too all hinged on one person – the girl he’d loved nearly half his life, who he’d foolishly never made a move on.

“That would be Elsa, sir,” Killian’s assistant, Belle, replied as she scanned her iPad, no doubt handling any and all last minute emergencies that might be headed his way. Thank God for Belle. Lord only knew where he would be without her.

“Ah, right. Well in that case there was never any chance of avoiding this, was there? Once Elsa has an idea, Liam will stop at nothing to make it so.”

“True,” Belle agreed as she flicked her gaze up and smiled thoughtfully. “But I bet she’d prefer that he just man up and ask her out already.”

Killian laughed heartily at that, shaking his head at Belle though he knew she was dead on with that analysis. Liam, brilliant and bright as he was, was somehow even less given to emotional risk taking than Killian, and if Killian was a slow mover then Liam was glacier-like in his pacing. It didn’t matter that Elsa, their company’s head of marketing, was clearly and obviously in love with him. Liam was so wrapped up in his own silent pining he never could seem to read the signs and take the plunge.

“He’ll get there…” Killian stated evenly before qualifying that statement. “Eventually.”

Belle muttered something to herself that Killian didn’t fully hear, but that sounded like this familial quirk of theirs was starting to get old. He scratched behind his ear at the comment, knowing that in his case it was right too. Try as he might to conceal his true feelings for the woman in his life, Killian knew his assistant, and damn near everyone else, could tell the way he felt. He might not be as bad as Liam, but he was nearly there, and since he hadn’t told anyone of his intention to finally confess how he felt this evening, he probably seemed just as hopeless a case as his brother.

“Well, I think we best be off then. No need to face a scolding about punctuality again, especially since Liam’s rented out space in this very building. Can you imagine his horror at our tardiness, Belle?” Killian feigned a shiver as he took a final look in the mirror that lined the inside of one of the cabinets in his office. He looked sharp as he could given a twelve-hour workday, he expected, and that would just have to be good enough.

“I think it’s best we all avoid thoughts like that. But there’s one thing before you go, sir,” Belle said as Killian turned his attention to gathering the last of his things, knowing that in just a few moments his date – his love – would be arriving and the rest of his life would be just at the horizon.

“Whatever it is can wait until tomorrow, can’t it?” Killian teased, assuming there was nothing truly daunting heading their way.

“It’s about Emma,” Belle offered and immediately Killian stopped. Emma Nolan, his best friend, and the woman he also happened to be madly in love with, was always the exception to every rule, and whatever Belle was about to say, Killian was suddenly desperate to hear it. Thoughts of the gala were long gone, though the one thing that had made the whole idea bearable was that she’d be coming tonight and he’d have his chance to tell her how he felt.

“Emma? Is she all right?” Killian asked, panic shooting through him until Belle nodded.

“Yes, she’s totally fine,” Belle said quickly, helping Killian to breathe again. “She’s just running a little late. She got held up in court and she said to meet her down there. Actually her exact words were ‘he can brave the stuffed shirts for ten minutes without me and I promise I’ll make it up to him.’”

Killian laughed aloud at that, knowing that was exactly Emma’s way. It didn’t matter that she was pretty much New York royalty given her parent’s wealth and pedigree. Emma never cared for any formal affairs where there was schmoozing or undue flattery of any kind. She tolerated it, and damn did she play the role of high society princess perfectly when she had to, but the real Emma was so much more than most people could fathom. She was raw and real and adventurous, and her life had bigger dreams and ambitions than the tiny bubble of Manhattan wealth could imagine.

“Let me guess, she won the case didn’t she?” Killian asked, hearing the pride and amusement in his voice as he did and now it was Belle’s turn to laugh aloud at the stupid question.

“Well of course she won. She’s not just any old public defender – she’s the best damn public defender in the city!”

Killian grinned at that, knowing that Belle’s praise had been hard earned on Emma’s part. Perhaps there were not means of scientifically measuring who could be ‘best,’ but of one thing Killian was certain: there was no other lawyer out there who cared so much for her clients as Emma. She gave her heart in every trial, taking on the cases that often seemed hopeless but that were the most worth fighting. It was grueling work, but never had Killian heard Emma complain about how much had to be done. She simply charged forward, carrying not only the weight of her world on her shoulders, but the hopes and dreams of the people she was charged to help and their families. That was not a role that Emma took on lightly, and her unwillingness to ever give up on an innocent person in a bad situation had earned her the nickname of ‘savior’ in certain circles. To Killian the name wasn’t hard to accept by any means. After all, Emma had been his savior since they were only children.

It had been years since the fateful day when Killian and Emma first crossed paths. He’d just relocated to America, with him and Liam being taken in by their long estranged uncle after the passing of their Mum. Technically Killian’s father was alive enough to fulfill state requirements, but he’d never had any interest in being a caretaker and Killian and Liam had never had any love for the man who let them down at every turn. Their uncle, though not particularly warm, had been a vast improvement to their father and he’d sent Liam and Killian to finish up school at one of the best private prep academies in the city. It was there that Killian had met Emma, and he’d forever be grateful for her immediate kindness, charming sense of humor, and vibrant wit that made his first day and every day thereafter bearable. In what should have been some of the darkest times of his life, after losing his mother and the home he’d always known, Killian had found a light to rival the sun, and that light had never faded in all the years he’d had Emma in his life.

It was hard to pinpoint at what point the love of a friend had shifted to more, it was such a gradual process that it felt that he had always been in love with her, but the past few years his true feelings became inescapable. Killian had had a few casual relationships in his life, women who filled a role when Emma had suitors of her own, but a day had come when Killian realized they would never be enough. Perhaps he wasn’t ready to give Emma all that she deserved, and he was honestly terrified that this love was one sided and would not be returned in the same way, but he wouldn’t be dating anymore. Indulging in anything that wasn’t the magic he knew was possible with Emma seemed a betrayal to the woman he loved, and so Killian had sworn off dating until he’d reached the goals that he and Liam had put in place for the company. That choice had made for a sharply improved work ethic, but it had also been lonely. The only consolation was that Emma hadn’t had anyone serious in her life either, but now all Killian could think was that he was wasting precious time.  Maybe she would reject him, but if there was even a chance that she wouldn’t Killian didn’t want any more days to pass where he didn’t get to be as open and honest about how he felt with Emma as he could.

These hopes for what could be with Emma were a near constant in Killian’s life now, and they stuck with him as he made his way to the ballroom downstairs and greeted his brother. He began the routine of shaking the right hands and thanking the right people, but time was dragging and his mind was elsewhere. Until Emma got here, Killian would feel uneasy but even when she arrived Killian knew that anxiety would linger. It wasn’t every day that a man went up to his best friend and told her that he loved her and this would change everything. For better or worse the truth would be out there once their commitments this evening were fulfilled and Killian could only hope that Emma would accept his heart and his love now that he was brave enough to give it.

“You sure everything’s all right, Killian?” Liam asked him at one point and Killian turned to his brother, knowing his agitation must be far clearer than he anticipated.

“Aye. Or rather it will be, at least I hope.”

“This wouldn’t have to do with a certain blonde savior you’ve always been mad for, would it?” Killian raised a brow in quiet questioning and Liam only smiled before nodding across the room. “Because she’s here you know. Just walking in now.”

There were moments in life that Killian would always remember – the highs, the lows, the truly out of the ordinary – but this one right here topped them all. Seeing Emma for the first time across the ballroom tonight felt like it had always been meant to happen. All this time spent grappling with his feelings about what he wanted and what Emma deserved were dropped away now, and all that remained was an intense rush of love and appreciation for the woman he adored more than anything the world over.

Gorgeous on any day and in any state, Emma was truly a vision this evening. Her long blonde hair flowed in delicate waves, casting that golden hue in the light. It was almost too pure a sight, matched only by her eyes and the gleam of excitement in the green depths that Killian could see from here, but that was the purity ended. Because right now Emma was donning a dress that had one purpose and one purpose alone – to bring Killian to his knees and have him cursing himself for not already having her in his arms right now. A scarlet red color, the floor length gown hugged every curve of Emma’s lithe curves just right, and yet the sexiest part of all of it was that Emma knew from the look on her face aimed right his way that she was the most beautiful woman in the room. The confidence of her smirk and the challenge in her expression was the final straw and the next thing Killian knew he was in motion, making his way across the room as Emma did the same. There was only one problem – it appeared that Killian wasn’t the only one who had his sights set on Emma, and before Killian could get to her, another hand reached out to stop her.

“Not fucking likely,” Killian growled out loud enough to startle the couple next to him dancing, but Killian didn’t stop moving, and though Emma made eye contact with Walsh, a smarmy but still financially desirable client of Jones & Co., she quickly removed her hand from his and looked back to Killian where her gaze remained. By then Killian was only steps away from her, but it wasn’t near enough to avoid giving Walsh a chance to speak.

“A pretty lady like yourself shouldn’t be here all alone. Why don’t we head back to my place and -,”

Whatever ridiculous and unacceptable solicitation Walsh was about to offer to Emma, Killian wasn’t about to hear it, and instinct told him that he couldn’t wait any more. Maybe it would be more proper to say something first, but what was there left to say that he couldn’t show her right now. As soon as Emma was within arms reach he pulled her into him, feeling her body flush against his and the way she went from initially startled to immediately relaxed. Her face began to flush, her eyes searched his with question and a mix of something that looked a lot like hope, and then she licked those tormentingly tempting lips of hers and he was lost. He dipped in to kiss her, a kiss years and years in the making, and the spark that was unleashed was instantaneous. Doubt could no longer linger in the face of such a kiss, not when Emma met him stroke for stroke and arched just as closely into him as he did with her.

For a span of time that Killian couldn’t comprehend everything around them slipped away, and a wave of blindingly bright sensation came rushing in. The high of it was dizzying, intoxicating, and addicting and pulling away from Emma and the kiss was too hard to do. The only way Killian could bare to do it was because he knew before they had so much as said a word that Emma felt this too. There was no faking that kind of reaction, and as much as Killian needed this, Emma had needed it too. That filled him with a sense of pride and honor and when they did break apart, Killian couldn’t keep the giant grin from appearing on his face.

“You just kissed me,” Emma said dazedly, her voice filled with a total sense of astonishment as her fingertips came to touch her lips gently. “Wow I can’t believe it actually worked.”

“Worked?” Killian asked confused and then Emma giggled in that way that was all too rare now but still was the sweetest thing Killian had ever heard. She’d been more prone to it when they were younger, but whenever that laugh came it signaled Emma was filled with a real and tangible sense of happiness. To know he had given her that meant the world to him, and he yearned to hear it over and over again.

“Yeah, um, I’ve kind of wanted you to do that forever now, and Ruby said when in doubt wear red so…”

Killian ran his thumb across the corner of Emma’s mouth, wanting so badly to kiss her again but holding back since they were still very much in the middle of a business event and being watched no doubt by everyone they cared about. Even with the audience though Killian didn’t know if he could hold off for long. It felt like a dam had broken free and now all of the feelings he had been tucking away had to come out. He had to make Emma see the truth of what he felt for her, but being here right now was hardly suitable for the kind of moment that they should have.

“Forever is a long time, love. You know all you had to do was ask,” he said, pulling an eye roll from Emma even as her hand ran over his chest and rested just above his heart.

“And what about you, Jones? That kiss didn’t just come out of nowhere.”

“No it didn’t,” Killian admitted before taking a look around the room and seeing that yes, everyone was paying too close attention to them. As a response he took Emma’s hand in his and asked her a question he already knew the answer to. “Do you trust me, love?”

��Always,” Emma promised, and with a quick kiss to her palm Killian led them out of the ballroom and to the elevators.

Emma looked surprised when he chose to head back up to his office instead of down to the garages below, but truth was Killian needed guaranteed privacy and he didn’t think he could wait to get her home. Emma seemed to understand though when he silently tried to tell her that with a look, and the softness in her eyes coupled with the brief kiss she placed to the corner of his mouth set him alight. Gods this was perfect – she was perfect – and Killian just had to try and figure out a way to make him seem even half as good a candidate for love as Emma was for him.

“Think anyone is still up here?” Emma asked, her voice a silky whisper as her hand remained in his and Killian led her to his office across the way.

“No. Liam’s orders. Everyone was to attend the party. Night staff too.”

“Hmm a whole office to ourselves. Whatever shall we do?” Emma teased and Killian chuckled too as he pulled her inside his office and locked the door behind him.

“That remains to be seen, love. First I have to say something I should have said a long time ago.”

“You love me,” Emma filled in with a smirk and Killian’s jaw dropped for a moment before he regained some composure. He ran a hand through his hair as the other held onto Emma’s hip.

“Aye. You knew?”

“Not for certain,” Emma said as she shook her head. “But I hoped you did. And then that kiss… well that kiss told me everything I need to know.”

“Did it tell you about the part where I intend to marry you and spend my whole life trying to deserve you?” Killian asked, taking this about a dozen steps further than he ever intended to, but he was so pleasantly thrown off from Emma’s understanding him that he couldn’t seem to care. Her smile never waivered even as the surprise registered on her face at his bold words.

“Not quite, but I think that can be arranged. After you take me on a ‘proper date’ of course,” she said making a mockery of his lingering accent as her hands came to untie the bow he was wearing with deft precision.

“Of course. God I love you, Emma,” he said as his hands ran across her body and Emma pressed a kiss to his lips lightly before whispering the sweetest words he’d ever heard.

“I love you too, Killian. So let’s not wait anymore, okay? We’re ready now.”

He’d never agreed with anything more, and though a part of him reasoned somewhere in the far reaches of his mind that he should slow this down and make this first time with Emma more romantic, it wasn’t to be. Putting off how they felt for this long had broken down his resolve and it had clearly done the same for Emma as she worked to unbutton his shirt as quickly as she could even as she pulled him close to kiss him. Killian was ready to do much of the same, starting with figuring how this damned enticement of a dress came apart, but before he could maneuver it off of her Emma took a step back and smiled at him, a look of challenge in her jade colored eyes that set his already heated system that much more into a frenzy.

“You know I’ve thought about the two of us in this office a lot over the past few years…” Emma said as she came around to sit on the edge of his desk playfully. Killian’s hands balled into fists in an attempt to keep him grounded even as he moved towards her. It seemed Emma wanted to tease this out a little, and hard as it was to keep from shoving everything on his desk aside right now and taking her, he’d indulge her. Hell, he’d give her anything her heart could ever want so long as she was his.

“That makes two of us, love. All those lunches we shared here, I always had other ideas about what should be on the menu,” he said, boxing her in and nipping lightly at a spot just under her ear that made her shiver as her hands came up to run over him.

“Show me,” Emma whispered and that plea was enough to have Killian in motion. It was his clearance to take the reins, and now that he was leading the charge, the only thought in his mind was to see Emma satisfied. The only question was how to go about it. The setting called for something fast, a stolen moment floors above a party that the two of them should really be at, but this first time Killian needed something like slow and languid. He wanted Emma to know after this that he was the right choice for her to build a life with, and that required a certain level of demonstration of his ability to make her taste the bliss she was always offering him.

He started with another heated kiss as his hands roamed over her body, and after finding the zipper at her back, he eased it down just enough to let the sleeves slip off, revealing her full, pert breasts to his gaze. What he wouldn’t give to strip her of the garment all together, but that would have to wait until tonight when he had her in his bed. And he would have her; that was a guarantee. Despite her want for dates and a courtship, which he would certainly grant her, Killian had no intention of spending another night away from Emma. He’d convince her right now that she wanted the same thing, and he knew it wouldn’t be difficult to do when his mouth trailed kisses down to nip and suck her in this most sensitive place.

At the same time that his mouth and fingers teased Emma’s breasts his other hand wandered south, pushing through the slit of material the dress provided until his fingers traced the edge of the lace that kept him from her sex. She was wet already, so riled up that Killian couldn’t help but growl, and the distraction of Emma’s desire demanded he kneel before her, clearing the material from his view of her and inhaling her sweet scent as his mouth watered. How long had he wanted this? How long had he dreamed of scenes just like this with Emma trusting him and giving herself so willingly to him like this? He didn’t know, but the reality of having Emma in his clutch was more intoxicating than all the fantasies he’d allowed himself over the years. It was also more vivid and real than anything his mind could ever conjure, and at the look of need and love and lust in Emma’s eyes Killian was spurred on to taste her slick flesh and pleasure her further.

“Killian!”

Emma’s cry of his name was loud, louder than their location should have allowed, but hell if Killian cared. He wouldn’t give a damn if the whole bloody place heard Emma’s moan of ecstasy. Let them all know that he had done this, that he could please such a spectacular woman, but in the back of his mind Killian remembered that no one was here, and that at least for tonight he and Emma could indulge in such heated displays. The thought only fueled him further, and when Emma was at her peak and falling over Killian didn’t let up, only giving her just enough time to come down from her high before riling her up again and demanding she give him another release. When she had Killian debated demanding another, but her earnest plea that he take her erased that idea. Seconds later he was up and releasing his impossibly hard length, anticipating easy access but finding his love intent on some teasing of her own. Her hand gripped him with just the right tightness, and the softness of her skin had Killian hissing out a breath.

“Fuck, Emma. If I promise you can have your way with me when we get home, will you show mercy?”

Emma grinned at that before nodding and pulling him closer and then he thrust inside her and the immediate sensation shocked his system so completely it felt like every nerve was sensing the realest kind of pleasure. To say that sex had never felt this way was unnecessary; this was clearly earth shattering and Killian could tell from Emma’s expression and the flush on her skin that it was just the same for her. The unyielding spark and crackle of the chemistry between them kept them hot and on edge as they came together over and over again, and only when Killian thought he couldn’t take a second more without coming Emma begged him to fall with her and he did.

“That was…” Killian began, not having words to articulate just how amazing how that had been.

“Just the beginning,” Emma said happily as her hand cupped his cheek.

“Aye, love. Just the beginning.”

And the beautiful thing was that beginning grew into something so much more. Killian and Emma ended up getting everything they wanted, and after all that waiting the life they built proved more beautiful and more magical than either of them could have ever dreamed.

…………

I've never seen you looking so lovely as you did tonight I've never seen you shine so bright I've never seen so many men ask you if you wanted to dance They're looking for a little romance, given half a chance And I have never seen that dress you're wearing Or the highlights in your hair that catch your eyes I have been blind The lady in red is dancing with me, cheek to cheek There's nobody here, it's just you and me It's where I want to be But I hardly know this beauty by my side I'll never forget the way you look tonight I've never seen you looking so gorgeous as you did tonight I've never seen you shine so bright, you were amazing I've never seen so many people want to be there by your side And when you turned to me and smiled, it took my breath away And I have never had such a feeling Such a feeling of complete and utter love, as I do tonight The lady in red is dancing with me, cheek to cheek There's nobody here, it's just you and me It's where I want to be But I hardly know this beauty by my side I'll never forget the way you look tonight I never will forget the way you look tonight The lady in red, the lady in red The lady in red, my lady in red I love you

Post-Note: So it’s been quite some time since my lovely reader, @kmomof4 , asked for this chapter, and FINALLY getting it out there makes me a happy camper. Because I have started a new multi-chapter story, there will also be some more delays in my mixtape chapters for a while. But not to worry! I have a few written already and planned to be posted this semester so I hopefully shouldn’t have the same huge writing gaps I did this fall. Anyway, hope that you all enjoyed the smut and fluff and thanks to all of you who send me love for every chapter and who send your prompts and song requests my way. You are all awesome and I am wishing you a lovely rest of your weekend. Thanks again!!

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9,Part 10,Part 11, Part 12,Part 13, Part 14, Part 15, Part 16, Part 17, Part 18, Part 19, Part 20, Part 21, Part 22, Part 23, Part 24,Part 25, Part 26, Part 27, Part 28, Part 29, Part 30, Part 31,Part 32, Part 33, Part 34, Part 35, Part 36, Part 37, Part 38,Part 39,Part 40, Part 41, Part 42, Part 43, Part 44, Part 45,Part 46,Part 47, Part 48, Part 49, Part 50, Part 51, Part 52, Part 53,Part 54,Part 55, Part 56, Part 57, Part 58, Part 59, Part 60,Part 61,Part 62, Part 63, Part 64, Part 65, Part 66, Part 67, Part 68,Part 69,Part 70, Part 71, Part 72, Part 73, Part 74, Part 75,Part 76,Part 77, Part 78, Part 79, Part 80, Part 81, Part 82, Part 83,Part 84,Part 85, Part 86, Part 87, Part 88, Part 89, Part 90,Part 91,Part 92, Part 93, Part 94, Part 95, Part 96, Part 97, Part 98,Part 99,Part 100, Part 101, Part 102, Part 103,Part 104, Part 105,Part 106, Part 107,Part 108, Part 109, Part 110,Part 111, Part 112,Part 113, Part 114, Part 115,Part 116, Part 117, Part 118,Part 119,Part 120, Part 121, Part 122, Part 123,Part 124, Part 125,Part 126, Part 127, Part 128,Part 129,Part 130, Part 131,Part 132,Part 133, Part 134, Part 135, Part 136, Part 137, Part 138,Part 139,Part 140, Part 141, Part 142, Part 143, Part 144, Part 145,Part 146, Part 147, Part 148,Part 149, Part 150, Part 151,Part 152, Part 153, Part 154, Part 155, Part 156, Part 157, Part 158,Part 159, Part 160, Part 161, Part 162, Part 163, Part 164,Part 165, Part 166, Part 167, Part 168, Part 169, Part 170

[hallowcked]

"I never turn down a drink." Killian's first alcoholic drink was the night he killed his father. He was eighteen and after the deed was done, he finally had enough courage to raid his father's wine cellar. He hasn't stopped drinking since that night. It's a routine of his to enjoy a glass of whiskey or scotch between meetings. The buzz makes things more exciting.

"I have an offer for you too." Killian pulls a small pill case from his jacket pocket. On the lid there's a skull made of red diamonds. Inside the box is Grim. Antonia's father might've banned the stuff from being pushed around his hotel but now that the Rosewood is under new management, perhaps they can renegotiate the matter. "It's not your typical street drug. They say the wealthiest people abuse cocaine and prescription pills...but they're not Lucullan. There's crackheads on the corner of Riverside snorting the same shit as a CEO in a multimillion dollar house. I had this drug manufactured for people like us. People in power who want to take the edge off - or simply enjoy life a little more. It makes everything feel better." Killian leans forward until his scruff tickles her cheek and his breath touches her ear, "When you're touching yourself on Grim it feels like you have multiple hands caressing every sensitive part of your aching body. It laps at your clit, sucks on your tits, and turns your g-spot into a pinball machine. When it hits, you light up." Killian pushes the drug across the bar. "Take one with me. If you enjoy it then I want you to consider supplying it here at the Rosewood. I think we could make a fortune together, mi bonita."

Instinctively, Tyler's fingers come to brush the tattoo across his neck. He has a million stories for his tattoos but none of them were true. The truth is too dark and depressing to reveal. "This was actually my first tattoo. Go big or go home - right?" he laughs and its the first time Isabelle doesn't petrify him. He can almost see the person behind her enchanting eyes and femme fatale beauty. It's her dimples when she speaks - they give her this breath of innocence and he finds himself swooning at the sight of them. Do not flirt with a mobster's wife.

"My name's Tyler O'Neill." He considers offering her his hand but they're way past pleasantries. He knows he didn't answer her question on the meaning behind his tattoo but, he's curious about the one he noticed behind her ear. "And you're Isabelle Steele, right? Toni didn't tell me much. She said you guys own a nightclub? It's been a few good years since I went to a real party." After waking up from a coma, he stayed away from drugs and parties. Lo was a recovering addict and his old ways weren't going to help him convince Brooke that he's changed. But maybe he hasn't.

Toni doesn't say it, and in Isabelle's case .. she doesn't have to. Izzy can spot the tiny flicker of jealousy arise behind the other brunette's eyes after she invites Tyler to give her a tour of the hotel. So whether or not they truly are engaged, there are real feelings there between them. At least on the woman's side.

"Could I offer you a drink while they're gone?" Toni can sense the gap in the conversation the second Tyler leaves her to play escort. And she knows she has to make a good impression if she were to align herself with someone like Killian. "It's on the house, I promise."

Meanwhile Isabelle falls in line with Tyler as they make their way towards the bathrooms, and further into the casino. The bright lights, loud games, and throngs of betters are distracting but she manages to keep her focus trained on the man at her side. "I noticed," Izzy responds as she takes a peek at the tattoo along his neck, poking out from behind the collar of his dress shirt. "The one on your neck. What does it mean?" Not that tattoos have to have meanings. For Izzy though, they do. She wouldn't permanently ink her body without a reason. Each one was in honor of someone or something. "I didn't catch your name either. Mr.....?"