#Hope you are enjoying a fantastic second week!

[lordofthestrix]

-drops in to remind Tristan that she loves him and she’s very excited to give him his Christmas present-

[ellecdc]

can you write a sirius black au where he and fem!reader go to the movies but end up not paying attention at all to the movie iykwim and when they get home lily (the person who recommended the movie to them) asks them if they liked it and asks them about specific scenes and they have absolutely no idea what she's talking about.

um im single and i pathetically crave stuff like this happening to me.....um yh but anyway i luv your writing!

I had to think of a movie that I couldn't spoil for anyone haha so I hope everyone has seen Mama Mia!

Sirius Black x gn!reader who return from the movie they didn't watch [828 words]

CW: suggestive, reader and Sirius clearly fooled around in a semi-public venue but it's not described in detail

“I’m so glad Lily suggested a movie.” Sirius murmured into your jaw where he currently had his nose shoved whilst you fiddled with your keys.

“I bet you are.” You chuckled at him as the two of you stepped into the shared town-house.

You’d been lucky enough to be able to room with all of your friends after graduation without having to pay an absurd amount in rent thanks to James’ parents letting the bunch of you stay at one of their properties.

Unfortunately, this meant that the house was always bustling with people and it was often hard for you and Sirius to find a moment alone.

So, accepting Lily’s suggestion to see Mama Mia in the cinema on the one day both you and Sirius had off this week had already sounded heavenly.

And it turned out even better when the two of you arrived and had the entire cinema to yourselves save the one other couple sitting in the second row.

Which left you and Sirius sneaking off to the very back row like horny teenagers, snickering and fiddling with each other’s zippers before getting each other off a number of times before you were both surprised by the ending credits and the lights turning back on. 

“You’re back!” Lily called as she rounded the corner into the kitchen where you and Sirius were readying lunch. “Did you not get something to eat at the cinema?” She asked then as she considered your lunch with furrowed brows.

“Oh no, we definitely did.” Sirius quipped as he shot you a salacious grin.

“Did you enjoy it?” Lily asked eagerly, causing Sirius to snort.

“Obviously?” He responded when you finally dug your elbow into his ribs warningly. 

“The movie was great, Lils.” You offered pointedly, causing Sirius to nod in understanding.

“Right! Right, yeah, very good, loved every minute of it.” 

“What was your favourite part?” Lily inquired, leaning onto the kitchen island on her elbows as she settled in for a deep conversation regarding the cinematic marvel that was Mama Mia. 

“Uhm, all of it?” You answered in the form of a question, looking to Sirius for help.

“I can’t believe you’re asking us to pick a favourite part of such a masterpiece, Red.”

“That’s so true, it really was all great.” Lily amended quickly. “What did you think of the boat scene!?”

“The boat scene?” You asked, earning you an eager nod from Lily. “Fantastic.”

“Emotional. But, in a fantastic way.” Sirius added.

“It was sort of emotional, wasn’t it?” Lily considered, and the two of you nodded eagerly. “I think my favourite scene might have been the wedding.” She added wistfully.

“The wedding was gorgeous.” You agreed readily, remembering when you’d happened to look up from where Sirius had been settled between your legs to catch a glimpse of the protagonist in her poofy wedding dress. “They’re perfect together.”

Lily looked very excited by your declaration, so Sirius continued.

“Right? I love young love.” He offered, causing Lily’s brows to pinch slightly as she tilted her head at him. 

“Didn’t hurt that they’re a very attractive couple.” You added.

Sirius hummed in agreement, resting his hip against the counter as he took a bite from his sandwich. “They’ll have very cute babies.”

“Wait, hold on.” Lily started as she looked suspiciously between the two of you. “Who are you talking about?”

You and Sirius shared a confused look as Remus walked in to ready himself his own lunch. 

“Erm, Sophie? And…what was the bloke's name?” You hissed at Sirus causing Lily to gasp and Remus to snort. 

“They didn’t get married!” Lily shouted, earning her a judgemental look from Sirius.

“I don’t know Red…pretty sure that’s who the wedding was for.”

“They didn’t watch the movie, Lils.” Remus tattled then. 

“And how exactly would you know that?” You grumbled at your very correct friend. 

“Well, ignoring the fact that you clearly have no clue how the movie ended,” he teased as he licked the knife he’d used to spread peanut butter on his bread, “Sirius has that post exertion glow that he only ever gets after playing a scrimmage with James or sneaking out of your room in the middle of the night.” 

“I thought we were friends, Lupin.” Sirius spat with no real heat. “After all these years, you’re just gonna throw me under the bus like this?” 

“You’ve got a love bite the size of Ireland on your neck, mate.” Remus snorted as he left the kitchen with his plate.

Lily let out a groan but it looked like she was trying really hard to be mad at you. “You guys suck.”

“And swallow.” Sirius agreed readily, earning him a swat up the back of the head from you.

“And nasty!” Lily shouted around a laugh as she stalked away, muttering something under her breath about ‘horny freaks can’t keep their hands and mouths off of each other for two whole hours’.

[my-castles-crumbling]

date - @jegulus-microfic - word count: 551

"Reg, can I borrow you phone?" James whispered to the man sleeping next to him, voice still rough with sleep.

Regulus, who was curled into James's chest, let out a groan of assent, moving closer into James's body. He smiled softly, placing a small kiss on Regulus's curls.

They weren't anything official. Not that James didn't want that with every fiber of his being. But he knew that Regulus struggled with the concept of being loved, with letting people in and being open and vulnerable, and he was willing to wait as long as it took for the fantastic man in his arms to be ready for the love he was bursting to give him.

So he went slow. Indeed, their first real date was last night. After weeks of hookups and heated exchanges when their friend groups went out together, Regulus had finally agreed to being taken out to a restaurant, and James had had to physically restrain himself from bringing Regulus to the fanciest restaurant in all of London. Or, really, flying the man to France or Italy, and wining and dining him there. Because Regulus deserved the world.

They'd fallen into bed after, as they had before, but it had felt more intimate. And, waking up now, James didn't want to pop the bubble by getting up, or even moving. So he allowed Regulus to cuddle into him. But he was bored, and his phone was in his pants pocket, and his pants had been discarded across the room.

Typing in the passcode (0311) he allowed Regulus's phone to unlock, hoping that Regulus at least had Candy Crush or something on his phone, so he could keep quiet and enjoy the man in his arms.

But before he even began to search the (very organized) apps, he let out a small gasp, his face breaking into a huge grin, and he turned to Regulus, shaking the man awake. "Reg! Reg, what is this?"

"The fuck, Potter? It's early!" Regulus grumbled. And normally James would have left him alone, but this was decidedly more important than the beauty sleep of a man who was already stunning.

"Reg. Am I you phone background?"

Immediately, Regulus's eyes popped open, and he looked very awake, like he'd been up for hours. "No," he said defensively, ignoring the evidence James was waving in front of his face.

"I am!" James said gleefully, grinning from ear to ear. "Reg, that's some boyfriend shit, right there! You- you like me, don't you?"

And instead of arguing, Regulus just turned a deeper shade of red, avoiding James's eyes, snatching the phone from his hands and turning away.

James knew he had about five seconds before Regulus got to in his head. Before he became angry and upset. So, whispering in Regulus's ear softly, he murmured, "Be my boyfriend, Reggie. Please?"

And turning again to face James, Regulus's eyes grew weary. "I..."

"Please? I've wanted you to be for ages," James whispered, not above begging.

The other man's mouth flickered into a small smile. "Alright."

And, laughing, James leaped out of bed, tripping to grab his pants.

"What are you doing?" Regulus asked, clearly confused.

Fishing his phone out of his pocket, James snapped a picture of a very annoyed-looking Regulus. "Changing my phone background," he smiled.

[anipgarden]

Things to Do that Aren't Related to Growing Plants

This is my second post in a series I’ll be making on how to increase biodiversity on a budget! I’m not an expert--just an enthusiast--but I hope something you find here helps! 

Some of us just don’t have much luck when it comes to growing plants. Some of us simply want to aim for other ways to help that don’t involve putting on gardening gloves. Maybe you've already got a garden, but you want to do more. No problem! There’s a couple of options you can look into that’ll help attract wildlife in your area without even having to bring out any shovels!

Provide a Water Source

Oftentimes when I see ‘add a water source’ in informational articles about improving your backyard for wildlife, it’s almost always followed by an image of a gorgeous backyard pond with a waterfall and rock lining that looks expensive to set up, difficult to maintain, and overall just… not feasible for me. Arguably, not feasible for a lot of people. And that’s okay! There’s still ways to add water in your garden for all kinds of creatures to enjoy!

There’s tons of ways to create watering stations for insects like bees and butterflies. A self refilling dog bowl can work wonders! Add some stones into the receiving tray for insects to land on or use to climb out, and you’ve got a wonderful drinking spot for all kinds of insects! You can also fill a saucer or other dish with small stones and fill it, though it’ll likely need refilling daily or even several times a day during hot times. 

I've seen people online use all kinds of things to make water features. Some go with terra-cotta pots, pebbles, and a cheap pump to get a small and simple fountain. Others use old tires, clay, and a hole in the ground to create an in-ground mini pond system. If all else fails, even a bucket or watertight box with a few plants in it can do the trick--though do be wary of mosquitoes if the water isn’t moving. In situations like these, a solar-powered fountain pump or bubbler are great for keeping the water moving while still making it a drinking option for wildlife (it not even more appealing for some)--and these items can be obtained fairly cheap online!

Bird baths are an option as well--a classic way to provide for birds in your area, they can be easy to find online or in a gardening store! The only downside is that a good, quality bird bath can be pricey up-front. However, a nice stone bird bath should last a long time, be easy to clean and refill, and be enjoyed by many birds! I’ve also seen tutorials on how to make your own with quickcrete! Bird baths will be a welcome sight to birds, as they provide a space for them to drink and bathe to regulate the oils in their feathers for flight and insulation. Putting a stone in the middle will also help insects to escape if they fall in, and provide a place to perch so they can get their own drink. You’ll want to change the water and clean the baths regularly--as often as once a week, if you can manage it.

If possible, it’s highly encouraged to fill and refill water features with rainwater instead of tap water. Tap water is often treated, so instead of using hoses or indoor kitchen water, collecting some rainwater is a great alternative. Collecting rainwater can be as simple as leaving cups, bins, or pots outside for awhile.

Butterflies and other creatures will also drink from mud puddles. If you can maintain an area of damp soil mixed with a small amount of salt or wood ash, this can be fantastic for them! Some plants also excel at storing water within their leaves and flowers (bromeliads come to mind), making them an excellent habitat for amphibians as well as a drinking spot for insects and birds.

Bird Feeders and Bird Houses

Some of the fancy, decorated bird feeders are expensive, but others can be pretty low-cost--I got my bird feeder from Lowe’s for around 10 dollars, and a big bag of birdseed was around another 10 dollars and has lasted several refills! If you don’t mind occasionally buying more birdseed, a single birdfeeder can do a lot to attract and support local birds! If you’re handy, have some spare wood, and have or can borrow some tools, you may even be able to find instructions online to make your own feeder. You may not even need wood to do so! Even hummingbird feeders, I’ve found, are quick to attract them, as long as you keep them stocked up on fresh sugar water in the spring and summer!

An important note with bird feeders is that you have to make sure you can clean them regularly. Otherwise, they may become a vector for disease, and we want to avoid causing harm whenever possible. Also keep an ear out and track if there’s known outbreaks of bird diseases in your area. If local birding societies and scientists are advising you take your birdfeeders down for awhile, by all means, do it!

Bird houses are naturally paired with bird feeders as biodiversity promoters for backyard spaces, and it makes sense. Having bird houses suited to birds in your area promotes them to breed, raise their young, disperse seeds, and generally engage in your surrounding environment. Setting them up takes careful selection or construction, preparation, and some patience, but sooner or later you might get some little homemakers! Keep in mind, you will need to clean your birdhouses at least once a year (if not once per brood) to make sure they’re ready and safe for birds year after year--you wouldn’t want to promote disease and parasites, after all. But they could be a valuable option for your landscape, whether you purchase one or construct your own! 

Again, do make sure you're putting up the right kind of boxes for the right kinds of birds. Bluebird boxes are some I see sold most commonly, but in my area I believe they're not even all that common--a nesting box for cardinals or chickadees would be far more likely to see success here! And some birds don't even nest in boxes--robins and some other birds are more likely to use a nesting shelf, instead! Research what birds live in your area, take note of any you see around already, and pick a few target species to make homes for!

Solitary Bee Houses

A bee house or bee hotel is a fantastic way to support the solitary bees in your area! For a few dollars and some annual cleaning, you can buy a solitary bee house from most big box nurseries. Alternatively, you can make one at home, with an array of materials you may already have lying around! You can even make them so that they’ll benefit all kinds of insects, and not necessarily just bees.

Though you don’t even necessarily have to break out the hammer and nails, buy a ton of bricks, or borrow a staple gun. Making homes for tunneling bees can be as simple as drilling holes in a log and erecting it, or drilling holes in stumps and dead trees on your property. You might even attract some woodpeckers by doing this!

Providing Nesting Area

There are tons of different kinds of bees, and they all make different kinds of homes for themselves. Not all of them make big cavity hives like honey bees, or will utilize a solitary bee house. Bumblebees live in social hives underground, particularly in abandoned holes made by rodents--some others nest in abandoned bird nests, or cavities like hollow logs, spaces between rocks, compost piles, or unoccupied birdhouses. Borer, Ground, and Miner bees dig into bare, dry soil to create their nests. Sparsely-vegetated patches of soil in well-drained areas are great places to find them making their nests, so providing a similar habitat somewhere in the garden can encourage them to come! I do talk later in this document about mulching bare soil in a garden--however, leaving soil in sunny areas and south-facing slopes bare provides optimal ground nesting habitat. Some species prefer to nest at the base of plants, or loose sandy soil, or smooth-packed and flat bare ground. They’ve also been known to take advantage of soil piles, knocked over tree roots, wheel ruts in farm roads, baseball diamonds and golf course sand traps. You can create nesting ground by digging ditches or creating nesting mounds in well-drained, open, sunny areas with sandy or silty soil. However, artificially constructed ground nests may only have limited success. 

Providing Alternative Pollinator Foods

Nectar and pollen aren’t the only foods sought out by some pollinators! Some species of butterflies are known to flock to overripe fruit or honey water, so setting these out can be an excellent way to provide food to wildlife. You may want to be cautious about how you set these out, otherwise it can help other wildlife, like ants or raccoons. Butterflies may also drop by to visit a sponge in a dish of lightly salted water. 

Bat Houses and Boxes

Big or small, whether they support five bats or five hundred, making bat boxes and supporting local bats is a great way to boost biodiversity! Not only will they eat mosquitoes and other pest species, but you may also be able to use the guano (bat droppings) as fertilizer! Do be careful if you choose to do that though--I’ve never had the opportunity to, so do some research into how strong it is and use it accordingly.

Provide Passageway Points

If you want your area to be more accessible for creatures that can’t fly or climb fences, allowing or creating access points can be an excellent way to give them a way in and out. Holes in the bottom of walls or fences can be sheltered with plants to allow animals through. 

In a somewhat similar manner, if you’re adding a water fixture, it’s important to provide animals a way to get into and out of the pond--no way in, and they can’t use the water. No way out, and they may drown. Creating a naturalistic ramp out of wood beams or sticks, or stepped platforms out of bricks, stones, or logs can do the trick. 

Get or Keep Logs and Brush Piles

I’ve already mentioned logs a good handful of times so far in this post. To be used as access ramps, or as nesting areas for solitary bees. But they have value as much more than that! Logs on the ground provide shelter for all kinds of animals, especially depending on size--anything from mice, reptiles, and amphibians to things like turkey vultures and bears will use fallen logs as shelter. Inside of a decaying log, there’s a lot of humidity, so amphibians are big fans of them--meanwhile, the upper sides of them can be used as sunning platforms by things like lizards. Other animals can also use the insides of logs as nest sites and hiding places from predators too big to fit inside. Fungi, spiders, beetles, termites, ants, grubs, worms, snails, slugs, and likely much more can be found inside rotting logs, using the rotting wood as food sources or nesting places. They can then provide food for mammals, amphibians, reptiles, and birds. They can also be regarded as a landmark or territory marker as wildlife get more familiar with your space.

So how do you get logs for cheap? Try Chip Drop! I talk about them more in a future post, but you can mark saying that you’d like logs in your drop, so they’ll give you any they have! In fact, you may even get a drop faster if you're willing to accept some logs. You may also be able to approach arborists you see working in your area and ask for logs. There may also be local online listings for people selling logs for cheap, or just trying to get rid of them. If there’s land development going on near you, you may be able to snag logs from trees they cut down to make space. Do keep in mind, you don’t need to have huge gigantic logs laying around your property to make an impact--even small logs can help a lot.

If possible, creating and leaving brush piles on the edge of your property can be a great boost to biodiversity--even if you may not see the wildlife using it. They’ll provide shelter from weather and predators, and lower portions are cool and shady for creatures to avoid the hot sun. The upper layers can be used as perch sites and nest sites for song birds, while lower layers are resting sites for amphibians and reptiles, and escape sites for many mammals. As the material decays, they also attract insects, and as such they’ll attract insect-eating animals too. As more small animals find refuse in your brush pile, their predators will be attracted to them as well. Owls, hawks, foxes, and coyotes are known to visit brush piles to hunt. Making a brush pile can be as simple as piling branches and leaves into a mound, as big or as small as you want. You can even use tree stumps or old fence posts near the base, and keep stacking on plant trimmings and fallen branches. Do note that you don’t want to do this near anything like a fire pit.

Don't forget, with all of these, your mileage may vary for any variation of reasons, so don't worry if you can't take all of even any of these actions! Even just talking about them with other people may inspire someone else to put out a bat box, or leave a few logs out for wildlife!

That's the end of this post! My next post is gonna be about ways to get seeds and plants as cheaply as possible. For now, I hope this advice helps! Feel free to reply with any questions, success stories, or anything you think I may have forgotten to add in!

[alwaysmicado]

in my arms

2.1k | fwb!Joel Miller x f!reader | one-shot

Warnings: fluff, Joel’s POV (first person) Summary: As Joel watches you sleep beside him for the first time, he realizes just how deeply he’s come to crave something more than just fleeting moments together. A/N: This one-shot has been sitting in my drafts for ages, and I could really use a bit of heartwarming fluff right now—so I figured it’s the perfect time to share. I really hope it’ll bring you some comfort, too. Can be read alone or within the fwb!Joel AU. Enjoy and let me know your thoughts! I love hearing from you! ♡

It’s been a while since anyone’s slept in my bed with me.

Hell, it’s been a long time since I let anyone close enough to even get that far. But you—well, you have a way of making everything feel different, even when you don’t know it. Even when you don’t mean to.

And tonight, after weeks of the same routine, of having you in my arms just for the space of a couple of hours and then watching you slip away again, you are still here.

Fast asleep in my bed.

I shift in the darkness, the mattress dipping just slightly beneath me as I turn onto my side to face you fully. The only light in the room comes from the full moon shining outside, its glow filtering through the slats of the blinds, casting faint lines of silver and shadow across your bare skin. 

You’re lying on your belly, one arm tucked under the one pillow in my bed—yeah, yeah, I know—while the other rests loosely against the sheets. Your breathing is slow and steady, your chest rising and falling in a rhythm that is starting to soothe something deep inside me I didn’t even realize was tense.

I can’t sleep.

Not because I’m not tired—God knows I am—but because the idea of closing my eyes and missing even a second of this, of you being here, feels like something I can’t bear.

It’s strange. I’m not used to feeling this way.

Most of the time, when we’ve been together, I’ll lie awake for a bit after you’ve left, letting the quiet of the house settle over me like a blanket, pretending I don’t mind the loneliness creeping back in. Pretending I don’t mind that you leave.

But tonight is different. Tonight, you stayed.

I didn’t expect it, honestly. After the way the night had gone, with you laughing and dancing and a few too many Tequila shots, I figured you’d brush me off like you always would when we were done—give me that soft smile, kiss me one last time, and then slip out into the night before I could say anything to stop you.

But when I asked if you were alright, if you wanted me to call you a cab, you surprised me. You said no.

“I think I, uh, might have had just a liiiittle too much to drink,” you mumbled, half-laughing as you tried to sit up, only to sway slightly and grab onto my arm for balance. “Maybe I should just…stay here. If that’s okay.”

Of course, it was okay. It was more than okay.

But the way you said it, so casual, like it wasn’t a big deal, like it didn’t send a rush of something sharp and warm straight to my chest, made me realize how much I’d been hoping for this. Hoping for you to stay, to let me have this one night, where it wasn’t just about the—albeit fantastic—sex we had. Where it was about something more, even if we never put a name to it.

So, here we are.

You didn’t say much after we settled in. Just curled up beneath the sheets, close enough that I can now feel the warmth of your body beside me, but not so close that it feels like you’re giving me more than you’re ready to. And that’s fine. I’ll take whatever you are willing to give.

The truth is, I’ve been wanting this for a while now. Maybe even since the first time I took you home, if I’m being honest with myself. There’s just something about you that has gotten under my skin from that very first time our eyes met, and no matter how much I try to keep things simple, I can’t help the way I feel. The way you make me feel.

You’re smart, funny, insanely gorgeous, and stubborn as hell sometimes—but you have this vulnerability about you, too. Like you’re always holding back, keeping a part of yourself just out of reach, and for some reason, I want to be the one to reach it.

Tonight, though…tonight, I have you right here. No walls, no goodbye, no running off into the night. Just you, asleep beside me, looking so damn peaceful it makes my chest ache.

I shift a little closer, gently, just enough so that I can see your face better in the low light. I have the sudden urge to trace the contours of your face with my fingers, to put a soft kiss on your lips.

My hand twitches at my side, but I don’t move. Don’t want to risk waking you, even though part of me wants you to wake up, to look at me with those tired eyes and give me that sleepy smile that always makes me feel like maybe, just maybe, I’m more than a temporary distraction to you.

I believe you when you say you like spending time with me. You make me feel it, too. When we’re together, you’re really here with me. But it’s just that, after every time, it ends. You always leave.

And I’m left wondering when, or if, you’ll come back to me.

I watch you for a long time. Longer than I should, probably. But I can’t help it. There’s something about the way you look when you’re asleep—so soft, so unguarded—that makes me feel like I’m seeing a part of you you don’t let anyone else see. Not even me.

I wonder what you’re dreaming about. If you’re thinking about anything at all, or if your mind is finally at peace, even for just a little while. I hope it’s the latter. You’ve had a stressful week you told me, and I hope you’re dreaming of something nice, something that makes you feel safe.

And I want to be that for you. I want to be the one who makes you feel safe. But I know better than to push my luck. You aren’t ready, and I’m not going to ask for more than you can or want to give.

Still, lying here beside you, feeling the warmth of your body so close to mine, I can’t help but imagine what it would be like if things were different. If this wasn’t just a one-time thing, but something we did every night. If you stayed, not because you were too drunk to leave, but because you wanted to.

Because you couldn’t imagine being anywhere else.

I can picture it so easily—waking up with you next to me, your sleepy voice mumbling something incoherent as you stretch and blink the sleep from your eyes.

I’d make you coffee, just the way you like it in the morning, and we’d sit at the kitchen table, talking about nothing and everything all at once. Maybe we’d bicker about something stupid, like which show to watch or who gets to choose the music while we cook dinner. And then, at the end of the day, we’d come back to this—this quiet, this closeness—and I’d fall asleep knowing you are right here in my arms.

But that’s not how things are.

I know that. I’m not delusional. I know that whatever this is between us, it isn’t something you’re ready to define. And maybe that’s fine. Maybe I can be okay with that, at least for now.

But damn, it’s hard not to want more.

Not because I want to hold you back or limit the way you explore the world and discover yourself—that’s the last thing I’d ever want for you. You’re young and bright, and the world’s wide open for you. It’s because of you—the way you make me feel when you’re with me. The way your smile lights up my world, the way you make everything feel like it matters. 

The way you make me believe I could be the man you deserve.

You shift in your sleep, your body turning slightly toward me, and I freeze for a second, thinking you’re waking up. But you don’t. You just let out a soft sigh, your hand twitching as it curls into the pillow, and then you settle again, your breathing evening out once more.

I let out a breath I didn’t realize I was holding.

God, I’ve got it bad.

I can’t remember the last time I’ve felt like this. The last time I’ve cared this much about someone, about something that wasn’t already a part of my life. I was used to keeping things simple, keeping my world small. It was easier that way. Less messy, less tiring. But you…you snuck in somehow, made a place for yourself without me even realizing it, and now that you are here, I don’t want to let you go.

I won’t tell you that, though. I’m not stupid. I know you aren’t ready to hear it, and the last thing I want to do is overstep and scare you off. I can wait. I can be patient.

But that doesn’t stop me from feeling it.

My eyes trace the curve of your cheek, the gentle slope of your lips, and my fingers itch to touch you. I know I shouldn’t. I know this is already more than you’ve given me before.

But It’s hard. It’s hard not to reach out and hold onto this moment, to hold onto you.

I let out a slow breath, trying to steady myself and my heartbeat, but my thoughts keep circling back to the same thing: What if this is the only time?

I reach out, finally letting my fingers brush lightly against your temple, tracing your soft skin, your cheek, your shoulder. You don’t stir, don’t even flinch, and for some reason, that makes my chest tighten even more. You trust me, even in your sleep. Trust me enough to let me be here with you, to see you like this, vulnerable and real.

And that…that means more to me than I could ever put into words.

I move closer, just enough so that our bodies are barely touching, and I let myself close my eyes for a moment, even though I know I won’t sleep. Not tonight. Not with you here, like this.

Instead, I just let myself feel it. The warmth of your skin, the soft rise and fall of your breathing, the steady beat of your heart just a few inches away from mine. It’s a quiet kind of intimacy, one I haven’t realized I’ve been missing for a long time.

Maybe tomorrow you’ll wake up and slip away again, back to the way things always are between us. Maybe you’ll put up your walls, tell yourself this didn’t mean anything more than any other night. And maybe I’ll let you, because I’m not ready to push for more, not yet.

For now, you’re here. You’re here. And that’s enough.

For now, that’s enough.

I open my eyes again, letting them drift back to your face. You’re still so peaceful, so soft in the moonlight, and I feel something swell in my chest that I haven’t felt in years. Something big, something real.

I lean in, just a little, pressing the softest kiss to your warm forehead, barely more than a whisper of touch. You don’t wake, don’t even stir, but the simple act makes something settle deep inside me. Like this is right. Like this is how it’s supposed to be.

I could stay like this all night, just watching you, soaking in the quiet comfort of you beside me. And maybe I would, if I didn’t feel the pull of sleep finally creeping up on me. My eyelids grow heavier with each passing second, and even though I try to fight it, I know I can’t stay awake forever.

You keep me on my toes, but I’m not thirty anymore. 

So, with one last look at you, one last moment of quietly letting myself feel everything I haven’t been ready to admit, I let my eyes close. My hand rests lightly against your waist, and I finally let sleep take me.

For the first time in a long time, I fall asleep feeling like I’m not alone. Like I don’t have to be. Like maybe, just maybe, this is the start of something more.

And that thought—you—is the last thing on my mind before I drift off.

– – –

Series Masterlist ♡ Joel Masterlist ♡ AO3

taglist: @cosmic006533-blog @ashleyfilm @theoraekenslover @moel-jiller

@dugiioh @eviestevie-14 @ghostofzion @joeldjarin @jupiter-soups

@koshkaj-blog @missladym @paleidiot @pattwtf @theoraekenslover

@pedritoferg @runningmom94 @serenadingtigers @sofiparallel @staywildflowahchild

@the-orange-tabby-cat @tuquoquebrute @witchofthedeepwoods @yassspose @rarachelchel

@am-3-thyst @joelinawrites @purpleprincess75

[maemelany]

RACING HEARTS - Part 2: MONACO I

Pairings: Lewis Hamilton x reader 

Summary: You and Lewis have been talking for a few weeks now, and he invited you to the Monaco GP. You can’t deny the attraction anymore. 

Warnings: smut – light but still smut 

Word count: 1.5k 

Series masterlist here

part 3 here

A/N: Part 1 of part 2 (I know it’s a mouthful) is here. It’s shorter, but since it’s divided into two parts, I thought it was okay to share it. I hope you’ll enjoy it. Let me know how you feel about it and if you want to be added to the tag list. 

Love, Mae. 

You were invited to the Cannes Festival. It was your third year attending, but this time, it felt different. 

The first time, you were scared to make a mistake or fail off the steps. The second time around, you were shocked to still be invited. You had more fun, but that feeling of not belonging was still present. This year, you were just having fun. You felt more confident, and you finally accepted that you deserved it. That your hard work was appreciated and that you belonged. 

It was also exciting because Cannes was not your final destination. You spent the first week there, climbing the stairs and attending a few parties for some sponsors, and then you were off to Monte-Carlo. 

You had not stopped talking to Lewis since the Miami race. It happened naturally, and you talked almost every day about anything and everything. 

You mentioned travelling to France for the Cannes Festival, and Lewis did not hesitate to ask if you would have time to come to his race. 

Of course, you said yes. You had to tweak some things in your schedule, but you could not deny to yourself that you were happy to see him again. 

You went from denying that something could happen to hoping something was indeed happening. 

You’d never been to Monte Carlo, so you enjoyed the view from the back of the car. It was night, so the city was shining, and the view did not disappoint. 

Monaco’s nightlife was known all over the world, but witnessing it was something else. It felt like everybody was out, having fun and wearing incredible outfits.  

Suddenly, you did not feel as overdressed as you first thought when you left your last event in Nice without changing to catch a helicopter to Monte-Carlo. 

When the car left you in front of the marina, you weren’t sure where to go. It was just a line of yachts, and you never asked Lewis where you were supposed to meet exactly. 

“Y/n!” 

You turned around, and there he was. You couldn’t help but smile as he approached you. He hugged you, and you embraced it without hesitation. He smelled so good. 

“I’m so glad you came. You look fantastic,” he said when he moved back 

“Thank you. You don’t look too bad yourself.” 

You weren’t lying. Lewis’s style was implacable and today was no exception. He smiled and extended his hand for you to hold it. You took it, your heart skipping another bit. 

“So, you said it was your first time in Monaco, right?” he asked you 

You nodded. “Yep. I never got the chance or the time to stop here. Plus, I don’t know anyone that lives here, and I don’t speak French.” 

“Now you do. I mean, my French is pretty bad, don’t get me wrong, but I’ll show you around.” 

You simply smiled, not sure what to say. Lewis then stopped in front of a beautiful, greyish yacht.

“I don’t know if you have a hotel room reserved, but we have rooms here if you want. I thought we could anchor out at sea for the night, and I’ll show you around the city tomorrow?” 

You thought about it for a few seconds. You did not have a room reserved, and you felt ashamed to admit it. You left Nice in a rush, and you were too busy during the past week to make arrangements. 

Lewis could see that you were spinning your wheels, so he guided you inside. 

“Let me show you around,” he said 

He showed you the yacht's common spaces. You could tell that he was passionate about it as he talked about how fast it could go and the updates they made to improve the boat.

You did not know much about boats, but his enthusiasm was contagious, and you found yourself asking questions. 

As the evening passed, you became more relaxed and even told him a few jokes about weird situations you found yourself in Cannes. 

There were also subtle touches. Lewis’s love language seemed to be physical touch, as he started to touch your arm distractedly as you two talked. 

“Did I tell you how beautiful you look tonight?” he asked you again after a peaceful blank in the conversation. 

You could feel your cheeks getting warm despite the fresh breeze on the upper deck. 

“You did, but I don’t mind you repeating yourself.” 

Lewis smiled.“Well, you look beautiful. And you smell amazing; what is it?” 

You opened your mouth, ready to share your perfume’s name, but he stopped you. “Let me try and guess it.” 

Before you could add something, he got closer. You could hear him breathe as his face got closer to your neck. 

“I’m going to say… there’s bergamot in it?” 

“Nope… try again” you whispered 

He got closer, his lips almost touching your neck now. 

“Vanilla?” 

You chuckled. “How do you go from bergamot to vanilla? They’re like, totally opposite.” 

“Hmm…” he said, now leaving tiny kisses on your neck 

You closed your eyes. It felt good. “Try one more time.” 

You could feel him grinning. You knew he would not guess it, but you didn’t want him to pull away.

“What do I get if I guess it?” he asked. 

Your smile broadened. There was no way he was going to guess it. “Anything you want” 

Lewis froze for a second but did not pull away. “Anything? That’s a big bet.” 

“Something’s telling me I’ll win anyway,” you said, your heart beating faster. 

He kissed your neck one more time; this time, you couldn’t help a small moan to escape your mouth.

“It’s musk. And there’s also a bit of Amber. Spices too” 

It was your turn to freeze. You opened your eyes and pulled away from him. The shock must have been plastered on your face because Lewis burst out laughing. 

“I guess I won,” he said when he calmed down 

 “How did you… you said bergamot first!” you asked, still in shock 

His mischievous smile you were growing to love was on. “How about I get my prize, and then I tell you my secret?” 

You almost forgot about that. You did say he could have anything he wanted if he guessed it right. 

“Okay, what do you want?” 

“How about I show you?” he said. “Come here.” 

The tone of his voice left no room for hesitation. You found yourself getting closer until your knees were touching. He was looking at you; everything you needed to know about how he felt or what he wanted was pretty clear. 

“Stop me if you don’t want it, but I’m about to kiss you. And I don’t know if I’ll be able to stop.” 

You opened your mouth and then closed it. Nobody had ever been so direct to you. 

“I want it,” you whispered. 

He softly touched your face, and you closed your eyes. You could feel his soft touch on your cheek, and then he stopped at your mouth, opening it with two fingers. 

“You’re so beautiful,” he whispered. 

You smiled, but it didn’t last, as you gasped right after. Lewis was kissing your neck again, but this time, it wasn’t soft kisses. You could feel the butterfly migrating to your stomach and then even lower.

“Lewis…” you whispered 

“Hmm?” he said, still giving attention to your neck.

“I…” you wanted more, but you couldn’t say it. Instead, you pushed your hands in his hair, pressing him closer. 

“I won, remember? I’m doing whatever I want, y/n.” 

His hands were everywhere. In your hair, on your face, your breasts. He was teasing you. You wanted him to kiss you. If you were honest with yourself, you wanted more than that. But he was taking his sweet time, working you until you couldn’t stop the moans from escaping your mouth. 

When he pressed your nipples harder, the thin fabric of your dress not posing any blockage, you lost it. You grabbed him closer as you could feel yourself getting closer. 

“Fuck…” he whispered and then made you climb his lap. 

You were still catching your breath when he pulled you up. You were now on his lap, feeling his erection between you. 

“Kiss me,” he said, looking at you. 

You did not hesitate and kissed him. It felt like home. Like you’ve been kissing for ages. It was soft at first but then got more intense as he pressed you closer to him. 

You started to move, straddling his lap as the kiss got deeper. You gasped when he pushed his hand between your thighs, under your dress. Without hesitating, Lewis parted your panties and plunged a finger into you. 

“Oh my god,” you whispered 

“Not him, all me,” he chuckled. “Say it, love.” 

“Lewis,” you moaned his name, gasping against his mouth when he added another finger. 

“That’s it, love, come for me.” 

It felt like it was all you were waiting for, him asking you to come. You curled your toes inside your high heels, squeezed your legs as much as you could and came. 

“Oh my god,” you managed to say in a shaky breath. 

Lewis smiled, softly kissing your temple. You stayed like that for what felt like forever, enjoying the breeze and Lewis caressing your back. 

“I’m taking it you’re staying the night,” he finally said 

You chuckled. You were staying. In fact, you didn’t just stay that night; you stayed the entire week. 

Tag list:

@carelessreadersstuff

[itsjunear]

Shadows and Whispers

Note: Hello loves! I'll try to be more active and post more often, maybe once a week (this is my proof that I'm trying 😀). It's really been a long week for me, but I truly appreciate and I'm so happy for the support the previous post received. I'm very grateful for the likes, reblogs, and comments 💙💙💙 I'm not sure if I should make a second part of that one, but in the meantime, here's this. I hope you enjoy it, and sorry if it's a mess! Again, remember that English is not my first language, but if there are any mistakes, don't hesitate to let me know! I’m leaving the song I wrote this with, the slow version sounds really good :)

P.S.: I’m not really sure if this would work in ACOTAR, but I don’t know, I just liked the idea.

Words: +1k

Warnings: none, slight mention of tension

Summary: Reader and Azriel are sent on an undercover mission where they must pretend to be a couple. Reader has unresolved feelings, and the closeness with the shadowsinger leaves her confused.

The Mother definitely had a twisted sense of humor.

I was certain that in this life, I was paying for each and every bad thing I had done in my previous ones. If not, what would be the point of all this?

I had to suppress the complaint lodged in my throat ever since I had left the meeting with Rhys and he had communicated his plans for the Autumn Court.

Why? Why did these things always happen to me?

I could have gone with Cassian, Mor, or even Amren. I wouldn’t have had any issue pretending to be the lover of one of them. But of course, I had to go and pretend with Azriel.

Rhys had received a formal invitation to a ball in the Autumn Court, but decided to send us instead to investigate the political situation surrounding that entire red-haired family and how the stir was being perceived by the court’s nobles. Evidently, we were supposed to look as distracted as possible to catch any murmurs here and there, and the simplest way to do that was by pretending we were simply there to enjoy the evening as a couple in love.

Fantastic, I thought.

"I try to respect your privacy and not intrude on your thoughts" I heard Rhys’s voice in my head "but the way you’re shouting them, I could hear them even from the scraps of the Spring Court."

I grimaced but didn’t respond, letting the anger fill my mind so that he could feel it.

"Why are you so… irritated?" I heard him ask with genuine curiosity, and I sighed.

Rhys could dig just a little and find the reason, but he would never dare. Not without my permission.

"What do you care" I barked mentally, sulking.

I’d apologize later for speaking to my High Lord like that, but right now, I could feel the smoke coming out of my ears, and I guessed he could too because a laugh echoed in my mind before it simply vanished.

"Idiot" was the last thing I thought before raising my mental walls and reinforcing them with everything I had.

By the Cauldron, what was the problem? Well, for starters, I wasn’t in love with Cassian or Mor.

Hell, I had even suggested going with Amren to avoid going through this. Going undercover with Cassian was impossible—Nesta’s scent was all over him, and it wasn’t a secret that he had a mate. Mor was in the Winter Court visiting Viviane, and Amren… well, she was busy with Varian.

So that only left the shadowsinger and me free. Plus, neither of us was involved with anyone publicly, so we were the perfect candidates.

This time I didn’t suppress the groan of exasperation as I headed to my own room in the House of the River. I missed the company of the House of Wind, but now that Cassian and Nesta were there, it was impossible for me to stay—for the sake of my mental health, I fled that place. So I sighed and nearly cried when I reached my bed, bracing myself and trying to find the strength to endure what would happen in a few days.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Two nights had passed. Two damned nights sleeping like shit, practicing a mask of indifference and composure that I clearly didn’t feel.

I had also been more sensitive than usual, so I tried to avoid everyone, including Azriel. However, I saw Cassian every morning at training, and although I felt him casting strange glances at me, anticipating my mood, he didn’t ask about it. For that, I was grateful.

In a few hours, Azriel and I would be on our way to the Autumn Court, and I was just trying to control my breathing to avoid panicking. Even now, my hands were shaking so much I couldn’t fasten the endless buttons on the back of the pretty midnight blue dress, adorned with some crystals at the top and quite fitted from the waist down. Courtesy of Rhys.

A knock on the door distracted me from the mission, and holding the top of the dress to my chest, I opened it to come face to face with the man I had been avoiding with all my might.

I had to restrain myself from shrinking away upon seeing him in all his glory—not dressed in Illyrian leathers, but in a formal suit the same color as my dress, fitted in all the right places that made him look out of this world. If you added the large wings behind his back, the stoic hazel gaze, and the tendrils of shadows that surrounded him, giving him a mysterious and irresistible air… My breath faltered a bit.

He scanned me from head to toe as well, and the shiver that ran through me was completely involuntary. His gaze burned, but I did nothing to break the silence in which we were immersed.

"You look… beautiful" he finally said, hesitating a bit.

I swallowed hard and looked away, unsure of how to act. I had never been shy about receiving compliments, but when they came from him, they managed to destabilize me.

"Thanks" I whispered "You look great too."

Azriel nodded, and I saw his eyes drift to my chest, right where my hands were holding the dress.

"I need help with the buttons" I said in a tired tone.

He nodded again and entered my room, closing the door slowly. His shadows roamed freely, and I felt one of them caress my braided hair, making me smile.

"Sorry" Azriel apologized as he gestured for me to turn around.

I shook my head.

"I like them" I replied with a smile that died the moment I felt his fingers touch the exposed skin of my back.

"And they like you" he answered in his usual calm tone.

I didn’t respond, fearing my voice would tremble, and I focused on avoiding my skin from tingling wherever his touched. I even resorted to thinking about the painful blows to the stomach that Cassian gave during training when Azriel’s hands brushed dangerously low on my back.

I knew he also noticed the tension by the way his wings were tucked, but he didn’t say anything. Finally, I released the breath I had been holding once he finished and he removed his hands, though a strange sense of loss invaded me. Nevertheless, I ignored it.

A moment later, I turned around and faced him, tilting my head back to meet his eyes now that we were so close.

"Rhys told me you had certain… reservations about this" he broke the silence, looking at me with a calm expression.

Of course, he had told him.

I almost scoffed.

I opened my mouth to respond, but he interrupted me.

"We won’t do anything you haven’t consented to or that makes you uncomfortable"

I frowned.

"Of course I know that, Az. It’s just that I doubt this will work" I responded, smoothing out my dress a little.

It wasn’t entirely a lie. Though that wasn’t the main reason. It all boiled down to the fact that doing this with him made me nervous.

"It will" he reassured me. "Rhys and I have evaluated all the scenarios. We are the most credible for this plan. Just trust me"

I nodded, though I couldn’t shake the slight anxiety of having him so close.

The shadow from before wrapped around my arm, making me smile again. Even though the touch was cold, it didn’t feel strange, so I didn’t fear playing with it with one of my fingers, not realizing I was practically brushing Azriel’s wing membrane until I noticed his shiver and the way his breath escaped him. I quickly pulled my hand away and looked at him only to find him with his eyes shut and the rest of his shadows slightly agitated.

"I’m sorry, Az" I apologized. "I’m so sorry"

I knew how reserved the Illyrians were about their wings and how they shouldn’t be touched, so his silence only increased the unease brewing inside me.

"It’s fine" he replied slowly after a moment. "It’s nothing" but I could see him swallowing hard.

I bit the inside of my cheek but said nothing more.

"We should go now" he spoke after a moment.

I nodded and took one of his hands, preparing to pretend I was in love with him, according to that stupid plan. When in reality, I would stop pretending I wasn't, for a moment.

That was what terrified me—letting my feelings out and not being able to hide them again after tonight.

But there was no turning back now.

"Ready?"

No.

"Yes" I responded with the steadiest tone I could muster.

He gave me a deep look before I felt the shadows envelop us, and soon the room lit up, leaving us at the entrance of the grand hall of the Autumn Court.

Then, I let go of one of his hands and gently brought it to his cheek, trying to convey my intentions. He held my gaze for a second before bending obediently, giving me the opportunity to leave a chaste kiss on his lips.

The sensations exploded inside me, but I held back. This was a mission, I reminded myself. So why did his hand immediately curve around my waist?

This is just a mission, I repeated.

I pulled away a moment later, smiling softly at him. Before we both straightened up.

I supposed we had made it quite clear that we were together by kissing in front of all these people. I made sure to do it at the entrance so everyone would see, and I guessed Az understood too by the slight squeeze he gave my hand.

I looked at him one last time, letting a bit of my love for him escape. And then I turned towards the crowd, with a bright smile.

All right, the game had begun.

List of tags: @favsrachz @kennedy-brooke @rafeecameronsbitch @cleverzonkwombatsludge @latinxbipride @highladyofhogawarts @mp-littlebit @andreperez11 @rcarbo1 @janebirkln @olive-main @sillyfreakfanparty @clementine111002 @thoughtdaughtersworld @blessthepizzaman @littleblackcatinwonderland @sizzlingstarlightsky @historygeekqueen @thebeautifulmysteriesoflife

Let me know if you want to be added to the list of tags!

[buckylovinglokivariant]

Casual >> Johnny Storm

pairing: johnny storm x popstar!reader (no use of y/n)

word count: 3.7k+

summary: Johnny always meant to keep it casual with you but unfortunately for him, he wasn't so good at sticking to his word this time.

warnings: angst, johnny being his asshole self, hopeful ending

a/n: big thanks to my beta reader, mati! love you so much. her idea for a summary was "manwhore fucks around and finds out" which i thought deserved an honorable mention. this fic was inspired by my (believe it or not) first watch of fantastic four so enjoy and don't forget to reblog!

read part 2 here!

Johnny did not want to be here. Not here as in at a concert, Johnny loved concerts. Loud music, hot girls pressed right up against him as they either tried to flirt with him or get closer to the stage (both were fine by him), and lots of recognition from giggly blonde things that liked to cling to him in photo-ops. All that stuff was fine by him, truly. What he did mind was that it was your concert he was at. He hadn’t spoken to you in months, not that his sister or Reed or Ben knew that. To them, you just weren’t around the Baxter Building as much because you’d been on tour. But the truth Johnny had been avoiding since you blocked his number was going to be difficult to ignore when he was watching you sing your heart out for the next two hours.

Susan had been raving about this concert since before the tour had even been announced to the public. You’d told her about it yourself, offering up four tickets for the whole fantastic Reed-Storm-Grimm family to go. It was a few weeks before you and Johnny fought so you were still around their home all the time, hanging out with Johnny or even just with his sister or on occasion, even Reed or Ben. Johnny watched from across the room as you confessed to his sister how much you would miss spending time with them while you were on tour, so they just had to come and see you perform when you were back in New York. The tickets were special, you’d said–they would give them wristbands and let them backstage to see you after the show. Susan had been thrilled. Johnny, not so much.

You’d been going out for months out of the public eye, at Johnny’s behest. “It’s just casual anyway so what does it matter?” he always insisted. He knew it bothered you whenever he said it but stupidly, selfishly he kept saying it anyway. When it all blew up in his face, Johnny really hoped his sister would forget about the tickets altogether. Boy, was he wrong. And he’d insisted to his family for months that you were just friends so he couldn’t exactly use the excuse that you’d broken up, now could he?

It wasn’t until you were nearing the end of your set that your eyes found Johnny’s and you both froze. Thankfully you were between numbers so you were able to get your bearings quickly and continue thanking the crowd for their enthusiasm, but when you caught his eye a second time very much on purpose before holding your pointer finger up to the audience and then strutting upstage to talk to your band, Johnny’s stomach turned to lead. When you turned back around, you were looking at anyone but him.

“So the band and I were talking and we really want to thank you for being such a fantastic audience tonight. I mean, obviously I can stand up here and say ‘thank you’ a hundred times but I really don’t feel like that’s enough, you know? So to thank you, we wanted to give you guys a fun surprise. How does that sound?”

Everyone except Johnny squealed with excitement.

“I’ve been working on a new song the last few months while touring. And if it’s okay with you, I’d really like to sing it for you live for the very first time right now. Is that okay with you?”

If not for the sudden feeling of cotton in his ears, Johnny would have had to cover them with his hands with how loud the audience around him screamed. When you next locked eyes with him, you were smirking into the mic. Johnny gulped.

“This song is called ‘Casual.’”

Oh shit.

My friends call me a loser / 'Cause I'm still hanging around / I've heard so many rumors / That I'm just a girl that you bang on your couch

I thought you thought of me better / Someone you couldn't lose / You said, "We're not together" / So now when we kiss, I have anger issues

ELEVEN MONTHS AGO:

If you asked Johnny, he wouldn’t have been able to tell you what the gala was for. It was probably some fundraiser for charity or other that Reed organized so they could stay relevant, but Johnny had been to enough of them to know he wouldn’t be the one talking about anything of substance anyway, so he’d long since stopped paying attention. Normally these sorts of things were boring. The people with real money were the old, boring white collars with no personality aside from their wine and boat-in-a-bottle collections. Fortunately for Johnny though, this particular event seemed to be much more laid-back–younger crowds, louder music, shittier alcohol. And if there was a party, Johnny always had to be at the center of it. So there he was on a Friday night, getting drunk off his ass and grinding to the music with New York’s young elite.

He couldn’t tell you why you in particular stood out to him. There probably was a reason at some point but he was much too drunk at the time for it to stick in his mind for long. All he knows is that one moment he was standing at the bar and the next, he was downing the rest of Ben’s drink (ignoring the consequent protests), handing him back the glass, and making his way over to you. You were standing on the outskirts of the room, surrounded by similarly young and attractive girls who were chatting your ear off (or maybe it was the other way around). He wordlessly sidled up next to you, slipping an arm easily around your waist. You turned your head just enough to side-eye him, but you reluctantly allowed the gesture.

“Do I know you?” You asked stand-offishly.

“Nope,” he popped the ‘p’ obnoxiously, “but you will. Can I talk to you for a minute?”

You looked over to your friends for approval and while they looked as suspicious as you, they generally shrugged in acquiescence.

“I don’t see why not.”

You looked him up and down appraisingly, handing off your drink to the girl next to you and allowing him to lead you across the room to a hidden corner.

“So? What did you so urgently need to pull me aside for?” You crossed your arms, stepping just out of his reach.

“Why so suspicious?” He raised his hands in surrender. “I just wanted to ask where you got that dress from.”

You cocked an eyebrow and he watched you search his face for an ulterior motive. Apparently finding none, you replied: “It’s Armani.”

“Armani?” He repeated, raising his eyebrows with intrigue. “Damn. It’s beautiful.”

You waited impatiently for the punchline.

“Would look better on my floor though,” he winked.

“There it is,” you rolled your eyes, unimpressed, before turning back toward your friends.

“Hey, come on!” He stepped in front of you, stretching his hands out to stop you. “Don’t be like that. Can’t blame a guy for trying.”

“If you want to sleep with me, Johnny Storm, you’re going to have to try harder than that.”

“Full name!” He smirked, pleased. “I wasn’t sure you knew who I was for a second there.”

“I could spot your hot head from a mile away, Storm. And if I couldn’t, the terrible pickup line would have given you away.”

“Ouch,” he jokingly clutched at his chest. “Go figure. What’s your name, sweetheart?”

You leaned to the side to peek at your friends over his shoulder before sighing and giving him your name.

“Oh, shit. Like the singer?”

You nodded your head slowly, mockingly.

“Well damn, I really did hit the jackpot, didn’t I?”

“You know who I am?” You questioned him, not expecting him to enjoy your style of music.

“Duh, my sister won’t stop playing your music,” he tried to deflect onto Susan.

“And you know that because…?” You pushed.

He froze before awkwardly moving to rub at the back of his neck. “Because I… maybe… have listened to a few songs myself.”

“So the Johnny Storm is a fan,” you nodded, pleased with the revelation. “I’ll be sure to tell my publicist.”

“How about a deal?”

He took a risk and stepped toward you. You let him, though you pinched your eyebrows with skepticism.

“Go on.”

“You can tell your publicist whatever you want as long as you let me take you out of this place.”

You watched his cocky resolve flicker behind his eyes as you walked toward him, not stopping until your chest was pressed fully against his. You craned your neck to press your mouth right up against his ear.

“Only if you let me take you out of that suit afterwards.”

You’d be lying if you tried to pretend that was the last and only time you saw him. As much as you tried to resist (which admittedly wasn’t much), you continued seeing him. It was purely physical at first, him calling you at ridiculous times at night to fulfill a need or vice versa. But eventually, you found yourself seeking him out for reasons other than the physical. You craved his company so you’d invite him over for dinner or a movie, just in the privacy of your own apartment. When you finally visited the Baxter Building, it was only on the condition that you would be in-and-out and no one would see you. He’d been successful in sneaking you up to his room without anyone seeing. It was the getting you out that failed.

“Johnny, dinner!” A woman’s voice called and Johnny jolted away from your lips.

“Shit,” he muttered. “I gotta go.”

You blinked a couple of times, struggling to pull yourself out of the floaty headspace you always fell into when kissing Johnny.

“What?”

“You gotta go,” he grabbed your hand, pulling you up off the bed. “Come on, I’ll sneak you back out.”

You snatched your purse up off the floor as Johnny tugged you toward the bedroom door, opening it to make sure the coast was clear before dragging you quietly toward the front elevator. He’d just pressed the call button when the same female voice from before called out.

“Johnny, what are you doing over there?” The voice got louder as footsteps approached and Johnny shoved your hand away, covering his face with a groan. “I just told you that dinner was–.”

A beautiful blonde woman who bore some resemblance to Johnny turned the corner and did a double take when she saw you.

“Oh my god, you’re–!”

“Yes, hi, guilty as charged,” you giggled nervously. “It’s lovely to meet you.”

You stepped forward, outstretching a hand for her to shake.

“So you’re the girl Johnny’s been sneaking out to see!” She shook your hand with enthusiasm. “It’s so lovely to meet you! Please, you have to stay for dinner. I’ll have Ben set out an extra place for you.”

“We’re not together,” Johnny butted in, shattering the moment.

“What?” The blonde woman turned to face him, confusion glimmering across her face as you burned red with shame.

“We’re not together,” he reiterated. “Whatever you’re thinking… we’re just friends.”

“Oh,” she gasped, turning back to you. “Well, um, you’re still welcome to stay.”

“I would love to stay,” you smiled at her, embarrassment still burning at the back of your throat.

And as she pulled you away, you couldn’t help but turn around and glare daggers at Johnny before rounding the corner.

You said, "Baby, no attachment" / But we're / Knee deep in the passenger seat, and you're eating me out / Is it casual now? / Two weeks, and your mom invites me to her house on Long Beach / Is it casual now?

I know what you tell your friends / It's casual, if it's casual now / Then, baby, get me off again / If it's casual, it's casual now

TEN-AND-A-HALF MONTHS AGO:

You were in his car, one of the many but you couldn’t say which one this one was. It was dark when he picked you up in it and now you were god-knows-where, the passenger seat fully reclined as you laid half on top of him on it. You were tracing random patterns on his bare chest when he spoke.

“I’m gonna be away for a while.”

You stopped tracing.

“What?”

“She’s got a house on Long Beach,” he elaborated vaguely.

“Your mom?” It was a shot in the dark. You’d never spoken about his home life, nor yours. You didn’t do much speaking when you were together so you only knew about the people you’d met when you had dinner at the Baxter Building. He paused at your question, though you didn’t know why.

“My sister," he clarified. "She’s going up for a few weeks and me and her fiancé are going with her.”

“That sounds fun,” you remarked offhandedly.

“Yeah,” he snorts and you eye him, confused at what was so funny. “They told me to invite you, actually.”

You couldn't help the smile that crept onto your face.

“Johnny, I would love to–.”

“I told them you were busy.”

And then the smile was gone.

“Oh.”

It was silent for a moment, neither of you moving, both of you hardly breathing.

“Do you want me to take you home?”

“Not yet.”

You leaned up and kissed him again, drowning out the emotional turmoil that was rapidly threatening to consume your thoughts.

Dumb love, I love being stupid / Dream of us in a year / Maybe we'd have an apartment / And you'd show me off to your friends at the pier

TEN MONTHS AGO:

You hadn’t seen or heard from Johnny in a couple of weeks. Sure, he said he would be gone for a few weeks but you knew he had your number, which meant was a choice not to call you, not an inability to. Maybe you were just being stupid. You’d only been going out for a month, after all. And even calling it “going out” was a stretch. You had to face the truth at some point–you were just one of his conquests. He probably wasn’t even in Long Beach. He probably just needed an excuse to stop seeing you.

But as much as you tried to convince yourself of your idiocy, you couldn’t help but imagine having a life with him. You could get an apartment together or even just move into the Baxter Building with him. Either way, you wouldn’t mind. Maybe you could even have both and switch between them whenever you felt like it. Maybe next time he’d bring you to the Long Beach house and show you off to his family and whatever friends he probably had there.

Stop it, you scolded yourself. You’re being delusional. You have to move on.

That was when he knocked on your apartment door.

I know, "Baby, no attachment" / But we're / Knee deep in the passenger seat and you're eating me out / Is it casual now? / Two weeks and your mom invites me to her house on Long Beach / Is it casual now? / I know what you tell your friends / It's casual, if it's casual now / Then baby, get me off again / If it's casual, oh, oh, oh

It's hard being casual / When my favorite bra lives in your dresser / And it's hard being casual / When I'm on the phone talking down your sister

SIX MONTHS AGO:

“Please tell me he’s not with you,” Susan begged you over the phone. “Or that he is! Honestly, at this point I don’t know which is worse.”

Johnny watched you with amusement from where he was sprawled out across your sheets, naked as the day he was born. He definitely either saw Susan’s name pop up on your screen or heard her voice from across the room. Either way, he knew exactly who had called you and why.

“Uh… I’m not sure how to answer that question.”

You put a finger to your lips, making sure Johnny stayed quiet, before putting her on speaker.

“Well, if Johnny just so happens to be there, would you please remind him that we have a very public, very live television appearance that he’s supposed to attend which starts in twenty minutes.”

You caught Johnny’s eye and inwardly swore when you saw the sudden panic enveloping his face. He leapt out of bed, reaching for his own phone, and started whispering a chant of curse words when he saw what time it was. You threw your phone on your bed, ignoring Susan’s questions about what the noise was, and began throwing Johnny’s clothes from the floor at him. As he dressed himself, you began searching through your wardrobe for an outfit of your own that wouldn’t make it obvious from the wrinkles what you had been up to just before rushing to the studio.

“Um, yeah, I don’t know where he is, Susan. So sorry. But if I happen to see him or um, am able to get him on the phone, I’ll make sure to let him know.”

“Oh, god, I’m going to kill him the next time I see him. I swear, I’m going to take his phone away for a month!”

“You can’t do that, I’m an adult!” Johnny retorted absentmindedly as he fastened his belt before freezing.

“Jonathan Lowell Spencer Storm!” Susan bellowed from the other end of the phone.

“Damn it, Johnny!” You cursed him out as you desperately searched your wardrobe for your favorite bra.

“It’s in my dresser,” he reminded you, picking the phone up from your bed and handing it to you. “I’ll go. You stay here.”

“Johnny–,” you began to protest.

“I’ll get there faster if I flame on by myself anyway. I’ll see you later.”

He kissed your cheek before running out the door.

“Five minutes or I’m kicking your ass, Johnny!” Susan called after him.

“Susan, I am so sorry," you apologized on his behalf. "We lost track of time–.”

She just sighed.

“It’s not your fault. My brother is… not the most responsible person in the world, to say the least.”

You snorted.

“To say the least, yeah.”

“Okay, he’s a total blockhead.”

“You can say that again,” you rolled your eyes affectionately.

“But I love him,” Susan added. “And so do you, if I’m reading it correctly.”

“What!” You screeched. “No, I don’t. That’s ridiculous. I would never… Johnny’s…”

“He feels the same way about you, if it helps.”

“No, he doesn’t,” you replied honestly. “And even if he did, he would never admit it so I’ll take what I can get.”

“Hey–.”

“It’s fine, Susan. Have a good interview. I look forward to seeing it.”

You hung up.

And I try to be the chill girl / That holds her tongue and gives you space / I try to be the chill girl / But honestly, I'm not

THREE MONTHS AGO:

“I can’t do this anymore, Johnny.”

Johnny couldn’t tell you what had started the argument. To be perfectly honest, he’d thought the night had been going really well. He’d taken you to a fancy restaurant to celebrate right before you left for your big tour. You were in a secluded booth in the corner where no one would recognize you or even see you and… oh.

“Do what?” He blinked, forcing the lighthearted smile to remain on his face.

“Do this,” You gestured to the restaurant around you. “Going out on dates and pretending like everything is fine.”

“I thought everything was fine,” Johnny protested.

“It’s not, Johnny!” You smacked your hands on the table causing the silverware to clank together. “It never has been!”

“Tell me how you really feel,” he grumbled under his breath.

“Johnny, you can’t just… introduce me to your family, and kiss me, and take me on dates for months and then pretend like there’s nothing there. Like there’s nothing between us. I can’t… I can’t go on tour for six months wondering how you feel about me–if you think about me, if you’re waiting for me, if you’ll even want me when I come back.”

“I told you at the beginning, baby. I’m a no-attachment kind of guy.”

“Well, it doesn’t feel very no-attachment, Johnny!” You snapped at him and his jaw snapped shut. “Look, I try to be the chill girl that holds her tongue and gives you space when you need it but honestly? I’m not. I’m not like that, Johnny. I love you, and if you don’t love me back then I think we’re done.”

“You think we’re done?”

“That’s all you have to say? After all that?”

Well, Johnny never claimed not to be an asshole. And he certainly never did things halfway.

“Well I don’t love you, so if that’s how you feel then maybe you should just go.”

You sat there, panting, choking back the tears you refused to let him see if he was going to treat you like that after everything you’d been through over the last eight months.

“Go to hell, Johnny Storm.”

You grabbed your coat and purse and ran out of the restaurant. That was the last time he saw you.

Knee deep in the passenger seat, and you're eating me out / Two weeks, and your mom invites me to her Long Beach house / I know what you tell your friends / Baby, get me off again

I fucked you in the bathroom when we went to dinner / Your parents at the table, you wonder why I'm bitter / Bragging to your friends, I get off when you hit it / I hate to tell the truth, but I'm sorry, dude, you didn't / I hate that I let this drag on so long, now I hate myself / Hate that I let this drag on so long, you can go to hell

PRESENT:

It was the last thing you’d said to him. “Go to hell.” He deserved it, in all honesty. It was true that he’d never been one for attachment. Meeting you, sleeping with you, continuing to see you even when he knew it was a bad idea, it was all the biggest mistake he’d ever made. But he hadn’t been able to stop thinking about you since you walked out on him, and seeing you up there onstage just cemented it–it was also the best mistake he’d ever made. And as he looked down at the wristband adorning his wrist, he made a vow to himself: He was going to fix things with you. No matter what it took.

[margowritesthings]

Good Luck, Babe!

pairing: Eloise Bridgerton x f!reader word count: 2394 words listen along authors note: I don't know what came over me with this one- I NEVER write just angst but here it is I guess🥲🥲 I just felt like Chappell is so Eloise x reader coded. I hope you enjoy! As always, big thank you to @cowboydisaster for beta-ing💙

Dearest El,

I have departed London. As this letter will be arriving some weeks after I have departed London, and owing to your brilliant mind, I am sure you will have worked that out by now. I can only apologise for my disappearance and complete lack of correspondence, when Mama received word of Aunt Petunia’s illness, she made so much haste I barely had time to pack a quill. 

I hope with all my heart I can return to you soon. As much as the London season pains me, you bring the most incredible medicine in your company, one that I long to drink up every drop of.

As the atmosphere here in the country gets ever more mournful, the hope that I can soon be with you brightens. I feel so terribly guilty for not being as consumed by grief as the rest of my family, however I mourn every second missed by your side much more than a lifetime of a woman I never knew. 

My heart longs for more stolen moments soon,

Yours, always.

Meanwhile, at almost the exact same instant… 

My dear Miss Bridgerton,

We have been corresponding now for quite some time, and although we have never formally met, I feel as if I know you.

Forgive me if I am too bold, but I am writing to invite you to visit me. It is my hope that we might decide that we will suit, and you will consent to be my wife.

—Sir Phillip Crane

“A… A husband? You are engaged?!”

You can’t be sure you heard right for the rushing of blood in your ears and the shattering of your heart in your chest. A broken heart always sounded so metaphorical, fantastical imagery to describe an emotion. But this pain is so very real, and it hurts so badly it takes everything you have not to let your knees buckle beneath you. 

“Perhaps… we could discuss this in private?” Eloise says, and even though you see her lips moving in time to the words you hear, it doesn’t sound like her. Not the girl you grew up with, the woman you love with all your heart. Everything has changed, in all of 4 seconds. 

The pointed tone she yields makes you remember yourself, finding half a dozen other Bridgertons looking back at the two of you. There’s tension knitted between each of their brows, the resemblance in the family so striking when they’re all gazing at you with the exact same confused expression. You can’t blame them, it is a rather intense reaction for a young lady when she finds out her best friend is betrothed.

They could never know how much more you are.

How much you thought you were.

Eloise pulls at your arm, and you comply like wet clay between her fingers. The shock is really settling in your bones now, and your lip wobbles with emotion you cannot spend in front of her family. She guides you, and you’re soon both in the library, the heavy door shut and locked behind you.

Your first instinct is to resent her for bringing you here, of all places, to talk about this. This damned library, with more memories stuffed in it than books. Of stolen kisses between chapters, nervous confessions beside the fireplace, learning each and every secret the other holds in their mind, and every single inch of their body. This library was your sanctuary only months ago, and now Eloise has brought you in here to break your heart.

The silence hangs between you, Eloise’s blush lips parting and closing. You’ve never seen her like this, with so much sadness in her eyes it scares you. 

“I… I feared we had been discovered.”

You can’t argue that. It would have been the easiest explanation to come to, with what happened. One day, you’re in London in the middle of the social season, stealing away from balls to press your lover against Lady Trowbridge’s bookshelves and make her moan your name in just the way you like. The next, you’d disappeared without a trace. How was she to know the circumstances? It makes sense now, that she never wrote you back. She wasn’t even in London to receive your correspondence.

“You quit London with all your family, not a trace of you. Not even a mention in Whistledown, for God's sake. I was so worried that perhaps your Papa had discovered that we were… our secret,”

She can’t even say it aloud. 

“And that he’d shipped you off to the country. I thought we’d both be ruined and… I was scared. Scared that I had lost you and that-” 

“Scared that you had lost me and your first instinct was to marry somebody else?!” You spit, all the hurt you had to hide when the first blow hit in the drawing room rising to the surface. “You thought I had been carted off to the country and the first thing you do is find yourself a husband to save your own skin?!”

You’re being ugly and hurtful and you know it, but you’re hurting too. There’s a palpable pain all over, and it’s affecting your ability to hold onto your composure. 

But the way Eloise flinches at your rebuttal is all the more painful. In the candlelight, you spot the tear tracks down her cheeks, and it takes everything not to close the distance between you and swipe them away with your thumb. You’d kiss each cheek softly, feeling just how soft her skin is. Oh, how you’ve missed how soft her skin is… 

Your feet seem to work of their own accord for a moment, toes icing forward, but you pull yourself back, perch yourself on the desk to anchor you down. If you go to her now, you’re not sure you could ever let her go, and she has a fiancé now. 

“It wasn’t like that.” She admits, her voice so weak now. It feels so wrong, like the Earth should be hanging upside down. Even then, your El would cling on with a smile, but this is so much worse than that because she’s crumbling too. She takes a deep, steadying breath, but it does little good.

“I had been corresponding with him for a few months… I knew his wife, Marina, her and Colin were once betrothed and she… well, it does not signify. It was just a letter of condolence, but then he replied, and one thing led to another and you were gone and I didn’t know if you were coming back and-” She’s rambling, words tumbling from her lips and each one a deeper cut than the last and you just can’t listen to all the sordid details anymore.

“Do you love him?” You interrupt, your question asked if it is the most simple in the world when, really, it is anything but. Seconds seem to stretch to hours, Eloise choking on her words and fighting with herself to finally shake her head no.

“It is a marriage of convenience. Sir Phillip is a widower. He has children who need a mother and I… they need me.”

But I need you.

You could tell her that. You could lay your heart out, tell her her place is right here, next to you, but you’re terrified. The chance you have of walking away from this night with your heart in one piece and your soulmate by your side is dwindling by the second. You’re losing her, and the fear turns to ugliness. 

“And that is what you wish to be, now? His wife, their mother?” You spit the titles out as if they are a curse, “What about-”

“What about what? Growing old together as spinsters, those strange ladies who live together in the country and see nobody? The ones who not just ruined themselves with the scandal, but their entire families?! At least I can be his wife. I can be their mother. It’s legal, and accepted, and perhaps that has never mattered to me before, but you left, and I didn’t know when you were coming back and Phillip was there and offering me a place to go and and I… I had to be realistic. Stop living in this fantasy.”

The word ricochets inside you, cracking bones, puncturing organs and leaving you bleeding out in front of her. Fantasy. 

All those long hours reading together, discovering parts of the world nobody would teach two young ladies.

A fantasy.

Your first kiss, hidden from the heavens under the covers of a thunderstorm, discovering other things they’d never teach you.

A fantasy.

That first time, and the next, and the next, and every time after that, skin to skin, bodies so connected you couldn’t tell where one of you ended and the other began. 

Moaning each others names, decorations of love and passion and lust and everything in between tying you both together for what seemed like forever. 

The plans you had to escape to the countryside together, away from anybody who could ever keep you apart.

A fantasy A fantasy A fantasy

The feeling of absolute inadequacy starts to creep in, until you realise it isn’t you Eloise is giving up on, it’s her. 

“This isn’t who you are, El…” You whisper, all the energy and fury in your own words dying off. You’re devastated, not just for yourself, but because you know who Eloise Bridgerton is, and the woman in front of you is letting her down.

She meets your eye, and you do all you can not to lose yourself in those sad, grey pools that tell you everything her words are not. 

“What if it is? It is how every other woman is, is it not? Why should I be so different? What we do- what we did- isn’t how it is supposed to be done and you know it. It could have been nothing- a blip. What if… if I’m not actually like that and I just hadn’t…” The words die in her throat, and you know it’s because she doesn’t mean them. So much so you’re not even hurt by it. She feels just as you do, that tether between you just as tense on both ends, but denial is rearing its ugly head now, and you’re powerless to it.

Eloise takes in a deep breath, sighing it back out as if it will settle her nerves. But you see the way she tugs at her own fingernails, the way her feet shift every other second. She’s nervous. She’s lying, and you don’t know who’s benefit it is for. 

“You can say that we are nothing, but you and I both know the truth, Eloise. You would have to burn the world down for what is between us to cease.

One day, you will wake up in the dead of night and you will realise you are a wife to a man you do not love, a mother to children that are not yours. You will have walked into another woman’s life, a life you do not want, because you think that whatever this is between us will cease, that whatever resides inside of you will simply disappear… Eloise, I promise you now that it will not.

You’ll still love me, all those years from now, I swear to you that you will, and even if you don’t, there will be another but you know it will not be him… Please, El, I beg of you not to do this. Not just for me, but for you. Do not rob yourself of who you truly are because you are scared, please do not do this-”

You don’t know when you started crying, nor when you allowed yourself to finally close the distance between you and Eloise and grab hold of her hands as you beg for her life. She’s too limp in your grip, the fight burning in her already extinguished.

“It… It does not signify. I have already married him.” 

A final blow knocks you back a few paces, from the one you thought you knew so well.

The one you truly didn’t know at all. 

No, you knew your El. You knew Eloise Bridgerton, who had two sugars in her tea and fought harder than anyone else in London for what she believed in. 

You do not know Eloise Crane. 

Not one bit.

“I see.” You choke on the two little repeated syllables, packing thousands more into their subtext. Weaving in the pain and betrayal, wrapping them around the confession that even after all this, you still love her. Maybe she finds those secrets in your short sentence, it’s impossible to tell with this faux composure she’s clinging onto. 

“It all moved so quickly. He asked me to visit him, and my brothers… Well, you know how they are. They believed he compromised me, so we… I… I am sorry. Truly, I never meant to hurt you… It all got away from me.” There’s a weakness in her final sentence that leads you to think perhaps Eloise didn't have much of a say in the matter at all. It makes you angry, furious that these men who claim to love her, her own family, would steal away her future like this. Would steal her away from you.

You want to scream. You want to cry. You want to storm up to Anthony Bridgerton and give him a piece of your mind, but El is right. None of it signifies anymore, because the deed is done. 

Eloise Crane will live the rest of her life within a lie.

And so, it seems, will you. 

She’s openly sobbing now, the two paces backwards you took in the aftershock feeling like miles and miles now. 

“I’m so sorry…” 

And then, so quiet you could have missed it for your own heartbeat,

“I love you.”

It feels as natural as breathing to say it back. You have done, thousands of times. From written into letters left hidden under pillows to moaned voices in each other's ears.

This time, though, the words get stuck. They mutate, catching all that pain build up inside you on their way out and becoming bitter. 

“I wish you the very best of luck with your new family, Lady Crane.”

You try not to look back, but it is awfully difficult.

[twohearts-hs]

Always & Forever One - Marshall Mathers x Reader Series

Words: 2.3k

Pairings: Marshall Mathers x Fem!Reader Series

Synopsis;: They loved each other with every fibre and being. They knew that they were meant to be together, but it seemed like every obstacle came in the way. She was twenty-one, he was forty and they knew that it would be hard. Therefore, they promised forever and always as they were meant to be together despite every turmoil that came their way.

Warnings: Swearing, Alcohol & smoking. More warnings will come throughout the series.

|| Masterlist for Series ||

Hope you enjoy :)

May 2012

Y/N was utterly and devotedly late. Never in her life had she been so late for a job. However, she came straight from the diner and believed she had a fifteen-minute turnaround but with traffic and Miranda being late to cover the rest of the night, she was utterly and terribly late.

Throwing her jeans and tee into the hamper, Y/N ran around the studio apartment looking for a black outfit for the catering event. That was the uniform – all black and it did not help that she was two weeks behind in laundry.

“Fuck it,” she whispered as she grabbed the black dress pants and a turtleneck. It stunk lightly of body odour and sweat, but with deodorant and perfume, no one would know.

Y/N threw the clothes on, grabbed her sneakers and ran out of the door before jumping on public transport.

She needed this job. It was the summer and between her summer classes and the two jobs, she was a busy girl. However, she had to maintain her grades to keep her scholarship and additionally, she had bills to pay. 

Y/N moved to Detroit three years ago to complete her degree in art history at the local university. It was a move she never expected as she was from a small town in Canada, however, she was a star field hockey player and had stellar grades. Universities were lining up for her to come to their institution. It was a choice between the local university on Vancouver Island, Michigan and Los Angeles.

The idea of being in a hot climate, tourism and above all a city filled with celebrities sounded dreadful. The idea of staying on the island off the coast of Vancouver in Canada did not sound as bad as she thought. She grew up in a small town, Ladysmith, the same town as Pamela Anderson was from. With a single mother, she grew up with surfing and the ocean. However, she wanted something different.

It was hard to leave her mother. Ree was all she knew since she remembered. It was just her and the surf shop downtown. Y/N loved that shop. It opened when she was three and she spent so much of her time in that small shop. It was her first job, her first paycheque and the first time she fell in love with the idea of surfing.

She was a fantastic surfer.

However, when the University of Michigan offered a full-fledged scholarship as long as she maintained her grades and she played on the field hockey team, she did not know what to do. The idea of being in the Midwest was scary. The idea of being away from the water was terrifying. The idea of being in the United States of America was intriguing. However, above all being away from her mother seemed ridiculous.

But she ended up in Detroit at eighteen.

Now, it’s been three years. She unfortunately, had to leave the field hockey team due to injury but she was able to maintain her scholarship. As long as she kept the grades.

Y/N needed to work though in order to pay her away in the city. Two jobs in the summer, one in the school semesters. She had the diner job since she was eighteen. Ted’s Diner downtown was her favourite place to be. Ted was amazing and as the owner he deeply cared for his workers. A sweetheart at heart, a recovering addict who believed in second chances and was always so kind. The whole team at Ted’s was a blessing her world. Miranda the single mom – reminded her of her mom -  who gave her a slice of pie every time she worked past midnight on the house as a thank you. Then there was Gavin, the chef who always made sure if she was ever interested in a night of rendezvous, he was there.

They understood that she was a student. An art history student to be exact. They gave her time to get assignments done at work while still paying her. It was a second home and she loved it.

The catering job was just for the nights. It was for the extra cash. She would dress in black and go to events where she would hold trays of expensive prosecco or finger foods for the rich. It was fine. She did not mind it.

However, she was extremely late.

“I am so sorry!” she yelled as she ran through the conference centre to the back. Pushing through the crowd, she made it to the back where she saw a very displeased manager.

“I am so sorry,” she began but as soon as she got the next words out, he stopped her.

“Never again,” Sean said as he held up a finger. “You’re forty-five minutes late. You look like shit, and you smell like grease. I expect something a little higher than this but obviously you have hit an ultimate low.”

“Just let me work and I promise I will make it up to you.”

Sean raised a brow and rolled his eyes.

“Last warning.”

Y/N gave him a curt nod before turning back to the kitchen and seeing her coworkers coming and going with their trays.

“You’re late,” she heard behind her before a jab to her back.

A yelp escaped Y/N as she turned to the voice. Meira, her best friend in Detroit was in front of her with a smirk.

“The diner,” was all Y/N said with a roll of her eyes. She placed her apron around her before grabbing a tray. “What event is this for?”

“PR for a sports team,” Meira hummed as she loaded her tray up.

“So, we are catering a bunch of athletes?” Y/N groaned. “Joy, joy,” with sarcasm. Her hair was up in a ponytail and she ran her fingers under her eyes to get rid of the mascara flakes.

“Indeed, we are,” Meira exclaimed.

Y/N walked out with a tray to the crowd of athletes, managers, perhaps musicians and more. It was a room of the rich and famous. Y/N began to make her rounds, letting people grab the drinks off her tray as she walked in circles. A smile was plastered on her face.

However, she could not even imagine how tired she was at the moment. She worked at eight a.m. that morning, did a twelve-hour shift that went over and now she was working for another four hours.

Who was this woman? A superwoman perhaps.

Marshall was standing beside Paul as someone in front of him talked about something he did not care for. A red bull was in hand as he nodded but let his eyes wander the crowd. He dreaded these events and he desired to leave.

Dressed in jeans, a tee, and a hoodie with a chain, most would say he did not put much mind into this event as others wore suits and ties. However, he was just here for the appearance for a couple of hours before he would dip.

It’s been thirty minutes and all he could imagine was going home and watching some terrible movie on the TV.

“I am going to bathroom,” he leaned over and whispered to Paul as he turned away.

Making his way down the hallway to the bathroom, he turned the corner and smashed into a body.

“Fuck!” he snapped.

Y/N watched in front of her as the whole tray of glass champagne flutes smashed on the floor. Hands up, she took a step back as the mess unravelled in front of her. Instantly, her face fell. She was utterly fucked.

Her eyes searched from the ground to the man who was the perpetrator of this event and instantly she let out a loud breath.

"You should watch where you are going,” Marshall stated with a roll of his eyes.

“Me?” Y/N cocked. “You’re the one who ran into me.”

"Well, maybe you should not be so short on corners.”

“Thanks for the advice,” she whispered as she sighed. “Obviously, you can do my job way better than me.”

Y/N did not need this. Not now, not ever but particularly not right now when she was already in deep shit. Now this happened. She was destined to lose her job.

Marshall saw her look down at the mess then up to her. She was pretty despite looking like she had seen better days but there was something about her attitude. She matched him which shocked him.

He nodded before biting his lip to find out what to say next. “I can’t do your job. Thanks for the offer though,” he commented.

/N sent him a clenched smile as she nodded. “Ok, well, you’re welcome.” She was about to turn around to get someone to help her clean it, but Sean appeared from the kitchen. His brow was raised, and he had his arms crossed.

“First you’re late and now you’ve smashed hundreds of dollars’ worth of drinks,” he said with sarcasm.

She let out a sigh as she tried to compose herself. Rubbing her hands against her thighs, she slowly turned to look at Sean.

“I am guessing I am fired,” she whispered, and all Sean did was roll his eyes.

“Obviously,” he stated before walking off.

Y/N glanced at the mess in front of her and the gentleman. He was older, a hat on his head and dressed down but she did not care at this moment. Instead, she removed her apron and as she was folding it.

“Did I just get you fired?” he asked.

Finally, he had the audacity to talk.

Y/N glanced at him and sighed. “No, I haven’t been the best worker so it’s not your fault.”

She was Canadian after all, and she mimicked that type of hospitality. Kindness and sympathy were all she believed in. However, now as she the man in front of her tried to show her a form of sympathy due to his own actions. She brushed it off.

“I have been seeing you working quite hard tonight so-“

“You do not have to be nice. I fucked up and honestly, yeah, you helped but I believe everything happens for a reason and obviously this job was not in my path,” she stated.

Marshall nodded. “Sorry.”

“Don’t fret it,” Y/N stated before walking off.

Meira came out with a concerned face. “I heard smashing,” she began.

"I need a smoke.”

Y/N sat on the curb outside, kicking her legs out as the cars drove by. She was on her second cigarette as she let her hair down. Meira appeared with a bottle of something.

“If you’re going to get fired, I may as well too. I stole this,” she hummed as she settled next to her.

Y/N chuckled as Meira handed the bottle of expensive champagne to her due to the fact she did not know how to pop one. After popping the bottle, Y/N brought the poison to her lips. Beautiful, smooth but bubbly and sweet with a hint of tang. Perfect for everything tonight.

“I needed that job,” she whispered to her friend.

“No, you didn’t. You like to have a healthy saving, but the diner pays your bills.”

Y/N groaned. “I have never been fired.”

“Girl, you were only working there for over three weeks. No offence but Sean was out to get you since the beginning.”

Y/N let out a loud frustrated groan. “If only that idiot did not smash into me, I would still have that job. Then he had the audacity to be rude.”

“You were rude back…”

“Yeah, but he smashed into me!” Y/N exclaimed. “I needed the money,” she said in a low voice, “really needed the money.”

“For?”

“Masters. I am one year from graduating and I have no money saved up for my masters.”

Meira nodded as Y/N brought the cigarette to her lips.

“You know those will kill you,” a voice said behind her. Recognisable, deep and masculine but soft at the same time.

Y/N turned around and glanced at the mysterious man behind her. Him. The perpetrator. Rolling her eyes she brought the cigarette to her lips.

“I know, that’s the purpose,” she stated.

Marshall nodded, shoving his hands in his jeans before taking a step from the shadows. “Look, I just want to apologise and give you this,” he said coming closer to her. “I got you fired, and you need the money more than me.”

He placed his hand out and she spotted the cash roll in it. Y/N eyes widened. Hundred possibly thousands were in there, but she knew she could not take it. There is no way she was taking the money from a complete stranger.

The man nodded towards his hand.

“Thank you, but I cannot,” Y/N said.

“Hey, I am the idiot who smashed into you which cost you your job,” he tried to bargain with her.

“You heard?” she asked.

“Everything.”

“Why do you care?”

“Because I have been in your position before.”

“So, its pity.”

“No respect.”

She nodded. “I cannot just take your money.”

“Look either it pays for a part of your degree, or it sits in my bank account.”

Y/N sighed. “I am not someone who you could just pay for forgiveness.”

“I am not asking for forgiveness.”

“Then what do you want?” she asked with a confused look on her face.

“For you take-“

“Donate it.”

Y/N could not believe this man. He was just waving money in front of her like it was nothing. He was admitting that he was rich and powerful, yet he dressed if he was about to pick up some groceries. She could not accept this kind of money.

“A tip for your service,” he tried again.

“Just sit and have a drink. Have a conversation and perhaps you may get respect out of me.”

Marshall placed the cash into his pocket before stepping down on the curb. He sat next to Y/N as she bummed her cigarette out and brought the champagne to her lips.

“Meira stole this from the kitchen if you want some,” Y/N suggested.

“I don’t drink.”

“Admirable,” she commented as traffic continued to move in front of her.

“I think by running into Y/N you just saved her from four months of misery,” Meira said.

Marshall chuckled. “I try my best, but I am sorry for acting like a dick though. Respect goes out to you for the job you do.”

Y/N grinned and nodded. “Thanks.”

“Y/N is your name?” he asked. She nodded. “Marshall,” he introduced.

“Marshall,” she hummed, “it’s nice to meet you.”

“Likewise.”

“What are you studying?”

“Art history and Meira is in biology-psychology. What are you doing at this event?”

“Fulfilling my role.”

“Important or something?” she hummed.

“Something like that,” he hummed.

She nodded as she finished the champagne and placed her cigarettes back in her pocket. It was nearing midnight, and she had an eight a.m. shift the next day at the diner. She looked at Marshall beside her and she could admit he was cute. He obviously was important in retrospect of sports, but he seemed to keep to himself. She did not want to bug him, but as she got up, she checked her phone.

“Fuck,” she whispered.

“What?” Meira said.

“Fucking Sam,” Y/N said and that was all Meira needed to hear to nod. “I will deal with him tomorrow.”

Marshall got up as well and placed his hands into his pockets.

“I have to go,” Y/N said, “I am up at like six a.m. for work.” She looked at the Marshall and placed a hand in front of her. “Truce. No running into me again?” she joked.

He chuckled and placed a hand in front of himself too. “Deal.”

“Thanks for the whatever this was, Marshall. Enjoy the rest of the event,” she stated as she grabbed her bag and threw it over her shoulders.

“I am going to go home. I hate these things.”

“Fair. I would too.���

He nodded as she began to turn away. “Bye, Y/N.”

“Bye, Marshall,” she said as she wrapped a arm around Meira and they walked down the street.

All Marshall could think was, ‘who was this woman?’ as she was something.

____________

Author's Note:

Thanks so much for reading!

As said in my previous post, there will be 20 chapters as this book is completed. It's over 103k words therefore, it will be posted.

Send me your thoughts, opinions, love and more! I am excited to be releasing this.

Much love,

Ava <3

[the-bloody-sadist]

in case no one else has asked, please list your top 10 BL manga/manwha? 👀

i am. very interested in what other media you enjoy, especially BL

Combining these two bc I didn't wanna leave the second out!

(I wasn't a big fan of Blood Bank personally but I'm so glad it helped you with your world building Lil Whale!!)

I'm hoping some of these are unheard of for you guys because THERE ARE SO MANY BL/YAOI AND I READ THEM CONSTANTLY BUT NOT SO MANY ARE FANTASTIC AND MIND-BLOWING AND SPECTACULAR AND DEEPLY PSYCHOLOGICAL! I'm pretty sure I'll end up listing WAY more than 10, mainly because I want to highlight ones I feel like a lot of people haven't read. ALSO because I read so fucking many of them that I've collected a stash and NOW IS MY CHANCE TO YELL ABOUT THEM.

Just a disclaimer, these are not in any sort of order, as they're all about the same level in my head, just grouped. I'll list the "big name" BLs that I adore after these! First up are the ones that either have a quiet fandom or aren't well known! Since there'll be so many, I'm not going to say much about them, just know that usually no BL/Yaoi is perfect to me, since there are many bad psychology tropes here and there or unnecessary cruelties that aren't exactly realistic etc., but overall, I like the way that the story and characters are handled and/or love the art.

Here's the top five of my top ten that's not a top ten bc there are so many (I just said I wouldn't group them but I lied my ass off apparently):

Jealousy [Scarlet Beriko]: This is one of those that emotionally hits so hard that it will stick with me forever and I will usually tear up just a tiny bit when I think back to the moments that made this one so beautiful. A lot of times a story with major hurt, angst, and tragedy won't wrap up with enough to make me scream and cheer at the end. But THIS ONE DID. And I stopped reading for a while when a big event happened because I thought it would end horribly and I'd have to suffer three weeks of fiction-induced depression for a man who wasn't even real. BUT NAY. The themes you get in this one revolve around loneliness (huge draw for me, it always hits), mafia-connected characters and the rivalries from that, self-destructive prostitution, and characters who have difficulty receiving love without freaking out. Are those even themes idk. OH WELL. YOU GET THE POINT. I want this one on my shelf. You might've heard of it, but the fandom is silent so I never did. T_T OH ALSO THE ART ON THIS ONE IS GORGEOUS I FUCKING LOVE IT.

Hitori to Hitori no 3650nichi [Hitomi]: First of all, favorite manga artist. FAVORITE MANGA ARTIST. I'm never exactly sure if the artist is also the writer or if the writer is never the artist or...BUT IT DOESN'T MATTER. Anyway! I listed this particular title because it was the first that I found by this person - but then I discovered it was a part of a bigger series, and there are like I DON'T KNOW FIVE DIFFERENT MANGA?? OR SOMETHING??? Related to this one. I don't know which order, I just know that I read them all in a frenzy. THE CHARACTERS. OH! OH THE CHARACTERS! Oh my gods, it's so good. LMFAO. The arcs these characters have are fantastic, and I loved the fact that the abuser in one is shown to be the victim of abuse in a prequel story, and that his anger issues and other elements of his personality came about to affect him and destroy him. Just...I don't recall the details, READ IT. That's all. Spectacular depictions of nuanced trauma within abusive relationships.

The Beast Must Die [Lee Hyeon Sook]: This remains one of my favorite depictions IN ANY MEDIA of a psychopath, because it's SO accurate and I'm SO fucking proud of the author for doing their research and OH MY GODS YOU GUYS IT'S ABOUT TO GET A DRAMA CD LET'S FUCKING GO! This story is so good. It's so evil. It's so psycho-thriller. It's so WELL DONE. It features a dark academia-ish secret society within a college setting who hunt people for sport, sometimes. LIKE. Come on. And the psychopath (dark hair) IS THE MAIN LOVE INTEREST! You could literally hear the summary and go "oh this is for Sadist". And I don't get a lot of those that deliver this well. SOMETIMES the art makes me twist my head a little but YOU KNOW WHAT I DO NOT CARE OKAY? It's just SO good. There's murder, there's kidnapping, and - most importantly - a main character who doesn't just DEAL with whatever the psychopath does. He's smart, he fights back, he learns to understand psychopathy to determine if he should remain with the love interest...it's fantastic. That's all. I will stop. *BANGS THE WALL*

Aporia [Seontae]: ALL HAIL THE HEALTHY BDSM RELATIONSHIPS THAT STILL HOLD TENSION AND EMOTIONAL WEIGHT AND SPEAK TO ME!!!!!!! HELLO!!!!! This is my favorite BDSM-themed story. Everything is consensual, but is everything safe??? Not when it comes to the main character's emotions and tendency to sacrifice his wellbeing for a partner. BUT NOT TO WORRY, HIS SADISTIC LOVE INTEREST IS CONSIDERATE AND ATTENTIVE AND CARES ABOUT HIS FEELINGS!! This is, perhaps, one of my favorite depictions of a REAL sadist. A real one as in a realistic, irl BDSM-relationship sadist. Someone who is just as worried about taking care of his partner as he is about hurting him JUUUUST right. ANYWAY! THAT'S ALL! READ IT! HE'S LITERALLY ME!

Royal Servant [MasterGin, Chungnyun]: Okay, we were talking about healthy BDSM in the previous one, now let's talk about TOXIC BDSM-THEMES THAT I LOVE. Lmao. DO YOU LIKE MASTER/SLAVE DYNAMICS? DO YOU LIKE STORIES WHERE THE ARC LEADS TO THE ABUSIVE MASTER EVENTUALLY LEARNING TO NOT BE ABUSIVE AND LOVE THE SLAVE? YEAH ME TOO. I DON'T NEED TO DESCRIBE THIS ANY FURTHER. AUTHOR OF ANGEL BUDDY, THIS IS THE ONE THAT I KNEW HER FOR FIRST.

A bunch of other good ones you may or may not have heard of (I won't describe every one of these unless I have something particular to say, so enjoy the pictures from them that I snatched):

Love me in the Wilderness [Wang Tao]

Neon Sign Amber [Ogeretsu Tanaka]

Zetsubou ni Nake [Shinou Ryo]: Guys. This story is UNIQUE AS HELL. I had to say something about it. The premise is that a man who was raped turns around and goes back after his rapist and rapes him back, and then they fall in love. IT'S....the amount of times my jaw dropped was insane on this one. SOMEHOW IT'S WRITTEN SO WELL. SOMEHOW THEY NAILED THE STRANGE REALISM OF IT AND HAD ME TEARING UP OVER THE INTENSITY OF THE RAPE SCENES. VERY WELL-PACED, VERY TRAUMATIC IN A GOOD WAY. HIGHLY RECOMMEND. The way they come to love each other after this crazy foundation of mutual rape is IMPRESSIVE. Kudos to the writer.

Love or Hate [Yeongha]: This is a very well-known one but there's like zero fandom so I think it fits here. Also a lot of hate going around for it? Which I never understood, fuck those guys. This remains one of the most beautifully-written that I've ever read, and I mean that purely in like...the ACTUAL writing on the page. I'm talking poetry, purple prose. I just recall being blown away by that, and no manga before or since has ever reached its level. For once I felt like the writer was also a novelist because of the way that they put things, and had a clear voice in the style. Did the main boy end up with someone I didn't want him to end up with at the end? Yes. But I felt like it fit pretty well, and it was sort of a tragedy, and it was supposed to hit you painfully in the gut. A lot of people were mad at the main character for that and I don't really think it's fair. In any case! A beautiful story with complex characters and intriguing dilemmas. Highly recommend it.

Shangri La no Tori (Birds of Shangri La) [Ranmaru Zariya]

Two in Six Billion [Denzou]

The Pizza Delivery Man and The Gold Palace [Upi]: Great story and character-building so far! I will say that once it became porn, it dove a little too heavily into it for me. Like I only needed one scene of the porn, I was enjoying the panic attack scenes much more. BUT YEAH, IT'S ONGOING, SO WE'LL SEE WHERE IT GOES! But the panic attack scenes were the reason I read it and yes, I did tear up.

Sleeping Dead and Living Dead [Asada Nemui]: I RECENTLY FOUND THIS ONE AND ADOOOOOOREEE IT SO MUCH. I DO NOT CARE THAT IT'S AN OLD SCIENTIST AND HIS ZOMBIE PATIENT. NORMALLY THAT WOULD HOLD NO SWAY OVER ME, BUT OH GODS, THE ART IS SO PRETTY AND THE STORY IS SO GOOD. I LOVE THE LITTLE ZOMBIE MAN! I LOVE THE LITTLE ROMANCE THEY'VE GOT!

Private Lessons [ANCO, Mongya]: It's cuuuuute what can I saayyyyy it has BDSM and threesomes and I liked it. Very entertaining. Scratches the BDSM itch and the little SUB WAS SO CUTE. Anyway.

Kingyo no Ubugoe [Gontaku Nido]

From Points of Three [White Eared]: Threesome dynamics!!

Silent Lover [Qiang Tang, Bai Li Jun Xi]: I STOPPED THIS ONE AT A CERTAIN POINT BECAUSE IT DIPPED INTO WEIRD M-PREG AND STUFF I CANNOT READ. But BEFORE all that, I was deeply ingrained in this one. It has a main character who can't speak (a particular weakness of mine) and he's OH SO CUTE and he's given as a sex slave basically to the emperor (emperor? idk he's a kingly man, something like that), and the emperor is evil but learns to be soft and yet it takes a LONG TIME SO I WAS BAWLING HYSTERICALLY OVER SOME OF THE HEARTWRENCHINGLY PAINFUL SCENES IN THIS FOR THE POOR YUU-ER. A good read until it decided to go the omegaverse-by-magic-potions route. I didn't stay to figure out where it actually ended up.

Yoru wa Tomodachi [Ido Gihou]

Toumei na Ai no Utsuwa [Hitomi]

Re:Birth [Misuaki Asou]: The singular omegaverse story in existence that I actually liked. Hopefully that says a lot. Mostly because it's about the omegaverse elements NOT being present for the main character and him trying to fake it because he's lonely and afraid that his partner (an alpha *shakes off the disgusting label because who the fuck thought alpha was a cool word*) will leave him if he finds out he's just a regular guy (aka beta I guess? ABO is weird idc).

Sahara no Kuro Washi [Soutome Emu]: MASTER SLAVE MASTER SLAVE---

Haru ni Kaeru [Kunieda Saika]

Incorrigible [Bbong]

Well Done! [ANCO, Mongya]

Nemuri Otoko to Koi Otoko [Zariya Ranmaru]

Even If You Don't Love Me [Pando]: It dropped off SUPER hard (it's ongoing still) but damn was it good in the beginning. I am sick and tired of where it's at currently but the psychological manipulation and the horror of a certain twist in the storyline was CRUSHING to me. I only wish that it would have gone a better way after it happened, because it slowly destroyed itself and became like a lot of tropey rape stories. The asshole just keeps being an asshole and it's not really where the story seemed to want to go with that. But otherwise, it started off strong and I'll give it kudos for that.

Bigger titles I'm pretty sure everyone has heard of that I enjoy:

Saezuru Tori wa Habatakanai [Yoneda Kou]: Is it a little unrealistic that literally everyone in this story is gay apparently and wants to fuck one man apparently and/or rape him? Yes, absolutely. Does that matter once you're in the story and it's so good and all these unrealistic cruelties make a really strong bond between the main love interest and this self-destructive masochist who's probably not really a masochist but only interested in hurting himself because he doesn't know how else to handle his trauma from childhood? Ummmm yeah. Anyway! This one had a lot of inspiration and a lot of tears and a lot of obsession from me. I re-read it all the time, I watch the movie over and over, I listen to the audio drama and cry at my favorite scenes. Do I care in the end that it's a little unrealistic at times? No but I do laugh sometimes when I'm about to share it with a new person. Because BL is just like that generally and you've got to put up with a little of those tropes to find your favorite stories. THIS IS ONE OF THE TOP FAVORITES OF ALL TIME FOR ME BTW, IT'S ONLY SO LOW DOWN HERE BECAUSE PRETTY MUCH EVERYONE IN YAOI KNOWS ABOUT THIS ONE ALREADY, AND WE'RE ALL AWARE OF HOW GOOD IT IS.

ENNEAD [Mojito]: I will say that this is basically the best manga/comic/manhua...what's the Chinese word idk ANYTHING OF THIS MEDIA TYPE that I have ever read. It's not done, and people have been complaining that it's starting to fall into the common BL tropes but you know what I do NOT care. Mojito is a genius, Mojito is a master storyteller, Mojito is beautiful, Mojito is strong - I just love Mojito and this work. So much. The action, the horror of rape, the deep-set character conflicts and dilemmas and internal turmoils. Everything, nailed it. Nailed it. And not to mention it's set in FUCKING EGYPTIAN MYTHOLOGY AND THEY'RE ALL GODS AND THEY HAVE SUCH COOL BATTLES AND COSTUMES AND DUDE???? I'm so hooked. That's all.

Killing Stalking [Koogi]: OBVIOUSLY. I don't really need to say anything about this one except that yeah, some of the psychology is a little off and some of it is just super shallow. But I loved the characters and that's what mattered in the end. I fell in love with Sangwoo too and it ripped my heart out when I read the ending. I was depressed for like two weeks and it was the first story that had ever affected me that way, but I was also younger and this was one of my first yaoi/BLs and yeah. GREAT story though, fantastic storytelling, very lovable characters. Sangwoo was handled so much better than most "asshole/kidnapper/rapist" characters and I will never stop appreciating that, because a lot of writers tend to forget that your villains have to have redeeming qualities if you want us to like them (????). Jinx, I'm fucking coming for you. Suck my dick. KOOGI FTW.

Missing Love/A Married Man [In Hyerin]: Some of the DESCRIPTIONS of how trauma works especially of the sexual nature in this story are SO. SO. GOOD. However, I am beginning to grow VERY ANNOYED at where it decided to go with the most current updates of the story. The author did enough trauma to the main boy, now it's getting so incredibly excessive that it's overdoing it and the author's kinks are showing through. LIKE I GET IT. Okay? I do. But this one became too much and I need him to return to the actual story arc of going through that trauma so he can HEAL with the right person taking care of him.

MadK [Ryo Sumiyoshi]: I am into NONE of the kinks that would lead to me picking up this manga. I hate demons, I'm not a monsterfucker, I can't do extreme guro, and yet I SAW CANNIBALISM. THAT WAS THE ONE THING THAT I THOUGHT I'D GIVE IT A TRY FOR. And then accidentally I got obsessed because the plot is AMAZING and the writing is SO GOOD and who cares if I hate demons and monsters ALL OF THEM ARE BADASS AND HOT (??) AND IT CEASES TO MATTER. Good on the writer for making them appeal by personality alone and expressions and whatever else you signed a deal with the devil to make me like because it worked. Also the guro is beautiful, so it doesn't even matter. Hannibal levels.

Warehouse [Killerwhale]

Painter of the Night [Byeonduck]

Viewfinder/Finder [Yamane Ayano]

Given [Kizu Natsuki, Gusari]

Nii-Chan [Harada] (and basically every other work by Harada)

Sadistic Beauty Side Story [Geumsan Lee, Woo Yeonhui]

Dine With a Vampire [Pangin, Pinko]

Angel Buddy [Mastergin, Chungnyun]

My Partner's Tastes and Fetishes [Deok Hwa]

Interview with a Murderer [KJK]

On or Off [A1]

Steel Under Silk [Snob]

The Pawn's Revenge [Evy]: It was going to be SO GOOD! And then it dropped off harder than a boulder from a balcony and I have absolutely no idea why the author took it the way that they took it, but go off I guess. It's boring as hell now but it started off with promise and I enjoyed the art and character designs. Too bad, I suppose.

Caste Heaven [Ogawa Chise]: An old classic with all the sticky sometimes icky mostly ridiculous BL tropes but hey, it's cute. It's sexy. It's fun. I don't care.

Wet Sand [Doyak]: We're still in the beginning stage of this one but I'm excited to see where it goes! Plus the art SLAPS ASS like nobody's business.

19 Days [Old Xian]: I hate comedy, I hate fluff, I hate buddies that never become lovers, but none of that mattered when I picked this one up. The duality of man. Bite-sized chapters and ACTUALLY AN EVENTUAL ROMANCE that none of us thought we'd ever get.

Legs That Won't Walk [Black Apricot]: Although this one dropped off hard for me and I'm really just following it to see if it picks up again and does something interesting (it probably won't) I did enjoy it in the beginning. I just get tired of the "asshole just keeps being an asshole and nothing else but woobified slut keeps coming back to him??" without the strong and realistic undercurrent of Reasons Why Someone Would Come Back such as manipulation or threats or unhealthy attachment. Perhaps it was sorta there in the beginning with them but now I'm just like why are we still continuing this story.

Pearl Boy [Inking, Zoy]: *Awkwardly scratches neck* It's not the best okay? It's not. It's really not. I don't like half of the things that occur in this one, but the ART, bro. THE ART, BRO? That's what got me into it and what kept me into it, PLUS I do like little Jooha. I stayed for Jooha, too. Dooshik drives me a little batty most of the time and looks ugly for half the story to me, but when he's badass, he's pretty badass, so I can forgive him. I really don't know why he has such drastically changing appearances because I thought he was someone completely different for a bit LMAO. In any case, I have to admit I like the uhhhhh danger that Jooha gets himself into and the crazy things that make no sense but you know what he gets hurt and then there's comfort and rescue and they cry and I cease to care that it makes no sense. (Sorta, I don't actually cease to care I just laugh awkwardly and go okay sure that's how it works because it's so hard to find stories that don't do this LOL I'm beating a dead horse) BUT WHY DOES HE CUM PEARLS? WILL WE EVER KNOW? WHO THE HELL THOUGHT OF THAT AND WITHOUT A SUPPORTING MAGIC SYSTEM IN THE WORLD TO MAKE THAT MAKE SENSE? IT WENT DOWNHILL SO FAST AND THE ENDING IS TERRIBLE BTW. THE VILLAIN SUCKS.

That's it. I can't talk to much or I'll run out of words but HOPE YOU GUYS FIND SOME NEW READS!!

[watermelonlovershigh]

The Next Morning {part. 8} (housemate!harry series) (SMUT)

Spontaneous Pleasures {part 7.} (housemate!harry series) (SMUT)

AN: this is the part most of you have been waiting for. it's here. sorry that this part took so long to get posted. i've been trying to post every sunday, monday, or tuesday. but with my aunt passing and other stresses, this one took me a bit longer. anyways, hope you enjoy and get ready for more to come. xoxo

This story contains: lots of kissing, sex (p in v), dirty talk, mentions of birth control, relationship status updating

{ housemate!harry - softrry - friend!harry - au!harry }

word count- 1,860

It's the morning after your spontaneous pleasures and you wake up naked in Harry's bed, leading to lots of kisses that turn into your first time having sex with one another.

As the morning sun illuminates his bedroom room, Harry begins to rouse from his slumber, the clock indicating its half past seven. Contemplating on whether or not to return to sleep, he recollects the events of the previous night, which stir his senses awake. The spontaneous pleasures he gave you with his fingers on the couch, the pleasurable act of oral sex you gave him, and the exploration of new boundaries from you leave him feeling all giddy inside.

Upon awakening, Harry's eyes slowly open, and the initial image that meets his gaze is you lying on your back. Your head is tilted to the side, and the subtle outline of your breasts can be seen, barely emerging from the covers, due to his request that you both sleep naked. Though Harry is already fairly close to you, he slides over just an inch more until his bare body touches yours. Then without thinking, his lips slowly meet your soft skin and he places gentle kisses from your collar bone to your neck.

When Harry's lips reach your warm neck, they linger, planting gentle kisses along its expanse. Gradually, he opens his mouth and lightly sucks on your skin, leaving a subtle hickey in the crease of your neck. Rather than being startled or pulling away, you find yourself melting into the comfort of the bedding, a soft moan escaping your lips as you welcome his affectionate display at this early hour.

Fully alert now, you tilt your head downwards, causing Harry's lips to separate from your skin. It takes approximately two seconds of gazing into each other's lust filled eyes before you bring your faces together and share a fervent kiss. In the intimate moment, all your typical worries such as morning breath, fade away as Harry slips his tongue between your lips and you accept by opening your mouth, allowing entrance.

The very passionate kissing continues until you pull away for a breath and say, "I need you, Harry."

"Need me how?" Harry pants out, wanting to make sure his suspicions are correct. He doesn't want to assume what you want and make you uncomfortable in anyway.

You reply urgently, "Inside me. I need it so bad. I've waited long enough and can't wait anymore. Just wanna feel close to you." How can Harry say no to that? He eagerly climbs on top of you, with his arms bent on each side of your head, and leans down to continue kissing you. Not so subtly, you raise your hips to try and get any ounce of friction you can on your throbbing clit.

"Condoms?" Harry questions between kisses, "I know m' clean. Haven't slept with anyone for several weeks. But um, you know, for pregnancy reasons we could if you want?"

You shake your head with disagreeance. "No, I'm on birth control now. Since my last bad period. Went to doctors and they gave me birth control to help with my period symptoms."

"Fantastic!" Harry declares before leaning in to initiate another passionate kiss. He always wore condoms when he had random hookups for safety reasons such as STI and pregnancy prevention, so he had plenty in his bed side table drawer. And he had no problem wearing one now in order to prevent a pregnancy, as pregnancy isn't wrote in your future plans anytime soon. Maybe one day, though you haven't discussed that part of your future yet. But hearing you confirm you're okay with going bare makes Harry excited.

His right hand skillfully maneuvers between your pressed bodies, first confirming your wetness, which is very present, and then firmly grasping his erect cock to position it at your entrance. Slowly, he eases his way in making both your breaths catch in the backs of your throats.

"Oh, fuck!" you moan aloud at the feeling of your pussy being stretched by his large cock. "No wonder I heard all your partners moan so loud in here. You're massive."

Harry giggles at your words, his face now smushed between your ear and shoulder. "You've had m' dick in your mouth on several occasions and you're just now realizin' it's big?"

Responding with a chuckle of your own, you answer, "Nah, I've always known you were packing, but this feeling is on another level." The fact that you can share a laugh during an intimate moment such as sex without any awkwardness, brings you immense joy. When you first entered into the more romantic aspects of your relationship with your housemate and friend, you were worried about things becoming too uncomfortable and strange at times. However, so far, everything has gone exceptionally well, with only a few instances of hesitation. You have to admit that you and Harry are incredibly compatible sexually.

Once he's fully inside, Harry pauses for a moment, allowing you to adjust to his impressive size without any discomfort. Sensing your shifting movements, he then begins to withdraw his hips and thrusts forward, resulting in a shared moan of pleasure. To enhance his stability, Harry firmly plants his knees beside your hips on the bed and supports himself up by resting his forearms around your head.

You lift your legs off the bed below and hike them over Harry's hips, locking your feet behind his back. Your hands are placed on his back, clawing at his smooth skin unintentionally. The sounds of skin slapping echos off the walls. Harry isn't fucking you hard and fast due to the time of morning but he isn't going too slow either. Just a comfortable pace for the both of you to enjoy.

After a couple of minutes, your moans get progressively louder, leading Harry to ask, "Are you close f' me, baby? Want you to come all over m' cock. Get it drippin' f' me."

With a hint of shyness, you reply, "Yes..... mhm, very close. Would you mind, you know, giving me a little rub?" It puzzles you as to why asking for such a favor feels embarrassing. Typically, during your past one-night stands, you would either use a vibrator or your own hands to satisfy your clit, beings you usually have trouble coming from penatration alone. However, in Harry's bedroom, you lack a vibrator and you feel comfortable enough with him to ask for his assistance.

Harry could answer with a quick, "Yes, of course.", but because he's a sucker for dirty talk and slight teasing, actually replies with, "Yeah, want me to rub your little clit, baby? Is it beggin' f' my attention?"

You nod your head vigorously against your pillow and your breath becomes more rapid, signaling your impending orgasm, yet yearning for that final touch to propel you forward. Sensing your impatience, Harry maintains his position above you, using his left arm for support, while his right hand ventures down your body.

Skillfully, his fingers slip between where you're bodies are connected and effortlessly finds your clitoris. He then begins to rub the small nerve in circular motions with his slippery fingers in hopes to push you over the edge. Because he knows he himself isn't going to last much longer and would really like for you to come first.

He completes approximately eight circular motions around your clit when your climax starts to engulf you. Your breathing hitches in your throat, your back arches off the bed, your toes curl from their place around Harry's waist, and your thoughts fade as bliss consumes your mind. Glancing down and seeing you release results in Harry experiencing his own orgasm.

"Mhm, fuck!" Harry mutters under his breath as he reaches his peak. He withdraws his hand from your overly sensitive clit and places it back beside your head to steady himself over you. His hips move forward in uncoordinated motions as he releases his semen deep inside you. As you're still catching your breath, you open your eyes and observe him in awe as he climaxes.

Harry's facial expressions scrunch up, resembling pain, although it's evident that he's in anything but pain. His trembling arms struggle to uphold his weight, while his stomach muscles contract with each orgasmic spasm that surges through his body. Gradually, his body becomes motionless as he slowly descends from the peak of his pleasure.

His weight collapses on top of you with a thud, and you hold him close. You notice Harry's cock slowly losing its hardness inside of you and can't help but find the feeling strange. Most men you've been with would withdraw immediately after climaxing, so this post-sex closeness is new to you. It feels incredibly intimate and you savor every moment of it. You enjoy the sensation of Harry's body pressing against yours, and the warm breath on your neck from him resting his head on your shoulder.

A minute passes before Harry slowly begins to sit up, still inside you, might I add. "Can I ask you somethin'? And you don't have to have an answer right away or anythin'. Just want to see where we stand."

You glance up, nodding, "Yeah, of course. What is it?" You honestly have no idea what Harry's going to ask you and it's got you a bit nervous.

Taking a deep breath, he questions nervously, "Um, would you maybe like to be m' girlfriend? And look, I know it may be too soon. I know we said we were gonna take our relationship slow but, I mean we did just have sex and I know for me at least I want to be exclusive and I just, yeah."

The biggest smile spreads across your face, and then you burst out laughing, which in turn makes you accidently clench around his softened cock that remains inside you.

Harry nearly doubles over in pain when you clench his very sensitive dick. "What's so funny, huh? And stop clenchin', baby, it hurts."

Panting for breath, you express, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. It's just that you asked me to be your girlfriend while you're still inside me. I find it kinda funny. It's like in the future when someone asks how you asked me out, I can't simply say, 'yeah, Harry asked me to be his girlfriend after sex while he was still deep inside me.' But anyways, to answer your question, yes, I would love to be your girlfriend."

Without uttering a word, Harry leans down to convey his appreciation for your answer by kissing you. The sheer intensity of the kiss takes your breath away, causing you to inhale deeply. Amidst the kiss, you manage to whisper, "Okay, you need to pull out or else you'll get me going again, and I'm too exhausted for another round right now."

"Alright, but just know now that I've had a taste, there's no stoppin' me. M' gonna fuck you in the shower, on the couch, in the kitchen, on the floor, in the car, on a plane......"

"Harry," *playful giggles*, "enough. I get it. But right now, I should use the bathroom and we should shower. Then maybe have a bite to eat for breakfast before getting back into bed for a nap. Like I said, I'm exhausted."

"Whatever you say, girlfriend."

(PLEASE REBLOG BECAUSE WRITING IS NOT EASY AND IT'S FREE SO JUST DO IT)

(no more tags are allowed because i've hit my number limit. sorry : ( )

tag list: @one-sweet-gubler // @harryscherrysugar // @hsfanficsrecss // @lollypopsx // @harrycanyonmoonn // @allthelovehes // @damnasstyles  // @mrsstylesharry // @softmullet  // @meetmyblondemuffins  // @thegirlnextdoorssister // @stanleystyles  // @haarrrys // @michellekstyles  // @skyangel57   // @the-gardener-31 // @lhharrylilpumpkin // @yousunshine-youtemptress // @clairestylessss  // @kissmyaxe140  // @goldenmelonsugar-hi // @kaitieskidmore97 // @florencepughily  // @alienorknight //@dancearoundthelivingroom  // @swiftmendeshoran

 // @luv-flor7777  // @alohastyles-x // @tenaciousperfectionunknown  // @sleutherclaw // @siredtohybrid // @whoscamila // @a-strange-familiar  // @golden-elodie // @mrspeacem1nusone //  @goldenkhae // @lntwithhrry  // @shadowygladiatorlight  // @manifestrry  //@mendesblurb // @sunshinemoonsposts  // @depersonalizationsucks // @academiaghost // @zendayassimp // @reveriehs // @vsnnstuff // @dancinsunflowerkiwi // @quinnsgrapejuice // @walkingintheheartbreaksatellite // @justlemmeholdyou // @hsonlyangelxo // @luvonstyles // @howdey

______________

My Masterlist Masterpost

In Sickness and in Health {part. 9}

[kindestofkings]

what came first, the chicken or the dickhead [2/3]

[smau]

f1driver!reader x lando norris (eventually, friends to lovers ofc)]

authors note: THANK YOU SOOO much for the love on part one guys I'm so overwhelemed 🥺 hope you guys enjoy this next part <33

yourusername 

Liked by landonorris and others 

yourusername I'm sorry, the old Taylor can't come to the phone right now

Why? Oh, 'cause she's about kick off her first season with ferrari xx

view all 580 comments 

landonorris shes in her reputation era 💅

yourusername i've trained you so well

ynfan1 I'm so excited to see you in that red car ❤️🔥

Racerbia I can't believe my bestie is a FERRARI DRIVER

yourusername I know can you believe it!! best of luck with your season this year <33

charles_leclerc I did not know you joining the team would result in me learning so many taylor swift lyrics

landonorris just you wait until she starts sending you fan theories.. yourusername charlie you'd get an A in taylor swift theory and lyric knowledge, dont fight it !! f1fan she calls him charlie they have to be dating!

ynfan1 charles_leclerc what's your favourite Tswift album?

charles_leclerc I think its Red charles_leclerc (TAYLOR'S VERSION THO) yourusername phew that was a close one

​​taylorswift never seen a getaway car driver look so good, knock em dead 🖤

yourusername omgomgomgomgomgomg mother, I mean miss Swift its an honour landonorris oh thats why shes inconsolably crying alex_albon is that what that scream was? ynfan2 shes been broken

scuderiaferrari

liked by yourusername and others 

scuderiaferrari red era vibes with our dynamic duo locking it down here in bahrain! our two drivers are ready for sunday 👊

view all 290 comments

ynfan1 the power of yourusername, converting the whole ferrari team into being swifties 😂

yourusername you know it! I'm a swiftie first, a media nightmare second and THEN a f1 driver

f1fan enough with the pop culture comparisons. what matters is the race, not taylor swift. Let the performance do the talking

ynfan2 how sad is your little life??

yourusername 

 liked by landonorris and others 

yourusername P3 babyyy, while your out here running your mouth still I'm busy getting on to that podium. Bahrin you were beautiful, thank you to the team and to charles for all the support this weekend, and just in general ❤️

congrats maxverstappen1 on opening the season with such a surprising (not) win! was a fun fight 😂

view all 290 comments

maxverstappen1 think you going to be a reoccurring problem now!

yourusername it me hi! im the problem its me xx (liked by taylorswift and others)

ynfan1 I never expected the f1/taylor swift cross over but i love this

f1fan making the tifosi so proud  👊❤️

maxfewtrell fantastic drive, so proud!!!

yourusername maxi my boy <3

charles_leclerc posted to their story!

-@carlossainz55 would never have done this to me 😞

f1wagsupdates

liked by yncharlesshipper and others

f1wagsupdates in the week coming to the monaco grand prix, it appears the two ferrari drivers are spending time together with leclerc's family! seems like a bit more than just teammate bonding 👀

view all 290 comments

yncharlesshipper wow the family, must be serious

ynlando4ever please please please be besties

ynfan1 its getting hard to be delulu about this 😀

yourusername posted a photo to their story!

Mwahahahah mama leclerc the women than you are

replies

charles_leclerc when did this exchange happen 😂 arthur_leclerc 😂 😂 😂 😂 landonorris troy bolten and justin beiber call they want hair tips x

yourusername

 liked by susie_wolff and others 

yourusername MONACOOOO its race day and you best believe I'm bringing my A game in defensive racing. il predestinato will break his monaco curse if its the last thing I do 😤

charles_leclerc starting p1 go slay this thing bestie!!

view all 486 comments

charles_leclerc the best 👊

scuderiaferrari teamwork makes the dream work 🔥

f1fan gasly could NEVER with the teamwork

ynfan1 ouch that bestie has gotta hurt 😬

charles_leclerc

liked by yourusername and others

charles_leclerc best. day. ever.

winning in red and winning at home has always been the dream, thank you thank you everyone for the support in getting here! special thanks to yourusername for the incredibly defense and helping reach my dream 🫶

this one's for you, monaco!

view all 1k comments

scuderiaferrari we always knew you could do it 👊🔥

yourusername CHARLIEEE always knew you could do it !

carlossainz55 amazing felicidades

charles_leclerc thank you thank you

maxverstappen1 hate to lose but congrats mate!

pierregasly living out your destiny 💪 that was all you charles!

ynfan1 pierre try not to make a petty comment challenge: FAILED (liked by yourusername)

f1fan monaco belongs to you, il predestinato!!!

yourusername posted a photo to their story!

they both prefer each other over me guys help 😭😭

replies

landonorris my best girl 🥰 -> me?? so kind! landonorris 😑😑

I just tagged a few peps that I thought were waiting out for part 2! let me know if you're not comfortable being tagged :))

taglist: @kissesandmartinis @kissesandmartinis @vellicora @reidside @leclercin16

2/3 , part three is coming later tonight its gonna be fluffy i promise 💓

[the-dork-urge]

Bottle Of Whiskey

Just some sfw Butcher fluff.

You noticed how his gaze lingered on you, the dark red lipstick you wore tonight catching his attention. It was the kind of shade that left smudges on cigarettes and glasses, hints of something fleetingly glamorous yet just a little too cheap. You felt the weight of his stare, lingering longer than usual.

“Who’re you all dressed up for?” he asked, taking a slow drag from his cigarette. His eyes traced your lips as you brushed your fingers against them, drawing his attention without effort.

"I'm going out with Frenchie," you replied, exhaling a stream of smoke into the cool night air. You glanced at Butcher, hoping for a reaction—something to tell you he cared. “I could use a distraction.”

He didn’t say anything, but you knew what he was thinking. Nights with Frenchie weren’t just for fun; they were your way of drowning out the world. Wandering into strange places with stranger people, drinking, and losing yourself in the chaos. It wasn’t usually your scene, but after the past few weeks, you needed an escape.

For a moment, you wondered if he’d ask to come along, but his gaze told you everything—he wouldn’t. Butcher wasn’t the type to follow anyone’s lead, especially not Frenchie’s. Still, you felt the tension as his eyes traced your lips, moved over your body, and then settled on your heels. There was a pang of something unspoken between you, something you both shook off, like always.

"Have a drink—or five—for me, love," he said, trying to sound indifferent.

You gave him a sly smile. “I will. And when I get too drunk, I’ll just do what you do.”

He raised an eyebrow, his cigarette dangling between his fingers. “Oh yeah? And what’s that?”

“I’ll make it everyone else’s problem.” You dropped your cigarette, crushing it beneath your heel with a slow, deliberate motion. You didn’t have to look at him to know he was watching.

Butcher chuckled, but something flickered behind the laugh. You could feel the shift in the air. Was he imagining you with other men tonight? The thought sent a thrill through you. His jealousy was barely hidden, though he’d never admit it. “Just don’t come back pregnant. I’d make a shitty godmother.”

His tone was casual, a jab wrapped in sarcasm, but you caught the hint of something deeper, something protective. It almost made you laugh—the way he tried to mask it.

You smirked, teasing him with your response. “You worried about me sleeping around?” The words left your lips smoothly, but you watched his face closely. Would that bother him? You hoped it did.

For a second, his expression faltered, and you knew you’d hit a nerve. His jaw tightened slightly. You enjoyed it, knowing you had that kind of effect on him. But still, you felt something else—a strange comfort in the idea that he cared enough to be jealous at all.

“Just watch out, love. They’ll be lining up for you dressed like that,” he muttered, his voice rough around the edges.

You felt the corners of your lips curl into a smile. His gaze burned into you now, and you didn’t mind it. The dress you wore clung to you in all the right places—short enough to draw attention, revealing enough to leave little to the imagination. You knew the effect it would have, not just on the men you’d meet tonight, but on Butcher too.

“You really have a way with words,” you said, crossing your arms, pretending to be unimpressed. “If only you used them to your advantage.”

He shifted his weight, his tone softening. “Aye. Didn’t mean it like that, love.” His voice was quieter now, a little more genuine. “You look… fantastic. I’m just tired. Sorry.”

You nodded slowly, feeling the weight of it yourself. “So, what about you?” you asked, shifting the conversation back to him. “What’re your plans tonight?”

Butcher paused, caught off guard by the question. His usual sarcasm faltered for a moment as he looked at you. You could tell he hadn’t really thought about it. “Dunno,” he shrugged. “Same old, I guess. Drink, maybe head back to the flat.”

You nodded, the corner of your mouth twitching into a half-smile. Then, as if on impulse, you said, “There’s a bottle of whiskey in my desk. A good one. I’ve been saving it for better times, but… those seem pretty far ahead of us, don’t they?”

His eyes flicked toward you, a glint of curiosity in them. He hadn’t expected that.

You shrugged, playing it off casually. “Take it. It’s not doing me any good sitting there.”

Butcher studied you for a moment, as if weighing your words, maybe wondering if there was more to the offer. “Better times, huh?” he muttered, his tone half-joking but with that edge of weariness. “Yeah, they’re always a few steps out of reach.”

The offer of the whiskey wasn’t just about the drink. You both knew that. It was an excuse, a gesture that said you understood the kind of days you were both living through. For a moment, you weren’t sure if he’d take it—if he’d accept what the offer really meant.

“You sure about that?” he asked, still eyeing you.

“Yeah,” you replied softly, meeting his gaze. “I’m sure.”

Butcher dropped his cigarette on the ground, the ember flickering out as he took a step closer to you. You watched him, feeling the tension between you thickening in the quiet. There had been moments before—so many moments—where you had caught him watching you like this. Times when you could feel the pull, the want, simmering beneath the surface. You knew he’d thought about reaching out, maybe taking you back to his flat, but something had always held him back.

“Call me if you need anything, yeah?” you said, stepping closer as well, your hand resting on his shoulder. You leaned in, closing the space between you. “And I’ll come running to the office.” Then, without waiting, you pressed a soft kiss to his cheek, lingering just long enough to leave him with something to think about.

Butcher froze, the usual bravado slipping for just a second. He nodded, but you could see the confusion, maybe even a flicker of vulnerability. His cheek warmed beneath your lips, and you could feel the blood rush there. Why would you bridge that gap now? You pulled back slowly, your hand still on his shoulder—a reassurance, perhaps? A promise that this thing between you—whatever it was—hadn’t gone unnoticed. You wanted him to think about it tonight, to know that you’d be thinking about him too. That maybe this undefined thing between you could be something more.

“Have a drink on me, yeah? Or five,” you said with a smile, mimicking his earlier words before turning to leave.

“You go on ahead now,” he said, his voice gruff again, as if trying to regain his footing. But the surprise was still lingering in his eyes. ~

You didn’t get into too much trouble tagging along with Frenchie. The places were good—gritty, a little too underground for your taste, but there had been plenty of fun with all the attention you’d gotten. Frenchie had spoiled you with drinks, and the men who surrounded you had spoiled you with everything else. Their eyes, their hands—none of them subtle. You felt the weight of it, the gaze that followed you all night, but that was the point, wasn’t it? To let the world drown out the noise of what really mattered.

One man, a little bolder than the rest, wrapped his hands around your waist, pulling you gently away from the bar. “Dance with me,” he begged, his voice thick with liquor. There was a drunken stumble in his footsteps, and it made you laugh.

“You don’t look like you can dance very well,” you teased, placing a hand on his chest to steady him, though you weren’t entirely sure why you bothered.

“I can,” he insisted, eyes gleaming with the kind of overconfidence that came after too many shots of whiskey. His grip tightened on your waist, sliding lower, his body pressing against yours.You didn’t push him away.

His hands were all over you, moving up and down, a little too confident for someone so unsteady. His body was close, too close. You let your eyes drift shut, just for a second, letting the buzz in your head cloud the judgment in your heart. His fingers, rough and clumsy, traced patterns on your skin, and for just a fleeting moment, you pretended they belonged to someone else...

Butcher.

The thought hit you hard, almost knocking the breath from your lungs. You imagined his hands—strong, calloused, deliberate—on you instead of this stranger’s. You imagined his body pressing against yours, not out of drunken lust, but out of something deeper, something real. The idea of it was enough to make your heart race, a thrill running through you.

You leaned into the touch even more, just to feel what it might be like if it were him. The man’s hands gripped tighter, pulling you closer, his breath hot on your neck, the smell of whiskey and for a split second, you let yourself indulge in the fantasy. You felt something stir in your underbelly, a warmth you weren’t quite prepared for. But it didn’t last. Because it wasn’t him.

The illusion shattered as quickly as it had formed, and the weight of reality came crashing down. This wasn’t Butcher. You pulled away, taking a step back, letting the man’s drunken grip slip off you. “Find someone else to lean on,” you muttered, your voice cool, though your pulse still raced. ‘’Im sorry.’’

You pulled away, taking a step back, letting the man’s drunken grip slip off you. “Find someone else to lean on,” you muttered, your voice cool, though your pulse still raced. He stumbled, a look of confusion flashing across his face, but before he could protest, you were already walking away, leaving him to himself.

Frenchie was waiting by the bar, watching the whole thing play out.

“I need to go,” you said, slipping back beside him, trying to shake off the lingering feeling of that man’s touch.

Frenchie raised an eyebrow, curious. “Why? Things were just getting interesting, no?”

“Butcher,” you answered simply, the name falling from your lips without hesitation.. “I can’t explain it to you.”

But Frenchie didn’t need an explanation. He wasn’t blind to what had been brewing between you and Butcher. Everyone had noticed—the way you seemed to gravitate toward each other, the unspoken tension that filled every room you were in together. The way you allowed his jokes, the way you stepped in to protect the other too easily, or how arguments between you two dragged on, both of you too stubborn to back down. It wasn’t subtle. Not in the way you thought it was.

Frenchie gave a small shrug, smirking slightly. “You don’t have to explain it to me,” he said, leaning back against the bar. ‘’Go before some man grabs you again huh.’’ Frenchie joked. Frenchie watched as you left, the same amused, knowing smile lingering on his lips. He’d been around you long enough to recognize the look in your eyes. ~ Butcher sat in his apartment, the dim light from a single lamp casting long shadows across the room. The bottle of whiskey she’d mentioned sat unopened in his hands, heavy,, its amber liquid catching the faint light. He stared at it, his fingers tightening around the glass, his other hand bringing a cigarette to his lips. He took a long drag. It wasn’t the first time he’d thought about cracking the bottle open. In fact, he’d thought about it ever since she’d told him to take it, her voice still lingering in his mind. “Saved for better times,” you’d said. Better times felt like they were always out of reach, just like everything else these days. Butcher exhaled, the smoke filling the space around him like the thoughts filling his mind. Your face appeared in the haze, that smirk you always gave him, the way youe eyes would flicker toward him, challenging. You left him with something tonight—more than just a bottle of whiskey. The kiss on his cheek still lingered, as if your lips had branded something on him, something he couldn’t shake no matter how hard he tried.

He’d thought about you before, plenty of times—too many if he was being honest. But he never did act on it. It wasn’t the right time; it was never the right time. He didn’t let himself think it could be more than whatever undefined thing it was. It should not be more. There was no time for whatever this could become.

But you had made it more difficult for him. You’d kissed him. A simple kiss, just on the cheek, but it wasn’t about the gesture—it was about what it left behind. He could still feel the warmth from your touch, the way your hand had rested on his shoulder, the way you’d leaned in close. You were leaving him with something to think about, something to sit with while you went out, dressed in that tight little number, turning heads. The idea of you out there, dancing, surrounded by men who didn’t deserve you, gnawed at him. He imagined their hands on you, their eyes taking in every curve, every part of you that he had only watched from a distance. It made him grind his teeth, the thought of you laughing, flirting, maybe even kissing someone else. But it wasn’t just jealousy—it was something deeper, something he couldn’t name.

He shook his head, took another drag of the cigarette, and stared at the whiskey again. Maybe a drink would help—take the edge off, drown out the thoughts that refused to leave him alone. But he didn’t open the bottle. Not yet. Butcher crushed the cigarette into the ashtray beside him, still staring at the bottle, the weight of it more than just the glass and liquid. He imagined you now, laughing at some bloke’s joke, swaying to the music, your lips curled in that familiar smile. And suddenly, he wished you were here, in this room, with him instead of out there.

The apartment felt too quiet, too still, and the bottle in his hands suddenly felt too heavy. Maybe he should call you, tell you something came up. Surely, you would come rushing. But then what? Butcher sighed, setting the bottle down on the table in front of him, unopened. He leaned back in his chair, staring at the ceiling, his thoughts still filled with you. Lately, it had always been you. With a frustrated grunt, he reached for his phone.

As Butcher’s fingers brushed the edge of his phone, he froze. His instincts flared, catching the faint sound of footsteps echoing from the hallway outside his apartment door. Slow, deliberate, as if someone was hesitating with each step. His hand hovered over the phone for a moment longer before he let it drop to his side. The apartment was too quiet—he could hear everything now. The footsteps paused just outside his door. His jaw tightened, senses sharp, ready for whatever—or whoever—might be standing on the other side. He silently reached for the blade he kept tucked in the armrest of his chair, just in case. The footsteps stopped. A moment of silence hung in the air. Then, a soft knock. Three quick taps. Almost familiar. His heart thudded once in his chest, and he cursed under his breath. Butcher stayed still, his hand gripping the handle of the knife. His mind raced, caught between the idea that it might be you—or trouble, or worse. Either way, the tension ratcheted up inside him, every nerve on edge. He stared at the door, waiting. The knock came again, softer this time.

Butcher opened the door wider, the knife still clutched in his hand but lowered now, his surprise momentarily masking the usual wariness in his eyes. There you stood, disheveled, your lipstick smudged and mostly gone, the hem of your dress slightly askew, your hair tousled as if you’d been moving around too much, too quickly. You didn’t look like the person who had walked out earlier, confident and collected. Yet you still looked beautiful. “What’re you doin’ here?” His voice came out rougher than he meant, his usual defenses kicking in.

You hesitated, as if searching for the right words. Then, with a small shrug, you said, “I didn’t feel like staying out.” Your eyes flicked down to the knife still clutched in his hand. “Expecting someone else?”

Butcher glanced at the blade and scoffed, tucking it back into its place. "Always am," he muttered, stepping aside to let you in. You walked past him into the room, your scent lingering, a mixture of sugary drinks, your perfume, and something darker, like smoke or whiskey, like the night itself had clung to you. He closed the door behind you and turned, watching as you looked around the apartment—your eyes briefly landing on the bottle of whiskey.

“You didn’t open it,” you said, nodding toward the bottle. He shrugged, shifting his weight from one foot to the other. “Not yet.” “It’s supposed to be a good one. Mallory got it for my 30th birthday.” “She got you a gift then, eh?” “You can get a lot of things if you’re friendly enough,” you teased, plopping down on his couch.

Butcher closed the door behind him and looked at you for a moment as you tried fixing your hair, only to tousle it up even more. He chuckled. You looked up at him from the couch. “You’ve been through the wringer tonight?” he asked. “Something like that.” “So it wasn’t fun? Is that why you’re here?” “Oh, it was,” you chuckled, “until it wasn’t anymore.”

“What? Some poor bastard finally got too handsy?”

You rolled your eyes. “Please. If I wanted, I could’ve handled him just fine.”

“Could’ve fooled me, showin’ up here lookin’ like that.” He gestured vaguely at you with a flick of his hand. “Lipstick gone, dress all crooked. What’d you do? Take out a whole bloody rugby team?”

You laughed, shaking your head. “Just one guy—not exactly Fred Astaire—thought grinding meant trying to fuse himself to me.”

He grimaced in exaggerated disgust. “Sounds like you had a blast.”

“Highlight of my night,” you said sarcastically, then pointed at him. “At least I was out having fun. You’ve been sitting here alone, talking to a bottle all night.”

“Wasn’t talkin’. Was thinkin’ about drinkin’ it,” Butcher shot back. “And maybe I like a bit of quiet. Some of us don’t need to be out there gettin’ pawed at by half of bloody New York.” You raised an eyebrow, the corner of your mouth twitching into a teasing grin. “Watch it, Billy. You almost sound jealous.”

He scoffed and propped his feet up on the table. “Jealous? Of what? A bunch of idiots who don’t know their arse from their elbow?”

You smirked, fidgeting with one of his pillows on the couch. The two of you sat in comfortable silence for a moment. Butcher leaned back into the couch. It was strange having you here for real, but there was too much space between you. His hands were aching to pull you closer.

He exhaled sharply, breaking the quiet. “Okay, cut the bullshit. Why’d you come to my place?” He turned his head toward you, watching as you continued to fiddle with the pillow. “Not just to run away from some blokes at the club.”

You hesitated for a beat before speaking. “I was thinking about you,” you admitted softly.

The words hit him harder than he expected. Something stirred inside him, something he’d been trying to ignore. The fact that you’d been thinking of him—just like he had of you—was a relief, maybe even more than that.

“Fuck, love,” he muttered under his breath, running a hand through his hair. He didn’t know what to say to that, not when it was the exact thing he’d wanted to hear but was too damn stubborn to admit.

You finally stopped fidgeting and looked at him, your expression softer now, vulnerable even. “I didn’t want to be alone tonight. And yeah, maybe I didn’t just want to run from those guys... maybe I wanted to run toward something.”

Butcher’s throat tightened, his gaze flicking to your lips, remembering the way you’d kissed him before. His hands ached with the need to touch you, to close the distance. “You didn’t run very far now, did you, love?” Your eyes softened, and for the first time since you’d walked in, the playful facade fell completely away.

“No, I didn’t,” you said.

The space between you felt charged, and he finally reached out, brushing a strand of your tousled hair behind your ear, his thumb lingering against your cheek. “If you’re here to figure somethin’ out, you know where to start.” Your skin was soft and sticky, a mix of makeup and the sweat of the evening you’d already lived. And yet he imagined that same skin against his lips, the taste of you.

Your breath caught, and you leaned just a little closer, your voice barely above a whisper. “And if I am?”

Butcher’s lips curved into a faint smirk, his tone low and rough. “Then stop thinkin’, and just come here.”

[absolutebl]

This Week in BL - Japan is Winning on Kisses & Other Alternate Realities

Organized, in each category, with ones I'm enjoying most at the top.

March 2024 Wk 4

Ongoing Series - Thai

Two Worlds (Thurs IQIYI) ep 3 of 10 - It would be great if we got the alternative romance with dead Kram from Tai’s perspective (JBL style.) Still I like this show. It’s a little bit like I Feel You Linger in the Air only with a love triangle. And while I'm not a fan of triangles as a general rule, I don’t mind it here because the set up is clever. Wayu and  ao are fun sides too. It sure is moving very quickly, which I like. I’m not entirely sure what’s going on. But that’s normal for me with this kind of Thai drama. 

Deep Night (Thurs iQiyi) ep 4 of 8 - They are extremely sappy boyfriends. I love that mom has a secret gf. Could we please have more of them? The love triangle sides are ridiculous, but I do like that it’s all out in the open. I also like they are actually addressing the complicated parental dynamics of owning a sex club. Honestly, I think Khem should have to be a host too. Learn him the right way, girl!

City of Stars (Fri iQIYI) ep 9 of 12 - It’s good, I like the fallout and them actually having to deal with crazy fans and past relationships. They’re so good at communicating it’s kind of a pleasure to watch them suffer through external pressures, because I have faith that they can make it through.

To Be Continued (Thai C3 Thailand grey) ep 6 of 8 - They are such cute puppy dads and so clearly meant to be together, the fact that they aren’t is just frustrating. The fight thing was stupid. And not a whole lot happened... plus singing. I’m getting fatigued with this one. 

1000 Years Old ep 7 of 12 - Did I miss something happening, or did nothing happen? 

Kiseki Chapter 2 (Sun iQIYI) ep 2 of 6 - It’s so boring, there’s so much guitar playing, and it got weirdly voyeuristic (in a very much not sexy way). I’m totally out. DNF

Close Friend Season 3: Soju Bomb! (Weds iQIYI) ep 3 of 6 - I can’t tell if this is trying to be a BL Romancing the Stone, or a BL Hangover, or both. The problem with situational comedy is it must be both situational and comedic, not just option one. The problem with calling something BL, is that it must be BL. This show got 1 of 3 claims correct. 33% is not a passing grade. DNF 

Honestly, it's the HANDS with these two. They do beautiful beautiful things with their hands. If you're one of those hands-obsessed BLabies you should be watching LIBTSTA!

Ongoing Series - Not Thai

Unknown (Taiwan Tues Youku YouTube & Viki) ep 6 of 11 - So the worst finally happened. The mountain of pain has fallen down upon us. And now, hopefully in the second half things get better for our boys. But what a rough ride. Normally, this is not my style of BL, but everyone is doing such a gorgeous job with it, I can’t fault it… except that it hurts. The red thread symbolism was elegantly done. I’d like to hope we get a reunion in the next one, but knowing this style of series they’re gonna draw it out. There's gonna be a more pain first.

Love is Better the Second Time Around AKA Koi wo Suru nara Nidome ga Joto (Japan Weds Gaga) ep 4 of 6 - Those fuck me puppy dog eyes were perfectly executed. I would not have been able to resist either. Gosh they are so damn cute. This is a great show.

Jazz for Two (Korea Gaga/grey) eps 1-2 of 8 - This comes from the Shoulder to Cry On team so I'm scared, but this one is all actors* not idols so maybe they'll be braver. Boy howdy does it have a fantastic opening sequence. Also the lead is fucking adorable. Mr Broody McBroodypants is cute too. Korea sure loves “pretty but broken.” On the JBL end of the spectrum, is everyone in love with their siblings? That’s weird. The dining room scene was painful. All in all, it's good, I'm intrigued. Let's see how you go little show.

I stand absolutely corrected the lead is a member of NEWKIDD (in my defense I'd never heard of them until Build Up last month). I did recognize him from To My Star because at the time I thought he was too pretty to be only a side character.

AntiReset (Taiwan Fri Viki/Gaga) ep 10 fin - Again there was overuse of previous footage and maudlin navel-gazing grief over something we knew was going to happen. So I didn’t really feel much emotional connection to the drama. 7 year time gap.? t was a cute reunion but the moral quandary never really got resolved. I don’t know how to rate this, I’m not sure I will ever watch it again, so that is a big mark against it.

There’s nothing objectively wrong with this BL except how upsetting it is because of the foundational pygmalion story - grown man falls in love with an android who is basically both his slave and, by maturity level, a child. Yet that premise is crystal clear from the get go, so we watch it eyes open. The actors are cute, the romance sweet, the physical chemistry on point (of course, it’s Taiwan) and yet I was left ultimately unsettled by the concept, content, and plot. 7/10 

My Strawberry Film (Japan Thurs Gaga) ep 7 of 8 - I'm so ready for this to be over, and for Gaga to have something good on. Soon please?

It's done, ready to binge, but I suck

What Did You Eat Yesterday Season 2 AKA Kinou Nani Tabeta? Season 2 (Japan Gaga) 10 eps

It's airing but...

Graduation Countdown (Taiwan YouTube) - It's too much to ask me to keep up with 2 minute verticals, I don't have that kind of TikTok endurance training. Waiting to binge.

A Secretly Love (Thai Sat WeTV grey) 10 eps - I watched the first ep but grey is too much work for this inferior of a show. I may pick up and binge if it gets distribution but for now, it gets a DNF from me. KimCop might have held this crap together but Kim without Cop? No thank you.

Lady Boy Friends (Thai WeTV grey) 16 eps - reminds me a bit too much of Diary of Tootsies only high school. Not my thing. DNF unless it turns a corner and is truly amazing.

Tangential to the genre

There has been the occasional discussion on this topic here in this little corner of tumblr so I thought there might be a few intersted in this podcast: AmericanThaiGuy Ron Weaver on the Complicated Issue of Racism in Thailand (The Bangkok Podcast)

Thailand passed its Marriage Equality bill through the lower house. It's expected to pass the high house and get signed by the King, but that hasn't quite happened yet.

And MaxTul dropped a photo shoot.

Next Week Looks Like This:

Starting Soon

3/31 Only Boo! (Thai GMMTV YouTube) 12 eps - New main couple for GMMTV in an idol romance about a boy who dances good and a food stand vendor. Other side of the tracks grumpy/sunshine pair who fall deeply in love but, of course, baby boy idol can't date. Boyband but from GMMTV? Control your singing and I'm game.

3/31 The Next Prince (Thai ????) 12 eps - trailer. ZeeNew in a fantasy/historical set in a palace where Zee plays a knight and Nu a prince - YES PLEASE. (Apparently this is just the pilot, not the start of the actual show, see comments.)

4/1 Love is like a Cat (Korea ????) 12 eps - This completed filming Aug 2022(!) which means there have been serious problems with post-production. This is another of Silkwood's Korean+Thai colab projects. Mew Suppasit plays a rookie film star, called the Cat Prince (for his cold arrogance) who goes up against a charismatic puppyish animal daycare director (JM of JUST B). There is a side romance (love triangle?) with a veterinarian. Geonu of JUST B is also in the cast. Dual languages.

Hum, trash-watch-a-licious?

4/3 We Are (Thai GMMTV YouTube iQIYI) 12 eps - University ensemble BL featuring PondPhuwin, WinnySatang, AouBoom, MarcPawinPoon - basically the good kind of messy gay friendship group (so more My Engineer and less Only Friends). Looks a bit like the Kiss series but everyone is queer. I'm IN!

4/11 Living With Him AKA Kare no Iru Seikatsu (Japan ????) 10 eps - Kindly Ryota goes off to uni only to find his new roommate is his childhood bestie, Kazuhito. Kazuhito doesn’t have a girlfriend and Ryota tries to help him figure out why, they fall in love along the way. Same director as Old Fashion Cupcake.

4/11 Gray Shelter AKA Gray Currents (Korea ????) 4 eps - SooHyuk is only just surviving and reunites with YoonDae, an old friend. They end up living together. One of the leads is played by Choco of Choco Milk Shake.

4/18 At 25:00, in Alaska AKA 25 Ji, Akasaka de (Japan Gaga - may not be global) 10 eps - Yuki lands his first starring role in a BL drama alongside superstar Asami (previously his senior at uni). Said superstar suggests they form a sham relationship until filming concludes. As they actually begin to fall in love, the spotlight begins to burn.

Seriously? You're killing me with these titles, boys.

4/26 My Stand-In (Thai iQIYI) 12 eps - adaptation of Chinese novel "Professional Body Double" by Shui Qiang Cheng. Stars Up (Lovely Writer) and Poom (Bake Me Please) directed by the same team as KP (not a recommendation IMHO - my biggest criticism of that show was the clashing directing styles). This one looks well complicated, lemme try: Joe is a stuntman for famous actor Tong. Joe falls in love with Ming but Ming sees Joe as nothing more than a Tong-replacement. After learning this horrible truth, Joe dies. Joe then wakes up in the body of another man also named Joe. He manages to rebuild the same life as before—with the same people eventually re-meeting Ming. Ming wants Joe back but Joe doesn't understand why. But Ming seems to know what's going on and wants to give him some kind of explanation.

I'm exhausted just trying to describe the plot.

Knock-Knock Boys (Thai WeTV) - 4 college friends conspire to help their friend lose his virginity. Familiar faces like Seng (yes, Billy's previous partner) and Best, news here.

Upcoming BLs for 2024 are listed here. This list is not kept updated, so please leave a comment if you know something new or RP with additions.

NOTE: It looks like one of my personal favorites of last year Unintentional Love Story is getting a spin off!

THIS WEEK’S BEST MOMENT

Just these two, in my head, rent free. Thanks Japan!

(Last week)

Streaming services are listed by how I (usually) watch, which is with a USA based IP, and often offset by a day because time zones are too much work.

The tag BLigade: @doorajar @solitaryandwandering @my-rose-tinted-glasses @babymbbatinygirl @babymbbatinygirl @isisanna-blog @mmastertheone @pickletrip @aliceisathome @urikawa-miyuki @tokillamonger @rocketturtle4

If ya wanna be tagged each week leave a comment and I will add you to the template. Easy peesy. (With so many tags when does a weekly tumblr post become a newsletter? That is this week's philosophical question...)

[enchanting-chit-chat]

Beetlejuice's Backstory and the Black Plague 💚🕷️🥀💀 PART 2

Hello, hellooo! I’m thrilled that so many of you enjoyed my previous post! 🎊 This is the second part of a series dedicated to the Black Plague era, BJ’s past life, and other movieverse theories.

If you missed it, here is PART 1.

Warning: This post contains SPOILERS for Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (2024) and many, MANY speculations.

In the previous segment, I analyzed various pieces of evidence and concluded that Beetlejuice was:

definitely a plague survivor.

possibly a monatto by profession (though this is still debatable).

most likely Italian, living in Italy during one of the historically significant outbreaks in European history.

However, we still haven’t addressed the million-euro question: Which plague outbreak did he live through when he was alive? And the reason I avoided this question until now is that it’s basically impossible to tell for now. Here’s why:

Reason number 1. The two most notable outbreaks in Italian history occurred in 1350 and 1630. However, after the first incident, the disease reappeared in smaller epidemics every few years across Europe. Additionally, upon rechecking my sources, I discovered three more significant outbreaks:

in 1658, mainly affecting Naples.

in 1749, confined to Sicily and Calabria.

the very last one, in 1815, affecting the Bari area (Noicattaro)

After these outbreaks, the disease seemingly disappeared from Italy for good, which is great news but leaves us with many possibilities.

Reason number 2. In both movies, Beetlejuice has repeatedly proven to be an unreliable narrator. This means we can’t take his origin story at face value.

For instance, his claim of being over 600 years old completely contrasts with the clothes he and Delores are wearing in the backstory sequence. That style of fashion is typical of the Baroque period, which flourished from the early 17th century until the 1750s.

To keep it brief: Beetlejuice’s neckband, his three-piece suit, and Delores’ outfit visually suggest that the backstory is likely set in the 17th century and definitely did not occur before the 16th century.

On top of that, consider that Tim Burton navigated various historical periods throughout his filmography: think about Sleepy Hollow, Sweeney Todd, Alice in Wonderland, Big Eyes, and Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. I believe that it’s unlikely that historical inaccuracies were unintentional.

For context, here is what Beetlejuice and Delores would wear if their story was actually set in the Middle Ages, around the 1300s-1400s:

…not quite the same impression they give during the backstory, is it? And lace cravats were invented in the 1660s. This fact alone is significant because:

It would suggest that Beetlejuice is actually 'younger' that what he stated: Personally, I believe he might be around 300-400 years old. However, this is just an approximation, and I might be wrong.

It would imply that the backstory he narrated and showed us might be a lie (partially or entirely).

Or… perhaps he lied earlier about being 600 years old, but the backstory is the actual truth? Maybe he never learned to count properly… who knows?

My point is that there’s no way to discern what is true and what isn’t. All I can do is analyze what I see with my own eyes, hoping to find some answers. And yes, this means that, in PART 3, I’m going to delve into historical fashion, in unnecessary detail.

But that’s fine, I enjoy making sacrifices for this team. 😀

Until then, have a fantastic week! ✨