#I understand having dinner out all together

[william-t-sickofyourshit]

“What then?! Well - then we just deal with it! Together! I thought that much was obvious?” William blurted out when Sebastian asked him what they will do if it turns out they have to deal with some heavy things they’ve never expected. William was just so upset, so mad. He couldn’t wrap his head around this whole thing. Not only he couldn’t understand why Sebastian was so stubborn about this (no matter how important his looks were to him, this was about his life), but also he was very offended that Sebastian just assumed he would leave him because of such a shallow reason!

“What on earth made you think that I could leave? Have I not been by your side through it all? When you relapsed - I was there. When you got the cancer diagnosis - I was there. I was driving you to all the appointments, making phone calls, doing research, cooking you dinners, cleaning your house… when you were too stressed and upset to do it all.” William said it all almost in one breath. Sebastian has been his priority, and the thanks he was getting was this kind of doubt?!  William’s shoulders slouched, and he dropped his arms in defeat. “Yeah, I do love your hair…” he admitted, walking over to Sebastian. He put his hands on his boyfriend’s shoulders, rubbing them gently. Then he lifted one hand, and cupped Sebastian’s cheek, making him look up at him. “But you know what I love even more? You. I can’t imagine my life without you…” he said, his voice softer now, but there was still a hint of this emotional edge there. “You could be bald as a knee, but all I care about is to have you by my side, to grow old with you…”

For I have sinned...

The principal cleared his throat, eyes scanning the notes that he had wrote down before this meeting. It already lasted an hour, and the teachers gathered in the faculty room were becoming restless and bored. But indeed there were some things to discuss, with the concert that the senior class was supposed to perform at the end of the semester, and with recent staff changes. 

William glanced down at his watch, sighing softly. His class was starting in 15 minutes, so at least, whether the meeting will be done soon or not, he will get to excuse himself. He looked out of the window, his mind wandering. Principal’s voice turned into white noise in the background. It was a pleasant day, late summer. But William was looking forward to a slightly cooler weather. Wearing all black could really be bothersome at times. 

“And lastly, I am pleased to announce that we have finally found replacement for the violin teacher. Dear Mr Tanaka, may he rest in peace, was with us for so many years that I’ve been concerned we won’t be able to find someone as good as to fill this position.” the principal spoke. “But Mr… Michaelis, was highly recommended to me, and he indeed has impressive references. He will be starting this week, so please welcome him warmly once he will arrive. Ah yes… about that. He will arrive today at noon, I need someone to pick him up from the train station and bring over for the tour around the school. Any volunteers?” 

William was barely listening, and definitely not paying much attention. He glanced at his watch again, and saw that it was time to leave, as his class was about to start. He raised his hand to excuse himself, and little did he know, he just volunteered.

“Father William! Excellent!” the principal exclaimed. “Just don’t be late, the train arrives at noon.”

“Train…?” William questioned, raising his brow. He had a feeling he was missing something…

***

Right after the meeting, William had to run for the class, so he had little time to clarify what exactly he had volunteered for. He was a piano teacher in this Music Academy, but also he served as a priest in local church. Well respected, and rather liked. So when he later found out it was about the new violin teacher, he didn’t refuse. Who, other than himself, would be a better choice to introduce a newcome to their community?

So even though he raised his hand by accident, he accepted this fate.

After classes, at noon, William took a taxi and drove to the train station, to pick up their new teacher. Wearing black trousers, and a black shirt with a thin tie, was absolutely dreadful in this weather, so William quickly found shelter under the roof of the station platform, that provided some shade.

The train had just arrived. William had no idea how Mr Michaelis looked like, but he figured he will just look for someone carrying a violin case with them. 

He was in for a bit surprise.

@crazyvik97

[lamentationsofalonelypotato]

Part 2: It Is A Big Deal

Pairing: Soldier Boy x f!reader, Dean Winchester xf!reader,

POV: Reader POV

Summary: Dean's in for a rude awakening when he finds out exactly what you did when you got stranded in another universe.

Tropes: Frenemies (Dean and the Reader), Awkward Situation, Multiverse Problems, ANGST

Word Count: 7.4K

Warnings: I'm gonna label this 18+ just to be sure. Cursing, Making Out, DEATH, Violence (only a little), Jealousy, Pining, Kinda Sad Vibes In Some Places, Sexual Innuendo, References to Sex, Feelings, Angst, Self Deprecating Thoughts? References to Past Sex (it happens quite a bit). References to Future Sex. Soldier Boy Being Soldier Boy (Everyone knows he’s a warning). Dean Winchester Being Dean Winchester (aka. being moody and super hot).

Listen While You Read: Jealous Again By The Black Crowes

Note: This is told from Reader's perspective. Any references to the reader is made using you or your. There is no use of y/n. I tried my best to proofread, but nobody's perfect. If you don’t like, don’t read, but if you do like, you’re my favorite!

Internal monologue is in italics and is in first person

A/N: It was so fun to come back to this universe again! Thank you so much to everyone for all the love and support that you've gave me in writing the first part and thank you for all the encouragement to write a part 2! And also please don't forget to check out Stranded by @justagirlinafandomworld that inspired me to write this fic!💗

Main Masterlist

Series Masterlist

"Can the two of you stop playing find my tonsils and tell me where the hell it is I'm supposed to be driving to?" Dean grouses from the driver's seat while Sam leans over a road map squinting to look at the small print.

"Ready For Love" is playing over the speakers, barely audible over the thud of fat raindrops pummeling the windshield, blocking out the world around you, and sending the shadows racing across your skin where Ben and you are sitting in the backseat.

“Well, if you’d given me a few hours to fuck her at the motel instead of throwing a bitch fit-" Ben begins to say, turning his gaze your face to stare at the back of Dean's head with a lazy smile.

“Dean why do you care?" You interrupt Ben with red cheeks. "I know for a fact worse things have happened in the backseat of your car than Ben and me making out."

"Really? Because I can’t think of anything worse that you and him sucking on each other's tongues and helping the spread of mono." Dean's hands tighten on the steering wheel and his shoulders tense.

He’s more wound up than a tinker toy.

It has been exactly thirty three minutes since Dean's mental breakdown back at the motel when Ben showed up. Furthermore, despite how much Dean had screamed at you at the motel, it appeared that he was still going to act like a two year old who wanted a cookie before dinner.

Sam's suggestion for the four of you to figure out why Ben was here had been a welcome distraction from Dean's spiral. It had prompted all of you to pile into Baby to try and find where it was that Ben landed in your universe and find a clue as to why.

But so far the trip had been less like riding in the Mystery Machine and more like riding with the Griswold's on their road trip to Wally World…

Dean had been supportive of trying to find a solution to what he deemed the "Ben problem," but it appeared that Dean was going to spend every waking minute getting on your nerves.

Honestly, what's new?

You didn’t understand why Dean was so damn argumentative whenever you showed up, it was like he lived to make your life as difficult as possible.

It had always been that way. Since the first day you met Sam and him at Ellen's bar forever ago, Dean had never once said something nice about you or to you.

He always found some little thing to nit pick, whether it be your aim, your research skills, or your technique when hunting and you were sick of it. Each time the two of you worked together, it was Sam's job to make sure it didn't end in bloodshed. Even Cas noticed Dean's underlying hostility towards you and when he asked Dean what was wrong, Dean had brushed him off with a "not now Cas."

Worse was the time that you got hurt (only a minor injury) on a hunt a few weeks ago when you got thrown into a glass cabinet while facing down a poltergeist. Dean had chewed you out for a good twenty minutes and even with Sam's ability to intervene, you'd broken Dean's nose for speaking to you like that, and then rushed off to your room in the bunker before he had a chance to see you cry.

It was the one thing that you never allowed yourself to do in front of Dean Winchester, cry. He didn't deserve your tears, especially not when he was being a total grade A asshole.

When Sam came in later to help you get patched up, you asked him why Dean hated you and Sam tried to convince you otherwise, but you knew the truth.

Dean Winchester hated you, and you had no idea why. So you decided to stop trying to make him like you, because if he was going to act like a total dick he didn't deserve you being nice to him.

You knew that was why you liked Ben more. Ben appreciated you (sort of), he wasn't mean, he listened to you (sometimes), and he did give you compliments… well, they all revolved around the way you looked and that was nice, but just you wanted someone to give you a compliment that had to do with something else. Or maybe just a simple "I see you."

Is that so hard to ask?

Your few flings in the past hadn't been anything special. You didn't have the kind of stable lifestyle that prompted or supported long serious relationships, especially with non-hunters. Not to mention you'd always had this fantasy about meeting another hunter who understood exactly what you went through and what you had gone through over the years. It was often difficult to find a non-hunter who could understand that.

The bunker was the first permanent address that you'd ever had. Your mother had been one of the best hunters in the US, known by all, and you never met your dad, which meant that growing up on the road was the only life you knew. She'd died a year before you started working with the Winchesters which meant that you didn't exactly have anyone that you cared about or anyone who cared about you.

The thought often brought the feeling of loneliness stirring in your chest, but you pushed it down, throwing everything you had into hunting.

Healthy right?

Ben's muscular arm is wrapped around your waist, his hand splayed over your lower back to keep you tight against his chest so there is no space between the two of you, while your hands locked at the back of his neck. You didn't usually like PDA that much, occasionally yes, but you'll admit that you were only allowing yourself to give in to Ben a little more, because you liked how much it annoyed Dean.

Yes, you thought that it was absolutely ridiculous how Dean was acting, but you wanted to give him a taste of his own medicine. Because in all the years you'd known him, you’d never found one thing to hold over his head or one thing that really irritated him, and Ben was working like a charm.

It also felt really good to kiss him, but that was beside the point.

You understood that Dean was having a psychotic break with his constant proclamations that Ben "was him," but you wanted to at least understand why Dean was still hung up on it.

Ben isn't Dean. Sure they have the same face, but Ben is different… isn't he?

When you'd encountered Ben for the first time you had done a double take, but the more you were around him, the more you appreciated the way he treated you differently from Dean. Yes he was a little sexist, but Ben made you feel wanted and Dean had a way of making you feel stupid and often like a burden, as if you'd been plopped on his doorstep like a box of kittens and he was stuck with you.

There was only so much that you could take.

You didn't know what you'd done to earn such hostility. Dean was far from sexist, and you'd seen him interact with other people, it was just you he treated differently and it made you want to strangle him.

"Calm down kid-" Ben sighs.

"Stop calling me that!" Dean turns around to glare at the man next to you.

"Keep your eyes on the road." Sam says, not looking up from the map. He didn't need to.

"What a wonderful suggestion Sammy, but see I can't because I have no idea where the hell it is I'm going!" Dean snipes at his brother.

I swear at this point if Gabriel pops out of nowhere and tells me that this is all just a fucked up dream, I'd believe it.

"Stop being damn hormonal kid, and keep driving." Ben rolls his eyes and moves his lips to your throat, nipping and biting along the flesh visible over the top of your jacket, making you gasp softly and lean into Ben's warm embrace.

Your eyes meet Dean's in the rear view mirror and just for a second you see something flash through them that isn't anger, but it's gone just as soon as you clock it.

What was that?

Dean slams on the brakes and Ben tightens his grip on your body so you don't go flying forward into the bucket seat.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" You snap, curiosity gone, as you glare at Dean.

The tension in the car is high, popping and crackling around the four of you like popcorn. You still couldn't understand why Dean had such a problem with Ben. If anything you'd think that they'd get along a little bit.

"I am not being hormonal or whatever other chauvinistic shit that is about to come out of your mouth." Dean snarls, ignoring you, as he turns and narrows his eyes at Ben. "And I am not your chauffeur. So tell me where the hell it is I'm going so you can get the fuck out of my car and out of my life!"

Ben opens his mouth to retort something, no doubt that'll trigger Dean, but you speak before he can.

"Ben, do you remember anything about where you came through?" You ask him. You were trying to be more diplomatic even though Dean was making your blood boil.

Just because Dean is mad at me does not mean that he gets to take it out on Ben. Ben hasn't done anything wrong. He got sucked into this reality and immediately got pulled into Dean's soap opera.

Ben huffs out a sigh as he turns back to look at you. His gaze softens a little as his eyes meet yours, turning from a dark green to a jade. "There was a building-"

"Oh wow, how helpful!" Dean snarks. "Did you hear that Sammy? There was a building! Mystery solved!"

Ben whips his head in Dean's direction, the air in the car growing hot as Ben's skin begins to heat, but you gently lay your hand on his cheek to bring his gaze back on you. "Dean is an asshole. We all know." You say to Ben, reassuring him and ignoring the look Dean gives you when you say it. "Do you remember anything about the building?"

Getting Ben angry wasn't the way to get information out of him, he was, after all, more like Dean than you were willing to admit. And just as you'd seen Dean get worked over by numerous women, including Bella, sweet talking worked the best.

Well, it never worked when you tried to do it, because Dean refused to treat you any way other than an annoyance.

But two could play that game, especially with the way that Dean was acting right now.

Ben's jaw tightens and you know that he's biting back some remark to throw Dean's way, but you pull him closer, trailing your hand over his bearded cheek to keep his attention and gently bring your lips to his. You feel the tension shift from Ben's shoulders beneath the palms of your hands as he relaxes into the kiss, and this time Ben smiles when you pull away, giving your hips an encouraging squeeze. "It was a school or some shit. And there was a billboard for "World's Biggest Beer Can.""

"Okay. We can work with that." Sam says giving you a sympathetic look before pulling out his phone to type something in.

At least Sam is being normal about this whole thing.

Sam and you always got along, from the start he was the older brother that you never had, and it was refreshing. Not to mention Sam was your best and probably only friend. The hunter life was lonely and you found it difficult to make friends anyway, but something about Sam always stuck. He got your abnormal sense of humor, he gave the best hugs, and he stood up for you when things got heated between Dean and you. It was his idea for you to move into the bunker with him and Dean, and also him that convinced Dean to let you move in.

It had taken days for Dean to finally say yes. And when he did, he made you move into the bedroom next to his as if he wanted to keep an eye on you because he didn't trust you.

And as much as you hated living with Dean, living with Sam made up for it. You liked helping him research while Dean bitched and moaned about reading through dusty volumes, liked helping him clean up while Dean followed behind you as if you couldn't be trusted, liked helping Sam try to make dinner that ended up more burned than anything else until Dean stepped in and shooed the both of you from the kitchen so he could make something, and liked kicking back on the couch watching movies with Sam while eating copious amounts of popcorn.

Unfortunately, Dean didn't get the hint that you wanted him to leave you alone so he'd follow Sam and you, crack open a beer, and proceed to give a personal commentary on the movie the two of you were watching, occasionally throwing a look in your direction as if he was checking that you were listening to him. Weirder still was the fact that Dean would do that when Sam wasn't with you.

You noticed that sometimes, that no matter where you were in the bunker, Dean just happened to find himself in the same room. But that didn't mean he would speak, sometimes he would just be cleaning one of his guns or quietly reading through a dusty volume or writing something down in a notebook, but you swore sometimes you thought that Dean was looking at you. Each time you looked up though, he was looking down at whatever else it was he was doing.

It was those moments that made you think that things could be civil between the two of you, and then he'd get on your case for doing something he deemed "wrong" when you knew you did it right the first time as if you hadn't been a hunter as long as he had.

He probably does that because he doesn't trust me.

Dean grumbles something under his breath and turns his gaze back out the windshield, watching the wiper blades go back and forth over the glass, crossing his arms over his chest. Ben frowns and you know that he must have been able to hear whatever it was Dean said.

Why can't we all just get along for five minutes? Is that too much to ask?

"Alright I've got something." Sam says ending the uncomfortable silence in the car. "The World's Biggest Beer Can is in Northwood about ten miles ahead of us."

"Finally. At least someone is pulling their weight." Dean states before he hits the gas, the force throws you backwards into the seat.

Your gaze flicks up to the rearview mirror and notice that Dean is watching you again, but you turn away to Ben who smiles wide and pulls you back towards him for a kiss.

But deep down you can't help but wonder if Dean had been watching the two of you in his rearview mirror the whole time and why he cared so much.

The building that Ben remembers is in fact, an abandoned school.

The roof sags inward allowing rainwater to pool in the front lobby over black and white checkered tiles, the lockers are rusted and thrown to the floor at odd angles making you worry about the possibility of tetanus, and there is an ungodly stench that you can only describe as old gym socks, axe body spray, and unwashed feet.

Ben's nose wrinkles where he stands beside you, and you're sure that no matter what your sense of smell is experiencing it's a million times worse for him.

You press your lips into a tight line, toeing around a puddle of something gray and sticky that you can't identify, but know for a fact you don't want it in your shoes. Your eyes squint into the looming darkness that grows the more you stare down the forgotten hallways.

It’s always gotta be an old creepy building. Just once I want to get to investigate a donut shop or a burger joint or a Starbucks.

"Any of this looking familiar Captain Sexual Harassment?" Dean asks turning with his flashlight to point in Ben's face.

Ben shrugs and squints at the offending light. "I don’t fucking know."

"Enlightening." Dean huffs out a breath. "Well, guess we can split up and-"

Thank God I won't have to listen to Dean mutter things under his breath and freak out.

"Fine." You interrupt. "Come on Ben." You start to walk down one of the dark hallways, but Dean slides in front of you to block your path.

"No way. You're not going with him." Dean waves his flashlight in Ben's face again and you can see the twitch on the corner of Dean's mouth to see how much he enjoys blinding him.

Why does he always have to act like such a child?

"Why?" You demand.

"Because as soon as Sam and I get out the picture, Grandpa over there is going to pull you aside and fuck you in one of the classrooms." Dean says it without blinking, but it makes you flush red in embarrassment and anger.

"No, he's not!"

"Yes, he is!"

Dean is so close that you can feel his warm breath on your face. His eyes are narrowed in anger, but you can see another emotion flick through them so quickly you think you imagined it. It was the same emotion that you thought you saw in the car, but you can't identify it, not yet.

Ben's hand comes down on Dean's shoulder, a wide smirk on his face. "Look kid, I get it. She's fucking hot and I know you think I'm trying to horn in on your action-"

"What the hell are you talking about?" Dean exclaims shaking off Ben's hand.

"You're jealous because she decided to be with a real man instead of you." Ben shrugs. His gaze travels up and down Dean as if appraising him before he shakes his head with a chuckle. "I can't blame her. Someone like you couldn't handle her.

"I could handle her just fine!" Dean snaps back his face flushing as he forces his chest against Ben's, who only smirks back.

What did he just say?

Your entire body goes stick straight in surprise and you turn your head to stare at Dean. In all the years that you'd known Dean he's never once said something like that to you.

Sure there was the night you met…

You hadn't thought about it in years. You'd been back in town because Bobby had called asking you to help out some friends of his on a case and you'd stopped in to Ellen's bar to see Jo. Dean had come on to you and you'd splashed a beer in his face and also maybe pinned him down against the bar. It had been awkward the next day when you found out that Dean and Sam were the friends that Bobby wanted you to help out, but you pushed past all the weird feelings to help.

Dean had flirted with you that night and you will admit to yourself that you thought Dean was attractive before he opened his mouth, but since that night the two of you hadn't spoken about it. In fact, you were both perfectly happy pretending that it didn't happen.

Or so you thought.

Dean's dark green eyes flick to yours in realization. "That's not what I meant."

"Sure kid." Ben's smirk grows to Cheshire Cat proportions.

"Stop calling me that!"

The weird thing was, you'd seen Dean lose his temper, it always flared fast and hot broken up with sarcastic comments, but for some reason this felt different and you didn't understand why. It didn't feel like Dean just getting angry because Ben was getting under his skin, it felt like something else.

"Whoa!" You get between the two of them for the second time in an hour. "If you guys keep fighting like this I'm going to put you both in time out!"

"He started it!" Dean glares at Ben, who doesn't look the least bit upset.

"I don’t care who started it! You're grown men and you're still acting like toddlers. I shouldn't have to separate you." You snap waving around your flashlight at Dean.

"How about this?" Sam sighs from where he stands a few feet away. "I'll go with Ben and the two of you can try not to shoot each other."

"Why can't I go with you?" You sigh to your friend.

"You want to leave them together? Alone?" Sam raises his eyebrow.

Not really.

Sam takes your silence rightfully as confirmation, because the both of you knew if you left Dean and Ben together it would probably be a Thunderdome situation or a reenactment of the WWE.

"Maybe we shouldn't split up." Dean says looking at his brother.

"You scared kid?" Ben smirks. " No wonder she decided to fuck me instead of you. You’re acting like a little bitch."

"You son of a bitch-" Dean finally snaps and launches himself towards Ben, but your hand fists in the back of Dean's leather jacket to stop him from starting a fight that you know he won't win.

It wasn't that you thought Ben was a better fighter than Dean, it was that Ben had super strength and would have no qualms ripping Dean in half. And despite how much Dean annoyed you, you didn't want him to die. Sure he was a jerk, but he didn't deserve that after everything he'd been through, and Sam didn't need to bear witness to that.

"Fine." You say. "Ben please go with Sam."

Ben rolls his eyes and follows after Sam, leaving Dean and you standing in the lobby alone, the only sound the soft plop of water echoing down the empty hallway.

Great. Now I'm stuck with Dean in a creepy old building. It's a dream come true. The stuff of Disney movies.

"Why did you do that?" Dean snaps at you when Ben and Sam turn a corner out of sight.

"You should be thanking me! Ben would rip you in half without batting an eye!" You turn back towards the empty hallway and try to put as much distance as you can between Dean and you.

Distance is good, nice. It means that I can only partly hear his disapproval.

"You don't know that." Dean catches up with you, sweeping the path in front of you with his flashlight looking for holes in the floor.

"Yes, I do. I've seen him do it before."

By now you were aware that there was a chill in the air, it was unnatural, creeping down the hallway in a thin mist that made a shiver crawl down your spine. Dean must sense it too, because he pulls his gun at the same time you do.

That or he's doing it because he's about to go Rambo on Ben's ass.

Because that'll end well…

"If he rips people in half why do you like him so much?"

“He’s not a bad person if that’s what you’re getting at. Ben did it to save me.” You point your flashlight into one of the classrooms along the hallway noting the rotted desks tipped over onto the checkered floor. “He wouldn’t hurt me.”

Ben's world was filled with more than a few crazed individuals, and when you'd been in his universe Ben had stepped in when a supe threw themselves at you. Truthfully, even though Ben did what he did to protect you, watching him pull someone apart with his bare hands made you sick to your stomach. Given what you'd seen, that was saying something. But you knew that Ben wouldn't hurt you, he wasn't that kind of man, and you weren't afraid of him.

“You’ve known him for five days! How can you tell after five days?!” Dean nudges a cardboard box with his boot sending a family of cockroaches scuttling into the shadows.

"Because I can!" Your lip curves up in distaste at the appearance of the roaches and try not to imagine all the walls infested with the little bugs.

You didn't like roaches. Especially ones that all of a sudden developed the ability to fly in your presence as if it were a miracle.

The two of you continue to walk down the hallway, the sound of your footsteps masking the constant dripping noise that comes from the floor above.

Your temper was flaring all over again. You didn't think that you needed to explain any of this to him. Dean never felt the need to discuss his extensive history with women with you and you didn't feel the need to discuss the ins and outs of your and Ben's situation.

"Come on-" He begins to say, but you don't want to hear it.

"Dammit Dean just fucking drop it." You throw your shoulder against a door at the end of the hallway, putting everything you have into it and a little more. You were getting frustrated at Dean's continuous commentary on your life. "I don’t want to talk about this anymore or listen to any of the ridiculous reasons why you think that it's any of your business who I sleep with."

“I think it is my business because you were about to reenact the scene from Titanic in the back of my car!”

“Oh please. I’m sure that you’ve reenacted it billions of times back there. Mr. Saturday Night!” You roll your eyes hitting the door again with your shoulder.

“It’s my car!" Dean shouts, moving you out of the way in a surprisingly gentle way, before he savagely kicks down the door. "I can do whatever I damn well please!”

I wonder if Sam and Ben are having a better time than us. It wouldn't be difficult to.

The door opens with a snap under the force of Dean's kick depositing Dean and you into a large auditorium. The seats are a faded gray and the curtains that hang from the sides of the stage, once blood red, were more of a muddled pink stained with splotches of dark spots and filled with holes the size of the Impala.

Crawling vines and ferns have begun to tangle over the empty seats and over the floors, absorbing anything in their path. The wooden stage is dilapidated and caving in on itself, the boards jutting upwards instead of laying flat as they should in some places from years of water damage. The carpet beneath your feet is squishy and moth eaten, and each step sends another cloud of dust into the air making the room hazy and you cough into your elbow.

"Not to mention he's me!" Dean continues, tramping into the room behind you.

"How many times are you going to say that?" You pinch the bridge of your nose, trying your best to keep it together.

"As many times as I have to, to get the point into your thick skull!"

You whirl around and poke your finger into his chest. "You know what Winchester? You can take all your opinions and shove them right up your uptight ass!"

"The two of you don't get along at all. Odd given how you seem to get along with my fiancé." A bored voice says from somewhere behind you. "But it is a lot more entertaining than I thought it was going to be."

Dean and you both lock eyes and turn to look in the direction of the voice, but there's no one there.

"Um, did you hear-" Dean begins to ask.

"Yes I did." You reply clicking the safety off your pistol.

"Just checking."

"Though I will say, with the way today is going for you and if this is you having a psychotic break, I wouldn't be surprised that you're having auditory hallucinations."

"Shut up." Dean sighs.

"Hello?" You shout, looking around the empty auditorium for some answer, but it remains empty.

Dean snorts. "Now who's craz-"

"Hello?" The voice mocks in a nasally voice. "Wow you're pathetic. I don't understand what he sees in you."

"You call me pathetic, but you're the one hiding. So why don't you come out?" A chair from the front row plucks itself off the ground and hurls itself at your head. You duck and it sails into the aisle behind Dean and you.

"You're not even that pretty." The voice continues and you can imagine a pout on the end of its words like a petulant child who wishes to get their way.

This is so fucking weird.

"Thanks." You reply dryly. "I like to think I've got a great personality."

"You don't." Dean mutters, making you throw an elbow into his side.

A high pitched giggle echoes through the space making it impossible to identify where it came from, until finally a woman materializes on the stage. You blink your eyes to make sure that she's really there.

Her blonde hair falls over her shoulders in perfect ringlets, and she's wearing a bright pink fur trimmed dressing gown. The kind you'd see on an eccentric billionaire's trophy wife who spent most of her day drinking gin martinis poolside while being fanned by cabana boys or the kind that she'd be wearing when she heard of her husband's "untimely demise." There's a silver diamond crown perched on top of her head and she's smoking a cigarette from a long white cigarette holder, while she lounges back on a golden throne.

What. The. Fuck.

"Do you see her too?" You whisper to Dean out of the corner of your mouth.

"You mean Glinda the Good Witch the later years? Yeah I can." Dean replies looking just as confused as you do. "You thinking Gabriel?"

"I thought he was dead."

"He's pretended to be dead before." He shrugs.

"Fair enough. Any reason why he's making us see her?"

"Maybe your new boyfriend has a fetish."

"Hasn't anyone told you that it's rude to whisper?" The woman says, taking a drag from her cigarette.

"Sorry. Um. Who are you?" You ask.

"I don't speak to homewreckers." Her face contorts into a sneer. You watch her eyes shift from Dean to you. "But I'll answer for your friend. I'm Iris, Benjamin's Fiancé."

If pigs could fly right now an entire fleet of them would be taking flight around you. You tried to wrack your brain remembering a single time that Ben said that he had a fiancé or was in a relationship at all, and you can't find a single moment.

Well… today officially sucks.

"Wow. Nice." Dean looks at you with a scoff. "Real nice."

"Hey woah, I didn't know he had a fiancé." You hold up your free hand in surrender. "He never said anything about a-"

"Hey gorgeous. Did you find anything?" Ben says materializing behind Dean.

"You're engaged?" You shout.

"No?" Ben looks confused. "Who told you that?"

You point a thumb over your shoulder to Iris, who is still lounging on the stage completely in her element. She giggles and wiggles her fingers in a cute wave.

"Hey Benny Wenny, did you miss me?" Her lips curl up in a wide smile when she rises from the throne, her bright blue eyes crinkling around the edges. The air around her seems to sparkle, sending scattered light out into the broken seats.

Ben is still staring up at the woman, looking utterly confused.

"You know that freak?" Dean whispers to Ben who is now standing shoulder to shoulder with him.

"Fuck no."

"Well, congratulations Benny Wenny." Dean snorts. "Guess you're getting married."

"I am not-"

"And don't worry, of course I'll be your best man." Dean continues, holding back laughter.

"Shut the fuck up kid!" Ben snaps at Dean, before turning back to the woman on the stage. "Look baby, I don't know who you are but-" Ben begins to say to the woman, who only laughs.

She throws back her head, golden curls bouncing with the force of her body moving, laughing for an unnatural amount of time before she locks her blue eyes on Ben again.

“Stop being silly. We met a few months ago at Legend’s party. We had a few drinks and then you came back to my apartment where we made love for hours-“ Her cheeks blush. “It was sooooo romantic. What I always dreamed about!”

“Um-“

“My parents are so excited to meet you and my little sister said that she’s so happy to have a big brother!” She giggles. “I even made us matching t-shirts to wear on our honeymoon and a scrap book of our children!" She holds up a magenta colored bedazzled photo album that’s the size of a medium sized dog.

Wow she put a lot of work into that.

“Children?” Ben stutters, his voice cracking on the end a little bit. It's the first time that you've ever seen him look afraid.

“What they’ll look like, where we’ll vacation each year, where we'll live, where you'll work-” Her expression turns sour, eyes flashing a dark pink as she glares in your direction. “But then you met that little whore who took you away from me and poisoned your mind.” She points a perfectly manicured pink nail at you. “So I decided to bring you here so you could help me kill her.”

“I’m sorry rewind-“ You say holding up a hand. “You brought Ben here? How?"

"I found a website while I was looking at destination weddings." She shrugs.

"There are websites about traveling through different universes that show up in the search engine-" Dean begins to say.

"DON'T QUESTION ME!" The girl shrieks and the entire room begins to shake.

"And you wanted Ben to be here because?" You haven’t lowered your gun. Frankly you had no idea what her powers were. She looked more like she would start tap dancing down the yellow brick road rather than start hurling chunks of the stage at you, but you needed a plan.

“Because we’ll get to share this moment together.” Iris sighs looking over at Ben again, who is just as shell-shocked as he was a moment ago.

“Killing me?”

Iris nods enthusiastically. “We'll make love on top of your dead body and no one will come between us ever again!” 

Dean snorts under his breath and you elbow him again, trying not to think of the image.

Please let this be Gabriel messing around with me. Because if it's not my life is officially a joke.

The three of you stand there for a minute looking up at where she prances on the stage in mixed stages of disbelief.

And just as Iris takes a step forward, a sandbag falls on her head. She crumples to the floor like a sack of potatoes as Sam appears in the wings of the stage looking from her to where the three of you are watching.

"You guys okay?" He calls.

"Yeah." Ben shrugs. "Too bad about her though. She was hot."

He's kidding right?

"The crazies always are." Dean adds with a sigh, patting him on the back.

"I'm so happy the two of you are having this bonding moment, truly I am, but-" You begin to say, turning your back to the stage, but as soon as you do Sam goes flying across the room and into one of the fern plants.

"That was so uncool!" Iris squeals, hovering over the stage, her hands glowing an unnatural magenta color. "Ben and I are meant to be together, we're soulmates, perfect, fated, destined, and no one is going to stand in my way."

The entire room begins to tremble with the force of her anger, dust floats down from the ceiling as it begins to crack and crumble under her powers. You can feel the warmth of Ben's skin as he begins to power up the beam in his chest, burning through the air like a supernova.

There's a crackling sound that comes from above and you look up to see a giant piece of the ceiling falling in slow motion towards your body. Dean shouts your name, but he sounds far away, the sound ringing through the few seconds that you still have left before it crushes you.

But the hit doesn't come from above, it comes from the side.

Dean tackles you, just as the piano sized piece hits the ground where you had been standing a second ago, to the ground, cradling your head in his hands. Your bodies tumble into the moth eaten carpets as Ben explodes, the heat and power of the beam causing more of the room to fall around the two of you.

There's a terrible high pitched wail that's cut off abruptly mid scream and you don't need to be a genius to know what or rather who it was.

Dean covers your body with his and your hands come up under his arms to hold him tighter to you. You bury your face into the warmth of his coat where his throat and his shoulder meet with a whimper as everything around the two of you shudders and shakes. He doesn't pull away, his muscles tensing as he tightens his grip around you, his own face buried in your hair.

The room continues to shake and fall apart in the aftermath of the blast, dust and ash rising in clouds. But you can’t see any of it, Dean's body is shielding you from the room as it crumbles around the two of you, tucking you further beneath him the longer it goes on, making it impossible for anyone or anything to hurt you.

You could feel something curling in the pit of your stomach the longer you laid there under him, an odd feeling that you'd tried to push down whenever you were around Dean, a warmth that begins to spread like wildfire through your body everywhere the two of you are touching. His body is warm and heavy, but it's not oppressive, it lays over you protective and unyielding in the wake of the destruction.

The smell of him invades your senses, a mix of gunmetal, leather, and a spicy scent that tickled your nose. You'd smelled Dean's shampoo before, when it wafted out of the bathroom as you walked down the hallway, imprinting itself in your mind. It was how the impala smelled, always like Dean, and with it brought a feeling of comfort that you'd never known before.

It was odd.

"Are you okay?" Dean whispers, and you can feel the rumble of his words through his chest where it's touching you, his hips laying in the cradle of your thighs. He pulls back to look at your face, the rough grate of his stubble catching your chin as he does so. His eyes are wide with worry and it's the first time that you'd ever seen him look at you that way.

Dust and ash caught in his hair in graying clumps, sticking to the shortened brownish gold strands, the ones that were just a little shorter than Ben's. You longed to run your fingers through, to feel if it was as soft as it looked.

"I think so." You murmur, not used to the weight of his body on top of yours, but you're also trying not to notice how a part of you liked it. "Are you okay?" Your fingertips trail against the smooth leather of his jacket, working up to the back of his head, feeling just the subtle brush of the hair at the nape of his neck.

You don't miss the soft sigh that rushes out of Dean's chest when you do that, fueling the fire that was spreading in the pit of your stomach.

What is happening?

"Yeah." Dean's fingers brush your hair from your face, so quickly that you think you missed it, but the burn of his skin over your cheeks is the only reminder. You gasp softly with the movement, confused as to why Dean was acting this way, why he was worried about you, and why you liked it. Your arms are still wrapped around his body, fingers curled into the back of his leather jacket, but Dean makes no move to get up, he continues to look at you.

You'd never seen Dean look at you like that, look at you as if he wished to understand you, as if he saw you. No one had ever looked at you that way in your entire life.

"Dean!" You hear Sam yell from somewhere, followed by your own name.

It jolts Dean out of wherever his mind is and he gets off of you, but he helps you to your feet, one of his warm calloused hands taking yours to pull you up before dropping it as if he didn't do it in the first place.

The room is destroyed. The roof has completely caved in allowing the rain to soak through the remaining seats of the auditorium and into the musty carpets. The stage no longer exists, all that remains is a black blob of what you're sure used to be Iris, and although a part of you feels bad about the turn of events, you can't help but feel a little relieved.

She was going to kill me. You think to avoid the wave of guilt that washes over you.

"Ding dong the witch is dead." Dean mutters under his breath, but it doesn't make you feel better.

Fires burn over the edges of the stage, small and controlled, but sending rivulets of smoke into the air. You knew it meant that the fire department would be here any minute and that's the last thing you wanted to explain. That and the body on the stage.

Ben stumbles to his feet a few steps away from Dean and you, pushing off a piece of roofing that must have landed on top of him. His suit is covered in dust and drywall, but he looks okay. He's got that far-away look in his eye he always does after he uses his power.

You step towards him to make sure he's okay, but Dean stands in your way.

"Are you out of your mind?" Dean snarls at Ben.

"What the fuck is your problem?" Ben snaps.

"You almost killed us! Almost killed her!" Dean gestures towards you.

"I fixed the problem." Ben rolls his eyes and glances to you, as if trying to reassure himself that you're okay. You knew that Ben might have wanted to only have a physical relationship with you, but you knew that he did care about you in his own way. "You okay sweetheart?" He pushes past Dean, gently touching your face, tilting it up to his. "Did you hit your head?"

"No. I'm okay." You smile tightly at him, but a part of you can still feel the ghost of Dean's fingertips trailing against your cheeks to push away your hair and feel the weight of his body over yours. "Are you okay?" You ask, noting the way his eyes still are a little unfocused.

"Course I am." Ben scoffs. "Takes a little more than a building to bring me down doll."

You nod, while Ben's hand still continues to rest on your chin, and just as he leans down for a kiss, you see Dean's face in the corner of your eye and finally you're able to identify the emotion reflected in his gaze. It's the same emotion that you saw in the car when he stared at you in the rearview mirror. It's the first time that you've ever seen Dean look at you that way in all the years you'd known him.

It's hurt that flashes behind the green eyes you knew so well, shifting to jealousy on around the darkened edges the longer he looks at Ben and you.

And when Ben's lips touch yours, you feel guilt begin to creep along your skin and extinguish the sparks you'd felt moments ago in the pit of your stomach.

A/N: I'm not going to lie, I did not mean for this part to be a little sad... but oh my word 😭 BUT I also promise that the next chapter will have a happy ending ❤️

Thank you so much for reading! Likes, Reblogs, and Comments are not required, but are always appreciated. I love hearing what y'all think! If you'd like to be added to the taglist for Part 3 please let me know!

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[swappermanent]

Sugar Baby

When I started going out with Paul, it felt like everything had finally settled into place. For the first time in what felt like forever, I was in a relationship that made me feel alive. We were super attracted to each other—magnetically, almost—which, after years of boyfriends who left me feeling unsure and self-conscious, was a relief. I knew I was attractive, sure, but there’s a difference between knowing it and feeling it. With Paul, I felt it.

The chemistry was undeniable. We were having sex all the time, barely able to keep our hands off each other. It had been seven months, and honestly, I thought the honeymoon phase might never end. We’d built this bubble around us, this glowing little world where nothing else mattered… until that night.

We’d just come back from dinner at a trendy little spot downtown. I thought the evening had been perfect. The food was great, the wine was flowing, and Paul had looked incredible in his tailored blazer and skinny jeans. But as soon as we got back to my apartment, I could tell something was wrong.

Paul dropped his wallet on the counter with more force than necessary and crossed his arms. “Did you hear what that server said tonight?” he asked, his voice sharp.

I blinked, trying to think back. “What are you talking about?”

“He called me a sugar baby, Oliver,” Paul snapped, his eyes flashing. “Or at least he implied it. Don’t tell me you didn’t catch that.”

I frowned, replaying the night in my head. “I think he said something about us being a…‘cute couple,’ maybe? I don’t remember anything like that.”

Paul threw his hands up. “Of course you didn’t notice. Why would you? You’re not the one who gets judged every time we walk into a room together.”

“Paul, what are you talking about?” I asked, genuinely confused. “What do you care what some random waiter thinks? He’s nobody.”

“It’s not just him,” Paul said, his voice rising. “It’s everyone. Every time we’re out, people look at us and assume I’m with you for your money or because you’re older and can…‘take care’ of me or whatever.”

“That’s ridiculous,” I said, trying to keep my tone calm. “No one’s judging you. Why would they?”

Paul’s laugh was bitter. “You really don’t get it, do you? Even though you’re super, super hot, you’re still older, Oliver. People notice. They talk. And I’m tired of it.”

I opened my mouth to respond but realized I didn’t know what to say. I’d always thought of us as equals, partners in every sense. But now Paul was voicing something I hadn’t even considered. I didn’t care what anyone thought of us, but clearly, he did.

The argument spiraled from there, each of us throwing words we didn’t mean into the space between us. By the time we finally fell silent, the tension was suffocating. I hated it. I hated that we were fighting, that I couldn’t make him see how little anyone else’s opinion mattered.

That was when Paul said something I never expected. “I wish you could understand what it’s like to be me.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” I asked, folding my arms.

“It means you have no idea what it’s like to be young and judged for being with someone older,” he said. “You’ve never had to deal with that.”

I wanted to argue, but something in his tone stopped me. He was hurt, and I didn’t know how to fix it. Instead, I sighed. “I don’t know what you want me to do, Paul. I love you. Isn’t that enough?”

He didn’t answer. Instead, he grabbed his coat and left, leaving me alone with my thoughts.

---

The argument with Paul left me feeling helpless. For days, his words echoed in my mind: “I wish you could understand what it’s like to be me.” I hated the wedge it had driven between us, and I wanted to show him—prove to him—how much I cared.

That’s how I ended up in a small, dimly lit shop tucked into a back alley downtown. A witch, of all things, had been recommended by a friend who swore she could “fix anything.” At first, I thought it was ridiculous, but desperation does strange things to a person.

The witch, a woman with piercing green eyes and a voice that felt like velvet and steel all at once, listened to my story. When I told her I wanted to switch bodies with Paul, she raised an eyebrow but didn’t ask questions. “It’s a bold move,” she said, studying me. “Are you sure you want this? The spell isn’t permanent, but it’ll be… revealing.”

I nodded. “I need him to see how much I care. I need to understand.”

That night, I surprised Paul with dinner at home—his favorite meal, candles, wine. He was suspicious at first, probably expecting another long conversation about our fight, but eventually, he relaxed.

After we ate, I told him. “I did something for us,” I said, my hands trembling slightly as I held his. “It’s… different, but I think it’ll help.”

Paul looked at me warily. “What did you do, Oliver?”

“Just trust me,” I said, pulling the small vial of shimmering liquid from my pocket. “Drink this with me.”

“What the hell is that?” he asked, leaning back.

“It’s magic. Literally,” I said, smiling nervously. “It’s going to switch our bodies—for a little while. So I can understand what it’s like to be you. So we can understand each other better.”

Paul stared at me like I’d lost my mind. “You can’t be serious.”

“I am,” I said firmly. “I know it’s crazy, but… I love you, Paul. And I’ll do whatever it takes to make this work. Please.”

He hesitated, but eventually, he sighed and reached for the vial. “This is insane,” he muttered. “But fine. Let’s do it.”

The sensation was indescribable. A rush of heat, a pull deep in my chest, and then—suddenly—I was staring at myself. At Oliver. My body. Paul’s jaw dropped, and I realized my mouth—his mouth—was hanging open too.

“Oh my god,” I whispered, my voice high and light. Paul’s voice.

“Holy shit,” Paul said, his tone low and steady—my tone. He looked down at his hands, flexing them. “This is… weird.”

We stood there for a moment, just staring at each other, until a grin spread across my—Paul’s—face. “I’m… cute,” I said, looking in the mirror to admire my new body. “You’re adorable, Paul. I mean, I knew that, but… wow.”

Paul rolled his—my—eyes. “Great. Glad you’re having fun already.”

But I could see the curiosity in his expression as he studied his new reflection in the window. “This is so strange,” he muttered, running his—my—hands through his hair.

---

The first few days were exhilarating. I had always thought Paul’s body was beautiful, but living in it was something else entirely. I felt light and full of energy. I was used to being strong, but in Paul’s body, I felt… different. More vulnerable, maybe, but in a way that made me more aware of the world around me.

And then there was the bedroom. That was… an experience. For the first time, I got to see myself—my body—through Paul’s eyes, and it was hotter than I ever could have imagined. I couldn’t stop staring at him. At me. At the way my body moved and how it felt under Paul’s touch.

“Wow,” I whispered one night, lying on my back and looking up at him—at me. “I didn’t realize how hot I am.”

Paul smirked, his—my—hands running over my chest. “Told you.”

The roles had reversed completely. He was stronger now, more dominant, and I was smaller, lighter. It felt amazing to let go and be tossed around a little, to feel his strength in a way I’d never experienced before. And the way he looked at me—his eyes hungry and full of admiration—it turned me on even more.

“You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?” I teased one night, watching him as he explored his new body.

Paul grinned, his face lighting up. “Maybe a little,” he admitted, his tone playful. “You’re… pretty great, you know.”

I couldn’t help but laugh. “Took you long enough to figure that out.”

---

At first, being Paul felt liberating. I loved the way people looked at me—at him—with a mix of admiration and envy. I enjoyed the carefree lightness of being in his body, his energy, his youth. But the novelty wore off faster than I expected. The longer I spent as Paul, the more I realized his life wasn’t as effortless as I’d thought.

The first real cracks appeared with his friends.

I’d always thought they liked me. They were always so warm when I was me—when I was Oliver. But as Paul, I got to see the unfiltered version of how they really felt about our relationship. The jokes started small.

“You’re still with Oliver?” one of them asked over beers. “Man, the dude’s practically a fossil.”

The group laughed, and I forced a grin. “He’s not that old,” I said, trying to brush it off.

Another friend, Darren, smirked. “I don’t know, Paul. Next thing you know, you’ll be helping him pick out retirement homes.”

More laughter. I clenched my teeth, trying to laugh along, but it stung. The digs didn’t stop there. Every hangout seemed to come with new jabs. “How’s the old man holding up?” “Bet he falls asleep before you even make it to the bedroom.” “Does he have to stretch before you guys have sex?”

I tried to defend myself—Oliver—but it only made things worse. “He’s incredible,” I snapped once, tired of the ridicule. “He’s smart and successful and—”

“And old,” Darren interrupted, grinning. “C’mon, Paul, we’re just messing with you. Don’t be so sensitive.”

It was grating. Even though they claimed to be joking, the constant comments wore me down. I started to see how much pressure Paul must have felt every time we were out together. I understood now why he’d been so sensitive about the waiter’s comment. This wasn’t just an isolated thing; it was everywhere.

Things came to a head on the beach trip.

Paul’s friends had organized a day at the beach, and I’d been excited. The sun, the waves, the chance to relax—it sounded perfect. But I realized they had ulterior motives.

“Hey, Paul,” one of them said with a sly grin as we set up on the sand. “We invited someone new to join us today. You’ll love him.”

That “someone” turned out to be Vince. Tall, tan, and absolutely ripped, Vince looked like he’d walked straight off the cover of a fitness magazine. His laugh was deep and easy, his smile dazzling. I couldn’t help but notice how good he looked in his swim trunks, his abs catching the sunlight. He was polite, charming, and… clearly interested in me.

At first, I didn’t think much of it. But as the day went on, it became obvious this wasn’t a coincidence. Paul’s friends had brought Vince along to tempt me—Paul. It was a cruel test, one I hadn’t been prepared for.

The group seemed to push us together all day. “Vince, why don’t you help Paul with the cooler?” “Hey, Paul, Vince is really into hiking. You should talk to him about that trail you like.” “You two should totally go for a swim together.”

And Vince played along. He was magnetic, and it was hard not to be drawn to him. His confidence was intoxicating, and the way he looked at me—as if I were the only person on the beach—made my heart race in a way I hadn’t expected.

By the end of the day, we found ourselves at a seaside bar. The group was dancing, drinks in hand, the setting sun casting a golden glow over everything. Vince and I ended up on the dance floor together, and he moved closer, his hand brushing against mine.

“You’re amazing, you know that?” he said, his voice low. His eyes locked on mine, and I felt a rush of heat.

“I’m not—” I started, but he interrupted me.

“Yes, you are,” he said, stepping closer. His hands rested lightly on my hips, and I didn’t pull away. “You’re gorgeous, Paul. You deserve to be adored.”

Before I could respond, he leaned in, his lips brushing against mine. I froze, torn between the pull of his touch and the voice in my head screaming that this was wrong.

I hesitated, and in that moment, his hand slid lower. He gently cupped my bulge, his fingers pressing just enough to send a shiver through me. My breath caught, and before I could stop myself, I kissed him back. It was slow at first, tentative, but then his other hand slid up my back, pulling me closer, and I melted into him.

For a moment, nothing else mattered. Not the group, not Oliver, not the consequences. Just Vince and the way he made me feel—desired, wanted, free.

It started as a moment of weakness. The kiss with Vince was supposed to be just that—a fleeting mistake, something I could forget. But I didn’t forget. I couldn’t.

The first time we slept together, it was like an explosion. Vince was passionate, attentive, and completely unlike anything I’d experienced before. He made me feel alive in a way that both thrilled and terrified me. I told myself it would just be a one-time thing, but one night turned into two, and then three, and soon I was finding excuses to see him.

It wasn’t just about the physical connection—although that was incredible. With Vince, I felt like I could shed all the insecurities I’d been carrying as Paul. He didn’t see me as someone trying to live up to anyone else’s standards. He just saw me.

But every time I was with Vince, the guilt weighed heavier. I was lying to Paul—not just about Vince, but about everything. The whole reason I’d switched bodies was to understand him, to bridge the gap between us. Instead, I’d let the gap widen, filling it with secrets and betrayal.

After weeks of this, I couldn’t keep it up anymore. I knew I had to end things with Paul.

We sat across from each other in his apartment—my apartment, technically—and I struggled to find the words. Paul looked so hopeful, his expression soft despite the tension that had grown between us since the switch.

“I’ve been thinking,” I started, my voice trembling slightly. “About us.”

Paul frowned, leaning forward. “What about us?”

I took a deep breath, steeling myself. “You were right,” I said quietly. “The age gap… it’s too much. I thought it didn’t matter, but I see it now. You deserve someone who’s in the same place as you. Someone your own age.”

Paul’s face fell, and my chest tightened. I could see the hurt in his eyes, but he quickly masked it with a tight smile. “So, you’ve come around, huh?” he said, his voice heavy. “I guess I should’ve seen this coming.”

“I just want what’s best for you,” I said, forcing myself to meet his gaze. “You should be with someone who gets you. Someone who can make you happy in ways I can’t.”

He nodded slowly, biting his lip. “Yeah. Maybe you’re right.” His voice wavered, and I could tell he was holding back tears. “I guess I’ve been thinking the same thing… but I didn’t want to admit it.”

I swallowed the lump in my throat, guilt gnawing at me. “I’m sorry,” I whispered.

Paul took a shaky breath, brushing his hands over his thighs. “Well, I guess this means we need to swap back, huh?”

The words hung in the air between us. I could feel the weight of them, the finality. But instead of agreeing, I hesitated. My heart pounded as I looked at him—at me.

“Actually…” I said, my voice quiet but firm. “I’m afraid we’re not going to be doing that.”

Paul blinked, confusion washing over his face. “What? What do you mean?”

“I mean… I think it’s better this way,” I said, trying to keep my tone steady. “You can start fresh. Be with someone who fits into your life. And I can… I can do the same.”

Realization dawned on him, his eyes widening. “You’re serious,” he said, his voice rising. “You’re not giving my body back?”

I looked away, unable to meet his gaze. “I’m sorry, Paul. I think this is for the best.”

[qinluna]

cw: codependency. mention of suicidal thoughts, self-harm scars, dysfunctional family. semi-canon compliant to main story — directly references 1-4. reader is gender-neutral. reader is not mc. depressed reader. reader cries a lot. caleb and reader are childhood friends / neighbors.

you’re six years old when the old woman across the street and the boy she was raising on her own give you a safe haven. you snuck out because your parents were arguing for the umpteenth time, and your naive, fearful mind had just wanted some kind of safety. the boy’s name is caleb, and the woman’s called the police because the escalation of your parents’ conflict arises to the point where neighbors can hear it. caleb hugs you for a long time as you cry, giving you an apple plush to cling to.

you’re thirteen when you confess to caleb you thought about dying. you think it’d be an easier way out. you promise you won’t do it—but it’s devastating to him. if caleb had it his way, he would do anything to take this pain away from you. he doesn’t like seeing the girl he loves in so much anguish. the dark cloud that only goes away when he’s around. he wishes you two could just stay together forever. he would keep you safe. he sees faint, blurred scars on your wrists beneath your sleeves, and his heart sinks. he just wants to see you smile.

you’re eighteen, and you’ve both graduated high school. caleb has his prospects, and he’s bound for skyhaven to pursue his future as a pilot. you, on the other hand—lose your friends, and your graduation dinner is ruined by a heated argument among relatives. when you two meet up later that night—caleb decides to take you to a drive-in movie. it’s an older film, with a cliche action plot and comedic gimmicks. but you don’t pay attention to it, for you had curled up into caleb’s side, clinging to him as your body trembled with shaky, quiet sobs. caleb never lets go, grateful that he’s gotten stronger, taller—so he can shield you with his body just like this. neither of you open the snacks or pay attention to the movie. caleb holds you close, kissing the top of your hair occasionally as he murmurs sweet nothings to ease you. he takes you to a diner open all night, treating you to a proper meal to celebrate—punctuating it with a kiss to your lips before he drives you both home.

you’re nineteen when you say goodbye. you’re going off to study at the association’s academy, finally having a reason to leave that godforsaken home. you wouldn’t come back, you tell caleb, and he understands. he’s proud of you.

(but god, he’ll miss you terribly. and you’ll miss him too.)

you’re twenty-three, he’s twenty-four—when you reunite. you didn’t think it was possible. you were a graduated combat medic, sent undercover to deal with a precarious incident similar to the explosion in bloomshore district. (the very same that was caleb’s home. he was there when you came back to visit. he was there—and you were thrown back with the debris. you grieved for days.)

“you passed,” caleb says, the interrogation room’s lights coming back on. you’re horrified, unable to speak. you don’t even struggle against the restraints. your eyes are wide in complete shock, a fear filling your body that you hadn’t felt since you were a child.

he switches his tone from it’s colder firmness, softened to a manner like he was always speaking this way, “did i scare you?”

you still don’t move when he undoes the restraints. you’ve completely tensed up, shivering as thick globs of tears spill from your eyes. you choke out a strained sob, cowering forward as you lowered your head. you wailed like you were going to vomit.

this… was still caleb, right?

the one who spoiled you. the one who cared for you. the one who was the only constant in your life, the one who was your light in a pitch black darkness.

the violet gaze no longer seems to burn as bright like it used to.

“hey, please look at me…” caleb calls to you, bending to one knee to be closer, cupping your wet cheek, “i’m sorry, but it was necessary. i didn’t think—no. i… should’ve known. you were always a crybaby when we were kids.”

he sighs, wrapping his arms around you, squeezing you against him. it does little to ease your anguish. your grief. your anger.

but you still reciprocate the embrace, clinging to and tugging on his uniform. you’ve been through too much. you’ve been robbed of too many things you couldn’t get the chance to have.

caleb is all you had left, and you didn’t want to let go this time. even if it would hurt more to hang on.

“i’m never gonna leave your side,” caleb whispers into your ear. “stay with me. i can keep you safe, i’ll take care of you. forever.”

forever.

with caleb?

that sounds nice.

[daeniradraconis]

Banter Between the Lines - Hughes Brothers

Author's Note: Hey, so here’s another quick chat-style piece! I haven’t had much time to sit down and write properly lately, so short and sweet it is for now. 😊 Feel free to send me some requests if you’d like! (You can check out the "rules" here: link). I can’t promise when I’ll get to them, but I’ll definitely find time soon.

Summary: A little fluff with a touch of smut (nothing too crazy, just some extra flirting). Quinn’s girlfriend roasts the boys while calling them out in their group chat.

Warnings: Nothing major, just some mention of 🍆.

It was one of those quiet Sunday nights where everything felt slow. You'd spent the evening catching up on your favorite shows, but it was hard to concentrate when all you could think about was Quinn. The constant distance between you two had become harder to ignore with each passing day, and as much as you loved how happy he was with his team, you missed him. And, truthfully, you missed the whole family.

You’d gotten close to Jack and Luke over the years, and now, with Quinn playing for the Vancouver Canucks and Jack and Luke together on the New Jersey Devils, the family dynamic felt a little more spread out than you liked. Sure, they’d all make time for you when they could, but it wasn’t the same as those days when you’d all hang out together.

Tonight, instead of a call or a quick text, you decided to turn to something a little more familiar. You opened up youtube and searched for their latest highlights.

All three of them were struggling on the ice, and it showed. It hurt to see them like this, especially when you couldn’t do much to help. So you did what you always did in times like these—opened the group chat and prepared to roast them into oblivion. If nothing else, it might make them laugh.

you: just finished your highlights. Quinn, congrats on being the saddest guy on the ice again 🥇. Jack, loved the mini tantrum energy 👏. Luke, did you forget which team you play for? because those turnovers were next-level.

Jack: wow, you really woke up and chose violence.

you: always. someone has to keep you humble.

Luke: humble? this feels more like a personal attack.

Quinn: what would you call it, then?

Luke: bullying.

you: oh, Lukey, don’t take it so hard. I tease because I care 💕

Jack: you literally plotted my ex’s demise last month. is that “caring” too?

you: first of all, it wasn’t a plot. it was more of a… fantasy.

Quinn: putting her in the ground “while she’s still breathing” doesn’t sound like a fantasy…

you: listen, if she hadn’t been such a manipulative little snake, I wouldn’t have had to consider it 🐍

Luke: terrifying. but honestly? fair.

Jack: I could’ve handled her myself, you know.

you: oh, really? because from where I was sitting, she had you wrapped around her finger like a puppet.

Quinn: she’s not wrong!

Jack: whose side are you on?

Quinn: hers. always.

you: damn right honey. and don’t worry, I’m not plotting her demise anymore… unless she tries to come back. then all bets are off.

Jack: remind me to never date again. you’re scarier than Quinn’s slap shot.

You grinned as the banter flew back and forth, but your focus shifted to Luke. His disastrous date still didn’t sit right with you.

you: okay, but seriously, Lukey. I've heard some gossip. how does a girl ditch you mid-dinner? you’re literally the sweetest human alive.

Luke: THANK YOU! finally, someone gets it.

Jack: don’t encourage him. he needs to toughen up.

you: excuse me? let him be sweet! not every guy needs to have your level of 'I’m too cool for feelings,' Jack.

Quinn: valid point.

Luke: thank you, Quinn.

you: honestly, Luke, I’ll never understand how she left. did you say something weird?

Luke: no!!! I was perfectly normal.

Quinn: “normal” is a stretch…

Jack: is this really the same guy who told a girl on a first date he’d make six different accounts just to sort himself into Hufflepuff six different times because he didn’t 'trust the algorithm'?

Luke: OKAY, THAT’S DIFFERENT. I was being honest!

you: oh, Lukey. you’re lucky you’re adorable because that is painful 😂

Luke: this is why I didn’t want to tell you guys.

Quinn: bro, it’s fine. just embrace the awkward puppy vibe. it’s clearly your brand.

Luke: I hate you.

Jack: ugh, why does he get the sympathy? roast him more guys!!! I can’t be the only one taking L’s here.

you: because Luke doesn’t put ketchup on his eggs like a serial killer, Jack.

Luke: yeah, what is WRONG with you? ketchup on eggs? really?

Jack: you people are so dramatic. it’s normal.

Quinn: nothing about that is normal.

you: thank you, Quinn. once again, the only rational person in this chat.

Jack: stop flirting with my brother. it’s disgusting.

Luke: seriously. I can feel the weird vibes through my phone.

You smirked, knowing exactly how to push their buttons.

you: you’re just mad because Quinn’s risotto is the best thing I’ve ever tasted.

Quinn: best risotto AND lasagna. don’t forget!

you: how could I? it’s the only reason I keep you around. And of course your magic 🍆

Quinn: oh, not my sparkling personality? btw you're objectifying my body...

you: hmm… maybe that too. but i have my priorities straight!

Jack: 🤢 STOP. this is disgusting.

Luke: seriously. this is TMI guys!!

you: just jealous, you two can’t even scramble eggs properly.

Quinn: cooking skills = key to a woman’s heart.

Luke: ugh. golden child strikes again.

Jack: some of us don’t need to cook because we have charisma, thank you very much.

Quinn: does your charisma excuse ketchup on eggs? because it shouldn’t.

Luke: still the biggest red flag in this chat.

Jack: Y’ALL ARE SO DRAMATIC.

You smiled at their bickering, your heart full, untouched by their chaos.

you: okay, but for real… I miss you guys 💔.

Luke: aww, finally some love.

Jack: are you feeling okay?!

you: don’t get used to it. but yeah, I miss you. Quinn, risotto night when you’re home! Jack and Luke, you can come eat it too.

Quinn: deal. but I’m ignoring them for the first hour I’m back. i need my time with you!

Luke: RUDE!

Jack: gross. is this the flirting portion of the chat? can we not?

you: love you too, boys. even if you’re disasters.

Jack: love you too. now stop flirting with Quinn before I puke.

Luke: seriously. save it for your own chat.

Quinn: jealousy doesn’t look good on you two.

Luke: jealous of what? your cooking? maybe. your 🍆? absolutely not.

you: you should be Lukey! your brother got some great 🍆

Jack: I’m OUT.

Luke: same.

Quinn: good job hon. guess it’s just us now. you: just how I like it 😘

[literaryvein-reblogs]

Hello! i apologize if this a strange question to get but i hope you can shed some light with this! (but its totally alright if not).

speaking as a person in the aro-ace spectrum, i have stumbled on this roadblock in my latest project, romance is a element in multiple character's story, however i have realized i have absolutely no idea how to even begin to to portray it in deep and grounded in reality way.

but i guss the simplest thing to answer would be, how do i figure out what one of my characters would find attractive in a romantic partner? how do i make their slow transition into a romantic relationship not feel out of place or jarring?

again i apologize for this strange question, and how long this question is, hope you have a good day!.

Writing Notes: Romantic Relationships

Stages of Relationship Development. In this study, 10 stages of interaction were found that can help us understand how relationships come together and come apart (Knapp & Vangelisti, 2009).

We should keep the following things in mind about this model of relationship development:

relational partners do not always go through the stages sequentially,

some relationships do not experience all the stages,

we do not always consciously move between stages, and

coming together and coming apart are not inherently good or bad.

Relationships are always changing—they are dynamic.

Although this model has been applied most often to romantic relationships, most relationships follow a similar pattern that may be adapted to a particular context.

COMING TOGETHER PHASE

Stage 1: Initiating

In this stage, when we are attracted to someone, we may signal or invite them to interact with us.

For example, you can do this by asking them to dinner, to dance at a club, or even, “I really liked that movie. What did you think?”

The significance here is in the relational level (how the people feel about each other) rather than the content level (the topic) of the message.

As the poet, Maya Angelou, explains, “Words mean more than what is set down on paper. It takes the human voice to infuse them with shades of deeper meaning.”

The ‘shades of deeper meaning’ are the relational level messages that invite others to continue exploring a possible romantic relationship.

Quite often, we strategize how we might go about inviting people into communication with us so we can explore potential romantic development.

Initiating is influenced by several factors:

If you encounter a stranger, you may say, “Hi, my name’s Rich.”

If you encounter a person you already know, you’ve already gone through this before, so you may just say, “What’s up?”

Time constraints also affect initiation. A quick passing calls for a quick hello, while a scheduled meeting may entail a more formal start.

If you already know the person, the length of time that’s passed since your last encounter will affect your initiation. For example, if you see a friend from high school while home for winter break, you may set aside a long block of time to catch up; however, if you see someone at work that you just spoke to ten minutes earlier, you may skip initiating communication.

The setting also affects how we initiate conversations, as we communicate differently at a crowded bar than we do on an airplane.

Culture can also impact the interaction. Some cultures have different expectations for interactions between people of different ages, sexes, or other situations while some cultures do not have as many expectations.

Even with all this variation, people typically follow their culture’s social scripts or interaction at this stage.

Stage 2: Experimenting

In this stage, we are getting to know the other person to identify compatibility beyond physical attraction.

We share information about ourselves while looking for mutual interests, shared political or religious views, and similarities in family background.

Common dating activities in this stage: going to parties or other publicly structured events, like movies or a concert, that foster interaction and small talk.

Small talk, a hallmark of the experimenting stage, is common among young adults just beginning to explore a new relationship by staying on polite, uncontroversial topics.

Small talk can be annoying sometimes, especially if you feel like you have to do it out of politeness but it serves important functions: creating a communicative entry point that can lead people to uncover topics of conversation that go beyond the surface level, helping us audition someone to see if we’d like to talk to them further, and generally creating a sense of ease and community with others.

If your attempts at information exchange with another person during the experimenting stage are met with silence or hesitation, you may interpret their lack of communication as a sign that you shouldn’t pursue future interaction.

Even though small talk isn’t viewed as very substantive, the authors of this model of relationships point out that most of our relationships do not progress far beyond this point (Knapp & Vangelisti, 2009).

Stage 3: Intensifying

In this stage, we continue to be attracted (mentally, emotionally, and physically) to one another, we begin engaging in intensifying communication. 

This is the happy stage (the “relationship high”) where we cannot bear to be away from the other person. It is here that you might plan all of your free time together, and begin to create a private relational culture.

Going out to parties and socializing with friends takes a back seat to more private activities (e.g., cooking together at home or taking long walks on the beach).

Self-disclosure continues to increase as each person has a strong desire to know and understand the other. In this stage, we tend to idealize one another in that we downplay faults (or don’t see them at all), seeing only the positive qualities of the other person.

Other signs of the intensifying stage can include:

creation of nicknames or inside jokes

increased use of we and our

increased sharing emotionally (e.g., saying “I love you”.)

increased physical intimacy

increased communication about each other’s identities

increased sharing of possessions and personal space (e.g., you have a key to your partner’s apartment)

Stage 4: Integrating

In this stage, identities and personalities are merged, and a sense of interdependence (dependence on each other) develops. 

Verbal and nonverbal signals of the integrating stage are when the social networks of two people merge; those outside the relationship begin to refer to or treat the relationship partners as if they were one person (e.g., always referring to them together—“Let’s invite Olaf and Bettina”); or the relational partners present themselves as one unit (e.g., both signing and sending one holiday card or opening a joint bank account).

Even as two people integrate, they likely maintain some sense of self by spending time with friends and family separately, which helps balance their needs for independence and connection.

They are looking to measure how well their new partner fits into their lives and how other significant relationships (friends and family members) rate or respond to their new love interests.

When the “relational high” begins to wear off, couples begin to have a more realistic perspective of one another and the relationship as a whole.

Here, people may recognize the faults of the other person that they so idealized in the previous stage.

Also, couples must again make decisions about where to go with the relationship—do they stay together and work toward long-term goals, or define it as a short-term relationship?

A couple may be deeply in love and also make the decision to break off the relationship for a multitude of reasons.

Perhaps one person wants to join the Peace Corps after graduation and plans to travel the world, while the other wants to settle down in their hometown.

Their individual needs and goals may not be compatible to sustain a long-term commitment.

Stage 5: Bonding

In this stage, a couple makes the decision to make the relationship a permanent part of their lives.

In this stage, the participants assume they will be in each other’s lives forever and make joint decisions about the future.

While marriage is an obvious sign of commitment it is not the only signifier of this stage. Some may mark their intention of staying together in a commitment ceremony, by registering as domestic partners, or by becoming Facebook official.

Likewise, not all couples planning a future together legally marry. Some may lose economic benefits if they marry, such as the loss of Social Security for seniors or others may oppose the institution (and its inequality) of marriage.

Not only do romantic couples progress through a series of stages of growth, they also experience stages of deterioration.

Deterioration does not necessarily mean that a couple’s relationship will end.

Instead, couples may move back and forth from deterioration stages to growth stages throughout the course of their relationship.

COMING APART PHASE

Stage 6: Differentiating

Individual differences can present a challenge at any given stage in the relational interaction model; however, in the differentiating stage, each partner in the relationship is reasserting their sense of self and trying to discover who they are as part of a couple.

Communicating differences becomes a primary focus.

Differentiating is the reverse of integrating, as we and our reverts back to I and my.

People may try to re-establish some of their life prior to the integrating of the current relationship, including other relationships, hobbies, and interests, or possessions.

For example, Carrie may reclaim friends who became “shared” as she got closer to her partner and their social networks merged by saying, “I’m having my friends over to the apartment and would like to have privacy for the evening.”

Or, she may have liked playing golf on Sundays and abandoned it for Sunday dinners with her new partner and her new family.

Now, she will want to return to what makes her happy.

Individuals in the couple will want to have a sense of self that is independent and not necessarily tied to their partner.

Stage 7: Circumscribing

In this stage, communication decreases and certain areas or subjects become restricted as individuals verbally close themselves off from each other.

Circumscribe means to draw a line around something or put a boundary around it (Oxford English Dictionary Online, 2011).

They may say things like “I don’t want to talk about that anymore” or “You mind your business and I’ll mind mine.”

If one person was more interested in differentiating in the previous stage, or the desire to end the relationship is one-sided, verbal expressions of commitment may go unechoed—for example, when one person’s statement, “I know we’ve had some problems lately, but I still like being with you,” is met with silence.

Passive-aggressive behavior and the demand-withdrawal conflict pattern may occur more frequently at this stage.

Couples often engage in more outward conflict.

Stage 8: Stagnating

During this stage, romantic partners begin to neglect the small details that have always bound them together and their relationship becomes routine.

For example, they may stop cuddling on the couch when they rent a movie and instead sit in opposite chairs.

Taken in isolation, this example does not mean a relationship is in trouble.

However, when intimacy continues to decrease, and the partners feel dissatisfied, this dissatisfaction can lead to worrying about the relationship.

The partners may worry that they do not connect with one another in ways they used to, or that they no longer do fun things together.

When this happens they may begin to imagine their life without the relationship.

Rather than seeing the relationship as a given, the couple may begin to wonder what life would be like not being in the partnership.

They begin to assume that they know their partner and are dissatisfied with them.

Instead of communicating, a person may think, “There’s no need to bring this up again because I know exactly how he’ll react!”

Because of this kind of thinking, communication comes to a standstill.

This stage can be prolonged in some relationships.

Parents and children who are estranged, couples who are separated and awaiting a divorce, or friends who want to end a relationship but don’t know how to do it may have extended periods of stagnation.

Although most people don’t like to linger in this unpleasant stage, some try to avoid potential pain from termination, some hope to rekindle the spark that started the relationship, or even some enjoy leading their relational partner on.

Stage 9: Avoiding

Moving to this stage may be a way to end the awkwardness that comes with stagnation, as people signal that they want to close down the lines of communication.

Communication in the avoiding stage can be very direct—“I don’t want to talk to you anymore”—or more indirect—“I have to meet someone in a little while, so I can’t talk long.”

While physical avoidance such as leaving a room or requesting a schedule change at work may help clearly communicate the desire to terminate the relationship, we don’t always have that option.

In a parent-child relationship, where the child is still dependent on the parent, or in a roommate situation, where a lease agreement prevents leaving, people may engage in cognitive dissociation, which means they mentally shut down and ignore the other person even though they are still physically present.

Stage 10: Terminating

This stage of a relationship is when the relationship is ended.

Termination can occur at any point in the relational development model or follow through the phases of coming together and coming apart.

Termination can result from outside circumstances such as geographic separation or internal factors such as changing values or personalities that lead to a weakening of the bond.

When terminating a relationship, people will often follow a pattern that is typical of their culture.

In mainstream American culture, for example, it is typical for someone to start the formal termination of a relationship with a summary message that recaps the relationship and provides a reason for the termination (e.g., “We’ve had some ups and downs over our three years together, but I’m getting ready to go to college, and I either want to be with someone who is willing to support me, or I want to be free to explore who I am.”).

The summary message may be followed by a distance message that further communicates the relational drift that has occurred (e.g., “We’ve really grown apart over the past year”), which may be followed by a disassociation message that prepares people to be apart by projecting what happens after the relationship ends (e.g., “I know you’ll do fine without me. You can use this time to explore your options and figure out if you want to go to college too, or not.”).

Finally, there is often a message regarding the possibility for future communication in the relationship (e.g., “I think it would be best if we don’t see each other for the first few months, but text me if you want to.”) (Knapp & Vangelisti, 2009).

Love Styles. An individual’s love style is considered to be an attitude and describes how love is perceived (Hendrick & Hendrick, 1988).

Attitudes toward love and perceptions of love may change throughout an individual’s life.

College students may perceive love very differently from their parents or guardians because college students are in a very different stage of life.

College students are living among people their age who are more than likely single or unmarried.

These 2 factors mean that there are more prospects for dating, and this may lead the college student to conclude that dating any number of these prospects is necessary or even perceive that “hooking up” with multiple prospects is acceptable.

In contrast, individuals with children who are financially tied may view romantic relationships as partnerships in which goal achievement (pay off the house, send kids to college, pay off debt, etc.) is as important as romance.

These differences in perceptions of love can be explored through John Lee’s love typology in which he discusses 6 love styles (Lee, 1977):

Eros. Eros is romance and emphasizes love and physical beauty, immediate attraction, emotional intensity, and strong commitment. Eros love involves the early initiation of sexual intimacy and consecutive monogamous relationships.

Storge. Storge love develops slowly out of friendship where stability and psychological closeness are valued along with commitment, which leads to enduring love. Passion and intense emotions are not valued as they are in the eros love style. One of the author’s uncles was in his 60s and had never been married. However, he employed a woman who cooked and cleaned for him for over 20 years. His family was very surprised to receive an announcement that he was marrying the individual who took care of him for so long. The formation of their love is a great example of love that arises slowly out of friendship.

Ludic. Ludic lovers view love as a game, and playing this game with multiple partners is perceived to be acceptable by individuals with this love style. As such, this type of lover believes that deception and manipulation are acceptable. Individuals with this love style have a low tolerance for commitment, jealousy, and strong emotional attachment.

Agape. In contrast, agape love involves altruism, giving, and other-centered love. This love style approaches relationships in a non-demanding style with gentle caring and tolerance for others.

Pragma. Pragma love is known as practical love involving logic and reason. Arranged marriages were often arranged for functional purposes. Kings and Queens of different countries often married to form alliances. This love style may seek out a romantic partner for financial stability, ability to parent, or simple companionship.

Mania. Mania is the final love style characterized by dependence, uncertainty, jealousy, and emotional upheaval. This type of love is insecure and needs constant reassurance.

These love styles should not be considered to be mutually independent.

An individual may approach love from a pragmatic stance and have found love that provides financial stability.

However, they still feel insecure (representative of mania) about whether their romantic partner will remain with them, thus ensuring continued financial stability.

It is important to remember that individuals engage in each of these love styles, and it is simply a matter of how much of each love style a person possesses.

The 5 C's of Healthy Relationships. According to Dan Heller (2020), there are a few clues into what might make a relationship work.

In a research project Heller tackled in 1983 as an undergraduate at UC-Santa Cruz, he found 5 components present in successful relationships.

Heller found that the happiest individuals in his research were those who could identify all 5 of these elements in their romantic relationships.

Communication: Effective communication is vital in any relationship. It involves actively listening to each other, expressing thoughts and feelings honestly and respectfully, and resolving conflicts in a healthy way.

Compatibility: The shared values, interests, and goals that bring people together. While differences can be enriching, having fundamental compatibility in important areas can strengthen a relationship's foundation.

Commitment: A willingness to invest time, effort, and energy into the relationship. It means prioritizing the partnership and working together to overcome challenges. Both partners should be dedicated to making the relationship work and be willing to make compromises when necessary.

Care: Care in a relationship involves showing love, affection, and support for your partner. This can manifest through small gestures of kindness, empathy, and consideration for each other's well-being. It's about being there for your partner in good times and bad.

Compromise: Relationships require compromise from both persons involved. This means finding common ground and making sacrifices to meet each other's needs and desires. Healthy compromise is a collaborative effort that ensures both individuals feel valued and respected.

Elements of Healthy Relationships

Communication. The way you talk with friends or partners is an important part of a relationship. Everyone involved should be able to communicate feelings, opinions, and beliefs. When communicating, consider tone and phrasing. Miscommunication often occurs when individuals choose to text versus talking in person or a phone call. Figuring out the best ways to express your feelings together will help eliminate miscommunication.

Boundaries. Boundaries are physical, emotional, and mental limits or guidelines a person sets for themselves which others need to respect. You and your partners or friends should feel comfortable in the activities you are doing together. All individuals involved should be respectful of boundaries. Whether it’s romantic, sexual, or platonic, consider what you want the relationship to look like and discuss it with the other(s).

Consent. Consent is important in all relationships. Consent is uncoerced permission to interact with the body or the life of another person. Coercion can look like pressure to do something, physical force, bargaining, or someone holding power over another to get what they want. Consent can look like asking about boundaries in relationships, actively listening to responses, and always respecting those boundaries.

Trust. Each person in the relationship should have confidence in one another. If you are questioning whether to trust someone, it may be important to communicate your feelings to them. Consider what makes you not trust someone. Is it something they did, or is it something you’ve experienced in other relationships?

Honesty. Honesty is important for communication. Each person within the relationship or friendship should have the opportunity to express their feelings and concerns. If you don’t feel comfortable being honest with someone, consider why and seek support if needed.

Independence. It’s important to have time to yourself in any relationship. Having opportunities to hang with others or time for self-care is important to maintain a healthy relationship. If you live with your partner(s) or friend(s), set up designated areas within your place where you can spend time alone.

Equality. Each person in the relationship should have an equal say in what’s going on. Listen to each other and respect boundaries.

Support. Each person in the relationship should feel supported. It’s important to have compassion and empathy for one another. In addition to supporting one another, it’s important to recognize your own needs and communicate boundaries around support.

Responsibility. Some days you may find you said something hurtful or made a mistake. Make sure to take responsibility for your actions and do not place the blame on your partner(s) or friend(s). Taking responsibility for your actions will further trust and honesty.

Healthy conflict. You may think conflict is a sign of an unhealthy relationship, but talking about issues or disagreements is normal. You won’t find a person that has the exact same interests, opinions, and beliefs as you; thus, at times disagreements may occur. Communicating your feelings and opinions while being respectful and kind is part of a healthy relationship.

Safety. Safety is the foundation of connection in a relationship. In order to set boundaries, communicate, and have fun, everyone must feel safe. If you do not feel safe to express your feelings, have independence, or anything else on this list, seek support using the resources below.

Fun. In addition to all these components, you should be enjoying the time you spend with others. Again, it’s important that your relationships promote your well-being and do not diminish it.

Sources: 1 2 3 4 ⚜ More: References ⚜ Writing Resources PDFs

Hi, I don't think this is a strange question, no apologies necessary! There were so many ways I wanted to answer this. For the first question on how to "figure out what one of [your] characters would find attractive in a romantic partner", you may base some of it on Love Styles (+ relevant information in the other studies discussed above).

As for making "their slow transition into a romantic relationship not feel out of place or jarring", the Stages of Relationship Development is one model you can consider for inspiration. Also added some findings on "elements" of romantic/healthy relationships that I thought you may find helpful to incorporate in your story as well. Choose which ones make sense for your characters.

Another way I wanted to answer this was on common love/romance tropes in literature and other media. I find it helpful to learn about different tropes used by other authors when there are topics we want to cover as fiction writers, but have limited knowledge/experience on. But then you could always deviate or subvert those tropes/ideas once your story starts to flow naturally (+ considering your own story angle etc.). As such, here are some links to tropes related to romance that might give you some ideas: 1 2 3 4 5 6 (+ study these tropes in your favourite books/shows etc. to know more how you could also use them in your own writing).

More references:

The Physiology of Love ⚜ The 4 Kinds of Love

Love (according to literature) ⚜ Triangular Theory of Love

John Steinbeck: On Falling in Love

[lestappencrumblers]

YES YES I CAN GO ONN

Like, Lando being this hard serious CEO to all his clients and employees but Oscar always has his soft spot and everyone in the company knows he's off limits, thier friends (Max Carlos Charles ect could be CEOs too, and Lando's buisness partners) all tease them for it.

Oscar had been working with Lando's company since he was in college, starting off as an internship and then going full time after, and Lando's the youngest CEO so together with Oscar's help they built the company legacy, and Oscar has become so good at dealing with and understanding Lando in all his time with him that Lando actually has become dependant to the point that if Oscar got sick and temporary secretary was hired in place till he recoverd Lando would be all grump and snappy because first he's not able to see his sweet Oscar, and second that guy can't do anything right like Oscar can. Then Oscar's subjected to Lando's whining when he's back. One year into his internship (Oscar was probably 19 or something Lando 20-21) office secretary escalated into being Lando's personal secretary, taking care of him when he's sick, Lando giving him his penthouse keys Incase Lando forgets something, Oscar cooking for Lando because in his opinion, Lando cannot survive on ramen noodles everyday much to Lando's dismay.

Resigning? That was out of the question, but Oscar probably does it atleast once a month just to mess with Lando, but he won't really, they've got like this found family going on.

Ok this was a rant, I have so many ideaaaas

MATE YOU TOTALLY GET IT!!!!

lando has become so dependant to oscar to the point where lando just couldn’t take care of himself if it’s not oscar who’s taking care of him.

and yes about the resign thing was just a silly plan where oscar tried to mess up with lando (for a month or so he mentioned about resigning) and it frustated lando. he can’t live without the sweet guy beside him! and the scenario of not seeing oscar everyday suffers him.

i can imagine lando grew so fond over oscar, even lando’s penthouse was somehow their house together. oscar’s house was nearly UNTOUCHED since lando always told him to come over and spend time with him in his crazy luxury penthouse. even if it’s just oscar cooking for both of them, having dinner together, or just talked about random things.

lando loves and goes head over toes for his secretary. the man even let oscar bought his hoodie (specifically the ‘Playboy’ one) since lando likes seeing oscar wearing his clothes. cuddling while watching netflix with oscar using lando’s hoodie, soft kisses on cheeks, reassuring words everytime lando or oscar needs comfort.

and don’t forget lando is rich, RICH. so the brif often spoils the love of his life; buying him luxury gifts, expensive perfumes, buys him some cars, even if oscar had plead to him to stop but lando won’t stop if it comes to spoiling his boyfriend.

[callmemonster68]

JAY - Promised Marriage ( smut )

Y/N married Jay, a man she barely knew but was always promised to her. Their life together began with affection, but without intimacy. When Y/N is faced with jealousy and insecurity, her doubts about marriage come to the surface. She questions why Jay never got closer, and his response challenges everything she thought about love and care.

Pairing: Jay X FemReader

Genre: Obscenity / Arranged Marriage

WARNING: text a little longer than I usually write

Warning: explicit content, unprotected sex, suggestive, penetration, explicit language, climax, sex, swearing, loss of virginity, hickeys, messy make-out sessions, dirty talk, compliments, rough sex, touching bruises, handcuffs, chains, sadomasochism , masochism, brands, group sex,double penetration, oral sex, anal sex, masturbation

Y/N was nervous as she prepared for the big day. The white dress fit her body perfectly, but it was the idea of the wedding itself that made her uneasy. She and Jay had been promised to each other since birth, but they had never met. The tradition of their families, rich and powerful, left no room for questioning. It was something inevitable, something unchangeable.

She looked at herself in the mirror, trying to imagine the man who would be her husband. What would he be like? Would he love her or be a complete stranger? And what if he were an idiot, like everyone said? The stories about Jay circulated through the city, talking about his charisma, his beauty, and his charming way, but Y/N didn't believe in empty promises.

Finally, the moment has arrived. She entered the church, her footsteps echoing down the aisle with a silence that almost swallowed her. And then, at the altar, she saw him. Jay. His heart raced. He stood there, imposing, his eyes fixed on her with an intensity that made her shiver. He seemed perfect. But, at the same time, distant.

The wedding was quick. The promises exchanged, the vows spoken, and before she had time to process everything, they were married.

Upon arriving at the apartment, a modern luxury decorated by Jay, Y/N was stunned. Everything seemed so... perfect. She didn't know what to expect, but she had never imagined anything like this. Jay led her through the house, showing every detail, as if it were a place for her. He made a point to prepare her, offer a glass of wine, and ask how she was doing. Each of his gestures was careful, as if he were protecting her from something.

But the real surprise came when he started talking about their life together. He never mentioned anything about intimacy, about what would be normal in a marriage, and that made her even more uncomfortable. Wouldn't it be strange for him? For both?

Six months had passed since the wedding, and Y/N still had that constant doubt about Jay in her mind. She felt safe with him, but there was something in her life that still seemed... incomplete. They never touched each other, never kissed. They only shared the bed, but the contact was almost nonexistent. He treated her with affection, but the emotional distance still existed.

On an ordinary night, after a long day, she found him in the kitchen, preparing dinner. Jay always took care of everything. The house was impeccable, and he worked hard in the family businesses. Y/N had no idea how he managed to handle all of that with such skill. She, on the other hand, stayed at home, enjoying the luxury he provided.

Y/N: Jay, can I ask you something? (with a low voice)

He turned around, smiling gently, as he always did.

Jay: Of course, YN. Whatever you want.

She hesitated.

Y/N: Why have you never... never tried anything? I mean, we've never touched... never done anything.

Jay paused for a moment, analyzing her words. His eyes sparkled with a mix of surprise and understanding.

Jay: I wanted you to feel comfortable, (he replied, with a calm voice) I didn't want to rush anything, Y/N. I hoped that, with time, you would understand my care. I didn't want you to feel pressured.

She looked at him, and for the first time felt a wave of emotion. Maybe she was being unfair to him. He was careful, more than any other man could be. He truly cared, not out of obligation, but because he wanted her to be happy.

Y/N: I... I was afraid of being an idiot, (almost in a whisper) But you are so perfect. I don't know how you do all this.

Jay smiled again, but this time there was something different about his smile. He approached slowly, without haste, and placed his hand over hers. The touch was gentle, but there was something there, something she couldn't define.

Jay: We didn't choose this, Y/N, (he said with a calmness that made her melt) But the moment we said 'yes' at the altar, I vowed to be a good husband to you, and to strive to love you. I will continue doing everything I can to make you feel loved and cared for. If you ever want more, I will be here, for you.

Y/N remained silent, absorbing his words. Maybe love wasn't rushed. Maybe it was something that grew slowly, like the trust she now felt for Jay.

Time passed, and the routine of Y/N and Jay continued with an unsettling calmness. He continued to be the perfect husband, taking care of everything, always attentive, always present, but the conversations between them were scarce. Their relationship, despite the coexistence, seemed stagnant, as if they were on a distant island, where words did not flow and gestures were brief. Y/N, despite feeling Jay's care, could not avoid the feeling of emptiness that spread within her.

Until the company's social event arrived. Jay invited her, as always, and she accepted, even though she knew it would be yet another event where she would remain in his shadow, not knowing how to interact with the other guests. But, that night, she was different. With an elegant black dress that hugged her curves, a gift from Jay, she felt more confident than ever. It was a night to shine, to stand out.

She entered the ballroom with a more upright posture, looking around, but her gaze soon found Jay's. He was in a corner, talking to a stunning woman. She had long golden hair, a charming smile, and a gaze that didn't hide her interest. Y/N frowned. She was a colleague of his, someone she knew was close to Jay.

The way the woman smiled at Jay, how he reacted to her gentle touch on his arm, all of that made Y/N's stomach churn. She felt something tightening in her chest. Jealousy. Insecurity. A feeling she couldn't ignore. What was happening between them? Jay had never shown her anything like that before. But the simple scene made her uncomfortable.

While watching, Y/N grabbed a champagne glass and took a sip, and then another, until the contents of the glass were quickly consumed. She didn't want to stay there, watching Jay, but the urge to know what he was doing with that woman was greater than her reason.

She kept drinking. The alcohol seemed to dissipate the pain a little, but it also increased the confusion in her mind. She was furious, not understanding why she was feeling this way. She had no right to feel that way, no right to feel jealous, because, until that moment, they had barely touched, barely understood each other.

And then, something happened. She realized she was starting to lose control. The alcohol was affecting her more than she had imagined, and the confidence she felt at first was replaced by a wave of uncertainties. Before she could control herself, she was already walking back to the bar, looking for more to drink, more to numb that tightness in her chest.

Jay, noticing that Y/N was acting strangely, stepped away from the woman he was talking to and approached her. When he found her, Y/N was sitting in a corner, her head drooping forward, with slightly glazed eyes. He approached quickly, his expression worried.

Jay: Y/N, are you okay? (squatting down beside you)

She looked at him with a crooked smile.

Y/N: Sure... I'm great... Just enjoying the party, Jay. You're having a good time, right?

She let out a little laugh, but the tone was bitter, as if she wanted to provoke him.

Jay didn't seem to be swayed by the provocation. He observed her, noticed how much she had drunk, and made an immediate decision.

Jay: Let's go home. (he said, firmly)

Y/N tried to get up, but the dizziness took over her, and she almost fell to the side. Jay quickly caught her, offering his shoulder for her to lean on.

Jay: You're not going to stay here like that, Y/N. Let's go.

While he helped her leave the event, Y/N still couldn't control the thoughts that consumed her. Why was she so insecure? She didn't know what was happening, but she felt something strange inside her. Maybe the alcohol had amplified her emotions, but the anger and jealousy she felt towards Jay were not entirely fictitious. She didn't understand his reason for talking to that woman, for looking at her that way, for... being so close to her.

When they got home, Jay helped her sit on the couch, taking off her coat and doing everything possible to make her feel comfortable. But Y/N couldn't stay silent. She was confused, lost in her feelings. She felt the anguish growing.

Y/N: You were so... close to that woman, Jay, (she said, her voice faltering due to the alcohol) I saw how she looked at you. How you reacted to her. What does that mean? You don't care about this? With what I'm feeling?

Jay took a deep breath, his expression serious.

Jay: Y/N, are you okay? Is all this because of what you saw? I was just talking to her about a company project. Nothing more. And about what you're feeling... I didn't know this was happening, but I never wanted to make you feel this way. You don't need to be jealous. I am your husband, and that will never change.

Y/N looked at him, not knowing what to say. She was confused, intoxicated, but she also wanted to understand. She wanted to know what he really thought. And, somehow, what he had just said seemed like a promise. A promise that he would always be there, by her side, despite the doubts that still existed between them.

Jay approached her, but still without touching her in an invasive manner. He awaited her reaction. Y/N, in turn, felt the whirlwind of emotions inside her. The night was just beginning, but the tension between them seemed about to explode.

Sitting on the couch, Y/N could no longer hold back the tears. The alcohol had given way to a flood of confusing and intense feelings. Her eyes were tearing up, and she couldn't stop thinking about everything she had felt that night. The jealousy, the insecurity... everything was crumbling inside her.

She looked at Jay, her voice breaking as she spoke.

Y/N: Jay... you don't desire me, do you? You don't think I'm attractive. That's why... you never did anything. Why don't you... touch me? Why don't you... sleep with me?

Her voice faltered, and she looked at him with pleading eyes, hoping for a response that could ease the anguish she felt.

Jay watched her, and his expression softened as he noticed her suffering. He approached slowly, as if fearing she might pull away. He knew that this question didn't come only from a place of insecurity, but also from frustration. He sighed, searching for the right words to respond.

Jay: Y/N... you have no idea what this means to me. You have no idea how much I have to control myself every day, (he began, his voice serious but gentle) I desire you more than you can imagine. Every day, every minute by your side, it's a struggle not to cross the line. But I want you to be ready. I want you to be completely comfortable, to desire me the same way I desire you.

He paused, looking into her eyes, trying to convey the sincerity in his words.

Jay: I know you're still a virgin, Y/N. And I don't want to be the guy who rushes you. I want this to be something that comes from you, when you're ready. I care a lot about this.

Y/N felt a strange warmth spreading through her body, a mix of embarrassment and desire. She had never imagined that Jay would think of her in such... a caring way. He had never mentioned it before. What she felt was a whirlwind of emotions, but above all, the need to be loved, to be desired.

She stood up, her body trembling slightly as she approached him. She felt an urgency, an uncontrollable desire to touch him, to feel his lips. She knew she wasn't at her best, that she was drunk, but the desire took over her. Y/N approached and, with hesitation, tried to kiss him.

When their lips almost met, Jay gently held her by the shoulders, pulling her away slightly. His gaze was firm, but also full of understanding.

Jay: Y/N, wait... I know you're confused right now, and you're drinking. It won't be fair to you, nor to me, if we do this now.

He looked at her affectionately, trying to calm her down.

Jay: I want you to feel safe with me. I want you to want this, and not just because the alcohol makes you vulnerable. Be patient. I won't do anything to you this way.

Y/N looked at him, feeling the pressure of the moment, but also a sense of respect for his stance. He wasn't pulling away out of malice, but out of consideration. She could see it in his eyes, could feel the tension between them, and it only made her desire him even more.

She took a step back, breathless, still trying to process everything.

Y/N: I just... I just want to know that you desire me, Jay. I want you to want me as a woman, not just as your wife.

Jay took a step towards her, now calmer, and gently touched her face, wiping away a tear that was rolling down her cheek.

Jay: I want you, Y/N. I want you, but in a way that is special. It's not about haste, nor about what happened at that party... it's about us, and the right moment.

Y/N fell silent for a moment, absorbing his words. She wanted to believe him, wanted to understand what he was trying to say, but the frustration still lingered in the air. She knew he was being careful, but the desire within her was not something that could be ignored.

When Y/N woke up the next day, the soft morning light streamed through the bedroom window, gently illuminating the room. She was lying comfortably in bed, covered up to her neck. Something was different, but at the moment, everything seemed a bit confusing, as if the previous night were a distant memory. Her head was a bit heavy, and a strange sensation washed over her. She looked around and soon noticed a tray with breakfast carefully placed next to her on the bed.

As she looked at the man beside her, her eyes met Jay's. He was sitting on the edge of the bed, a gentle smile on his face, but something in his eyes seemed to indicate that he knew exactly what had happened. When Y/N tried to remember the previous night, a wave of shame hit her. She couldn't remember all the details, but what came to mind was the desire, the interrupted kiss... and everything she had said.

Jay: Good morning, (Jay said in a calm and gentle tone, handing her the tray with a delicate gesture)

But before she could respond, he added:

Jay: It's all right, Y/N. I know it was the alcohol, not you.

She looked at him, and soon the images of the previous night began to return clearly. She remembered how she had approached him, how she had tried to kiss him, and the words that had almost left her lips. Shame took hold of her, and her cheeks turned red instantly.

Y/N: Jay, I... I don't know what happened. I didn't want to... (she started, trying to explain, but he interrupted with surprising calmness)

Jay: Y/N, you don't need to apologize. I understand. You were drunk, and I knew it wasn't your intention. There's nothing wrong. (he looked at her tenderly) I just wanted you to know that I'm not angry, and that you don't need to feel pressured.

But, as he spoke, Y/N felt something deeper growing inside her. His words, though kind, made her realize even more what she wanted, what she felt, and what she truly desired. She took a deep breath, and on impulse, looked at him with a different intensity, as if she were finally ready to face her own emotions.

She kept her eyes fixed on his, without looking away.

Y/N: Yeah, Jay... without the alcohol, I probably wouldn't have had the courage to say this. But the reality is that... I want to be desired by you. I want you to want me the same way I want you. And I want you to take me, Jay. I want to be yours for real.

Jay watched her in silence for a moment, and the tension in the air felt electric. He knew she was serious, that her words didn't come just from the alcohol, but from a deep and authentic desire.

He set the tray aside, and the expression on his face changed from a gentle understanding to something more serious. He approached her on the bed, and the intensity between them was palpable. But instead of throwing himself at her, he simply sat closer and looked at her with a gaze full of understanding.

Jay: Y/N... I've told you before. I desire you, but what I want is for you to be completely ready. I want this to be something that comes from you, with a light heart, without regrets. I want you to be completely sure that this is the right moment, because for me, you are everything.

Y/N felt a wave of emotions taking over her. She was nervous, but at the same time, her decision was made. She wanted to take that step, she wanted to be loved, desired, and cared for. She truly wanted to give herself to him.

Y/N: I'm ready, Jay, (she said with a confidence she didn't even know she had) I want you, I want to be yours.

He watched her for another second, and then, without a word, he pulled her closer with a careful and gentle gesture. He knew that this moment was important, and he was willing to wait as long as necessary for her to be completely comfortable.

But the simple fact that she said that, that she finally verbalized her desire, made the tension between them transform into something deeper. A new chapter was about to begin, and they both knew it.

The day seemed like any other. Jay had left for work early in the morning, as he always did, while Y/N stayed at home, taking care of the daily chores. But, on that day, she felt something different. The conversation from the previous night still echoed in her mind, and the desire she had kept for so long was becoming more intense.

She knew what she wanted now. She wanted to be more than a distant wife. I wanted Jay to see her not just as the woman who took care of the house, but also as the woman he desired, the one he could surrender to. She got up, put on something simple, and decided to go out. She wanted something for herself, something that would be a symbol of the desire she felt.

She went to the mall and, after some time exploring the stores, found what she was looking for: seductive black lingerie with delicate details that made her feel powerful and, at the same time, vulnerable. It was exactly what she needed to take the next step.

With the purchase in hand, she returned home and got ready. She set the dinner on the table, still feeling a mix of nervousness and anticipation. Something inside her said that this would be the moment when everything would change between her and Jay. The kitchen was tidy, the table set with soft candles illuminating the space. She wanted him to see her in a different way, in a way he had never seen before.

When Jay got home, he was surprised to see the dinner table beautifully set, the aroma of fresh food in the air, and the soft glow of candles. Y/N was in the kitchen, with a discreet smile on her face, as if she knew what was happening, but at the same time, a little unsure about how he would react.

Jay: Hi, love... It seems like there's something special today. (Jay said with a smile, looking pleasantly surprised)

He approached her, and she gently kissed him on the cheek.

Y/N: Hi, Jay. I made dinner. Shall we eat together? (Y/N replied, her voice soft but full of an expectation she could barely hide)

They sat at the table and began to have dinner, chatting casually as if time had returned to normal. But there was a different energy in the air, a silent tension that lingered between them, as if they both knew something was about to happen. Y/N looked at him more intensely than usual, and with each smile from Jay, their heart raced faster.

Dinner went by, and the conversation flowed pleasantly, but the tension between them did not disappear. After they finished eating, Y/N stood up to take the dishes to the kitchen. Jay followed her with his eyes, and the feeling of closeness seemed to grow.

She looked at him, still with that shy smile.

Y/N: Jay, I've already organized everything in the kitchen. You can go upstairs, take a shower, and lie down. I'll finish here and come up right away.

Jay observed her for a moment, seeming taken aback by the proposal, but accepted without question.

Jay: Of course, Y/N. I'll be waiting. ( he gave a slight smile and, without further words, went upstairs )

Y/N stood there, alone in the kitchen for a few minutes, her body still trembling with the adrenaline of the situation. She stepped away from the counter, walked to the mirror in the living room, and, with a deep sigh, looked at herself once more. Now was the moment. She put on the black lingerie she had bought, trying to feel as confident as possible. When she looked in the mirror again, she couldn't help but smile at herself. She was ready.

When Y/N went up to the room, Jay was already lying on the bed, with a calm but curious look. He still didn't know what awaited him. She entered the room, and the atmosphere was now more intimate, with the lights dimmed and the mood enveloping. What she was wearing was something completely different from what he was used to seeing her in, and the tension in the air became even more palpable.

She stopped at the bedroom door, and their eyes met. Jay watched her, his breath heavier, but he said nothing. He was waiting for her to take the next step.

Y/N took a step forward, walking towards the bed where he was lying. Her smooth and determined movement caught his attention. She was no longer the same insecure person as before. Now, she knew what she wanted. She knew what she was offering him, and she was willing to receive the same intensity in return.

Y/N approached the bed even closer with steady steps, feeling the heat of her body grow with each movement. Jay's gaze was fixed on her, observing every detail, as if she were the most precious thing he had ever seen. The silence between them was heavy, laden with palpable tension, as if they both knew they were on the brink of something that would change everything forever.

When she got close to the bed, her eyes met his. Jay was lying down, but his body was tense, almost rigid. Y/N could see the internal struggle he was facing, and it only heightened the urgency within her.

She moved closer, her fingers touching the bedspread while her feet gently touched the floor. Jay didn't make any move, he just watched, but his eyes were intensely focused on her. Y/N knew he was holding back, and curiosity began to take over her.

She leaned slightly forward, her eyes fixed on his.

Y/N: Jay… (her voice was low, but filled with desire) Why are you holding back so much? What's happening?

Jay took a deep breath, and for a moment, it seemed like he wasn't going to respond. He closed his eyes for a moment, as if trying to find strength within himself. Finally, he spoke, his voice soft but laden with an intensity she could feel in every word.

Jay: I... I held on for so long, Y/N. It wasn't easy... all these months, trying to make you feel comfortable, waiting for the right moment. But now that you are here, wanting this... I don't know if I'll be able to control myself. I'm afraid to give myself completely, because if I do... you might not be able to handle it.

Jay's words hit her hard, but at the same time, she felt a deeper connection. He was afraid, yes, but it wasn't a fear that she wasn't ready. It was the fear that the intensity of what he felt was too much for her, for what he knew she wanted.

She took a step forward, closer to him, and with a firm and determined look, said:

Y/N: Jay... make me understand. I'm here. I want you. I want you to take me. I don't want to wait anymore. Do whatever you want with me.

Jay looked at her with a mix of surprise and desire. For a moment, he didn't know if he should believe what he was hearing. But the sparkle in her eyes, the way she approached with such confidence... it was impossible to ignore.

He raised his hand, touching her face gently, his fingers gliding over her skin as if he were trying to memorize every part of her face. The sensation of Jay's touch was gentle, but there was an intensity behind it, as if he had been waiting for that moment for a long time.

Jay: Are you sure? ( he asked, his voice low, almost like a whisper, but with the intensity of a man who knew he was about to cross a line )

Y/N did not hesitate. She looked deeply into his eyes and, with a firm voice, replied:

Y/N: Yes. I'm ready for you, Jay. Don't be afraid anymore.

Those words, spoken with such certainty, were like a key that unlocked something inside him. Jay couldn't hold back any longer. He pulled Y/N closer, the pressure of their bodies almost making the air thicker. He kissed her with an urgency she didn't expect, but which made her feel every nerve in her body on alert.

The kiss, initially gentle, became increasingly intense. Jay kissed her as if he were trying to free himself from all the restrictions he had imposed on himself. Y/N felt overwhelmed by desire, each kiss, each touch, made her feel more alive, more connected to him than she had ever imagined.

While they kissed, Jay's fingers explored the black lingerie she was wearing, touching her skin with a care that contrasted with the intensity of the kiss. He made her lie down beside him, and the tension between them only increased. He knew what he wanted, and so did she.

Finally, when he stepped back a little, breathing heavily, he looked her in the eyes and, with a hoarse voice, said:

Jay: You asked me to set myself free. So, get ready, Y/N, because there's no turning back now.

Y/N smiled, the anxiety mixed with immense excitement.

Y/N: I'm ready, Jay. I want you to take me, without any more reservations.

Jay pulled her firmly, but without losing his gentleness. He made her sit on his lap, their bodies so close that she could feel the heat radiating from him. His fingers traced her back, drawing imaginary lines over the thin fabric of the lingerie that barely covered her skin. The contrast between the delicacy of the touch and the intensity of his gaze made Y/N feel both vulnerable and powerful at the same time.

Jay: You have no idea what you're doing to me, Y/N...

His voice was hoarse, laden with emotion, as his fingers slid over her shoulders, gently pushing the straps of her lingerie aside.

He didn't rush, exploring each of her reactions as if it were a book he was eager to unravel, he withdrew her delicately. Jay's eyes did not stray from Y/N's face, searching for every small sign of approval, every sigh, every subtle movement that revealed she was as devoted as he was.

Y/N felt his breath against her skin as Jay tilted his head and began kissing the curve of her neck. The warm lips left a trail of heat that seemed to ignite every part of her body. His fingers, now more firm, slid along her sides, causing shivers as they explored the contours of her waist.

She tilted her head back, allowing him even more access, while her hands finally moved to explore his body. Feeling the tension of his muscles under her fingers only intensified the desire growing within her. Jay was no longer restrained. Each touch, each kiss, seemed charged with a passion he had repressed for so long.

Jay held her face with both hands, bringing her eyes back to his. The intense look he gave her took her breath away.

Jay: You are so beautiful... so perfect...

He whispered before kissing her again, this time more slowly, savoring every moment.

Y/N: I want everything from you, Jay...

She murmured against his lips, her hands gripping his shoulders firmly. –

Y/N: Don't hold back anymore.

He smiled against her lips, a smile that was both gentle and laden with promise. Then, he carefully laid her down on the bed, covering her with his body as the tension between them reached a new level. Jay leaned on one arm while the other continued to explore her skin, teasing and testing each of her limits.

Every touch, every movement, was deliberate. Jay was determined to show Y/N exactly what he felt, without words, just with the way he adored her with his lips, his hands, and his entire body. The connection between them seemed to transcend the physical, as if each moment was a new way of saying what words could not express. He stood up, standing beside the bed facing her, he began to undress slowly, observing her reactions, she watched him, admiring every detail of his body, biting her lips, closing her thighs in excitement.

When he finally got rid of his underwear, her eyes widened; it was the first time she had seen a naked man in person, but she was sure his cock was too big.

Jay: Are you afraid it won't fit?

Y/N: How many centimeters does this thing have?

Jay looked at his member and looked at her again.

Jay: Who knows? (he said, moving closer, getting back on the bed) Nineteen? Twenty? Twenty-one? I never measured.

He held her legs and spread them apart, positioning himself between them. She tried to close her legs again, but he kept them open, firm around him.

Y/N: But I'm small!

Jay: And I'm a big guy, 1.80m tall. Did you expect me to be small?

She swallowed hard, checking his cock again, it was big, beautiful with the shiny tip from the pre-cum, she licked her lips.

Jay: Calm down, if God made it, it's because it fits. (he smiled) And well, you asked me not to hold back, now it's too late.

Jay held her thighs firmly, keeping them open, but without hurting her. The look he gave her was so full of desire that it made Y/N squirm slightly beneath him, the heat rising on her skin in an almost unbearable way.

Jay: You trust me, don't you?

His voice was low but intense as he leaned his body closer, making the heat of his skin come even closer to hers.

Y/N nodded quickly, lips slightly parted, breathing heavily.

Y/N: Yes, I trust you... just... take it easy, at least at the beginning.

Jay smiled, but this time, there was something wilder in his expression. He leaned in closer, his lips brushing lightly against her neck as he whispered:

Jay: I'll take it easy... as far as I can.

She felt his weight against her, the heat of his body enveloping her like a blanket.

Jay: Last chance to back out, Y/N.

He said, although he knew by her expression that it was out of the question.

Y/N: I'm not going to give up, Jay. I want this. I want you.

Jay positioned the head of his cock at her entrance. Y/N gripped the sheets tightly, her head thrown back, trying to cope with the intensity of the emotions that were overwhelming her. Jay knew exactly what he was doing, he seemed attentive to every reaction she had.

Jay: Ready?

Y/N took a deep breath, their eyes fixed on his, and nodded.

Y/N: Yes... do whatever you want with me, Jay.

He entered her carefully, feeling the initial resistance, but ensuring that she adjusted to him. Y/N gasped, her fingers digging into his shoulders as she tried to get used to the sensation. Jay stopped, waiting for her to adjust, but his tense muscles made it clear how much he was holding back.

Jay: Relax... I promise everything will be fine. (he whispered, his lips brushing against hers)

Little by little, he began to move, the movements slow at first, but soon gaining rhythm as she started to relax and adjust to him. Each thrust seemed to deepen the connection between them, and the way he looked at her, as if she were the only thing in the world that mattered, made her surrender completely.

Y/N: Jay... faster... I want more...

He didn't need any more encouragement. Jay quickened the pace, his movements now more intense, deeper, leading both of them to a state of complete ecstasy. The tension that had been building between them finally exploded, and their sounds filled the room as passion consumed them.

Y/N scratched Jay's back, trying to alleviate some of the overwhelming pleasure she felt, then her hands found his hair, and she grabbed it tightly.

Jay: Don't pull my hair so hard. (he asked with a voice hoarse with pleasure)

Y/N: Why?

Jay: Because I'll end up finishing faster.

Y/N: Like this? (she said, pulling her hair even harder)

Jay groaned hoarsely, his head tilting back as he felt her fingers intertwine tightly in his hair. He tried to maintain control, but the way she was teasing him was testing all his limits.

Jay: You want to drive me crazy, don't you? (he said with a crooked smile, his eyes burning with desire as he looked at her)

Y/N: I just want to see how much you can take... (she replied, her voice laden with boldness and desire, her lips curved into a defiant smile)

Jay, however, was not the type to back down from a challenge. He let out a low, husky laugh, leaning forward, biting her lower lip before speaking in a tone that was a mix of promise and warning.

Jay: You're playing with fire, Y/N. I hope you're ready for what that means.

Without waiting for a response, he grabbed her wrists, pulling her hands up above her head, pinning her against the mattress. The movement was firm but not aggressive, and the look he gave her made her heart race.

Jay: If you want to play, that's fine. But remember who's in control here.

He leaned his body forward, moving his hips with more force now, the thrusts deeper, making Y/N arch her body against him, a loud moan escaping her lips. The intensity of his movements seemed to double with each passing second, and she felt as if she were being consumed by him, each touch, each kiss, each movement making it impossible to think of anything other than the man before her.

Y/N: Jay... I can't take it anymore... (she murmured between moans, her eyes half-closed as pleasure took over her)

Jay smiled against her skin, his lips brushing her neck as he increased the pace even more.

Jay: So let me see you lose control. I want everything, Y/N.

He released her wrists, letting his hands run over her curves, exploring every piece of skin while he maintained the intense rhythm. Y/N grabbed his shoulders again, digging her nails into his skin as her body was overtaken by pleasure. Jay seemed to have no limits, each of his movements was calculated to take her even higher, as if he wouldn't rest until he saw her completely surrendered to him.

Y/N: Jay... I'm... so close... (she managed to say, her breath uneven)

He leaned in once more, his lips brushing against hers in a hungry kiss, before whispering against her lips:

Jay: So come with me.

With those words, he intensified the movements, his hands gripping her hips as he guided each thrust with precision. The room was filled with their sounds, their bodies in perfect harmony, until they both reached climax together, a moment of pure euphoria that seemed to erase everything around them.

Jay collapsed beside her, pulling her into his arms as they both tried to catch their breath. He held her close, his fingers tracing gentle lines on her skin while a satisfied smile played on his lips.

Jay: You almost destroyed me with that hair pull, you know?

He said, his voice still hoarse but full of humor.

Y/N laughed softly, her fingers drawing circles on his chest.

Y/N: I think we now know your weak point.

Jay smiled, kissing the top of her head.

Jay: You are my weak point, Y/N.

She snuggled closer to him, feeling completely satisfied and safe in his arms. The connection between them was stronger than ever, and they both knew that night would be unforgettable.

When their gazes met again, he whispered, with a voice that was almost a moan:

Jay: There's no turning back, Y/N. You are mine now. Just mine.

He kissed her forehead tenderly, a simple gesture but full of meaning.

Jay: I don't want you to feel like you have to wait for me anymore. I want you to show me when the right moment comes, and I will be here, ready to love you in every way you want. No matter how long it takes.

Y/N felt a wave of emotion wash over her. The feeling of security he gave her, not just as a husband but as a man, was creating a solid foundation between them. It wasn't just about desire, but about the love that was being built, about the respect he had for her, her needs, and her feelings.

Y/N: I didn't know what to expect from us, Jay, ( Y/N replied ) But now I know that all I really want is to be with you, grow with you, and discover more about the two of us. Because when I'm with you, everything seems to make sense.

They stayed there, in the stillness of the night, embracing each other, understanding each other more with every passing second. There was no hurry. There was no need for anything more than that shared moment, where words and touches were enough to build the connection that now seemed unbreakable.

✿ If you don't reblog and comment, you can be sure I'll be showing up in your dreams tonight... and I won’t be as sweet as in the story ✿

[changingplumbob]

The pregnancy progressed and Glenn found himself getting more and more clumsy. If he wasn't sneezing apart his flower arrangements then he was almost slipping in puddles. Silver did try and fix whatever plumbing he broke but he often forgot about the water left behind. Luckily Glenn had been taught a quick spell to dissipate the water.

Eventually Glenn relented to the werewolf's pleading and stopped going for runs. He found a good number of work out videos he could do with little stress. Well, little stress at the start. As he got rounder and rounder the same workouts got harder and harder.

Silver seemed to get more protective as time passed. He wouldn't stop Glenn visiting friends or having friends come and visit but the werewolf started staying closer to the house. He did all his workouts inside where he could be easily reached if Glenn needed help for anything. What do you know, getting up off the floor while pregnant? Actually difficult.

Glenn began to stock up on potions of plentiful needs, he loved food but sometimes a potion to fix an empty belly or a sleepless night was needed. He also figured that when the baby was born he and Silver might well be to busy for woohoo, if he could even have it without being in pain. It made sense to brew potions that would help them get through while he could.

Sure, Ophelia was a few sandwiches short of a picnic, but she was Glenn's friend. So he and Silver began taking more time to talk to Oakley about what was happening in the house and in the world. If Oakley could actually understand he was bound to appreciate the insight. If he didn't understand, well what was the harm?

Silver: I'm so excited to meet our kid

Glenn: Yeah, me to Beefcake

Silver: What do you think they'll be like

Glenn: Honestly? I have no clue. From the sounds of the tests and imaging, they're pretty adaptable

The due date neared and Silver took Glenn on one last date to the local pub while they were simply two and not three. They were both excited to meet their kid but didn't want to risk forgetting what they had together as a couple. Before they knew it they were in a sterile room getting ready for the caesarean.

Glenn: You don't mind that I wanted to wait until they were born before we got married? I swear I am going to marry you

Silver: I know Babycakes. Just breathe and sway with me

Glenn: If I don't have a cervix why does it hurt so much

Silver: Miranda said it looks like the womb sack is migrating closer to the surface to make delivery easier. So things are still moving inside you, that's got to hurt

The procedure was pretty straight forward in the end, much like the ones male werewolves had. Glenn and Silver had their first kid. It turned out that the imaging issues were due to them being intersex. Deciding to follow Ophelia's comment that they hadn't decided who they wanted to be yet the dad's decided to treat their newborn as non-binary until they could indicate their preference.

Eden Sutherland joined the household

To say the two men were proud of their kid was an understatement.

Glenn: Papa has planted some veges here, right by your crib, so you can have some outside even if you can't go outside yet

Silver: They don't have bugs do they

Glenn: Did you hear that Eden? Your Daddy thinks bugs on indoor plants are bad. Don't you want to get nice and big so you can correct him

Silver: Don't start ganging up on me before they can even talk

Glenn: Do you want to hold our tadpole while I sort dinner

Silver: Oh yes, come to Daddy little froggy

Glenn: You know, some frogs can change their sex

Silver: They can?

Glenn: Yeah so froggy and tadpole are good nicknames for Eden

Silver: Biology classes have progressed since I grew up

Glenn: Oh no, I learnt that from Jurassic Park

The first few days of having Eden in the house were a breeze. Glenn had made enough plentiful needs potions that both he and Silver could spend the majority of their time looking after or just watching Eden.

Previous ... Next (conclusion)

[siri-ike]

DP X DC: empty

Chapter 8

Chapter 1 chapter 7

"I think she's me." He said after a long silence.

"She can't be you. You're you." Johnny responded slowly.

He stalled a moment, "Yeah. Yeah, you're right. of course, you're right. That would be impossible. " There's no way. She can't be him, and he can't be her. But there's something about her. Something so familiar they can't possibly be separate. "I need to see her again."

Having a spirit around that can punch your father's lights out seemed like a sweet deal at first. But just like Scrooge, Johnny was quickly learning how persuasive ghosts can be. And by the time their lease was up, his bags had mysteriously been packed already.

Dani's house was pretty normal looking. She had cleared some hangers for his outdoor clothes, and there was a bedroom ready for him, too. Although it was decorated like an observatory. Does she think he's an alien or something? The ghost seems to like it.

Did he glow like that before?

"Johnny!" Dani shouted from the kitchen. "I got some takeaways from West End Burgers. Yours is on the table, I'll be in my office.

She is the weirdest woman John has ever met. For starters, she's a detective, so she carries a gun. She wears pants instead of a skirt. She doesn't even curl her hair. Or cook dinner, apparently. Then there was the whole violence thing.

When he got to the kitchen, he was surprised to see three hamburgers on a plate, still wrapped in foil. He checked the receipt to see if she actually bought 6 hamburgers for the two of them.

"You seem distraught."

"I'm perfectly traught." Johnny insisted. "I'm probably just supposed to take one, right?"

"They're on a plate together."

Johnny picked one up. "I can't eat 3 burgers." He paused for a moment, then offered it to the other boy.

He hesitated to reach forward. Concentrate, be tangible. He carefully held it with both hands. He watched as Johnny took a bite and followed suit.

"You're supposed to take the wrapper off."

"Huh?" He chewed through the third of a hamburger he had stuffed in his mouth. And without a thought, swallowed it, wrapper and all.

"Never mind, here." Johnny handed the third one over as the first disappeared into a snake like jaw while taking a normal sized bite out of his own food. The sight alone was enough to give him a stomach ache. But not enough to make him not eat.

Come to think of it. Johnny had never seen the, ghost? Eat before. Maybe that's why he's so spaced out all the time. Johnny sure wouldn't like to skip months' worth of meals. "Are you still hungry?"

"I don't understand." His voice was less of a whisper than it was, this clearer version sounded, lively. He sounded like someone. It was a voice Johnny had heard before.

Just then, the door behind them opened, and detective Dani walked in with three empty hamburger wrappers on her plate. She really eats like this!? She threw them in the trash under the sink and got three large glasses from an upper cabinet. "Compleatly forgot water." She smiled at him, filled her's with water, and went back to wence she came.

"You two freaks are cut from the same cloth." Johnny addressed the air beside him.

"Yes... we are, " a nearby whisper follows her.

The room was an office. She sat at a desk covered in Manila folders and paper. The moment he stepped through the wall, she looked up. Directly at him.

She can't see him. No one can see him! How can she see him?

She exhaled a small fog of white breath. "Are you here?" She asked, looking around the room. She can't see him. But she knows.

"I've been looking for you." She paused longingly. "That's OK. You don't have to say anything. Clockwork said you might forget some things." Her smile lacked any emotion. It was like she wanted to be happy but couldn't overcome the hollowness. "I met some of our friends. Walker's still alive... Sydney isn't. I've been working on a way back to the ghost zone, but it's proven difficult without hurting the timeline." She looked so worn out. She looked wrong. This wasn't the person he had recognized. It's someone else. "Danny, please. Just show yourself, let me know you're alright."

He stepped back out. Johnny had left, probably went back to his room. He started in the direction, pretending not to hear the quiet whimpers from the office.

~~~~~~~

"Is it true you're taking the Crane boy?" Asked Commissioner Reynolds.

"Yes, sir. Picking him up after work." Dani glanced at the clock on the wall. One more hour.

"It's a big commitment, Nightingale. Are you sure you're up for it." It was less a question and more of an accusation.

"That's the beauty of teenagers, commissioner, they don't need 24-hour surveillance, just food and guidelines. And, you know, attention obviously."

"That's not what I meant. Are you ready for this?"

The air went stale.

"I read your transfer reports. I know about Pointdexter."

"Sydney was a good boy" Dani defended.

Dani didn't answer. She couldn't.

"Doesn't mean he was good for you."

One more hour.

[elainsgirl]

I was viewing acotar content on tiktok before I had even read the books, when I first learnt of the Lucien/Az/Elain situation I thought it was a love triangle and that put me off. I kept on seeing arguements like “Elain has to be with Lucien, she’s his mate!” “Az deserves better then Elain, im praying someone else comes along” “Elain can only be redeemed for me is if she accepts the bond with Lucien, I need him to be happy” so going into the books I was really expecting a love triangle and elain torn between the two. In acomaf, I shipped Elain x Lucien just because I liked the potential those two had together. The quiet, introverted, “lady-like” character who blushes and gasps at a foul word meeting the sassy, smirking, rogue who spits out said words all the time as easily as breathing? The trope is going to do it for me every single time. I also loved Lucien as a character. When I read the dinner scene between the batboys and sisters, I knew Sjm was setting up Az as a *maybe* potential second LI for Elain. I wasn’t invested in elriel from the beginning though and was so happy when elain became Lucien’s mate. Excitedly, I read acowar and let me tell you it was so so disappointing in terms of elucien. “I want to see if she is worth it” - yeah no. That gave me the ick. Then him just not being able to do anything for her? Like when he stood there and couldn’t figure out what was wrong. Also his personality was ofc not the same. I really expected Lucien to crack some joke in an attempt to make Elain smile or laugh but he did nothing and when the opportunity opened up to leave, he took it.

Then I started focusing on Elriel. I was young (14) when I read the series so Az taking elain to the gardens or him calling her scars beautiful never meant anything to me. I wanted banter, fun, sass not whatever boring dynamic elriel had. By the time I finished the series: Elriel were definitely endgame and not elucien (like Mass really killed that ship between acowar and acofas) which bummed me out a bit but I did not care that much.

Now however after growing up, I realise the true beauty in elriel scenes. Someone who respects you as a person, shows interest in your hobbies and willingly wants to spend their time with you - that person & relationship is 100x more valuable then a relationship based on “bantering” & being forced to come out of your shell. I think when you take a step back and realise elriel have such a mature, understanding dynamic. Two characters that seamlessly fit together,

they were always meant to be.

[dumbkiri]

A FEAST FOR BIRDS 2

𝐉𝐚𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐓𝐨𝐝𝐝 𝐱 𝐅! 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫

HIGHLY REQUESTED

Y'all I know this was a blog for the Batfamily, but DAMN! Was not expecting so much enthusiasm for a second part. Thank you and I hope this one is worth the wait.

This came out rushed too. Will rewrite this part lowkey bc it doesn't satisfy me just yet.

10 pages, 3.6k words

JASON’S POV

This felt surreal. 

With the dark-tinted glasses dulling the colors around me, it showed me how much my world has been dark for so long. It showed me that I couldn’t dare to see the world in color ever again. My life’s goal, up to this point, was to get revenge on the Joker, to get revenge on my family for replacing me. 

All my anger and all my pain, I took it out on them. I couldn't forgive Bruce for sparing Joker’s life when that psychotic ass never bothered to spare me. Beaten and bruised, all I dreamed about was that crowbar hitting me over and over. 

And my last words to her; to [Name]. I wonder if she remembered our last conversation. Because in the moment of taking my last breath, I did. I remember telling her that I wouldn’t be mad at her, for whatever she needed to tell me. 

I did my best to reassure her that everything would be okay. I remember her shaky breaths and the resigned reply she gave to me over the phone. 

I guess I should have stayed to listen to her because if I did, I would have lived. Lived to raise Jay with her. 

When  [Name] walked in with heavy shoulders and a tired smile, I saw my life flash before my eyes. Never did I see those memories when Joker slammed that crowbar against my ribcage. Her [e.color] eyes are dull like my own and her happiness is clouded by her own problems. It was obvious to me, obvious to my family that she was running away. 

Then she showed off the greatest joy in her life, that shine coming back in her eyes. Who would have guessed the little boy she carried in her arms with so much love was a product of our love. A teenage love that couldn’t grow into an adult one. A love that ended with my last breath. A love that created a being for her to cherish in my memory. 

I didn’t want the dinner to end because watching them, my little family, laugh and enjoy their company filled an empty hole in my heart. Their interactions with each other overwhelmed my broken heart and I felt an emotion I haven’t truly felt in awhile; genuine joy.

I want them to stay. I want this moment to go on forever. 

“So I was hoping to do something I haven’t done in a long time.” 

[Name] spoke up after setting her fork down by her plate. She looked at Bruce specifically and asked, “Do you still host the Dance of Snow event?” 

Memories plagued my mind of her ice skating on the rink Bruce provided in his backyard. Every year in the beginning of December, Bruce would host an event for the wealthy. There was the ball aspect of it then the performance [Name] did for charity. The Dance of Snow was how I met her and how we began to fall for one another. 

Her gliding on the ice so effortlessly took my breath away. I couldn’t understand how she moved like that with grace while I fell on my ass every time I let go of the wall. We would laugh about my failures together and fuck it, I will admit I did exaggerate just to hear her laugh again. 

“Ever since the star of the show left,” Dick teased with a shrug of his shoulders, “Bruce only hosted the Winter Ball for the guests. I swear every time they would ask about you, but he would shoot them down with politeness as always.” 

“Perhaps I can surprise them then?” [Name] asked shyly then proceeded to say, “I recently started teaching Jay how to ice skate and I guess my passion for it is coming back to me. I also want Jay to see what I can do in a live performance and show how beautiful this event is.” 

Bruce agreed with ease, no need to convince him when everyone knows how much he admired her show of grace. I mean everyone did and she was the reason why the charity event succeeded so much in the first place. 

“Of course, I’m sure everyone will be happy to see you back. I can get the skating rink set up for your practice in the backyard. Would you like me to call Anthony, you two can do your famous performance as the first show.” 

[Name]’s excitement flourished at the mention of her old ice skating partner while jealousy painted itself over my body. I didn’t notice I let out an audible groan of annoyance at the mention of Anthony until everyone focused on me. 

Oh shit. 

“Lazlo and Anthony don’t get along,” Dick jumped at the first thing to say. His excuse is just as lame as the stupid fake name he gave me. 

But [Name] paid no attention to my disgruntled attitude, instead she giggled and said, “Yes, well Anthony is difficult at times. He wouldn’t be the first person to make friends with anybody. I’m surprised he actually got married! To think that my best friend, who promised he would never get married, actually put a ring on someone. I can hear Jason giving him a bunch of crap for it.” 

Dick and Bruce chuckled at her joke knowing well that I would. 

Because hell yeah I would. Anthony never believed that [Name] and I would last because he described her as gentle while I always showed up with random bruises and cuts. Little did they know, I spent my nights fighting crooks and villains. Then he went on to brag about never being in a relationship because it caused too much drama. 

Anthony turned out to be right anyways since I died. We didn’t last three years or more. I wonder if that self-centered asshole took care of her. I subconsciously clench my hands into fists thinking about another man with my family. 

“I’ll make sure to give him a call then,” Bruce smiled then dinner went by in a blur for me. Like I said, everything felt surreal. I couldn’t help, but think this was all a dream. The intrusive thoughts of revealing myself to [Name] would make everything set in for me. Her reaction, her words to me. 

Say that you missed me, to me. Not to Lazlo. 

Say that you love me, to me. Not to Lazlo. 

Know that it’s me under this disguise, not Lazlo. 

Please [Name] recognize that it’s me, so that I wouldn’t have to do it. Don’t make me take this mask off and show you that I’ve been alive all along, suffering in this dark and gloomy reality. I need you to figure it out all by yourself. 

“Jason.” 

I looked up from my untouched plate full of food and watched Bruce give me a pained look, “How are you holding up?” 

I took notice that everyone disappeared from the table, it was just Bruce and I sitting. When did everyone leave and where to? Wait, I didn’t get to say goodbye to Jay or [Name]. I was too absorbed in all the scenarios that played in my head. 

“Don’t worry they’re still around. JJ is racing Dick out in the backyard and [Name] is writing a letter,” Bruce explained and his eyes never left my own. I knew he was trying to figure out what I was feeling. I knew I had mental breakdowns here and there, this was the time for me to have one actually. 

“I felt better,” I replied honestly, “did you…did you take care of them as best as you could?” Bruce was a questionable parental figure, but he couldn’t have let [Name] walk away like that. She must have told Bruce about her pregnancy and he would have supported her. 

Please tell me you did, old man.

“As much as she allowed me to, yes. [Name] did fairly well in raising Jay and it was only very recent when she cut off ties with us. Now she’s back and we need to know what happened to her.”

“She mentioned an arranged marriage with some business partner, know anything about that?” 

Bruce shook his head dejectedly, “No, but I do know her mother has been trying to find a suitor for [Name] for years. It’s all some of the older women gossip in Gotham about. Some have tried to offer their own son’s hand to her. But [Name] is stubborn to a fault. She has told me many times that you still hold her heart.” 

Bruce gently smiled at this revelation like it was going to ease my worries and insecurities away. But it didn’t. 

“Why?” I asked selfishly, “Why hasn’t she forgotten about me? You all did. Replaced me without a single care in the world. Dumped the memory of me like I never mattered in the first place. So excuse me if I question the integrity of her…fuck, this isn’t…stop giving me that look.” 

I faltered at the sad look on Bruce’s face. My harsh words disappeared like a drop of blood in water. 

“She loves you, Jason. Five years have passed and all she can think about is you. All she does is remember you. She remembers the [color] flowers you would throw at her feet when she finished a performance. She would talk about the books you’d gushed about. There’s also a show she recently started watching that she thinks you’d like. It’s just what [Name] does in order to keep you alive. She does it on her own, but there’s Jay to remind her too when she hits her lowest.” 

I shook my head and fought back, “It’s impossible. I-I didn’t even remember her when I came back. All I remember was the pain and the revenge I wanted to take. Now…now she’s here with him? That boy is supposed to be mine? I can’t believe that, that’s not what I expected when I told you I would come back to this family on my own terms.”

“The Lazarus Pit has effects, you don’t need to feel ashamed for not remembering her. I don’t blame you for only thinking about revenge. What you went through-”

I stood up from the table, my food cold and unappealing in this heated moment, “He’s so small and she’s- Damn it, she’s still the girl I fell in love with all those years ago. I cannot afford to be distracted, not when my team and I are close to taking down Black Mask. I cannot go back to being the guy she loved. I’m no longer him.” 

“Well it’s a good thing you’re dead then,” A voice so irritating spoke up, it sent me scowling at him behind my glasses and mask. 

Damian plopped a plate of cookies on the table and took his seat. He looked at me with boredom in his bright green eyes and asked, “What?”

“You need to watch your words, Damian,” Bruce shook his head in disappointment at his youngest son. 

“You heard him as well as I did,” Damian picked up a cookie and broke it in half, “He’s no longer the guy [Name] loved. He’s Red Hood now, a vigilante fighting villains. He can’t be a father or a lover. So it’s a good thing Jason Todd is dead because he’s not him.”

Before I could respond, [Name] spoke up as she walked into the dining room. 

“Alright, I put my little gremlin to sleep and I feel sleep catching up to me.” She stretched her body and let out a small yawn. Her exhaustion looked to be catching up to her after days of traveling. 

Bruce stood up and told her, “You can stay the night if you’d like. There are plenty of rooms to sleep in and I’m sure Alfred would love to prepare a room for you.” 

[Name] waved Bruce off with a smile, “Thank you, but I need to get to work on the house. I promised Jay I would renovate as quickly as I can so he can come home. Not that he doesn’t like to spend time with his family.” 

She shot quickly hoping she didn’t offend Bruce or Damian. The demon spawn went back to eating his cookies while Bruce said, “Don’t worry, we know Jay loves spending time with us. Do you need help with anything? I can arrange some help. I’m sure Dick wouldn’t mind helping you out either.” 

“I got this handled, Bruce,” [Name] walked over to Bruce and she passed me like ships in the night. Her perfume wafted my way and lingered in my space, slowly seeping through the face mask. She started wearing perfume more mature like instead of the usual peachy flower scent. 

I turned around and saw her embrace Bruce with a small ‘thank you’ and the old man hugged her tightly. I knew Bruce towered over the average woman, but she really was small in his arms. Like a father holding his daughter. 

Then she walked over to Damian snacking on the cookies. She pinched his cheek and pulled it roughly, ‘Don’t teach Jay such obscene words next time, Dami’. Damian choked on his cookie for a bit before he rolled his eyes muttering a wack apology. I’m so gonna kick his ass when she leaves. 

[Name] embraced Damian in a hug and the boy begrudgingly accepted it. Then his green eyes landed on me, watching them carefully. The brat stuck his tongue out at me, hugging [Name] back while I subtly gave him the finger. I hate that kid. 

“Lazlo, it’s time to go,” Dick walked in the dining room with his jacket on and a dark blue scarf around his neck. Right, we had patrol for this night. “[Name], make sure to lock your doors and check every window. There have been reports of burglary in this area.”

“I may be fragile looking on ice, but I can defend myself pretty well, on land” [Name] happily smiled at Dick, fake throwing a punch on Damian’s shoulder. “Anyways, I really gotta go before I pass out behind the wheel. I love you all  and I’ll see you guys tomorrow. It was nice meeting you, Lazlo! I hope to see you some other time!” 

She looked at me with a pretty smile and soft giggle, fishing her car keys out of her pocket. I waved back at her silently and watched her leave the house with Alfred accompanying her. When I heard the front door shut, I looked at my brothers and my old man saying, “This shit sucks.” 

……

Jay woke up to the sound of shuffling in the room next to him. It sounded like someone was busy searching for something. Looking at his clock on his nightstand, Jay was not happy to be woken up at 3 am. Then fear seeped into his body. 

His grandma always told him that ghouls and monsters come out at 3 am looking for souls to take. Maybe this monster was looking for his soul! Jay scrambled off his bed and quietly ran over to his toy crate. He opened it slowly and saw his plastic red bat ready to be used. 

Jay would have to beat up this monster if he wants to keep his soul!

The little boy then walked over to his open bedroom door, thanking his mom silently for leaving his night light on in the hallway. It helped him to see that the monster was in his dad’s old room. Sneaking down the carpet hallway with his bat raised high, Jay urged his heart to calm down. He was afraid that the monster would be able to hear it beat so loudly. 

Taking a deep breath in, the little boy forced himself to peek inside the room. There was only one light on in his dad’s room and it was the lamp on his desk. Then he spotted the monster at that desk reading letters. Jay recognized those letters that were written by his mom. 

Hey! Those were letters for his dad! Not this monster!

Jay’s eyebrows furrowed in anger and the little boy sneaked into the room ready to whack the monster back to where it came from. But when he lifted his bat high in the air, he heard the monster sniffle…like it was crying. 

Confusion clouded Jay’s motive to beat up the monster and his eyes glanced at the mirror showing off the monster’s face. The monster looked like it was human and it had a large scar going from his cheekbone to his jaw. 

When the monster wiped his eyes, they opened up to reveal familiar blue eyes. Jay faltered as he knew what they reminded him of. He looked over at a picture frame with his mom and dad as teenagers holding each other after she won a championship at her skating tournament. 

The bat fell from his tiny grasp and the sound startled the monster…no, man. Jay watched the man stand up and whip around with tears falling down his face. 

Black hair and blue eyes. He looked older, but this was for sure his dad. No doubt. 

“Daddy?” Jay asked, his own tears blurring his vision. Next thing the kid knew was that he moved on autopilot. He jumped at the man and wrapped his arms around his dad’s legs clutching onto them tightly. He started bawling his eyes out as this was his dream. To get to meet his dad. 

…

“Jason, did you find the let-” Dick walked into Jason’s old room and stopped short. His eyes landed on Jason looking at him with wide, teary eyes. But that’s not what took the cake for him. 

It was the little boy holding onto Jason’s leg and crying into the dirty jeans. Dick wanted to let Jay down easy, by making something up like this had been a dream. But the glare Jason sent him from across the room stilled the older Wayne ward. Despite Jason’s red eyes from crying, Dick understood the threat in his deadly glare. 

Shut your damn mouth, Dickwad.

Quietly, Jason set the letter down with a picture of Jay as a newborn down on the desk. He wiped his eyes then pulled his leg away from Jay by crouching down in front of the crying boy. He didn’t know what to say, but the words slipped from his mouth so easily, 

“Hey, kid, you’re getting boogers all over my clothes.” 

Jason chuckled and watched Jay wipe his nose with the sleeve of his pajama shirt. A little giggle came from the boy and he gave Jason a timid ‘sorry’. They stared at one another with smiles on their faces, enjoying each other’s presence. 

“You have your mother’s smile, you know that?” 

The fake stars on Jason’s ceiling twinkled in the slight darkness of the room, not as bright as the kid’s smile that reminded him so much of [Name]. Her words written in the letter came back to him as he gathered the courage to hug Jay as himself, not as Lazlo. 

Jay melted in his dad’s hug and he wrapped his arms around his neck, saying, “It’s nice to meet you too, daddy.”

…

Dear Jason, 

Today I have had the pleasure of welcoming our bundle of joy into the world. His name is Jay [L.Name] and he is super adorable. He came out with a tuft of black hair, similar to yours. He came pretty fast and easy for it being my first every birth. Probably my last too. 

Anyways, Bruce and Dick have been such a great help. They helped a lot along with my father and they cannot wait to meet Jay. Actually, the picture is of Dick holding Jay and oh boy! I didn’t think holding Jay would make him cry like it did me. 

Do you think Bruce would cry too? I guess we’ll have to see and of course, I will give you the details :)

I’m not going to lie to you, this is my fifth time trying to write this letter to you. I guess knowing that you’ll never get to meet Jay brings sadness to me. I didn’t get the chance to tell you either and I know you said you wouldn’t be mad at me when I told you. 

But something tells me that you would have been better off knowing about him before you died. So as an apology, I named our boy after you and I’m sure the nickname JJ wil stick with his family. I’m already smiling at his future which will be surrounded by your brother and father.

Bruce has taken your death pretty badly. Yet he does his best to keep an eye on me and now he will do the same for Jay. I can see him trying to make up for your passing and I don’t know how to ease his pain. I hope someday we will cross the bridge together. 

I’m also grateful that Dick was present for the birth of Jay, I really needed someone by my side. Needless to say, we both cried tears of joy together when Jay came. I think I will tease Dick about this for the rest of his life. 

Oh, I provided the picture I mentioned earlier so you can see Jay for the first time. I swear he will grow up to look like you. I’m glad he got your good looks to be honest. All the girls will fall for him like I did for you. Which I’m not looking forward to. I just hope he doesn’t get his charisma from Dick. 

Unfortunately, this is the end of the letter. I fear that Dick might cry a tsunami over JJ if I don’t retrieve our babe. I miss you, jaybird. 

Forever Yours,  [Name]. 

......

TAGGED

@makanirock05 @accountforreading123 @itsmonicabc @huntressofartemis3 @kathybernice

[george228732]

Dededark Matter 2

Day 6:

The funeral came sooner than anyone expected, obviously without a body, because nothing even remained of Dedede, besides that black substance that was pitiful to look at - and they’d find it disrespectful to use that substance for the funeral procession, so they left it in the deceased’s room in an urn, to try and make it seem like he’s still there, even though no one would dare to open that room due to the sheer sadness it would evoke.

Everyone was prepared with funeral clothing, all with somber faces seeing how one of their people was no longer with them - it was so sudden too, with an illness that couldn’t be figured out until it was too late. At the very least they were happy that their king wouldn’t suffer anymore. 

Hyness was the priest on that day, blessing the site and then allowing his closest friends to say their final goodbyes in a more formal passion.

Everyone was on the verge of tears, or at the very least, couldn’t find the words for someone that passed so quickly - he had a long life ahead of him, but it all went crashing down for seemingly no reason other than life being unfair - death is like that sometimes; simply unfair, and out of nowhere.

Meta Knight was the first one to say his final goodbyes towards Dedede, and it was clear that he was doing his best to hide his grief, due to how slow he was talking, even slower than usual - he thought that he had already shed enough tears when the king passed in front of him, but it was clear that he wanted to cry more - not that his sense of duty would allow him to do that, thinking that he needed to be strong for the rest.

“...Goodbye, my king. May Hades, or wherever you go, be kind to you, for you have been kind to me, and I am sorry that I can’t accompany you this time in your journey. May you rest in peace.” Meta said before the grave of his lover and backed away.

“You were always the best person I could talk to, understanding my problems and always being free to talk with me - sure, you may have been a little mean at the start, but your pure heart is the thing that I’ll always keep in mind. May you rest in peace.” Bandee followed, similarly reserved like Meta.

“I-I’ll always remember all the gourmet races we did together, and our friendly battles! Please, wherever you are, please make sure to remember those like how I am doing now, I beg you. May you rest in peace.” Kirby was crying, but gained the courage to say those words before backing down with tears streaming down his cheeks like a river.

Soon, people started to give their blessings - some quiet and reserved, and some others sobbing until there were no more tears left in their system, and so, the funeral service continued, being as somber as it was from the start.

“...If only I had noticed sooner…” That was the sentiment Susie (and everyone else at the funeral) had at that time; perhaps if they knew what was going on earlier, they could’ve prevented it somehow - even though it was most likely a disease that couldn’t be cured, blaming themselves for their king’s death was the only thing they could do.

Soon enough, the funeral service ended, with everyone doing their best to honor Dedede’s memory, and to do so, the Star Allies decided to stay in the castle like yesterday, trying to feel as if the king was there with them, but obviously, he wasn’t and it was clear from the start, since the place had never felt so empty, without Dedede’s voice to cheer the Waddle Dees up, and speaking about them, they clearly had been taking his death the worst, not even deciding to work, or to make dinner for the rest, a thing everyone could understand perfectly.

“...” Meta Knight started to walk towards the empty throne, bowing as if someone was occupying it, and then got closer to it.

“What are you doing?” 

“Since the King has passed, someone must take its role to keep order, and considering my relationship with him, the one most appropriate to do it would be me, even if I think it’s dishonorable to do this just now, someone needs to take responsibility. 

“...Makes sense…” Kirby spoke up before walking away towards the kitchen, where the Star Allies were making the food themselves. Even though they didn’t have the strength to eat, they thought that it’d be a good way to distract themselves from their grief.

Lastly, everyone went to sleep in their respective guest rooms, hoping that the heavy atmosphere of today wouldn’t remain for tomorrow, even though it was clear that it’d take a while to adjust to the idea that one of their best friends wasn’t with them anymore.

Overall, it wasn’t a good day.

Day 7:

Fylass, sharing the bed with Kirby and Bandee was the first one to wake up, seemingly not even sleeping an inch thanks to yesterday, and not even bothering to take their funeral clothes, but at the end, it only reminded him of what he lost.

“...” He left the room as silently as possible to look at the morning sky - on days like these, Dedede would come here to comfort him about whatever dark feeling he might be going through, but obviously, that wouldn’t happen now. 

He now wanted to find someone that could comfort him during such dark times, but most people were asleep, and he didn’t want to wake anyone up, so he walked down the hallways, looking at the Waddle Dees doing their daily patrols, even though they were still sad thanks to Dedede’s departure.

Oddly enough, though, he found someone at the end of one of the empty hallways, carrying a lot of research with them.

“...Jade?” Fylass said, approaching her. She quickly took notice of Fylass’ presence and quickly came to look at him.

“Ah, hello…! Did you sleep well…?” She said, until she realized that the kid had clear eyebags and his way of walking made it clear that he barely slept yesterday, so she started regretting asking that question.

“...Not really… I guess you know why…”

“Yeah… he will be missed.” For someone like Fylass, he found it impressive that Jade seemed to be taking the whole thing better, or at least, that’s what the little bird thought.

“...Yes…” Fylass hung his head looking at the ground and started shedding some tears, but quickly tried to cover that up with his arm. 

“So… What are you doing…?” Fylass asked, looking at Jade’s research.

“I am just… trying to investigate more about Dark Matter… To prevent a repeat scenario and such… I still don’t really get how it happened so fast, but it was clear that Dark Matter was involved, so I must investigate the why before someone else goes through the same…”

“I see… Can I help? I should know something about it, right? Sure, you made some groundbreaking discoveries with some of your other research if I remember correctly, but I still want to be of some use for this… Dad is dead, so I want to prevent any more tragedies related to it…”

Jade pondered for a moment about what to say, but she finally reached an answer.

“No, it’s fine… Don’t worry, I wouldn’t want to burden you with my work anyway…”

“...Can I at least get a hug from you? No one’s awake at the moment…”

“Of course…”

Fylass received a hug from his older sister, but from his back, he felt something wet, like droplets of water falling down his clothes - he paid it no mind though, since he felt too gloomy to care.

—

Soon enough, people started to wake up, putting on some clothes and going to the dining room to see if there was any breakfast there for them. 

Gladly enough, there was breakfast being prepared, but it’s not like there was any appetite left within them for now, but for mere courtesy, they decided to sit down and eat.

“...” Fondue was the one in charge of preparing breakfast, and even though there was no energy left within him, it was at the very least appropriate to keep on working under the new rule under Meta Knight they knew was coming.

“...If Meta was going to end up being a king anyway…” He thought to himself - he didn’t have any hard feelings towards Meta, obviously, but he felt empty knowing that his beloved king was gone and would never come back…

The breakfast was done with love, like always, but it still felt hollow, due to the grief of today and yesterday - it was as if the food didn’t even want to taste good, or even bad, just… nothing.

Soon, when they had finished eating, they all simply left after saying thank you. 

Fondue just simply went back to his room, and simply sobbed on the other side of the door - Dedede was one of the most important people in his life after all.

“Why…? Why did you have to leave us like that?! I’ll never forgive you for that!” He said, obviously not mad at the dead, but simply sad that he was even unable to tell him goodbye when it all happened.

When he had stopped sobbing though, he realized that the sobbing continued, even though it wasn’t his - it was odd for sure, so he went out of his way to try and find the source of the crying in his room, to check if some Waddle Dee was in here somehow. 

Soon, though, he realized that the source came from directly outside his room, so by not trying to be disruptive, he placed his cheek on the door to check who was crying in his place; sure enough, he almost missed it, but it was immediately clear who was the one crying. It was Meta.

“Oooooh… Dedede…” Those were the words Meta muttered behind the door, seemingly not realizing there was someone nearby, which made sense, not many people went to this specific area of the castle; Meta perhaps thought that he would get some privacy here.

“Why did you leave me alone? I’ll never forgive you for it!” Meta said, sniffling. “Now I have to take the place you left behind! Long ago, I would’ve wished for this moment, but now, I only want you to come back…”

“...” Fondue just kept on listening, not wanting to interact with the conversation Meta had with himself, but deep down, he wanted to help, since both were probably feeling the exact same thing in terms of grief - Dedede was the most important person of their lives, after all.

—

Day 8:

A new day followed, still with some of the gloomy feeling from the past two days, but at the very least, it was more tolerable… 

Magolor walked towards the hallways of the castle due to having lost something on the way, when he realized something was off. These were oddly emptier than usual, and felt some sense of foreboding down his spine. 

He kept on walking to see what was happening around here, and that’s when he realized something - Dedede’s room was open.

“...W-What?!” Magolor entered the room to see who was intruding in there - it had been an agreement between them that no one would enter this room to honor Dedede’s memory, at the very least for now, so who would be there? 

“Who’s there?!” Magolor asked.

Then he realized sooner than later who was on the other side - it was Susie, and Taranza as well…

“W-What are you guys doing here?! I thought we agreed to never touch this room!”

“Magolor! Er… W-We can explain!” Taranza said to Magolor, and the latter realized that they were not only inside this room without permission, but were also taking Dedede’s urn with them.

“Huh?! What are you doing with that! Leave it there, you might break it!”

“Listen, we’re doing this for the greater good, just let us do our thing!” “What are you even doing?! It seems that it wasn’t enough for both of you to annoy him in life, now you have to do it as well when he’s dead?!” “Oh, that’s rich coming from you, Magolor, but listen! We are planning to bring Dedede back to life!”

“Yeah, as if I-... Wait, what did you say?!” Magolor demanded an explanation.

“Look, I know that we might need to move on and all, but how could we when we found a solution to bring Dedede back from the dead?! It’d be beneficial for all of us! Most of us barely ate yesterday and Fondue told me that Meta was on the verge of having a breakdown, one of the many he witnessed! It’s clear that we need to do this, or else the Star Allies might crumble into despair!”

“...And how are you planning to do that?”

“Remember when I came down to this planet to use its resources? And one of the things I did to try and stop Kirby was making a clone of Dedede using his DNA? What if we use that to bring Dedede back?!”

“Huh? And how?! Dedede doesn’t have a body anymore where we could use his DNA, there’s only black goop!”

“Well, that black goop is Dark Matter! I already cloned Dark Matter before! What if we try to use my techniques again to try and revive Dedede?! It might not be the regular Dedede we know, but it should be fine! He’ll be back!”

“And how are you so sure about this?!”

“...Please, trust us. We know what to do. When we lost Sectonia and Haltmann, we tried our best to move on from that, and it’s safe to say that we did do our best, but it was only with the help of the Dream Team and the Star Allies that we found a better life together. We need to do this, we know how to do this! So, please… let us go back to how things were back then…

“...”

@moonmacabre01 Creator of Fondue

@turquoisetuber Creator of Jade

[vaguely-concerned]

I think veilguard might be the one game with an unlimited sprint button that I've nevertheless spent the most time gently jogging and walking through. just to like... look at things. hang out. vibe. the environments in this game are so fucking good

[icterid-rubus]

I’ve got a bizarre and predictable cycle of making friends getting very excited about hanging out and seeing them a lot and then becoming terrified and tired of hanging out and it’s annoying

[helifreds]

Absolutely. Yes.

No way there's a chance to escape from this :P

Guys is it gay to organize a romantic dinner on the ocean shore with your best pals/family all dressed up in fancy clothes? asking for a friend