#I love how all my muses have the same feelings about THoma

[thundertide-a]

and @Lumine: About Childe, Kazuha, or Thoma - her choice or she can answer all three!

Send ‘About: (name)’ for my muse’s thoughts!

"It's admirable how dedicated he is to his family. He'd do anything to keep Teucer's dreams alive as long as he can... I'll admit, it's not something I expected from him. Maybe it was amusing to see at first, how he'd trip over himself to see it happen and cover his work, but when I realized why he was doing it? He calls himself a bad guy, and I'm not sure I can agree with that. Not after seeing how much he loves his family. I hope someday Aether and I can be that close again..."

"Kazuha is like the breeze. He's quiet and calm... Peaceful to be around, and a breath of fresh air. It's nice to spend time with him, but I can't help but feel like there's things he hides - A loneliness even he's not sure what to do with. I wouldn't want to pry into his business - that's for him to sort out until he asks for help, of course - but I do hope if he needs it, he'll ask for help, even if it's just to spend a day with someone. This world can be a lonely place, and I don't want to see that ensnare Kazuha more than it has to. He's been through enough as it is. May he find peace."

"I'll never understand how Thoma does it. He does the cooking, cleaning, tending to the Kamisatos' needs, the shopping... He helps in town, sorts out the Yashiro Commission's issues, is there to lend a hand to anyone who asks it of him, and even when people don't. He does so much... I know those unwilling to accept him and looking at him as an outsider, but it seems... Unfair to me. There's a kind heart in him and so many still refuse to see it, or give him the time of day - I hope with the abolishment of the decrees, they'll start to see him in a different light. Thoma deserves the smiles he gives others, as well. I'd like to see that for him, at least."

[murfpersonalblog]

IWTV Musings - LDPDL & Nosferatu 2024

We all know & love AMC!IWTV's canon that the Unholy Family saw Nosferatu in 1922, and busted a gut rotflol over Hollywood's vampire.

But if Louis saw Nosferatu 2024, in the wake of Lestat in NOLA, and esp. Armand in Paris/SanFran/Dubai & Claudia's death, I reckon he'd be triggered on several levels. Ofc, one doesn't need to see Nos24 thru Louis' eyes/POV to recognize all the themes about the predatory nature of vampiric seduction, let alone the devastating ways vampires affect/abuse/take advantage/wreak havoc on human vulnerabilities like religious mania depression, mental illness, and suicidal ideation. But let's go for it!

The Closeted (Isolation, Repression, & Mental Illness)

In IWTV, Louis was a closeted gay man who had to grow up always hiding who he really was, for fear of punishment by his uber-Catholic family as well as society at large. Homosexuality was not only considered a mental illness, subject to extreme forms "treatment" including solitary confinement in a sanatorium (mental asylum--the same place his mentally ill brother Paul had already been sent that made him "worse than before"); but also a crime punishable by incarceration or even death.

I've long said that "Rashid"/Armand's treatment of Louis esp. in Dubai was more like a nurse than a servant--the kind of nurse that hates their job (being "stuck on suicide watch") & whose bedside manner effing SUCKS, having no patience for the mentally ill & no capacity to properly take care of them; just making things worse.

In Nosferatu, Ellen was always "touched" as a child, having the 2nd sight that allowed her to always know ahead of time what her Xmas gifts were, and know the date her mom would die. Her mean father thought she was a freak and had her closeted away & isolated from society, the family embarrassment. Even after she got married, Thomas' BFF Friedrich barely tolerated Ellen, and when her seizures started he had her tied & doped & corseted up--all the worst ways of caring for her that likely did more harm than good. Ellen even called him out on it, knowing Friedrich tied her up cuz he hated having to deal with her in the first place "I tire of discussing her; can we please talk about something else; the entire household centers around her fairy whims!," and got sick of her being in his house anymore.

Book & Hearth's video analysis of Ellen's mental illness in Nosferatu says this:

So, Louis/Ellen are both people stigmatized by Victorian society for things that were never their fault (homosexuality, mental illness, etc), either socially closeted/isolated (Louis) or spatially closeted/isolated (Ellen).

(Lestat kept whining in 1x3 & 2x7 about how the worst thing a vampire can feel is loneliness--as if that's not awful for humans to feel, too. 🙄 Esp. since vamps are immortal, they've got all the time in the world for someone to eventually show up & fall in love with them; unlike humans, who grow old & decrepit & die in no time flat.)

We see the extreme lengths Louis & Ellen would go to, to alleviate their loneliness & desperation for companionship, and their desire to feel seen & close to someone--even if that someone was the Devil himself: a vampire.

"Come to me" - Loustat & Orllen

Both IWTV & Nosferatu use Come to Me. It's a motif as old as Dracula itself, so it's par for the course, really.

"Come to me, Arthur. Leave these others and come to me. My arms are hungry for you. Come, and we can rest together. Come, my husband, come!" --Lucy Westenra, Dracula

But both shows play around with it in interesting ways.

In IWTV, Lestat repeatedly chants C2M/Viens a moi to lure Louis to him. In 1x1 Louis actually runs away, fleeing to the church & prayed to God to help/kill him; only for the Devil/Lestat to show up & "give you death" by making him a vampire. But in 1x6, Lestat uses the song "Come to Me" to "get a rise out of" Louis, who swims the Mississippi to take his estranged husband back. But during the Trial, Lestat lied on Lou and accused him of saying C2M to "accost" Les instead--the human seducing the vampire. Meanwhile, Lou still has Les's master recording of C2M in 2022, which he plays for Daniel in Dubai--again proving that Les was lying on Lou & weaponized C2M against him.

Nosferatu24 plays the human-calling/seducing-the-vampire straight, where Ellen literally summoned Orlock. Lonely, she'd prayed to God for a companion, "a spirit of comfort," but accidentally roused the Nosferatu from his sleep as she kept repeating "Come to me."

Ellen accidentally called Orlock, and Lestat hunted Louis down--but both characters are still guilt-ridden by their open-armed acceptance of their vampire lovers, once they eventually realize that the person they thought would be their comfort/safety had only taken advantage of their loneliness, desperation & ignorance about their situation and the type of creature these vamps really were.

Louis' relationship with Armand doesn't 1:1 fit, since they never use C2M per se, but Armand DOES approach Louis similarly to Les, as the charismatic vampire who stalked Lou before finally confronting him, luring him & Claudia into the Theatre to recruit/convert them to his crazy AF coven/cult; and then using a series of lies, manipulations & brainwashes to take advantage of Louis' trauma post-Banishment to keep Lou as his (un)willing companion for 77yrs after killing his daughters.

The Death of 2 Daughters

Orlock's murder of Friedrich's 2 daughters is a chilling scene. The Nosferatu puts a spell on Friedrich while he's sleeping, his hand casting a spectral shadow over Friedrich's face to keep him pinned in his bed and trapped in his nightmares. Meanwhile, his 2 daughters & wife are screaming for him to help them, but Friedrich can't move or wake up, impotently clutching the gun in his hand as his wife & kids are slaughtered bu Orlock, just down the hall from him.

Orlock has both the little girls in his clutches, and throws them down like sacks of potatoes once he's done draining them, as their mother Anna helplessly watches, screaming, before he kills her, too.

This is painfully similar to how Armand instructed the coven to fog the minds of Claudia, Madz & Louis whenever they tried defending themselves, on top of their ankles being slashed so they couldn't move, escape, or fight back--esp. not once Lou was dragged away kicking & screaming to be buried alive, ensuring that he'd be helpless to do anything to save his 2 daughters from being murdered. The last thing he ever heard Claudia say was her screaming his name.

(Since this is 2024, Louis wouldn't yet be privy to the details Lestat reveals in S3 (2026). But if Lestat's also watching Nos24, he knows even more about Claudia's final moments than Lou does--that feeling of helplessness is only amplified by the fact that she's HIS literal Blood Child--he'd've felt her die the same way Louis felt Madz die. Drained after using his Mind Gift to save Louis with Banishment, Lestat's too weak to save Claudia as she burns. The last thing Claudia ever saw was her father just standing there, uselessly watching Armand & the coven burn her to death.)

Sexual Inhibitions, Awakenings, Stigmas, Salvation

Louis is often mocked/derided in the fandom as a d**kmatized Pick Me who only thinks with his loins to stay with toxic AF Lestat's "considerable considerables;" after years of closeted sexual repression.

"Do you remember the best you ever had? So imagine that flowing inside your veins again. Now multiply it by miles, to the rings of Saturn and back...." "He had a way about him, those first years, Lestat. Preternaturally charming, occasionally thoughtful. He was my murderer, my mentor, my lover, and my maker--all of those things at once. He had taken what he called un petit coup, the Little Drink. Not enough to kill me, but just enough to keep him fit. It takes an enormous amount of restraint for us, the Little Drink. For a human, experiencing it for the first time, it was…unsettling. And not for the physical toll on my body, which was significant, but for the feelings of intimacy it awoke within me."

Lestat's seduction of Louis was a sexual revelation/awakening, but it also spooked TF outta Louis. He fled Lestat's house in a gay panic, "vowing never to return." I also discussed how Lestat's C2M in 1x1 was dubcon/noncon, and mirrored Lestat in Paul's head, making both him AND Louis feel unclean.

She sank on her knees on the floor in an agony of abasement. Pulling her beautiful hair over her face, as the leper of old his mantle, she wailed out. “Unclean! Unclean! Even the Almighty shuns my polluted flesh! I must bear this mark of shame upon my forehead until the Judgement Day.” -- Mina Harker, Dracula

(Lou was bored to dangit death with Armand in SanFran (the gay mecca where he'd been enjoying his 2nd wind/try at a gay sexual awakening), mocking Armand for having been forced into ascetic celibacy by the Children of Satan, who made him forget he had a working peen (Lou was obvs mad that Armand wasn't using said peen with Lou--the Bed Death Truthers were right all along, LOL).)

Meanwhile, Ellen was outright called a "sinner" by her father when he found her lying naked after a (Orlock-induced) fit/orgasm.

Orlock stayed with Ellen for years, an incubus visiting her in her dreams & having sex with her (the best she'd ever had, as she later throws in Thomas' face, "you could never please me like he could"); but also throwing her into fits/seizures--"at first it was sweet...and then it turned to torture!"

In the end, LDPDL & Ellen use their sexual prowess to distract their vampire husbands long enough for their Murder Plots to be accomplished--a la Mina Harker in Dracula.

Louis is literally instructed by Claudia to seduce Lestat, keeping him distracted with sex while Claudia plans how to poison & kill him. Louis is afraid to fall back into the "well with no bottom" and "lose myself in him," and Claudia promises to be his salvation--pulling him out in time to strike the killing blow to Lestat.

Ellen is another femme fatale who welcomes Orlock into their marriage bed, where she forcefully holds him close as he notices the sun rising; keeping him distracted with sex long enough for the sunlight to cook him to death as she hemorrhages under him. Her suicide is her salvation/martyrdom, as she frees herself (and the whole town) from Orlock's clutches.

(Again, Armand doesn't have as neat of a 1:1 fit, since Louis doesn't distract him with sex to defeat him. But Louis still plays up his seemingly helpless submission to get Armand to allow the interview to continue, as if Daniel isn't threat, and as if Louis doesn't suspect Armand of foul play--at least not until the end of 2x5 ofc. But Armand constantly wrests control back, and by the end of the interview in 2x8 he ALMOST wins. Louis doesn't defeat Armand or save himself at all here--DANIEL defeats Armand & saves Louis instead, showing the leagues of difference between the threat Armand posed vs Lestat. )

[alicewonderao3]

Marry Me

Title: Marry Me

Characters: Aaron Hotchner, reader, OC male character.

Pairing: Aaron Hotchner x fem!reader, fem!reader x oc male character.

Summary: When it's finally the day of her wedding, after months of planning, why does she feel like she's making the biggest mistake of her life? Isn't every bride second guessing herself, even on her wedding day?

Warnings: None, just a bit angsty and then fluffy.

Author's note: I had the idea for this earlier this week, while I've been recovering from my hospital trip last week. I was inspired by a song, as usual, Thomas Rhett's 'Marry Me'. My muses said to write this and here it is. I have no beta, so all spelling and grammar mistakes are mine, and I just finished it, so let me know what you think.

The day of the wedding was finally here, sunny and warm. Everything was as it was supposed to be. My grandfather was preaching the wedding service and there were plenty of magnoila's everywhere. It was a small wedding, not too many people. But something didn't feel right. It had been this niggling sensation in the back of my mind for months.

My bridesmaids all told me I was crazy, that I was marrying the perfect man. On paper, Steve was perfect. He was tall, and handsome, with blonde hair and blue eyes. He was kind and sweet. Sure, you were supposed to feel sparks, but it didn't always happen, right? My friends told me I'd be crazy to say no to his proposal, so even though I had doubts, I said yes.

I said yes, even as I felt that same feeling in my stomach at my engagement party and my bridal shower. I'd sometimes look down at my ring and my stomach would turn as if I was repulsed by the large diamond ring. My mother told me I'd be crazy to not marry him. But that feeling was still there, and it was even more present this day, standing in my wedding dress, pacing back and forth.

I couldn't get Aaron out of my head. Aaron and I had been friends for forever. He was an FBI agent, tall, handsome, and funny, with brown eyes that sparkled when he teased me and when he laughed. He knew my favorite color and the way I drank my tea. He knew everything about me and I knew everything about him. I couldn't get that night he'd almost kissed me before I met Steve out of my head, that night we spent walking downtown, how he'd paused in the park under that big magnolia tree, and how he'd almost kissed me. I'd never felt such sparks before, never felt so strongly before.

The sparks had always been there, but it was always a case of wrong timing. I remember when he was dating Haley Brooks, and I'd been single, and then I'd be dating someone and he'd be single. All of my friends were dating people, and getting married.

I was pacing back and forth when my dad walked in, a box in his hands. I recognized the tie-dye shirt wrapped around it, a shirt I bought Aaron one summer as a joke gift, but one he loved. It had its place of pride amongst the suits he wore as an FBI agent. Seeing it, wrapped around whatever gift he'd got me, was like a death sentence. It was like the ending of what could be.

I bit back my tears and hesitantly let my dad walk me towards the aisle, but the closer we got the more my nerves increased, and the more I sensed I was doing the wrong thing. I kept panicking and as the opening notes started to play, I took a deep breath and held my flowers and I couldn't do it. I stood there, as everyone stared at me. My eyes met Steve's at the end of the aisle and I realized, I loved Aaron. He loved me.

I glanced down at the large and gaudy ring I wore and met my dad's eyes. He gave me a concerned look and watched as I slipped the ring off, sliding it into his hand. "Tell him I'm sorry?" I said, and he nodded. Then, as everyone gasped, I dropped the too-large bouquet I didn't even like and ran out. I knew right where he'd be, and Dad had pressed his car keys in my hands as I ran out.

I drove there, speeding and praying I wouldn't get pulled over. His car was there, in the parking lot and I ran, faster than I'd ever run before down the paths, in my wedding dress, past people who stared at me until I stopped short of the tree. There he was, standing under the tree, looking wrecked.

He turned around and his eyes met mine. He held his hands up, a shocked look on his face and I started crying, shrugging as my hands landed on my face before I ran to him, launching myself into his arms, and he held me without question. His arms were strong and warm around me as I sobbed into his chest.

"What are you doing? You should be getting married," He said, his voice warm but full of shock as he held me. "I can't, Aaron," I whispered, tears thick in my voice. He was silent for a moment, as he pulled back to look at me. "Why not?" He asked, as one of his thumbs reached up to wipe my tears away.

"Because it felt wrong from the start. Because I'm an idiot for not realizing that I wanted to get married, but that I didn't want to marry Steve. It's you, Aaron. I've been in love with you for years now, and I'm the biggest-" But then his lips descended on mine, and I whimpered as he kissed me, holding me tight as everything suddenly felt right.

Kissing Aaron was like the final puzzle piece being fit into place. Everything felt right again. My world, which had felt so off-center in the months since Steve proposed, now felt right again. I pressed close to him, my lips remaining on his, until we both pulled away to breathe heavily. "I know I'm a big dummy and I should have trusted my gut and said no to Steve, but I'm here. I ran away from my wedding and I'm here."

Aaron hadn't spoken yet, he'd just been listening to me ramble and he pressed his hand to my lips. "Hey, hey," he said, his voice soft. "You're here now. All that other stuff, we'll figure out later. You were always a little slow on the uptake, but you got it. I love you." He'd whispered and I nodded, as I cried again. "I love you too, Aaron Hotchner. I'm sorry it took us so long to get our timing right."

He didn't say anything else, he just leaned down and pressed his lips to mine, kissing me like his life depended on it. I knew I'd have a lot of people to talk to in the next few days, but right now, standing here under the shade of the magnolia tree where I'd had my almost first kiss with Aaron, his lips pressed to mine, everything was right. As long as I had him in my life, things would be okay. I can handle whatever the world throws at me as long as he's by my side.

[philcoulsonismyhero]

6 15 17 19 28 for the wrapped asks!

6 - Favourite title you used?

That's a good question, I've quite liked basically all the titles I've managed to come up with. I think I'm going to have to go with 'No Place For A Doctor', though, which is the title of my original fantasy short comic that's retelling my old DnD character's origin story. The whole comic is a monologue from Sam, basically, and it starts with him musing on how war is no place for a doctor, but he's starting to understand it's the one place they have to be. And then it ends with Sam deciding to take up adventuring because the war changed him so much that he can't fit back into his life again and he feels like he doesn't have a place he belongs anymore. That's a whole thing with Sam as a character, the fact that he's got that restlessness and struggles to put down roots, and being a doctor is Fundamental to his sense of identity, so I think that title manages to really hit on The Point and The Themes of that particular part of his story.

15 - What WIPs are you taking into next year with you?

Too many to count...

In terms of ones I'm determined to finish, though, there's Don't Carry It All, Don't Carry It All, which just needs the penultimate chapter finished and the final epilogue-y one properly written. I really want to get that one done before the 19th of January, because that date next year is the 80th anniversary of the events the fic is about commemorating the 70th anniversary of.

All my original stuff is still technically WIPs, so on that front there's The Woodsman and the Wolf (queerplatonic werewolf fairytale-ish thing), my untitled detective mystery thriller, No Place For A Doctor, Red Shift Blue Shift (longform webcomic idea about robots and robot rights in the space future), and a whole bunch of other bits and pieces that will eventually hopefully get somewhere.

17 - already answered

19 - What's one pairing you want to explore next year?

I've given one answer to this one already, but here's another one: I've got this crossover crack qpr nonsense that I got myself deeply invested in over the past year and have been bothering various friends with, and I really want to get some of the 70k+ words I've written about them wrangled into something postable so I can inflict it on the wider internet as well.

Long and the short of it: I think Thomas Nightingale (Rivers of London) and Harry Hart (Kingsman) would be very good friends and also I think they should get queerplatonic about it. They've got a similar sort of loneliness, and that particular sort of posh English reserve, plus Nightingale is aroace and I think Harry is aro, and poking at the two of them as they figure out how to navigate a qpr situation that they don't really have the words for has been a lot of fun. And Peter being equally confused about it (but very supportive, he's definitely got the spirit) is Hilarious, same with Eggsy who of course is also there eventually. (The friendship that develops between those two as a result of their mentors being sort-of-together is Also very fun.) I've got so many thoughts about them, it's a whole thing, I love it a lot.

28 - Favourite work you wrote this year?

Picking favourites is hard, but I am very fond and proud of Don't Carry It All, Don't Carry It All, my big long Nightingale and Peter and the Battle of Ettersberg anniversary fic. The whole thing spun out of the thought 'I bet Nightingale has nightmares sometimes, and I wonder how Peter would react if he couldn't avoid noticing his boss was sleeping like shit', and when it's finished it's going to be something like 35k+. It's been really fun digging into their relationship at a point reasonably far along in the series where they're getting pretty close but still keeping that teacher and apprentice thing up between them as they always do, and also using it as an excuse to spell out some of my favourite Nightingale headcanons. I'm really proud of the climactic scene in the fic, I think I really landed it after a lot of good stuff that builds up to it, and when I finally get the end of that chapter finished I'll be able to actually post it and I hope it works for other people as much as it does for me.

[theartoflovingthomashunt]

In the Stillness of Sunrise

[All Thomas Hunt x Alex Spencer Masterlists] [Red Carpet Diaries]

Pairing: Thomas Hunt x Alex Spencer (F!OC) Book: Red Carpet Diaries Word Count: ~550 Rating: General: no warnings (all the fluffy fluff) Prompts: “i love it when your voice is the first thing i hear in the morning.” (requested by @peonyblossom); “I hope you know by now how much you mean to me.” @choicesflashfics; @choicesjuly2023challenge: pink

Synopsis: Thomas and Alex share a soft morning moment.

As the morning sky blushed with hues of pink and gold, a radiant glow emerged on the horizon. The sun's tender rays peeked through the curtains as it made its ascent. A delicate dance of light and shadows played in the room as the curtains swayed gently in the soft, refreshing breeze, whispering promises of the new and beautiful day ahead.

Thomas stirred as the warmth of the sun brushed against him, his arm instinctively reaching out to pull Alex closer. She snuggled against his chest, her breath soft and rhythmic. With eyes half-closed, he traced delicate circles on her back, his touch light and soothing. He couldn't help but smile as he felt her nuzzle against him.

"Good morning," he whispered, his voice still husky with sleep.

Alex mumbled a sleepy response, her fingers dancing lazily across his chest, feeling the steady beat of his heart. "Morning," she murmured, shifting slightly before snuggling back into him, hoping for a few more minutes of sleep. 

His lips pulled in the corners, his gaze mesmerized by his sleepy beauty. He pressed a tender kiss on top of her head. "You know," he whispered. "I love it when your voice is the first thing I hear in the morning." 

Despite her attempt to sleep, her smile grew. "Even when it's a groggy, mumbled, half-asleep mess?" 

"Especially then," he confessed, his fingers threading through her hair that fanned out down her back, "because it's only for me."

Her brow rose as she rested her chin on his chest, looking up at him skeptically. 

"I hope you know by now how much you mean to me. That includes all of you." Thomas brushed his thumb over her cheek, cradling her face. "And, I trust no one else gets to enjoy your morning pleasantries as I do."

"I'm pleasant in the mornings now?" She giggled softly, her fingers drawing imaginary patterns on his chest. "And...well, it isn't only for you; there is another," she began hesitantly.

He sighed in amusement, "Bogart doesn't count."

"Why not? He loves my morning mumbles because he's usually thinking the same thing—" she paused to pout a moment, "—not yet, more sleep!"

"If you go back to sleep, how will you enjoy your coffee?" Thomas offered, slowly drawing back the blankets.

"That's the good thing about coffee," Alex mused as she wrapped herself around him. "It's good anytime. Even in another hour."

"Perhaps, but if you get up now, we might just have time to enjoy it in quiet before our sweet children wake," he countered. "Think about it. Sitting on the porch, with a fresh, warm cup of coffee, and you wrapped in my arms in the stillness of sunrise." 

"Just us?"

"Just us." He brushed her hair away from her face, tucking it behind her ear. "Unless Bogart follows us."

"He'll probably stay with the twins. He takes his big brother duties very seriously."

"I had noticed." He smiled, grateful for how gentle but protective Bogart had been. "What do you say?"

"You make a very compelling argument."

"Is that a yes?"

"For you?" The question lingered as she propped herself up, tenderly caressing his jaw. She pressed a kiss there, his beard tickling her lips. There was no one else who could get her to agree to wake up before she had to, but him. "—Always."

Thank you so much for reading. I always enjoy early mornings with these two love birds. They have my whole heart.

Thank you so much for the request @peonyblossom 🥰🥰🥰

[outridera]

Positivity you say?

Excuse me while I gush. Though do forgive if some of these are sloppy, I am emotionally drained from yesterday, and some reason, even if I spelt like 12 hours today, my body is sluggish and feeling not up to it haha.

Under read more as It'll be looong.

So I wanted to give this a shout out to people, cause honestly, they not only deserve such, but I wanted to give them love. Do note I'll mention some other names at the end, as I've already spoken about them.

But also that I wanna try to get everyone that I can, so I do apologize that I haven't said much! Just wanted to showcase how many lovely people there are, and that mean a lot to me! Also do note, some names I may have missed, but that's more down to me trying to remember ALL of them gdidgsidsg. So do not worry if you're not there, you are their in spirit! Soon as I remember, I'll throw you there asap!

@risingsol How can you not adore Xue? Like really? They're so lovely, and so lovely to chat too. They're not only talented on the field of RP either, they're really talented in the cooking department as well. One day I'll get to try those lovely birthday Genshin meals they can make really well : D ThoughhopefullynotAmbersdgsidgidgs

@adversaryss @narvvhal I swear every Childe I've met has been so fucking sweet, and just a pleasure to talk to. Where it be IMs, discord, anywhere. But not only that, they all seem like the biggest, and most good hearted people that you can come across. I will always love and adore them.

@erabundus @inavagrant Much like any Scara I've met. They've been super pleasant, and lovely. Easy to approach, and for sure top quality all round.

@snowtombedstar I always adore the love they not only they give for their muse, but the joy, and passion they showcase on the dash each and every day.

@al-hazen Same can be said about this person! I always love seeing them on the dash, and the fun that comes with it, also big ups for them having Kuki, cause Kuki is a treasure, much like they are. Top quality stuff.

@scarletooyoroi YOU. YOU LOVELY FUCKER. Are you actually Thoma in real life? Cause you're a sweetie, and super quality.

@aalberich / @dilucisms How can you not love them? The real care and push they give, to not just their muses, but to others too. It's to be adored!

@maquiscursed SUPER QUALITY. Honestly, they're a big reason my Nahida resurgence happened, cause I fell in love with Nahida all over again. They're really great, not just with Nahida either, they've got plenty of lovely muses to adore, and are top quality.

@sylvctica How much talent do you actually have? From your art, to your wonderful nerd, that is canon in every sense of the word to me. You're a true delight!

@orecrowned And you too! I'm thanking you once again for not only the commission, but being a fun presence on dash. I may not partake in the Sunday thing, but the fun you give off, is truly a wonder.

@electric-ecclectic Another one that honestly I do adore, and see as canon personalty tbh. Amber's lore will forever have your nerd in it in my eyes : D

@riteburdened always deserved to be loved.

@nascentwaves You're here, and you know why. YOU'RE THE REASON. My Amber is here.

Some many more that deserves love down below. Give them love!

@gunnhildred @curiouskinetic @theoneandonii @the-wayward-snowflake @artificeheart @lochjurat @constellaris @dandelicnfang @viigilant @viisiond @grislyintentions @voyage-inferno @cryoexorcist @ayahimes @foliarlight @adelshaus @mercyburned @princepsstellas @starsdescent @starlitwishes @galactia @wise-innocence @supportingfire @khemianprinz @melodicbreeze @reginrokkr @samyavastha @travelerandclover @reallyrandomtj @remunporium

[scarletooyoroi]

What inspired your divergent route for your muse? I love his group synergy with the Kamisatos but also see a point beyond him solely hiding like in the Archon quest.

Well my dear anon! Come take a seat and I'll dive a bit into it.

At the most base element for this inspiration, Thoma, akin to many other Genshin Impact characters I feel like can have so much more done with their selected stories. The AQ framework of focusing primarily on each visited region doing challenges, only to have it all magically hand waved is shallow in my personal inspiration. I love peace, but it has to be earned peace ya feel me?

Understandably with the gacha atmosphere, not many are going to have extended times to shine after their region is wrapped up, gotta tailor to the new shine. This on the other hand means that a large amount of the cast gets stagnant from personal growth outside fhe main antagonistic powers/The Traveler by proxy. That said let's reel it around back to Thoma.

Thoma by nature had both a goal (as revealed in his character story) and truthfully from my pov, wasn't going to make his service to the Kamisatos lifelong. Even then you can learn that 'housekeeper' moniker is flimsy title. He was a top retainer, a business dealer, and also a bodyguard figure for their group during his decade there. He was always taking his expertise and ensuring that the network surrounding them would have little to worry about.

So! Give and take when the AQ comes around? When he has to make another divergent choice, to those in the nation who paid kindness to him or to just keep himself risk free and stashed away.

Similar to how he decided to stay in Inazuma's lethal atmosphere, the natural choice in my head is that he'd do it again. He wants to make good on his dues.

This is why this same scenario being made on a much more global scale in Inazuma would not only be a moment of reflection, but resolve further tempered. Making things right here and finally getting a move on with his personal goals felt like the natural move. I want to explore Thoma's gallant nature and how his type would seamlessly work in a lot of Teyvat's locations, and in his personal story, make good on his Vision's resolve of being a guardian figure amidst his travels.

Returning to the Kamisato Estate permanently say outside of friendly visits would be fridging him in my head. The 100th Vision ceremony serves as too influential of an event to magically hand wave it off, that he'd just be content with 'what ifs' when the whole notion of the Human Progress value would've been inspirational to him. It felt as if he truly woke up alongside many in the current atmosphere at the time.

damn u read all this?? Thank you for your time.

[honorhearted]

SHIPPING INFO! ♡

Answer the following for your muse(s) so people know how shipping works on your blog. REPOST. Don’t reblog!

WHAT’S YOUR OTP FOR YOUR MUSE? If this means overall, I'd never feel comfortable elevating one ship over the others on this blog. But if this is referring to Ben's overall canon, I don't truly have one! When I first watched Turn back in 2020, I didn't ship Ben with anyone -- my ships mostly came through fic experimentation and RP, so my favorites in that regard tend to be Ben/Peggy (the dramatic potential alone is *chef's kiss*), the found family aspect of Ben/Mary with Thomas as a surrogate son, and my always favorite bickering dynamic, Ben/Anna.

WHAT ARE YOU WILLING TO RP WHEN IT COMES TO SHIPPING? Pretty much anything! The only thing I won't write is r.ape as a plot point. Don't ask me to do it, 'cause it ain't happenin'. In regards to tropes, enemies to lovers is my absolute favorite, so I wish there were more loyalist characters out there to throw at Ben.

HOW LARGE DOES THE AGE GAP HAVE TO BE TO MAKE IT UNCOMFORTABLE? I've never encountered any discomfort while writing age gap ships, so I'd say as long as the characters are adults, I won't be bothered.

ARE YOU SELECTIVE WHEN SHIPPING? It probably seems like I'm not since I have so many lol, but I do need there to be chemistry first. I've had to nicely take a couple people aside over the years and tell them it's not working out -- in those instances, we planned a ship before actually writing it, which I will never do again due to the potential discomfort/hurt feelings.

HOW FAR DO STEAMY MOMENTS HAVE TO GO BEFORE THEY’RE CONSIDERED N / SFW? For me, I always throw in a "read more" once a.rousal is mentioned, or once the physical touches progress beyond kissing. Sometimes, I just do it right from the get-go to save the dash from any potential awkwardness.

WHO ARE OTHER MUSES YOU SHIP YOUR MUSE WITH? Oh gosh, you're going to make me list out all my ships? *cuts to everyone chanting Ben is a h.oe in the BG* Okay, so I mostly tend to ship with OCs on this blog, so I'd say that's over half of my dynamics for sure. Then, I have an Anna, a Mary, and I used to have a Peggy; the rest of my ships are crossovers, and I love each and every one of my ships cuz my writing partners are fab-u-lous and make this experience so much fun. <3 If this is also asking about platonic ships, I have a lot of great friendships on this blog that I adore, as well as some sibling-ish and paternal-ish dynamics that make my heart go !!!! <3

DOES ONE HAVE TO ASK TO SHIP WITH YOU? I've never had this happen tbh. Like, maybe I'm just very easy to read, interest-wise, but whenever I'm interested, I kind of just shyly drop hints, and then we usually end up on the same page and shipping together. So no, nobody has to ask to ship with me, but I don't want to be forced into shipping something either. Getting sent a shippy ask when we've never even interacted before, for instance, isn't something I'm comfortable with.

HOW OFTEN DO YOU LIKE TO SHIP? I mean, any time? lol

ARE YOU MULTISHIP? Yep!

ARE YOU SHIP OBSESSED OR SHIP MORE-OR-LESS? I definitely get very invested in my ship threads, so I guess obsessed? But I'm also never going to ignore any non-shippy threads, 'cause I'm also very happy to write platonic/familial plots as well.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE SHIP IN YOUR CURRENT FANDOM? I feel like I already answered this? lol It varies, because I never started off with a ship for Ben. I first started experimenting with Ben/Anna, so that has a nostalgia affection for me, especially since I don't write it so much anymore, but I also flip-flop in between Ben/Mary and Ben/Peggy as my absolute favorite, so I guess I just constantly switch between those three. OH, and thanks to Aly, I also really like Ben/Philomena cuz of the reverend's son/sultry actress appeal, 'cause *eyezooms* I love me some opposites! <3

FINALLY, HOW DOES ONE SHIP WITH YOU? Just befriend me! I'd like to think I'm pretty easygoing, but chatting with me in DMs is definitely a way to become ship partners, cuz I tend to WANT a ship if I'm actually friends with the mun. I've certainly had ships in the past where we didn't really talk, but those were never as fun.

TAGGED BY: Yoinked it!

TAGGING: Yoink it from me! <3

[edwin-paynes-bowtie]

i really want to know more about your conceptualisation of soulmates and what they are to you, whether you think they're something we all have, if fiction captures how it is in real life (how? how not?) platonic vs romantic and all of the things, etc. if you're okay with talking about it! personally i'm not sure yet whether i believe in soulmates or say, if my soul is drawn to this person at this time it means they're going to teach me some amazing discovery about how i fit into the world but we might not be everything to each other forever, but that's okay cause it makes room for more soul-teachers (as an example) anyway. i'm not sure yet. really. what i believe in terms of it and am keen to hear from you!

(p.s you're giving ace of hearts vibes, do you know what that is?)

This is going to be muse-y and rant-y and make little sense. I'm sorry. Please stick with me! Also, what's ace of hearts?

I'm a hardcore soulmates believer. I think there are some people we're destined to meet, and I think those people hold a little part of us forever, for better or worse. Their souls are knit with ours. For real, comically. Dust from the same star or something.

I think that with obvious exceptions for aro people, everyone has a romantic soulmate somewhere out there. I think everyone has a platonic one.

If you want to know how I conceptualize soulmates, you should look at my fic The Stars Are Aligned (So Save That Heart for Me). I tend to align with Thomas in that fic - I think that soulmates are fated, and that that's the most romantic and magical possibility out there. But, like Alastair in this fic, I do think there's an element of choice to it. Like, you can meet your soulmate and make the wrong choices. It's possible! But sometimes, in rare cases, everything aligns and it's perfect. As it is for Thomas and Alastair and always will be.

I don't think that all happy couples are soulmates. I do think that everyone has a soulmate, but I understand that some people may not choose to be with that person. Not all the ships I like feel soulmate-y. I don't think a lot of media hits the "soulmate" button for me. For example, I love Sophideon, I love Gracetopher. Do I thunk they're soulmates? Wouldn't wager on it, though I love the ships.

To me, soulmates are people who see the worst in each other and love even those ugliest parts. They're people who are so in sync with their values and goals that there's little question on what a happy life would look like for them. They're people who accept every single bit of each other, trust every part of each other, and can bring out the best in each other just by coexisting.

This is rare. So rare. And it's why Thomastair is the only ship (in any media) I'd be comfortable betting actual money on being romantic soulmates. They're in sync, and they clearly hold a part of each other. Thomas always felt something for Alastair, and Alastair was always seeking out Thomas when he didn't know it yet. (I love Wessa, I have a Wessa tattoo, and I STILL wouldn't stake the farm on them being soulmates, because of everything with Jem and because they were out of sync for so long. When I say Thomastair is rare in this way, I MEAN IT.)

I think that a fun fixture of soulmates is that they will find each other over and over in every life. (Shamelessly plugs my Thomastair fic that I linked earlier again). Whether there's reincarnation or simply a scattering of essences, those soulmate parts will always find each other. Because their souls are so knit that, while each person can be an independent individual entity, they will always be two halves of one predestined whole, made to love each other for eternity even as the tides of the universe change.

Edit: sorry, I didn't address soul teachers. I do think this is a thing, people who were put in our paths so we could learn from them and from our relationships with them. And that's so so important. But I think it's different than a soulmate.

[sarawritesx]

She looked at him as he asked how would she feel in his place and answered honestly. "I would want to know. And when i'd find out, i'd want to... hurt him. Real bad."she said, her voice getting more silent and weak towards the end.

Oksanna knew he'll get right onto it with his people and that they'll figure out where Thomas was. She found herself weak to speak and just nodded along with everything he has said to her. As he asked her if she wants to talk about it, Oksanna made a longer pause as she leaned against him some more. "It's a long story, Santi... It got very dark in a short time I was with him... There are couple of hospital reports from when I ended in the ER, with minor injuries... The story was always the same - I fell, i'm clumsy, i'm just dumb like that. But when I finally managed to leave him, when I reported him and asked for a restraining order, he, uh... found out where I've moved and followed me from work. He beat me... assaulted me... and for a moment I thought he was going... going to.."Oksanna couldn't finish her thought. "My neighbors heard everything and called police, I was admitted to the hospital for a week. After that I stayed with my mom, to recover, for about a month."Oksanna explained, her voice was a bit shaky and tears were falling down her cheeks but she was able to stay coherent.

"Yeah... yeah, I'll do that. I'll let you know if I have to go to work."she mused, O hated the thought of having to live like that, she hated being afraid, and she hated Thomas. "I'll call her first thing in the morning. She's busy with unpacking and all, but i know she'll be here if I call her."the blonde murmured. "I like the sound of that. That we're a team... I love you, too, Santi. And I'm sorry... that I haven't told you before. It's very hard for me to talk about certain topics, and he is one of them."she murmured and brushed her fingers through his thick hair.

What she was saying didn't make him any less worried. "Babe..." he said softly. "You can't expect me to not get upset if I find out the details of how abusive your ex partner was to you" he said gently, that was just impossible. "How would you feel if you were in my place?" He asked, gently pushing her blonde hair behind her shoulder.

"I'll talk to my people and see what's going on, see if he is in town. Everything is going to be okay, babe" he promised. He wasn't going to let anyone hurt her. "We'll fix this. I love you, yes?" he then added. "Do you want to talk about it?" He asked gently. Perhaps she prefered to talk instead of him finding out through out a report.

Santiago nodded his head. "Okay, that's good... and if for some reason you have to go this week, just make sure you won't be alone, yes? I can drive you there and pick you up... or send someone to pick you up" he didn't want her to be alone. "Why don't you call Alma? Maybe she can keep you company tomorrow while I'm not here" he suggested. He shook his head when he thanked her. "We are a team, babe. I'm here for you, got you. Yes?" he smiled gently. "I love you..."

[bluexiao]

#you’re my honeybunch, sugarplum

—what are the endearments that they call you?

CHARACTERS. Zhongli, Xiao, Venti, Thoma, Scaramouche, Kazuha, Kaeya, Gorou, Diluc, Childe, Ayato, Albedo, Aether; gn! Reader

THEMES. fluff! domestic. suggestive (and slightly possessive) on scara! mentions of marriage in a very few parts.

NOTES. so this is just an experiment where i write the names in reverse instead of alphabetically. which one do you guys like more? also, all my aether works are going to be abyss!aether in general so yes if i don’t find abyss!aether i’m gonna make abyss!aether. also the song i placed on the title is so cute i literally just saw the real lyrics like earlier hahaha

Writing Commissions || Send a Kofi

“Dearest” is when ZHONGLI soothes you when you’re stressed over a vendor who was scolding him after he came out without a wallet, hand rubbing on your shoulders or wrapping themselves on your waist, trying to usher you away for the fight not to escalate further. But when it does, one look from him is enough for the others to cower away at the intensity they hold despite not knowing his true identity. While “sweetheart” is whenever you two were on bed, relishing each other’s presence and letting the dream world embrace you both. Even if he doesn’t need sleep, you are the one whom he needs—much more than you could’ve ever imagined coming from a divine being such as he.

“It’s time to close your eyes, sweetheart,” he smiles at you lovingly, “I wish you a goodnight, dearest.”

XIAO slips a “(my) angel” whenever he thinks you’re asleep. There are times that you hear it but mostly it’s late at night and you couldn’t wait for him anymore. With a brush of his bare hand over your hair or your cheek, or whenever he was in a moment of being afraid to unconsciously hurt you, he places them above your leg, covered by the blanket where he knows he could not unconsciously cause you harm. Longing, such an unnecessariness for an Adeptus, but it was the very same picture on his eyes, glittering beneath the glow of the moonlight where he knew only he could see these emotions he says he failed to have.

“Go sleep, my angel, I’ll be here,” he brings his hand on top of your skin—bare, ungloved, just as how he is with his feelings, “May your dreams be of peace and the dark shall leave you be.”

VENTI calls you by many endearments. He’s called you “windblume,” “my love,” “my darling,” “my sweet flower,” and a variety of others even if it was just in one sentence. You might even hear him often call you “Hey there, lover!”. However, his favorite is when he calls you “my muse”. There is something rather special about that call—as a bard himself, and also as someone who appreciates you from the inside and out. He thinks you save him just by existing—you are his inspiration, and he wants you to know that each and every time he calls you his muse.

“Have you got any other else to do today, my muse? Care to join me for a trip in Dadaupa Gorge?”

THOMA is rather convinced he’ll marry you in the future. His favorite endearment to call you is “honey.” However, he also thinks that when you two have gotten married, he’ll want to call you “wifey/hubby” just to joke around with you, or tease you whenever he wants to. But what you don’t know is that these are actually what he truly feels on the inside—he wants you not only for now, but if you’d give him the freedom to choose, he’d choose a life of eternity with you on it.

“Honey, can you pass me the salt, please? Yes, this is Dry-Braised Salted Fish. Do you want me to cook anything else?”

Very rarely does SCARAMOUCHE ever call you an endearment. The most he’d call you is “mine,” probably, when he’s feeling extra possessive due to stress or being pushed into the corner. He mutters it in between his kisses or when he nibbles on your skin, trailing his lips where he deems anyone could see just so he could not only prove it to you but to others as well. When he’s feeling confident and teasing, however, he calls you “darling” with a smirk on his face, knowing full well he has caught you off-guard and loving the way you fluster beneath him.

“Hm? You tired, darling? I thought you’d like to take me on top of Starsnatch Cliff?” he smirks, “What? Want me to carry you or something?”

KAZUHA calls you by the things you remind him of. “Dove,” “angel,” “flower,” “sunshine,” or even “butterfly.” It varies, most of the time, for the lips of a poet is something to be wary of—sweet, like a teeth-rotting candy or a chocolate bar you receive in a Trick of Treat. He makes it his mission to make your heart flutter even as seasons pass by, or when you both grow old. He hopes that it would be enough, at least, for you to stay, flying on the winds with him, high above the clouds, soaring like two love birds fated for each other.

“What must be on your mind, dove? Care to share it to me?”

KAEYA calls you “babe” most, if not all the time. It’s been like that probably even before you two had gotten together. It’s something that both he and you had gotten used to that it’s quite difficult to even imagine if he calls you with anything but “babe,” especially in moments that he surely knows he will. Perhaps, this is what he wishes for—consistency, to stay as it is and never falter away. He wanted it not to.

“You coming with, babe?” he muses, “What now? Are you neglecting your own boyfriend-Ow,” he chuckles, “Alright, alright, groceries first before Angel’s Share, as promised.”

“Love” is when GOROU and you were still a couple, but he dreams of calling you “honey” when he settles with you in the future. It’s sort of traditional for the people of Inazuma to call their spouses with “honey,” based on what he’d observed. He’s fairly affectionate, not afraid of showing them to you even if others are present. His tone, his voice, his eyes; how different they were whenever he calls you “love.” He is certain about this—this relationship that is deemed to be everlasting and boundless. “Love” is what he feels for you, forever, and probably always.

“Love, there is no need to worry,” he softly says as he reaches and presses a kiss on your forehead, “I will go back home safe. I promise.”

DILUC calls you “my love,” but every time you were in public—only during the first few months of being with you, he was still hesitant about it. However as time passed on, it slips out of his mouth easier than it was before, even if other people are present around both of you. In times that this occurs, vendors still couldn’t believe that this young bachelor had finally found the person whom he could finally see himself with to have the courage to step a foot forward and be proud of it. No one else could’ve imagined this moment would come, even him. Yet it did, with you.

“Are these all you need, my love? Why do you need all these ingredients?” “For dinner tonight, I see. Must you need more?”

CHILDE refers to you as “baby” or “babe” or “lovely.” It’s a match between the two of you—who gets to fluster the other more, who will falter first into a fit of embarrassment. There was never a true winner for the both of you, you were each other’s strength and weakness, yet he didn’t mind that. He could tease you all you like, but you could do the same to him.

“Hey there, lovely,” he greets you with an embrace from behind leaving a chaste kiss on your cheek as he brought his chin on your shoulder, “What is for dinner today? Do you want me to help?”

“Honey” is when AYATO and you are in the privacy of your home, whereas he could act however he wants without being judged nor talked about by others. “My dear” is when you two were out and about—a very rare instance but he insists for your sake, that he’s not a bad boyfriend to not take you on dates like any lover should. He makes it sound so easy, so smooth; as if his voice was made of finest silk, giving them to you and making your heart skip a beat or two.

“Must you really tempt me away from my work, honey?” he smiles as he pulls you on his lap and lets you encircle your own arms on his neck while his were on your waist, “Perhaps I may take a short break for my dear. What is it that you’d like to do, hm?”

ALBEDO has a knack of whispering “darling” next to your ear and seeing what your reaction would be. He has a small smile on his face and maybe even a release of a soft chuckle, his breath fanning themselves on your skin below your ear before adoringly pressing a chaste kiss on them. Physics is when an unconscious pull brings him to you and Chemistry is when he finds himself amused with whatever you do, even if they’re not what he expected them to be most of the time.

“Busy, darling?” he does it again, his hand carefully placing itself on your shoulder as he lands a kiss on your temple, “Always the hardworker. Can I really not persuade you to look at me for a little while?”

AETHER, at first, refuses to call you with an endearment, in fear of you getting attached to him and you both hurting in the process. He cannot handle falling for you and losing you again. Now, however, he tends to call you “beloved,” never failing to always look you in the eye and communicate his love and care for you. Home was where he and his sister were before, but now, he found another person who could truly understand him no matter who he is, was, or will be. You will stay with him, he knows you will.

“Feeling alright, beloved?” he caresses your cheek, eyes focused on yours, always holding the same care as it did to any other he feels them for, “Tell me what you need and I’ll give them to you. Anything.”

TAGLIST (send an ask to be added~)

@softlybeloved @rim0na @icecappa @sushiyay @scaraslover @beastielevi @cursedraiden @thesatanofpizza @izayanna @stellumi @coco-goat-milk @nonniechan @m3gitsune @thispenguinrocks @chuubear @kiyoobi @catisnerd @ventislatte @weakestpoint @pinkfei-main @aweebstuff @zhongchi14

[baurbiediv]

beetlejuice (2)

please read part one before reading this or it will be confusing!

-

now that you’ve found out what jack’s been doing while he was away, you didn’t know what to do with yourself now.

every moment that was spent with him, you wondered if the girl was behind the scenes this entire time.

you still couldn’t believe that he had lied to you your entire relationship, he even told you that he loved you and you said it back.

just for a day you wished you had someone’s shoulder to cry on, your best friend was the first person that you always ran to whenever you had a problem but this time, she was away on a trip overseas for a while and communication was the best in her area.

jack knew what he had done, he had made you look like a fool.

he told you all these false promises and all these lies.

what a fool you were to believe them in the first place.

something deep down in your heart kept telling you that everything was going to well and soon everything would come crashing down and erupt into flames, and how badly you wanted to be wrong about that.

the only thing that was able to relieve your broken heart was to cry.

you sat in your bed for what felt like says on end, crying over someone who wasted all your time in the long run when he knew himself that he didn’t want a relationship with you.

never did you believe that heartbreak was supposed to be this painful and whenever you heard your friends tell you about it, you didn’t believe them for a second because you never understood or knew what it felt like.

the first person to call you after the news broke was neelam.

“hello? y/n?”

“yes?”

“i’m so sorry, i should’ve told you sooner ..”

“you .. knew? this entire … time?”

“well ..”

“neelam, you knew all this time and you allowed it to happen? how could you do this to me?!”

you immediately hung up and threw your phone across the room, not caring whether it broke or where it landed.

now, if your emotions weren’t through the roof in the moment, you wouldn’t have made the executive decision to launch your phone across the room, but everything in this exact moment was justified.

the one person you thought you could trust betrayed you and nobody was providing you with answers.

the only thing that you wanted to do was to be hugged and told that everything was going to be okay.

that’s what jack did when he saw that you weren’t feeling the best, but now he wasn’t here to comfort you.

the next few days went by and you began feeling like yourself again.

you went out and bought yourself a new phone, you rearranged your apartment so it could feel like home again.

you’d been cleaning up when you heard a knock at your door. quickly, but hesitantly made your way to unlock and open it, to your surprise, it was your best friend.

you both squealed in excitement and immediately hug each other.

“you don’t understand how much i’ve missed you.” you told her as you were smiling from ear to ear.

you both pulled away from the hug as you let y/bf/n in.

“just so you know, i’ve been caught up on everything and jack deserves to get his ass beat.” she said nonchalantly.

“well i’m glad i can spare you the details, im tired of telling people the same thing.” you said as you flopped down on the couch.

“i say you put his ass on blast.” y/bf/n said. you quickly looked over at her with squinted eyes, “i like the way you think.” you smiled at her as you got up and grabbed your phone and set it up in the kitchen.

you sat in a seat as you started the live, “so as most of you know, recently, it was revealed by HIMSELF that my ex boyfriend, mr jackman thomas harlow, and yes i said his full name, decided that he would publicly cheat on me. but before all this happened, he was just laid up under me telling me how he wanted to put kids inside of me and how ‘i was the only girl that ever mattered to him’.”

you watched as the viewer count skyrocketed from just 100 to 15,000 people.

DOJACAT: LMFAOOOOO

LILNASX: not the “he wanna put his kids in you” oh my godddd

DRUSKI2FUNNY: 😯😯😯

URBANWYATT: he ain’t tell me all this .. in y/n we trust!

you then clasped your hands together before laughing, “and this is the best part is, he wanted me to sign an nda so he could sneak around and do shit like this!”

THEESTALLION: 😦😦😦

THESHADEROOM: 👀👀👀

USER2919: HAVE YOU SEEN THE NEW GIRL?

“i havw seen the new girl and she looks like a fucking troll, but i mean if that’s what he wants then so be it.”

you heard your best friend laugh in the background and you followed with laughing as well. you stayed live for the next half hour talking about nonsense.

“alright y’all, imma get off of here before i start going into further detail.” you waved bye to the camera while laughing to yourself.

you knew what was going to happen, jack didn’t care about your feelings when he posted that picture, he didn’t care about what the outcome of this would be, so why would you?

this was your get back at him hurt the way he hurt you. lying down, you were on the verge of sleep when your phone began to ring.

-

a/n: last part to this will be posted later on today!

[quacksonholland]

Two fiancées in love

Sooo, I haven't posted anything in months, and I'm so sorry lol. I've just really not been motivated to write at all. It's like whenever Tom goes MIA I get writer's block lmao !! Anyway, here's this little blurb I wrote months ago and forgot about, it's not much but I hope you like it mwua mwua xx

Warnings: Just fluff, fluff, fluff + Tom and reader are gross (they're too in love with each other istg), I'm not a native speaker, so typos.

wc: +600

Masterlist

•••

"You know, I never thought we'd end up like this." Tom said one day, while he was brushing his teeth and you were reading in bed.

"How do you mean?"

"Like, together. Romantically." He tried to say, nearly spitting all the toothpaste foam in his mouth.

"Really?" You said, and he nodded. "That's funny." A laugh escaped your lips and Tom tilted his head.

"What – are you laughing?" He asked, still confused. Tom spit the toothpaste and washed out his mouth with water.

You just smiled, cuddling further amongst all the cushions and thinking of the early days of your friendship.

"I actually fantasized about us all the time. I was so in love with you." You confessed, and it was his turn to be surprised. "But I never did anything about it because I thought that after filming you'd stay out of touch and we'd never speak again."

"Oh, wow. Glad to see you had faith in us since the very beginning." He mused, finally making his way to the bed. As soon as he got under the covers, your limbs were entangled and he planted a kiss on your cheek "Thank God we made it."

"Yes, thank God. Or maybe thank me for keeping the spark alive while you spent months out in other countries at the very beginning of our relationship." You said with a little smirk, as he gasped dramatically.

"I beg your pardon? Who was the one that sent the other flowers every single Friday? Or the one that paid off his brother so that you could have your favorite meals everyday? Yeah, I didn't think so."

"Oh, poor Sam."

"Poor me. I spent over two thousand pounds for that twat to make you all that food."

"Wha– Two thousand!? Thomas Stanley Holland!" You gasped, hitting his arm playfully.

"Oh God, not the full name." He pretended to be scared but chuckled nonetheless.

"Why on Earth would you spend so much money?"

"I love spoiling you darling, you know that already." Tom smiled with a wink, before a happy grin was plastered on his face "Anyway… Did you know there's only two hundred and twenty-seven days left for you to be my wife?"

You giggled as you hugged him tighter, his hands on your waist as he simply stared at you, eyes filled with adoration. "Can't believe you are counting the days."

"How could I not be, my love. I am so excited for us to get married." Before you could even think of replying, he kissed your lips softly, with the same gleam in his eyes that was present the day he asked you to be his.

"I love you so very much." You whispered, him pecking your lips once more to let you know he feels just the same way.

"And, it's not the only reason, but once we get married we are actually a hundred percent free to make babies, and to be honest, I'm down for doing that without – ow!" You slapped his bicep as you shook your head with disapproval.

"Can't believe your only motive behind asking me to marry you was to get me pregnant."

"Did not say that! I emphasized the fact that it's not the only reason."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever, Holland. Just shut it already." You tapped his cheek before snuggling back on his chest.

"Aye aye Mrs. Holland."

"Not yet babe."

"Can't wait till you are."

You feel so much love for this man sometimes you wonder if you're going insane. Is it really considered medically normal to feel your heart swell as much as it does every day? You swear, there's no way you'll get tired of him.

He's your best friend, the love of your life, and everything you'll ever wish for.

•••

So this was it! Hope you liked it!

Reblogs and comments are appreciated!

•••

TAGLIST:

@marvelgurl

@crvshnburnn

[acherontiarchivist]

Heyyyy could i request Bubba, Thomas, Michael, Vincent, and Billy lenz with a painter s/o who has ADHD? Like they have paint on them all the time and they'll be like "wheres my paintbrush?!" And its behind their ear.

Hi anon, thanks for the ask! I feel like this prompt was literally made for me, like I am specifically qualified to answer this. I took a lot of examples from my own experiences.

Also, sorry this took so long. Executive dysfunction is a bitch.

Bubba, Thomas Hewitt, Michael Myers, Vincent Sinclair, and Billy Lenz with a painter s/o who has ADHD under the cut! No warnings should apply, G/N reader

Bubba

If you find yourself in the mood to paint he will gladly give you his apron

He likes all of the specks of color you've added to it wiping paint off or your hands and arms

If you use acrylic paints and get them all over yourself or let it dry on your skin he insists on picking it off of you

You hate scrubbing it and it's a good stim for him! 

The same goes for your paint pallets. If leftover paint dries or you forget to wrap it, you both peel the hardened paint from the plastic. Brain go brrrrrr

Often, to your slight annoyance, he might reorganize your brushes and supplies, which makes it harder for you to find d things sometimes (it's not where you left it! It a mess, but an "organized mess" that you are familiar with)

He likes to watch sometimes, but he has a lot more energy and moves on to other tasks 

He definitely pulls your attention away often, but you like spending time with him, so you don't mind!

He likes showing you his bone art and other things he makes, and you love to hear about it

Around Bubba, a lot of your paintings go half finished, or just take a while to complete

Thomas

Like Bubba, Tommy doesn't have an extra apron to share with you but he does at least insist that you wipe your hands/brushes on him to make up for it

If he notices you fidgeting with your seat/finding it suddenly uncomfortable™️ he will pick you up and put you in his lap

Sometimes he will physically drag you away from your painting if you keep forgetting to eat

He is very concerned about how easy it is for you to just go the whole day without eating so he makes sure to cook you food and makes you join at the dinner/breakfast table, otherwise you would let it get cold

He will also drag you away if you've been painting all day without giving him much attention! He wants physical affection at least periodically

Eventually, he does make you a small apron that you can tie around your waist that has pockets for brushes and supplies! Don't ask where he got the materials though

You wear it for him, but if you put anything in the pockets it essentially no longer exists. Out of sight, out of mind

Michael 

He will NOT lend you any of his jumpsuits to paint in

Partially because he thinks it's cute how you are always covered in paint

He is an excellent reference! 

He will gladly pose for you whenever you need help or want to study anatomy

He has a very peculiar skill in staying completely still in practically any position, and he secretly really likes being the center of you attention in a way

He wants to be your muse! He is just a little vain

If he wants to spend time with you while you paint he'll sit next to you quietly and read

Occasionally he'll drape his leg over your lap if he wants more attention, or lean all of his weight against you

He doesn't really like having constant background noise, which is just a little clash between the two of you

A good compromise is putting on environmental white noise, like birds or cicadas, or maybe rain

If you "lose" a pencil or paintbrush in your hair or behind your ears and ask him for help, he will act like he's doing a magic trick and "pull it out" of your ear, like a coin

Vincent

You and Vincent practically share the same brain

A lot of your bonding happens with the two of you working on your own projects together in his workshop

You both take turns playing your preferred music/ background noise/ secondary activity

Vincent usually likes just having music in the background, but doesn't mind if sometimes you play an audio book or movie from your phone

Vincent is a LOT more organized than you when it comes to supplies

He'll let you borrow some of his things if you misplace yours

He thinks it's super cute when you ask to borrow something that is obviously on your person, like tucked into your hair or behind you ear, or even in your apron

Though you are both messy, he usually knows where everything is and keeps things tidy

Sometimes he'll clean up your stuff before you're finished, though

Billy Lenz

He could sit and watch you paint all day

He especially likes to watch you when he needs help calming down

Like Bubba, he also likes to peel the dried paint from pallets with you

He asks a lot of questions about what you are painting, how it will look when it's done, and what it means, if anything

He may or may not be incredibly annoying with the amount of questions he will ask you, actually

You misplace your brushes enough on your own, but Billy loves to steal one or two while you're not watching and hide them

He gives them back as soon as you ask him to help you look because he likes to feel like he is helping

Sometimes he wants to be more involved so you either set up his own canvas and easel or collaborate on something together!

[obsessed-with-obsessive]

Yan!Ayato takes Readers vision / “ “

Hello hello - I had an idea for what it would be like for a Yandere to use their darlings vision against them! This is a somewhat continuation of my previous fic Here !! >



TW : abuse, Memory loss, kidnapping, reader uses she / her

Tags : YAN!Ayato, Yandere Ayato x Reader, Genshin impact

 Truly, your attempt at escape, your want to leave, your secret actions, none of it hurt ayato, what did hurt him was the cryo vision you were bestowed in that key moment. If not for thoma’s ever loyal flame melting your ice, he would of lost you, so it was only natural for him to have to take it from you. Even if the gods wanted you two apart, he would desecrate their will if it kept you close.

After you were fished out of the sea, your vision removed and stored away in a locked metal box, which always gave ayato frost burns when he touched it, you were never quite the same. Even when you awoke, you had this dull lack of life in your eyes, as if you had no understanding of why you even existed at all. Ayato couldn’t argue that it made things easier, if anything just to justify in his head that keeping you by his side was the safest option for you, but he couldn’t shake the feeling he’d ruined something. But, he was nothing if not a determined man, and fixing this was no different.

You felt your memories start to come part in small parts one day, you couldn’t quite place it, but in ayatos presence you felt your purpose come back, whenever he would enter the room, it was like a fog cleared in your mind. Ever since you awoke here, you were rather indifferent on your situation, the guards warned you often about escaping. Truly, you had no idea what they were on about, liyue? What was that? well, that was until that fateful day with ayato.

Inclining of the nation of contracts would come to you in dreams, you would piece together fragments of memories each day you spent with ayato, all the while he was loving the new found attention he was receiving. This was a perfect symbiotic relationship for you both, until one day something clicked in your head.

“Ayato?”

“Yes dear?” he responded without missing a beat, head still deep in his latest report. You paused, “I’d like to leave, i don’t know where this place is, but I feel that I belong to a nation named liyue.”

He froze, which only confused you further. it was silent for a moment, before he let out a sad sigh and stood up, letting out a dark chuckle. “What was it this time? Did you catch a glimpse of it?” he mused. Glimpse of what? the confusion struck you, this was until he opened his jacket, unclipping something from his belt, and apon seeing it, the rush of memories, joy, fear, love, hatred, purpose, it almost knocked you over.

“M-my.. my vision.. you, you took it that day, you took it then. You were-“

“Yes yes, god as much as i love you, this conversation truly only gets more tiresome everytime we have it, what are we on now? 8? 9?” he interrupted, calling for his guards while you were sat to take in what was happening to you. How many times has he ripped away your vision, only to give it back to you in small doses, to have just enough of you, would you remember this when you woke up? Fear overtook you as you were grabbed by his guards, as they began escorting you out, and you let out a cry “Wait! i’m sorry! please! please don’t take it away again!” you sobbed, everytime your vision was ripped from your soul playing back in your mind.

Ayato smiled, a soft sympathetic smile, though you could tell the sympathy was not for you. “Don’t you worry love, I will find the perfect distance and exposure for us” He smiled “Until then, be patient.”

When you awoke you were confused, where were you? dressed in a silk kimono, the world dull and foggy, you looked around confused as to how or where you are. This was until a knock at the door, and swift step from a tall man with cool hair knocked you out of your confusion. “Hello love” he said with a soft smile, as if he’d said it thousands of times before. despite feeling as though you’d never met the figure in front of you, your hair stood on end and something in you, told you to run.

/// NOT BETA READ , written on mobile while drunk as fuck :)

[oro-e-diamanti]

The one with Ethan’s suggestion

Description | Ethan suggests something that you had never seen coming - but for how long will you be able to resist him?

Content | smut with a bit of fluff

Pairing | Ethan x fem!Reader

Word Count | 3138

Tagging | @ginny-lily @mywritingonlyfans

***

"You did not just ask me that."

Ethan didn't even seem bothered by your shocked reaction. Instead, he simply kept looking at you, waiting, as if he had posed a completely normal question. You were certain it wasn’t though - who the hell just came out and asked one of their best friends to start hooking up? Surely this wasn’t just you thinking this was more than odd. You couldn’t stop looking at him, relaxing on a lounger in the sun, book still open in his hand, and how he didn’t seem to care.

“Oh, come one, Y/n,” Vic interjected from where she was relaxing on a pool float. “Poor Ethan hasn’t been with anyone since the pandemic started. The least you can do is help him get laid.”

“Get laid by me?!”

“Who else?” Victoria laughed. “It’s not like he can go out and pick up someone when we go on a promo tour in a week. We’re barely allowed to meet anyone as a safety measure.”

You shot her a pointed look and Victoria being your friend for the longest got it immediately.

“And no, I’m not gonna hook up with him. So it’s gotta be you.”

You couldn’t believe the conversation you were having. Had everyone simply gone crazy? Surely, Thomas wouldn’t be on their side in this, right? You watched as he lazily strolled towards your loungers, cigarette in hand.

“Thomas!” You shouted over at him. “Ethan wants me to hook up with him!”

“Fucking finally,” Thomas laughed as you stared back in horror. Was everyone in on this madness? “He’s been moping around for ages. About time he gets laid and relaxes.”

“See?” Ethan interjected. “Everyone thinks it’s a good idea.”

“I don’t think it’s a good idea!”

“Fine,” Ethan shrugged. You hated how much he didn’t seem to care - how he had posed a question like that without an ounce of awkwardness and how your rejection didn’t seem to faze him in the least. You knew he was open about sex and sexuality, you’d been part of countless conversations among the band and had seen him pick up people at parties more than once, but this unnerved you. "If you change your mind, I'm available."

And with that Ethan went back to his book, Victoria went back to floating around the pool and Thomas went back to smoking his cigarette. But you weren't going to go back to anything, because whether you liked it or not, Ethan's suggestion would continue playing in your head for the unforeseeable future.

***

Three days. It had been three days since that fateful day at the pool and you could barely stand to look at Ethan. It wasn't because you were embarrassed - you all spoke about such things quite openly - nor were you angry at him having asked in the first place - if anything, it was flattering, a man such as Ethan considering you attractive in that way. It was more of a constant thought in your head whenever you were in the same room with him or he talked to you or you looked at him or he so much as popped into your mind. You kept lying awake at night, intrusive thoughts of Ethan towering over you clouding your brain. You didn't know what it was but you knew you didn't like it.

You were pulled out of your thoughts as Victoria approached you, taking a couple of tomatoes you had spread in front of you and started cutting them up. You had been in charge of making dinner most days, with one or the other coming to join you in your cooking endeavors sooner or later. Today it seemed to be Vic, who was giggling away beside you, quite obviously dying to tell you something.

"And what is up with you?" You asked, a smirk on your face. You were happy your friend seemed so giddy and it had you itching to know why.

"I have a date!" Victoria was never one to keep things like these to herself for long - whenever she was positively excited about something, the world simply had to know. "Her name's Paula, she's on holiday here and we're going to go out for wine."

"Just wine?"

"Well, I'm gonna say, don't expect me back here tonight." She couldn't stop herself from smirking and then breaking out in another round of laughter and you joined freely. Good for her.

"I miss dates," you mused. "Or maybe - I don't know. Maybe I just miss at least staying the night with someone."

"You really need to get laid, babe."

"Who needs to get laid?" Damiano had appeared without warning, sneaking up on the two of you and pinching both of your waists teasingly before hopping on the counter next to where you were working. A slice of tomato was stolen and ended up in his mouth before you could react, only hitting him in the arm when it was much too late.

"Y/n," Victoria answered nonchalantly. You stared at her in annoyance but she didn't even catch your eye.

"So does Ethan! You guys should fuck."

"Not you too," you groaned. All of this seemed like a bad joke. In fact, you were starting to wonder if this was all some weird plot your friends had to get you to sleep with Ethan. But why would they?

"Huh?" Damiano sounded surprised but you didn't put it past him to simply put on a good act.

"Ethan asked her to hook up the other day."

"No way!" Damiano exclaimed. "He actually, fina- I mean, he actually asked you that?"

"Yup, and she shot him down," Victoria explained. You were getting more annoyed by the second. Especially because it felt like your love life (or lack thereof?) was being discussed without you. Plus, you couldn't shake the feeling they knew something you didn't.

"Aw, poor Ethan. You know, you should really give him the chance. Make the most of the fact that you've both got the house to yourselves tonight." Damiano's eyebrow wiggle earned him a tomato slice to the face due to pure irritation on your side. He wasn't bothered, quickly shoving it into his mouth and happily munching away on it.

"Wait, what do you mean? Where are you going?"

You sounded much more panicked than necessary. So what if you were alone in the house with Ethan? You'd survive. Easily. You'd read a bit of your book, maybe watch a movie, go to bed. You didn't even have to spend time with him. Right?

"Going out with my girlfriend, she's in town for work. Not sure where Thomas is off to but he's already left" Damiano shrugged, finally hopping off the counter to hopefully stop being in the way. "So, if there's anything you want to do, do it tonight."

***

So this was it. You were alone with Ethan. No, this was nothing. So what if you were alone with him? Not like it was going to change anything at all.

You had said your goodbyes for the night to the two lovebirds, wishing Victoria the most possible fun on her little date, before pouring yourself a glass of wine and retreating to the patio. You had no idea where Ethan was and you didn't mind.

The sun was setting, the temperature was more than bearable and you had your book lying next to you. Eyes closed trying to enjoy the last rays of sunshine, your hand grasped the stem of the wine glass, and fuck that moth scared the living daylights out of you. And caused you to spill your wine all over your blouse. Red wine. Crap. One was supposed to wash those out immediately, right? Right? You realised you had no idea, as you sprinted towards the upstairs bathroom, already unbuttoning for fast removal.

You threw the door open, feet set to move towards the basin, when you realised you weren't alone in the room. It happened in slow motion, as much as you hated the cliché of it all.

Ethan's back was towards you, strong, hard muscles visible under an array of water droplets that were slowly, slowly making their way downwards, hypnotising you and keeping your gaze locked on them. Your eyes were still travelling lower and lower when he noticed your presence, turning around out of reflex, and you could not help but notice he was not wrapped in a towel, nowhere close, when your eyes fell on-

Oh.

Oh.

In a rare moment of clarity, you tore your gaze away, looking up at his face instead, just to find him eyeing up your cleavage. Your blouse was halfway undone, putting your white lace bra on full display. Then his eyes snapped away and looked into yours instead. For a second, it felt like the world was standing still. Your brain only worked for another moment before it decided to let your body - or potentially your heart? - take over.

You told yourself 'fuck it' - or maybe you said it out loud, judging by the sudden smirk appearing on Ethan's face - and reached for the man in front of you. He reciprocated without hesitation, pulling you in and meeting your mouth with his, as he walked you backward until you hit the wall. His body felt hot against yours, providing a stark contrast to the cold tiles pressing into you. His hands cradled your face softly, fingers stroking along your cheeks, while he kissed you, open-mouthed, in a way that left you breathless.

If you had ever had doubts that sex with Ethan would not be worth it, they had evaporated into thin air altogether.

His hands had started roaming your body, finally landing on the last buttons of your blouse. You had expected him to slowly open them up, but instead, he tore the fabric apart in one swift movement, buttons flying and hitting the ground with little clacking noises. You wrecked your mouth from him for a moment, staring at him in both surprise and awe.

"Spiacente," he murmured, although he didn't look all that sorry. "I couldn't help myself. I can get them sewn back-"

"Ethan, stop talking and start fucking me."

Your bold words took both of you by surprise but none of you minded, simply relieved that you were on the same page. His hands were now grasping tightly onto your thighs and, and without giving you a warning, he lifted you up, still pressed against the wall. Your legs wrapped around him instinctively and he took a step back, finding his strength and balance, and slowly carrying you into his bedroom.

You couldn't stop staring at him. Ethan's beauty was a sight to behold on any given day, but the way his lips looked kissed after just a short while and his eyes had that kind of shine to them that had never previously been directed at you, it felt like you were looking at something ethereal. Never mind the fact that you knew he was completely naked, not just the toned chest that was pressing into your torse, but everything else. Hell, you were sure you felt a certain something press into the back of your thigh quite shamelessly.

He dropped you on his bed, leaving you to bounce slightly on the mattress as you lied on your back. He looked like he was about to devour you and you just knew you'd bend to his every wish.

Without any further hesitation, Ethan moved onto the bed, immediately grabbing onto the shorts you were wearing and slowly pulling them down your legs. He held eye contact with you the whole time and you were convinced you had never seen anything sexier in your life. Your panties were the next piece to leave your body. Normally, this would be the point you got nervous about, crossing your legs, hiding behind hands, anything to protect what little of your modesty you had left, but this was different. Ethan took all shame away from you.

"Is this okay?" He asked, as he slowly crawled upwards, spreading your legs and leaving hot, wet kisses along your calves. As much as you appreciated him asking for consent, you almost had to laugh - at this point in time, you had lost all willpower to deny him anything. So, with a blissful smile on your face, you eagerly nodded at him, your hand reaching down and tangling itself into his hair. He groaned as you gave a little tug and the sound was more than enough to get you even wetter than you already were.

At least that was what you thought up until Ethan put his mouth on you. You had been expecting a bit more foreplay, maybe his fingers, but instead you felt his tongue lick along the length of you. Your moan loudly echoed through the room and you had never been so glad that Vic, Thomas and Damiano had deserted the two of you in the house.

Your grasp on his hair tightened as he started flicking your clit with the tip of his tongue. The fact that you could feel his hair tickling the inside of your thighs only seemed to make you more sensitive. Suddenly, one of his fingers entered you, quickly to be joined by a second. Your back arched off the bed in an involuntary reaction as your breathing became more and more laboured. You could hear- hell, you could feel him chuckle against you.

With a sharp tug, you pulled his head away from you.

"I'm not going to be able to take much more, Ethan," you confessed. He looked up at you with wide eyes, chin wet from going down on you and fingers still slowly moving in and out, and you momentarily forgot what you meant to say. "So if you wanna fuck me, I suggest you get a move on."

He didn't need to be told twice. You still sighed in disappointment when he actually removed his fingers from you but you were quickly distracted by him moving them to your mouth and slipping them in. You eagerly sucked on them, twirling your tongue around them, tasting your own arousal, and his composure was slipping with every second he looked at you. He quickly pulled his fingers from your mouth to crawl further up your body, his cock moving against your leg. He was so well endowed it would have almost been frightening if you hadn't been so turned on.

Ethan kissed you with a force that was unparalleled. There wasn't even a question about who was in control. As his fingers trailed from your neck down past your collarbones you both suddenly seemed to remember you were still wearing a bra. You made short work of the piece of fabric, carelessly throwing it across the room, and he thanked you by squeezing your soft flesh in the most delicious way. You repaid the favour by letting your hand wander to his cock and giving him a few strokes. He immediately let out the most sinful moan you had ever heard, head collapsing onto your cleavage.

"I don't think you need any more help from me down there," you giggled.

"With you lying under me like this, I sure don't."

Moving your legs around his waist once more, you slowly guided him into you, your walls swallowing him bit by bit, careful not to stretch you out too fast with his size. It felt like heaven on earth. You both moaned in pleasure as Ethan slowly started moving, making sure you were comfortable as he looked into your eyes, while you broke the eye contact time and time again, too overwhelmed to leave your eyes open every time he thrust into you. You kept grabbing onto what you could, the back of his head, his shoulders, his butt, as he increased his speed, hitting you in all the right places every single time.

You knew you weren't going to last long, not with him on and in and all around you, not with his fingers playing with your nipple, not with his lips clumsily attaching themselves to various places around your neck and shoulders, and as you felt his hand between your legs, softly circling your clit once again, you were gone. You came in waves of euphoria, unashamed of the volume of your moans and the strength with which you pulled on his hair. Your actions, combined with you clenching around him and a few more thrust, had him follow you moments later.

He carefully slipped out of you, never once letting go of you, and turning you onto your side with him so you were facing each other. Both of you were still breathing heavily, vision cloudy, but intertwined. You were convinced he had ruined you - there was no way anyone was ever going to live up to how he made you feel.

"So, did it live up to your expectation?" You couldn't help but giggle as you posed the question. "Getting laid again after such a long time?"

Ethan pushed a damp strand of hair from your face. You hadn't expected such softness.

"It wasn't actually about getting laid, you know."

"Huh?"

"It was about you."

"Okay, you've lost me now," you said, brows knitting as your hand searched for his, finger entangling the same way your legs were doing. "What are you talking about?"

"I... I've liked you for a while. And I tried so much, but you never even noticed."

Your mind replayed the last few weeks you had spent with the band in their summer house. Instances of Ethan bringing you food, cocktails, adjusting the shade to make sure you were in it, offering to put sunscreen on your back. Moments of him searching for your company, moving much closer than necessary in the heat, arms constantly touching when you were sitting next to each other. Jokes and teasing from the others, drunken remarks. You hadn't paid attention to any of it. You wondered how you could have been so blind to a man so wonderful.

"Wait, so instead of asking me out like a normal person, you suggested we hook up?" You couldn't keep the laughter in now. The situation was simply too ridiculous and you had not yet stopped riding on your high from the endorphins he had caused.

"It was Vic's idea." He buried his head into the sheets, but you could still see his cheeks turn an adorable shade of pink. "She knew I missed sex and she said you mentioned something similar so she thought this was the way into your..."

"Pants?"

"Heart, actually."

You snuggled closer, arms wrapping around him so that your noses were touching.

"Well, as embarrassing as it is, it somehow worked, didn't it?" You stroked over his head lovingly. "And I'm sure not letting you go any time soon."