#I'm gonna do the rest of these later because this took longer than expected and I have a music lesson in a few minutes lmao

[doctor-dusk]

𝐤𝐧𝐞𝐞 𝐬𝐨𝐜𝐤𝐬 | 𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐱 𝐭.

a private session, as he said.

warnings: mutual masturbation, fingering (f receiving), exhibitionism and voyeurism.

word count: 3.4k

part 1, part 2

it took me longer than expected. ngl that i've been feeling a bit discouraged and insecure about my writing lately and i've been putting off posting. anyway, hope you like it :3

you haven't stopped talking for a minute since alex got your phone number. like, for hours, going into the early hours of the morning sometimes. 

you found out he lived a few minutes away from you and was a bartender at a night pub, so eventually he had to be absent when he was on his shift. of course you understood, but you couldn't help but miss talking to him when he was away for too long, especially at night. you found yourself looking at his profile picture, or at the photos he sent you throughout the days. 

obviously, at this point you already had a certain level of intimacy, so he didn't see a problem in sending you some kind of spicy photos, for example, after the shower. oh, these were your favorites. you loved his toned muscles glistening with water, the fluffy towel wrapping around his waist, the marked v line. and of course, you loved seeing the outline of his cock in the towel. 

a was a tuesday night. particularly rainy, the wind was not violent and the news reported that it could last until the next day, but that doesn't bother you. you were reading a book peacefully on your bed when you felt your cell phone vibrate under your pillow.

you fumbled around the bed looking for your cell phone, reaching under your pillow to grab the phone, turning on the screen and smiling when you saw that he had sent you a message.

“hi baby, just got back home.’’ he texted you.

you smiled at the nickname. it was already natural for him to call you that, but you still found yourself giggling about it whenever he called you like that.

“did something happen?” you texted him back. he should be working now, since he had said he had a shift at the pub that night.

“the power went out at the pub because of the rain,” he explained in another message after a while. “guess i'll have to go back tomorrow to make up the hours. yay.” 

you chuckled softly. it wasn't like he didn't like his job, he just found it tiring sometimes.

“what are you going to do now?” you asked him. 

“well, for starters, i’m gonna take a shower and eat something.” he answered, sending another message afterwards. “but first of all take off these clothes. i'm so fucking wet.” 

“hey, that's my line.” you joked, imagining he must have laughed when he read it. and he did.

“cheeky. later i'll make you wetter than i am now, what do you think?” he suggested. you bit your lip.

“i’ll wait for it.’’ you texted back, swaying your legs up and down like a teenager.

“good. i’ll call you in 30 minutes. wear something nice for me, love ;)” 

you thought you were dressed appropriately for him. a cotton cropped shirt and a flared mini skirt. but you thought there's something missing. it wasn't "nice" enough for him.

you opened your closet and drawers, looking for some suggestion. you didn't even know exactly what you were looking for. 

your eyes landed on your underwear drawer, remembering that you had a pair of white knee socks somewhere. you didn't know if he would like them, but knowing him well enough, you could deduce that was worth a try.

you put on the socks, the soft fabric gliding over your legs like a massage, the hem resting right above your knees. you looked at your reflection in the mirror, flexing your leg and bending your knee to see how it looked. then you turned your back, looking over your shoulder to see how it looked from this angle. it wasn't bad. it showed off your legs nicely. he might like it, but if he doesn't, he'll be polite enough to ask you to take it off.

you made sure your door was locked, turning the knob twice as a precaution. once confirmed, you jumped on your bed, grabbing your phone. as if on time, a message from him popped up on your screen.

‘’ready?’’

‘’yep.’’ you texted, settling yourself in bed, lying partially between your pillows, your back resting on the headboard, your knee bent so you could rest your phone on it.

seconds later, a video call popped up on your screen, and you answered it without delay.

oh, as always, he was handsome. unlike you, he was standing, probably walking around his apartment, the position of the camera revealed that he was holding his phone a little too low. and of course, shirtless.

‘’hey love, i- fuck, no, no! wait a minute.’’ he said before you could say anything, leaving his phone in a corner, the camera focusing on the ceiling was all you could see now. you waited for him to come back, listening for some noises and trying to figure out what it was. seconds later, he came back. ‘’sorry, i had to put the neighbor's cat out. the bastard tried to steal my last slice of pizza.’’ 

you laughed at what he said. you expected anything but that. 

‘’how did he tried to steal your pizza?’’ you asked as he was making his way to the bedroom, turning off the lights on the way.

‘’he came in through my kitchen window. can't turn my back for a bloody second.’’ he rolled his eyes, entering his bedroom, sitting on the edge of his bed. ‘’you look lovely, baby. new necklace?’’ he pointed out. you looked at your chest, the silver necklace resting on your collarbone. you didn't even think he would notice that. but he was very observant, especially when it came to you.

‘’yeah, i bought it yesterday when i went out to shopping with my mom.’’ you answered and he hummed, his mouth was too busy eating a piece of pizza. ‘’although this isn't the necklace i was looking for.’’

‘’which one did you want?’’ he asked, his voice a little muffled as he was finishing the slice of pizza.

‘’your hand.’’ you answered him, causing him to cough almost uncontrollably because he almost choked on the piece of pizza. you would have laughed if you weren't so worried about him. “are you okay? i'm sorry, i-”

‘’no, no, i'm fine. wasn't expecting it, you can't do this to me, jesus.” he laughed after catching his breath, his face was a little red because of it. “you can't have my hand as your necklace if you choke me to death on a piece of pizza.”

“sorry, i didn't know you'd be so surprised.” you chuckled softly, watching him wipe his mouth with a napkin, throwing the paper in the trash.

“you just caught me by surprise, hon. you're not usually this forward.” he said. he was right, sometimes you were a little shy, even though you've done things that say otherwise. “by the way, are you wearing something nice like i asked you to?”

you nodded, adjusting your posture, getting into an angle so he could see your body when you stretched out your arm holding your phone in your hand, giving him a good view. he let out a low whistle, enjoying the view.

“no way, knee socks?” he asked with raised eyebrows as his eyes landed on your legs, making himself comfortable in his bed. it wasn't in a disapproving tone, by the way.

“yeah, did you like it?” you asked a little insecurely.

“hell, a lot.” he licked his lips, taking a look at you. “i have an idea, do you want to know what it is?”

you nodded eagerly. by the tone he spoke, he was certainly going to suggest something for you to do.

“take off your clothes. i want you in nothing but those knee socks. can you do that for me, love?”

the idea made your hair stand on end. you knew that eventually you would undress for him, but you didn't know that you would be so nervous about the idea and that it would be so exciting to be naked for him, wearing only a pair of white knee socks.

“you can take your time, baby. don't worry, i've got all the time in the world for you.” he reassured you, making you even more comfortable with the idea.

“shirt?” you suggested and he hummed in agreement.

“are you wearing a bra?” he asked and you shook your head. “good. i miss those nice tits of yours.”

you giggled, grabbing a pillow and placing it on the middle of the bed, positioning your phone so that it rests on it.

“is the angle okay?” you asked him, sitting with your legs spread on the bed. he could even get a small glimpse of your panties.

“amazing, baby. keep going.” he said. he didn't really care about the angle as long as he could see you and your body on full display for him on his phone screen.

you pulled your crop top up, pulling it over your head. the mere sight of your breasts on the screen made him groan, biting his lip as he palmed himself over his sweatpants, even though you couldn't see it for now.

‘’so beautiful. one day i'm going to suck those tits, mark my words.’’

you smiled at the idea. alex seemed like the kind of hungry man who could devour you if he could. and he really was. he wanted to mark you, to sink his fingers and teeth into your flesh, so that he and everyone else could see that he was the one who did this to you. he wanted to make sure everyday that you were his, that only he could see you like that and make you feel that way. 

you touched your boobs, adding a little more anticipation to the moment, your nipples hardening with the mere stimulation on them, your eyes rarely looking at him on the screen, focused on losing your shyness as you touched your left breast while your right hand went down your belly.

“the skirt too?” you asked him, tracing your index finger along the waistband of your skirt.

“everything.” alex answered, a minimally authoritative tone was noticeable in his voice, but you didn't think it was bad. it turned you on even more.

you shifted in bed, your fingers hooked on the sides of your skirt, slowly pulling it down, letting the material slide down your legs, his eyes watching every move without blinking, as if he would never see something like that again in his life. his hand tightened his grip on his cock, feeling that sooner or later he would have to take it out, such was the pressure inside his boxers.

“you have beautiful legs, love.” he praised you as he drank the sight of your semi naked body, the only thing that kept him from seeing you naked were your panties and knee socks.

“thank you.” you smiled, you liked it when he complimented you, even when it was something simple. you felt desired, in a way.

“you're nervous, aren't you?” he asked. he had never seen you in person and never lived with you physically, but he knew you well enough to know that.

“god, yes. i'm sorry, i've never done that.” you mumbled, closing your legs a bit so you wouldn't feel so exposed.

“that's okay, baby, you're doing so good. take your time.” he said in a reassuring tone, not wanting you to feel insecure or embarrassed around him. “just remember that sooner or later i'm going to see this pretty pussy of yours. and believe me, i'm going to gorge myself on it.”

you chuckled awkwardly, still feeling a bit insecure. he pouted slightly.

“hey, look at me.” he asked you, he couldn't just hold your face and make you look at him, so he expected you to look back at the screen, which is what you did. “don't worry about it. we're just going to have some fun, i want you to enjoy yourself with me, hm?” he spoke calmly and patiently, knowing he needed to be careful with his words.

you smiled, nodding in response to him. he knew how to reassure you, how to make you feel safe. you were in this together, after all.

you tried opening your legs again, your hand running over the fabric of your underwear, testing the waters as he swallowed hard at your actions. you touched your sensitive bud, feeling it contract inside your panties with the touch of your fingertip.

‘’mhm, that’s it. doing so good, love.” he said, his voice almost in a whisper as he stuck his hand inside his sweatpants, squeezing his cock more directly over his boxers, his thumb ghosted over his sensitive tip, leaking precum and staining the fabric of his underwear. 

he felt uncomfortable with this, shifting in bed to get his sweatpants and boxers down, freeing his cock, the angle he was lying at made the tip touch his stomach.

“you're making me hard as fuck.” he moaned in a somewhat anxious way.

“yeah? show me.” you instigated him.

fuck, you didn't even need to ask twice. he angled his phone so you could see his cock, his free hand grabbing it firmly by the base, massaging it deftly, working his way up until he reached the head, pulling back the foreskin so you could see his glistening tip practically taking over your screen.

you leaned against the headboard, supporting your body weight there while your hands were free. one hand hooked your panties, finally pulling to the side, showing him your most intimate area.

“beautiful. just like i imagined.” he bit his lip, watching your fingers firmly grip the fabric of your panties like a real hook while the fingers of your other hand roamed the skin of your crotch, teasing both you and him. “god, i can already imagine myself with my face buried in this pussy all day.”

you giggled, you loved how vocal he was. your index and middle finger wandered through your folds in an inverted 'v' position, sliding up and down your labia, feeling your digits getting wet.

“'wet?”

“so fucking wet.” you answered and he groaned. you also knew how to tease him with words, his dirty thoughts getting the best of him as he saw you touching yourself like this.

“yeah? think i can shove my cock inside you without needing lube?” he asked you, starting to pump his cock faster.

“oh, you have no idea.” you said in a sly tone, moving your hands away from there only to pull the panties down your legs, discarding them on the bed among the sheets. and you were just the way he asked, completely naked, except for the knee socks. oh, that made his cock throb.

“god, you're so fucking hot.” he hissed, pumping faster, his fist closed so tightly that his tip was getting redder and the veins were getting more visible. “touch yourself for me, love. please.”

you brought your index and middle fingers to your mouth, thinking about it. please. he never asked you “please”, not that you remember. he always asked, in a polite but authoritative tone, sounding like a gentle order. but never added the word please. 

it sounded like he's begging you. and you liked it.

“please?” you repeated the word, wetting your fingers, bringing them down to your sensitive bud that was aching to be touched.

“fucking please…” he said in a desperate growl, his eyes fixed on your body as you tesed him furter, circling your fingers on your clit, the contact making you hiss. “feels good?”

“mhmm, so good…” you hummed, circling your fingers counterclockwise, the way you always did when you pleased yourself alone in that bed in your room. “i wish you were touching me right now.”

“don't say that to me or i might come out in the rain and climb in through your bedroom window just to fuck you.” he panted, making you imagine the scene, a small whimper leaving your lips.

“yeah? would you fuck me good?” you asked, moving your fingers down, teasing your wet and slick entrance, your fingertips sliding in with ease.

“so good, baby. would you like it hard and deep?" he asked you, feeling the pleasure starting to get the best of him, he tried to hold on as much as he could.

you nodded eagerly, sliding two fingers inside your tight heat. he watched as you buried your own fingers inside your cunt until reached your knuckles, withdrawing them just to repeat the motion. nothing had ever turned him on as much as this. he felt like a teenager watching porn for the first time, but it was a thousand times better. it was real, and it was for him. only for him.

“so be it. gonna fuck you good, baby. the way you deserve it.” 

his words entered your mind like a virus, your eyes squeezed shut as your fingers went back and forth, coating them with your arousal. you couldn't help but vividly imagine him fucking you hard, his hips snapping against yours, his cock filling you to the brim as he squeezed your neck, calling you his little slut who takes his cock so fucking well.

“oh my god, please…” you whimpered breathlessly, your legs starting to tremble involuntarily, your head tilting to the side.

“are you going to come for me, love? you're so close, i can see it.” he hummed, watching you nodding, his fist was hurting, but he didn't want to stop, not when he was so close too.

“yes, yes, oh alex…” you moaned his name, making him grunt in response, his breath ragged and his body trembled, he could barely concentrate on holding the phone anymore, even though he doesn't want to miss a single second of you fingering yourself, chasing your climax.

“fuck, i can't hold back…” he almost whined, and you let out a satisfied smile, so close that you're already seeing stars.

“yes, fuck me, alex…” you moaned, and that was the last straw for him. he moaned loudly, his head falling back into the pillow as he came, making a mess of his own belly and chest, but he didn't stop, even though his senses were overwhelmed at this point.

as you watched him fucking his own fist through his orgasm and heard his whimpers, you followed him suit, cumming on your fingers, your free hand covered your mouth so you wouldn't moan loudly as the climax hit you, your trembling legs closed automatically around your hand as your fingers pumped and curled inside you to prolong your pleasure.

in the seconds that followed, all that could be heard besides the sound of the rain outside were the panting breaths as the bodies lay completely exhausted on the respective beds. it was so intense, you couldn't remember the last time you had an orgasm that good, especially when you were touching yourself.

after a few seconds, he broke the silence.

“still there?” he asked. you gave him thumbs up and he chuckled. you needed a few more seconds to recover.

“yeah, yeah…” you mumbled, taking a deep breath through your nose and letting it out through your mouth. then, you lifted your head, looking at him. he was as broken as you were.

“it just gets better, princess. you're amazing, really.” he said. and he was sincere, you could see it. or at least he gave you enough confidence to make you think that.

“you're amazing too. you must be even better in person.” you answered him next. it was like you were having pillow talk after sex. the difference is you hadn't had sex. not yet.

“well, baby, i'll try to impress you. i have to win you over every day.” he chuckled, groaning as he saw his own mess, knowing he would have to clean himself up. “hate this part.” 

“i wish i could lick you clean.” you pouted and he pouted too, chuckling at your boldness.

“you always get feisty after having your orgasm, huh?” he questioned and you giggled, picking up your panties to put them back on carefully, your legs felt like jelly. 

“only with you.” you winked at him, licking your fingers as he sighed at the sight of you. he was quiet for a while, just looking at you, his mind working in different ways. “what?”

“i want to see you.” he answered after a few seconds of silence.

“you’re seeing me already.” you chuckled and he shook his head after letting out a weak laugh.

“no, i want to really see you. to meet you in person.” 

oh. now that was another level.

[bluehourbucky]

the freak out

pairing: rockstardad!bucky x f!reader

summary:how bucky reacted to you going into labour with your first kid

warnings: talk of pregnancy/ labor / blood /birth / f bomb

a/n: this turned out longer than I thought it would be sorry

| main | bucky | rockstardad!bucky |

______________________________________

you're not sure if other people do this but you and bucky made a bet to see who would freak out more when you went into labour. bucky said that he would be really chill because he isn't the one giving birth. he was convinced that he wouldn't be out of his mind, you thought completely opposite.

in order to prove you that he would be chill and not scared at all he had read every single thing he could find on labour pregnancy and parenting. you can't lie and say you have read as much not even half of that but you assumed everything would be fine - women do this all the time.

bucky really loved taking care of you, the cravings the foot massages and he didn't even mind the huge pregnancy pillow that took 90% of the bed. he always wanted to be a father and he was so happy.

bucky never missed the doctors appointment, like not a single one. He always had a notebook with him, as he is a songwriter so the notebook would have lyrics on one side and on the other recommended food for you or the vitamins or the dates of the next appointment- which you found very cute.

a week before your due date, bucky was losing it, he tried to not let it show but damn it was so hard - the amount of times he called your OB was borderline insane.

"honey I think you asked the OB every single question there is. are you calling her now again?"

you don't even know what was he worried about now - he's been worried for the last 9 months so.

"no i'm not calling her. i'm just checking if we need to do or prepare something for the hospital. you're really close to your due date we should be prepared you know doll."

"what more could we prepare for the hospital honey? I think the three bags of clothes for me and two bags for the baby and another two for dipers and towels and four pillows are perfectly fine. too much if you ask me."

bucky rolls his eyes, what if they need something and they don't have it? was it so bad to be extra prepared. and yes he did pack the bags two weeks ago - so what.

"can't be too prepared if you ask me. right baby boy, can't wait to meet you. you're not gonna let me sleep huh we will be best of friends. gonna have to let mommy rest she's been so brave and strong. you got best mom in the world, trust me."

bucky lays his head on your belly and talks to his son, you're going to miss this, but you can not wait for him to just get out it's been too long and you need to sleep on your stomach soon.

you don't expect it but two days later you wake up in pain, it's nothing you've felt before and you realise it's happening.

"shit bucky wake up." you shake your husband and he doesn't even stir.

"fuck. wake up your son decided to be early and we need to go to the hospital." bucky finally wakes up and looks at you standing and dressing yourself.

"what?"

"i'm in labor get up."

bucky jumps from the bed and gets tangled up in sheets so he falls head first.

"you're in labor now!? are you sure?" you give your husband a death glare.

"am I sure? of course, i'm sure i'm literally nine months pregnant and this shit fucking hurts so hurry up."

bucky doesn't even get dressed he just puts on a shirt and helps you walk to the car and he tries to open the car door but they won't open.

"it won't open!" bucky pulls on the door.

"bucky the car keys where are the car keys?"

"fuck the car keys!" realisation hits him that he didn't even bring the car keys so he runs back to the house not without quickly kissing you and telling you he'll be back in a second.

more than five minutes pass and you think you're about to deliver a baby in front of your house then you see bucky running out.

"I got them let's go." Bucky finally puts you into the car and drives.

"breathe baby, breathe. 1...2...3..." you tell bucky who literally forgot how to breathe and blink and you don't want him to pass out while driving.

"you breathe I should be telling you this! FUCK OFF!" bucky yells at the red light, he looks at you and then the red light and repeats that until its green again.

you're counting the time between contractions and they are getting closer and closer luckly the hospital is not far.

"my wife is in labor!" bucky screams as soon as he walks into the hospital.

" hun, please don't yell." you say as calmly as you can.

"ma'am please come with me." a nurse offers the wheelchair and wheels you to the room.

"sir are you okay?" the nurse asks when she hears heavy breathing coming from your husband - his breathing is louder than yours which makes you laugh.

bucky is holding your hand trying to calm down, it's really happening.

"hate you so much." you groan and tell bucky who has finally come to his senses.

bucky realised that he can't do this panic thing right now you need him so he pushes every bit of his worry and all his attention is on you.

"i know i know. you're doing so good doll."

bucky holds your hand wipes the sweat from your face, kisses your head softly.

"congratulations! a healthy baby boy!."

bucky is pulled away to cut the cord and the little baby boy is put on your chest for skin to skin contact.

the big blue eyes look at you and you're looking at him and then at bucky.

bucky starts crying.

"you did it. he's here. he's so beautiful i love him so much. and I love you thank you."

bucky kisses your forehead and then gently his sons.

"our little star. he's really here." buckys eyes are full of tears.

"uh just so we're on the same page I win the 500 bucks?"

"doll, you literally just birth another human being and you're thinking about a bet?"

"i won though!" bucky laughs because he's the one that won the greatest prize ever - you.

"darling, i'll give you double if you go rest now."

and you do, it's not like you care about the money that much you just like to win.

[THE END]

extras

calling uncle steve:

b: yo punk you're an uncle now.

s: wait what!? now? he's here?

b: yes get ur ass to the hospital

steve almost teleports to the hospital

calling fairygodfather sam:

b: fairy godfather your presence is required

sam: *sobs* ill be there in 5 and no i'm not crying something in my eye

[likes comments and reblogs are appreciated]

asks are open if you have any questions or feedback!

[call-me-a-simp]

No one hates you more than I do!

Locked Up (Part 1)

Enemies to lovers (Rhea Ripley x fem. Reader):

You're a well known wrestler in WWE and Rhea is your worst enemy. You hate each other in and outside of the ring. Rhea always flirts with you, not that she means it, she just knows it makes you furious and wants to annoy you. But one day everything changes and you start to feel like all of this isn't a joke anymore and that there might actually be something between you two.

You're walking backstage, just wanting to find the next best sink to wash your face. You challenged Asuka for her Women's Championship title and lost because she used her poison mist attack and you couldn't see well for the rest of the match.

"Hey y/l/n" you hear a familiar voice shout in your direction. Of course it had to be her, you think to yourself. "Leave me alone idiot" you snap back. You hated her, you were sworn enemies and she never missed an opportunity to let you know that.

"Aw someone's mad" she mocks you. "Argh Rhea please, I just want to go to the fucking bathroom to wash my fucking face" you say and try to push past her.

"Ye ye, let me help you" she says and picks you up in one swift motion. "Hey!" you yell. "Rhea Ripley, you're letting me down right now or we're gonna have a serious problem!" you try to wind free from her grip, hitting your fists against her back and kicking with your legs but to no avail.

Rhea chuckles at your efforts, she knew how much you hated getting picked up, especially if it was from her. You try to open your eyes a little to see if there's someone who could help you and spot a tall man in black ring gear.

"Hey Damian! Tell your stupid friend to let me the fuck down!" you shout over to him. "Sorry Bae, gotta go" he winks and walks over to the gorilla. You mutter something inaudible and eventually just accept that Rhea is carrying you over her shoulder now.

As you reach the bathroom she let's you down roughly and you stumble backwards, hitting a sink. "Thanks for nothing" you grumble, not realising that Ripley already closed the door and locked it from the outside, making it impossible for you to get out again on your own.

You try to wash off the poison mist from your face and out of your eyes. It burns heavily and tears are streaming down your cheeks but you had to get it out, not wanting to risk any long term injuries.

Several minutes later you finally had a somewhat clear vision again. Your face was still green and black from the mist Asuka used on you. Your make up everywhere but where it used to be and your eyes red from crying and rubbing.

You just wanted to get out of here, change into some comfortable clothes and get home into bed. You walk over to the door, just to find it locked. You try to open it, rattling the lock and throwing yourself against the door but it doesn't move even a bit.

"God damn it" you curse under your breath. "Rhea! RHEA! LET ME THE FUCK OUT OF HERE!" you scream. "took you longer to notice than I expected" you hear her laugh outside. "sorry sweety but I can't do anything, I lost the key. Well, see ya!" she chirms and walks away.

"What?! No, NO LET ME OUT! HELP!" you scream on top of your lungs. You hated being locked in some tiny room. Not only that, but your claustrophobia didn't exactly make it any better.

You kept screaming but no one seemed to hear you, nor walk past the door. You wondered where she put you, in which part of the building you where and eventually just gave up, sitting down on the floor crying until no more tears were left and you sat in silence.

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

You didn't know how long you stayed in that room but it must have been hours. The sounds of the people in the arena had stopped since the show probably ended. You hear footsteps approaching the door and get new hope.

"Hello? Can anybody hear me? I need help, I'm locked in here!" you shout and bang against the door with your hands. The person outside stops, probably confused until you hear them knock on the door. "Hello? You in there?" you hear the janitor outside. His voice rusty and old, probably because he was smoking so much.

"Yes, yes please, can you open the door?" you plead, glad someone finally found you. The janitor was a very nice man in his late 60's, you liked him, he always brought a smile on your face as he knew exactly what to say to cheer you up.

The lock clicks and he opens the door." Oh my god thank you!" you sigh and hug him. "Woah Woah, how long have you been in there kid, it's almost two in the morning!" he chuckles, but you can still see the concern written in his face in the dimly lit hallway of the basement.

So that's where she took me, you think before explaining to your savior how you ended up there. "Thank you so much again, good night Joe" you say as you leave to find your locker room.

You're glad Joe found you, you don't even want to imagine having to spend the whole night in there without food or anything to change, having to lay on that uncomfortable, dirty floor. Oh Rhea is gonna regret this, this time she won't come away with it.

Maybe you could report her to Triple H, your boss. But on the other hand, what if everybody thinks you're weak then, reporting your coworker for a little incident which can be seen as an accident. No, you weren't going to take that risk, there has to be another way.

You enter your locker room, quickly change into comfortable clothing and wipe off your makeup and the remains of Asuka's poison mist. You grab your bag and keys and head out to at least get a little rest before tomorrow.

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Part one of my new series No One Hates You More Than I Do, hope you like it. I'm planning on making longer chapters than in the last story. Again, comment if you wanna be added to the taglist, as I deleted the last one, not knowing who wants to be tagged in this one too.

And also, look at that picture I found of Mami 😍

Taglist: @specialinterestshows

[ghostwrittten]

Simon 'Ghost' Riley

A oneshot in which Ghost comes home.

Soft!Ghost, fluffy applogetic Ghost.

You smile for the first time in a while because Simon is finally coming home after being out on duty and you decided to do something special for the two of you.

So you lit candles all around your shared apartment and made a nice dinner for the both of you to share. Candle lit and home made its never been so romantic.

Simon has never been one to enjoy going out, he's very much of a homebody and you know that. Infact you know pretty much everything about him, and he's all you can think of when he's away on duty. But he's taken leave and he should be home any minute now.

You stand by the door and wait for him to arrive checking your watch, watching the seconds tick on the clock. And as the minutes go by you seem to realize that he's not coming. And by hour 3 of waiting you seem to realise that he's not coming.

You blow out the candles and throw the food into the trash. The tears brimming in your eyes on the verge of a breakdown. Because you start to worry about him. You've never worried about anyone as much as you worry about him and this is not helping.

You decide to just go to bed and hope he comes home. You lay in bed for a few hours until you fall asleep unable to mentally think of anything other than him.

"Y/N..." you awake to the deep British voice of your one and only, Simon. Your eyes shoot open and you jump into his arms. You start to cry.

"I thought you were gone for a minute there." He had never given you a scare like that before he would always call, or do something atleast.

"I know, love..." He rests his head on top of yours "I got caught up in something." He sighs and let's you go. "I'm sorry for scaring you." He looks deep into your eyes and you can't help but forgive him. Being mad at him would solve nothing.

He sits on the bed next to you "so what were you doing?" You smile at him your eyes still trying to register the light that had just been turned on.

"Well, I was getting something for you. But it took a little longer than expected." He looks into your eyes. "Oh honey I'm sorry but your gonna love it." He then walks out the room and he doesn't come back for about 2 minutes. So you sit and wait knowing he's going to come back.

He then walks in the room with a small white dog in his arms. The dog is clearly excited as it wiggles in Simon's arms. "I got him at the shelter." You sit on the ground and let the dog come over and sniff you, it's rather energetic and you can't help but smile. "Its just, I know how lonely you get when im noy here and-" you stand up and kiss him.

"Thank you, Simon." He kisses you again and then you go back to playing with the dog "whats his name?" You ask as he watches you every so intently.

"Ironically enough, the shelter named him Ghost. Though you can change it if you want." He laughs a bit.

"No I think ghost is a good name for him, it'll make me think of you." You look up and smile at him. You can't help but love the dog instantly.

"But, Love, it is currently 3 in the morning so you need to go back to sleep." He rubs your back and helps you up off the ground and into a tight embrace.

"I love you Simon." You whisper into his chest.

"I love you too..." He gives you a small peck on the lips and then you both climb into the bed after he changes clothes.

"Can we cuddle?" You ask him expectantly knowing the answer will be yes because he loves the thought of protecting you in his arms all night.

"Of course we can, Lovie." His puts his arms around you and you too start to spoon your away into a peaceful sleep that the two of you haven't had since you've been away from one another.

The dog jumps onto the bed aswell and ends up sleeping at the end of the bed and Simon later insists that you shouldn't let him do that, but you do anyways and he doesn't really care that much.

[thehangeddemon]

Birthday Boy || Roiel || July 29, 2023

Ariel: {Text from Ariel to Rohan} You still comin to my party?

Rohan: {Text to Ariel} Of course I am

{Text to Ariel} How could I stand up my boyfriend on his birthday?

Ariel: {Text} Living across the country for one

{Text} That's your favorite word now

Rohan: {Text} I told you distances were never long in my world

{Text} It's yours too, don't try and fool me

Ariel: {Text} And lover. Baby. Sweet thing.

{Text} What time you arrive at JFK?

Rohan: {Text} What if I told you I wasn't arriving at JFK

Ariel: {Text} LGA?

Rohan: Rohan took a deep breath.

{Text} Do you remember the question you asked me when you saw my bracelet?

Ariel: {Text} Whatever you're gonna say can we say on FaceTime or something?

Rohan: {Text} Okay

The moment Ariel received that text, he would be getting a video call from a slightly disheveled looking Rohan.

Ariel: And Rohan would see his man, shirtless, with a toothbrush in his mouth.

"Oh, one sec!"

Rohan: Rohan immediately grinned. So cute.

"Take your time."

Ariel: If he had to admit, he didn't believe Rohan had any idea what FaceTime was. Had expected this call to take longer. That was on him.

The faucet was turned on, turned off. He appeared on camera a moment later with a grin.

"Hi."

Rohan: No matter his age, Abel and Ramsay were always determined that Rohan not be a clueless old man. Never mind that they weren't that much younger than he was.

"Hi. Bad time?"

Ariel: "I suggested this!" he laughed. He took a seat on the bedroom floor, next to a bunch of computer parts by his desk.

"Just felt like it was gonna get serious."

Rohan: Rohan shook his head. “Not necessarily. Maybe for someone else but we…have a different understanding of how the world works and what exists in it.”

Ariel: Ariel rested his cheek in his hand. "You know... I was told I shouldn't talk about that kinda thing on the phone period."

Rohan: “We don’t have to, in so many words. Let’s just say…that I’ll be at your loft quicker than one might expect.”

Ariel: "I love the way you talk. You know that?"

Rohan: “Do I sound like a book?”

Ariel: "People in books talk like people," he laughed. "I guess... I guess you talk like... I dunno. Like a European professor."

Rohan: Rohan’s smile was far softer and more emotional than such a comment warranted. He almost felt the need to turn away so Ariel wouldn’t see.

“Why thank you.”

Ariel: Perception versus wit. Rohan had asked that question specifically. Someone had said the same? Maybe just doubted his own habits. Hmm.

"So I'm not picking you up anywhere?"

Rohan: He shook his head. "Nope. Just tell me when to be at your loft and I'll be there."

Ariel: "Can be here right now. Just putting together my PC. The bartender gets here at, like, 4-something, people get here at 5. We're all going to Embers after."

Rohan: "All right. I'll get ready and be there soon. I have to wash the cobwebs out of my hair."

Ariel: It appeared for a split-second Ariel had taken the comment literally. He then waved his hand and his naivete away.

"Get outta here. Hey! Are you staying over?"

Rohan: Rohan's grin was practically mischievous. He couldn't wait to see the look on Ariel's face when he made good on his word and appeared at his door in the next hour.

"Would you like me to?"

Ariel: "Yeah, of course!" How long from their first meeting until now? A week? Two? Felt like months.

Rohan: It had been about two but Rohan felt the same. It seemed like much, much longer which in turn made him feel like a teenager wanting to be around his crush all the time.

"I'll pack an overnight bag then."

Ariel: Ariel visibly perked. He wanted nothing more than to tell Rohan to skip the shower. Shower here. Shower with him. He didn't know what was stopping him, other than wanting to present some modicum of patience.

And when he should have spoken, he hadn't, because imagining Rohan wet from head to toe was all he could see. Had to shake his head to shoo away the thought.

"Kay. Wanna just stay on the phone? Can put you on the desk."

Rohan: Rohan was no telepath, but he didn't need to be one to guess where Ariel's mind had gone. Or to feel incredibly pleased about it.

He was definitely turning back into a teenager.

"Sure, I'll put you back on speaker while I shower."

Ariel: "Get the camera at a good angle!" just escaped his mouth without a second of consideration.

Rohan: Rohan laughed. "You're going to have to settle for your imagination. Besides, aren't you supposed to be putting together your PC?"

Ariel: "Aw come on, really?" he laughed.

Rohan: "Wouldn't you rather see me fully naked for the first time in person and not through a camera?"

Ariel: "Baby I'm not picky." He ducked his head, mumbling, "Just miss you."

Rohan: Sweet boy.

"You get an angle from the chest up and nothing more, since you've already seen that much. Does that take the sting out of missing me?"

Ariel: "Did you forget being in my mouth?" His cheek was back in the palm of his hand.

Rohan: "I couldn't forget if an anvil fell on my head."

Flashes of Rohan's cabin would be seen as he made his way to the bathroom. He set his phone on the little shelf above his towel rack and turned to start the shower.

Ariel: Ariel did nothing for a time, observing the fleeting surroundings before being set aside. Once the shower began running did he reluctantly turn back to his scattered pieces of computer.

Rohan: Although Rohan had said that he’d only give Ariel an angle from the chest up, having his phone on the towel rack widened the angle and gave his DJ a view encompassing most of his torso.

Rohan stripped, tossed his clothes in the hamper, and got in. Not two minutes later, however, he paused with a surprised yelp.

Ariel: Maybe it was teasing, playing hard to get. Maybe it was Rohan being shy, but Ariel couldn't understand why. Little thoughts that were as quick as a snap while looking for his magnetic screwdriver.

The yelp had him facing the camera again.

"Baby?"

Rohan: Rohan was frozen with his hands in his hair but one of his hands was moving. It almost looked like he was scratching his head. Almost.

“I think there’s a spider in my hair. I’m trying to get it.”

Ariel: "Fucking what?!" There was nothing he could do! What the hell was he supposed to do? He laughed, is what he did, one of those incredulous, nervous laughs.

"Throw your head down and fucking shake that shit!"

Rohan: “I told you I had to wash cobwebs out of my hair!” Now that the surprise had passed, there was genuine humor in Rohan’s voice.

“She might drown if I do that. Oh, there we go.” Carefully, he closed his fingers around the spider and pulled her out of his hair. Luckily, the bathroom’s only window was against the walls of the shower so opening it and putting the spider outside was easy.

“Go on, little thing,” he said to the spider.

Ariel: "Yeah!" That was entirely the point! Get her off and away! "I thought you were just being dramatic!" Let that be a lesson to him to take Rohan's words more literally.

"You just - You just held a fucking spider."

Rohan: “I was serious!” he chuckled as he closed the window again. “The cat chased a squirrel into the attic, it was a whole thing.”

Back to wetting his hair properly. “It was just a little one, she wasn’t going to hurt me. Are you afraid of them?”

Ariel: "Yeah, man, I guess so! No spiders, no snakes! No creepy crawlies!"

Ariel looked back to his computer. There was no way he was getting this done yet.

"Your cat?" he asked, picking up the phone and bringing it downstairs to the kitchen.

Rohan: “Rossmara’s cat,” he said, lathering up his hair. “I was working up at the main house when the slapstick started.”

The fact that this big strong man didn’t like bugs made Rohan smile. “I’ll rescue you from all the creepy crawlies, don’t worry.”

Ariel: "Gee, thanks." But he would be grateful, one night when he least expected it. And it would be fucking romantic, of course.

"So you don't got a dog? Cat?" A yogurt was pulled from his fridge.

Rohan: “No but I’m starting to really want a cat. I’ve always liked them, just haven’t had one since I was little.” Maybe he’d go down the shelter one of these days and see if any cats took a liking to him.

Ariel: "Like any cat, or you want a Garfield?"

The phone was placed on the opposite counter, taking a seat by the sink.

Rohan: “I’m not picky. Was just thinking that I should go to a shelter and see if any of the cats they have like me.”

Ariel: "Had dogs growing up. Not mine. My grandparents. I mean... they were ours but they weren't mine. They were Papa's uh..." His voice trailed, staring at his yogurt. A sudden wash of self-consciousness took over. He couldn't explain it. Felt like he was talking too much.

"Uh, yeah. Goldies."

Rohan: Rohan was smiling for all he was worth, enjoying hearing Ariel speak. It was shame that his DJ felt like he had to cut himself off, however.

Nothing some encouragement couldn’t help.

“How many? What were their names?”

Ariel: "Uh, two. Mimi and Drew." He smiled to himself, cleared his throat. Why did he suddenly feel naked? Even that wouldn't bother him as much as this alien feeling.

"You had cats growing up?"

Rohan: “Cute.” Rohan slathered conditioner in his hair and shut the water off while he washed the rest of himself.

“I did. When I was about six I took in a gray tabby I found by the railroad. I named her Jasper. Then there was Agatha. She was black and white and just appeared in our yard one day when I was in junior high.”

Ariel: Ariel looked up from his yogurt. Of course Rohan would take in strays, but the man he had met the night at the club seemed the type to get whatever he wanted.

"Why's the water off?"

Rohan: "So the conditioner doesn't get rinsed out of my hair before it should," he said, disappearing from view while he scrubbed his legs.

"The last cat we had when I was growing up was Rat Bastard. He was a big black cat with this face that always looked mildly displeased."

Ariel: "So... a shelter, huh?" He finished his yogurt and hopped down from the counter. "I could go with you. Not telling you what to do, just... see what you pick."

Rohan: Rohan popped back up with a smile. "I was hoping you would. I was going to invite you along but I'm glad you beat me to the punch."

Ariel: "That's all the way in Cali." He was going through the process of plane tickets and time off when he remembered what Rohan had said. The very reason he would be here soon.

"I'm screwing around. Come on." Back upstairs to the desktop. He realized as he sat back down that what was making him fidget was the lack of music. He'd have to live with it, because there was no way he was hanging up on a shower scene.

"Hey, look at me real quick?"

Rohan: “That’s not a problem.” Provided that Ariel didn’t react horribly to the notion of magic or magical travel.

He turned the water back on and began rinsing himself off as Ariel went upstairs, mind already in his closet and trying to decide what to wear. Maybe Ariel could help him choose.

“What is it?” he asked, turning to his phone.

Ariel: "Thanks." Rohan would hear a shutter sound, followed by a giggle. Ariel was most definitely not doing anything else.

"You're hot, baby. Your hair in your face. Gimme a kiss!"

Rohan: “Ariel!” Rohan laughed, pushing wet hair out of his face. “Don’t make me put my phone on speaker and wear a turtleneck to your birthday.”

Ariel: "What?" Only his eyes could be seen, hiding his shit-eating grin.

"I'll be good! I'll be good! Look. I'm over here. I got my screwdriver! My dick is definitely not in my hand. See!" Both hands and a screwdriver!

Rohan: Rohan leaned in close to his phone and squinted. “You saying it’s not in your hand doesn’t mean it’s not out.”

The shower went off and he reached for his towel. The shower show was over.

Ariel: "Do you not want my dick out?" Ariel bit his lip.

Rohan: “I didn’t say that,” Rohan said thoughtfully as he wrapped his towel around his waist. He was smiling to himself. “But if you wait…”

Ariel: "How you want me to wait? Like this?"

Rohan was placed on the end of the bed. Allowing him to see his man in just his sweatpants.

"Want me like this?" He pulled at his waistband just enough to expose what looking at Rohan had caused. He looked down at himself and back to the camera, bit his lip again.

Rohan: That face was living breathing sin. Ariel had absolutely no business looking like that when Rohan was still so far away from him.

How was he ever going to look at his phone with a straight face again?

“You’re going to kill me.”

Ariel: His mouth opened, ready to say something completely inappropriate, but laughed instead, at himself and what he had done to his brand-new boyfriend. He was stupid-giddy happy.

"Come on, baby. You remember the code to get in?"

Rohan: And that laugh? Entirely too cute. Completely unacceptable.

“I remember it. What do you want me to wear? Don’t say nothing.”

Ariel: "Ah - damn." He laughed again. "Uh... Staying for a while, so just bring what you like." Because he wanted to know what that looked like. "What you think looks sexy on you?"

Rohan: “I don’t aim for sexy when I get dressed.” He set his phone on top of his dresser and left it facing the ceiling to tease the man on the other end of the line.

Ariel: "What am I looking at that's definitely not you?"

Rohan: “My bedroom ceiling.” Would Ariel be able to hear his smile?

Ariel: "I'm not dating your ceiling fan!" he laughed.

Rohan: “Let it keep you company while I get dressed! I’ll still be here talking to you.”

Ariel: "You really don't think you're sexy?" No longer being able to see Rohan was enough of a cut off to get him back to work on the mess on his floor.

Rohan: “Not really? I’ve never thought of myself that way.”

A nice shirt, nice pants, and a jacket. Less formal than a suit but still appropriate for the occasion.

The outfit was laid out on his bed and to give his hair a chance to dry a little, he gathered the rest of what he would need.

Ariel: "I'm gonna kick your ex's ass. There's no way." He had already thought about that night one. Starting at the diner. There was no way someone as fine as Rohan felt as shitty as he did about himself all on his own. Someone had done this to him.

"Don't forget your toothbrush," he whispered into the mic.

Rohan: “There’s no need for such extremes. Some people just don’t see themselves as sexy, that’s all. I don’t think I should be locked in a bell tower or anything like that.” His image of himself wasn’t that poor.

“Toothbrush,” he repeated, heading back into the bathroom.

Ariel: "Hey, Guasi-whats-his-face had a nice... eye."

He couldn't see what was happening but assumed Rohan had disappeared into the bathroom.

There was one way to test this.

How about a nice, soft, submissive moan.

Rohan: “Quasimodo. And yes, he did.”

Ariel’s little test was met with the sound of something clattering as it hit the floor. But Rohan wouldn’t give in! He wouldn’t rush to see what his DJ was doing!

“Build your PC!” he called.

Ariel: A sigh! "Fine! Almost done! Just installing a new fan." And a new keyboard still in its box, but never mind that.

"What fell?"

Rohan: “My comb.” His voice sounded closer now; he was back in his room.

Sans towel, but Ariel didn’t need to know that. Rohan was about to get dressed anyway.

Ariel: "You got five minutes before I'm putting my hand down my pants." Because now he knew what that did to his man. This was going to be his favorite weapon.

Rohan: “I need more than five minutes to pack and look nice for you. I don’t even have my underwear on yet.”

Ariel: "Liar. Photos or you're a liar!"

Rohan: “You know what I look like without underwear on!” The sound of a drawer opening and closing and the soft sound of fabric against skin. “There, it’s on.”

Ariel: "You're so shy, baby. It's cute." Could have also been that they had only just started, but that had never stopped anyone in the past.

"Hey, babe?"

Rohan: “I’m not cute. You’re cute.”

Rohan got his pants on and finally saved Ariel from having to look at the ceiling, propping him against the dresser mirror.

“What is it?”

Ariel: This time it would be Rohan with hardly anything worth looking at. Just the curve of Ariel's back as he worked on his PC.

"You'd tell me if I'm being too much?"

Rohan: “What do you mean too much? You haven’t done anything I feel a need to talk to you about.”

Ariel: I don't want to fuck this up. I'm being me, but being me could be too much.

His body had stilled, but after a moment he sighed and smiled.

"If I do... when I do... you can, you know, spank me."

Rohan: “Am I the one who needs to beat up your ex? You don’t have to censor yourself around me. You know that, don’t you? I want you to feel comfortable with me.”

Ariel: "I'm being comfortable. Cross my heart. I just..." He debated for a moment on just telling the truth.

"You're just shy and I don't wanna cross some line I don't know exists yet."

Rohan: “You haven’t,” Rohan assured gently. “I’m a big boy, I know how to speak up when I’m not okay with something. If I feel I need to, I will, okay?”

Ariel: "I promise and you promise?" He couldn't imagine Rohan crossing some unfathomable boundary. Anything outlandish he could think of was just that, something he knew, just knew Rohan wasn't capable of.

"Has it been five minutes yet?"

Rohan: He smiled softly. "I promise, sweet boy." The nickname slipped out before he could stop it and now that it had, there was no taking it back. He just hoped Ariel didn't dislike it too much.

"No, not yet. I need to finish getting ready and pack."

Ariel: Ariel didn't seem to even notice the pet name, as though Rohan had already said it a hundred times before.

"You haven't even packed?" Came as a strained whisper.

Rohan: "A certain DJ who shall remain nameless keeps being naughty and distracting me."

Ariel: "I'm about to be really naughty," was now the threat. "Know why? I'm done with my computer."

Rohan: "I better hurry up then. Think you can survive twenty more minutes without me?"

Ariel: Alas. Their video call was coming to an end. He could try and tempt him. But there was no need for phone sex that would only delay the real thing.

"Yeah fine. I'll see you soon."

Rohan: “I’ll reward you for your patience. See you soon.”

Rohan smiled and ended the call, then texted Ramsay.

He disclosed no information other than he needed to get to Brooklyn—because the less information Ramsay had, the better—and finished getting ready.

Ariel: With no Rohan to distract him, Ariel turned his attention to the electronic keyboard still in its box, leaned up against the desk. A $500 investment he hoped would get more mileage than the cheap forgotten relic he'd finally gotten around to throwing out.

Ariel went downstairs long enough to turn on some music, his rainbow of lights, and hauled back upstairs to tackle his final chore.

Rohan: Rohan had just enough time to finish packing before Ramsay arrived. Despite not having been told any details, Ramsay cheerfully bombarded him with questions about where he was going in Brooklyn and why, all of which Rohan ignored or gave vague answers to.

He knew there wasn’t anything malicious behind the interrogation but even so, he wanted to enjoy his new relationship in private for just a little longer. He didn’t want to share Ariel yet.

Once they arrived in Brooklyn, Rohan sent Ramsay on his merry way and headed to Ariel’s, but not without making a quick pit stop first.

{Text} On my way

{Text} When I knock on your door, close your eyes before you open it okay?

Ariel: {Text} What did you do? 

{Text} Watch it be the bartender

Remembering the real possibility of just that, he slipped on a lavender sleeveless and looked around for anything to tidy up. All chaos was contained upstairs, but still, he could feel those familiar butterflies taking flight in his stomach.

Rohan: "What bartender?" Rohan said to himself as he read Ariel's message, amused.

{Text} You'll see soon enough

'Soon enough' would turn out to be just under five minutes. Hoping that Ariel would do as he requested, Rohan adjusted the load he was carrying and knocked on his boyfriend's door.

When it opened, he would wait a beat or two before telling Ariel to open his eyes and presenting him with a large assorted bouquet of purple flowers in a myriad of shades.

"Happy birthday, Ariel."

Ariel: This was fine. This was fine! Just shy of two weeks wasn't that long at all. It was the longest he'd gone without sex in so long he'd forgotten. Just thinking about Rohan's pale skin and bright eyes was getting him warm.

And there it was, and he was looking at the clock on his phone, perplexed.

"I know you're a witch but that's stupid fast." He was going to cringe if this was in fact the bartender, but surprise surprise...

"Hey, baby!" He wasn't going to ignore those flowers, but he was going to pull Rohan to his lips before acknowledging them.

"That's so sweet. Thanks."

The door was shut behind him, and no sooner were the flowers put on the counter was Rohan in his arms.

Rohan: "I told you it would be," Rohan chuckled. He'd expected--hoped for--a little more fawning over the flowers, but he should've guessed that Ariel would be more excited about him than a bouquet.

He wasn't about to complain though. Oh no, he was going to savor that kiss after two weeks without and squeeze his boyfriend as tightly as he pleased.

"You're welcome." Another kiss. "Hi. I missed you."

Ariel: God, he'd missed those bright eyes so much. The way his hair fell between and shadowed them, paired with that honest smile just made a perfect picture.

"Missed you, baby." Already squeezing Rohan's ass in both hands. He should have asked for him sooner. Should have had him stay the night before. Life was getting in the way.

He didn't notice he'd pressed Rohan's back to the door. Too caught up in stealing kisses.

Rohan: Beyond the joy at being able to see and touch Ariel again, Rohan felt relieved. A part of him had feared that his boyfriend wouldn’t be glad to see him given recent events with Xavier and January, despite the enthusiasm his DJ had showed for him at every turn.

Enthusiasm that was very much met and returned in kind. Just the scent that clung to Ariel was enough to have Rohan humming low in his throat and aching to shed his clothes.

The door? Not even on his radar. There was only Ariel.

Ariel: There was a lot he was trying to push out of sight until they were truly alone. Any minute now they would lose privacy, and he wanted desperately to remain positive until he could no longer bear it. Regardless of circumstances, how he felt seeing Rohan after nearly two weeks was sincere.

Warm hands roamed from Rohan's ass to his abdomen, tugging at his shirt as he slid down, determined to kiss bare skin.

His scent was better than flowers. There was no gift greater than his presence.

Rohan: Reason was at war with Rohan's need. Ariel had mentioned the bartender which meant that he was expecting him soon. Unlike the last time they'd been together, today they didn't have the luxury of time. It was for a good reason as it was Ariel's birthday, but it still meant that they had to rein themselves in.

But those hands and those kisses were so hard to resist and Rohan was only human.

His breath stuttered as his boyfriend's lips met his skin. "How much time do we have?"

Ariel: "Absolutely none," he laughed, gently nipping at tender bare skin with abandon. Not intent in leaving a mark, but it was a love bite just the same.

"Missed you so much."

Rohan: The gasps Ariel elicited dissolved into soft laughter. And Rohan had really doubted that his boyfriend would be glad to see him.

"I missed you, too, sweet boy."

Ariel: All of that doubt for nothing. His flowers were being ignored for what truly mattered.

They were just repeating themselves and Ariel didn't seem to notice, or care. Just making his way back to those lips with abandon with the doorbell rang again.

"Oh shit," he laughed. "I got it. Make yourself at home."

Rohan: Rohan gave a helpless sigh. And just like that, 'soon' came so much sooner than either of them would've liked. They hadn't managed to fit in nearly enough kisses to make up for their time apart but there was always later.

"I'll go put my stuff upstairs." He'd also get himself together because he was certain Ariel had managed to muss him up quite a bit.

Ariel: Ariel held Rohan's hand for as long as he could, letting the witch slip through his fingers before finally opening the door. The bartender, a man of equal height and age, with envious curls and a neutral expression wheeled his precious cargo into the kitchen and set to work with minimal chat.

With the door closing on its own, Ariel excused himself to redress upstairs.

Rohan: Ariel would find Rohan in the bathroom adjusting his clothes and making sure his hair and face didn’t show any signs of what had happened at the door.

He really didn’t want his first impression on Ariel’s friends to be them speculating about the intimacy between them.

“How do I look?” he’d ask when his boyfriend joined him.

Ariel: "Like I done got me a sexy millionaire."

Those arms made their way back around his ribs, giving a playful bite at his neck, growling and laughing.

"You look great, baby. Now I gotta get dressed."

Rohan: “Sweet talker,” Rohan said with a grin, stopping Ariel at one bite and kissing his cheek so they wouldn’t get distracted again.

“Thank you. I’ll leave you to it.”

Ariel: Rohan was just watched, despite the urgency of time. He had plans, ideas, desires, some of which sat on the tip of his tongue. He took his boyfriend's hand and squeezed.

"Hey, I got... I got something for you. Not like, a present, but sorta."

Rohan: Rohan tilted his head curiously and gave Ariel's hand a return squeeze. "Something for me? But it's your birthday. You're the one who should be getting things today."

Ariel: "You're... right. Maybe I shouldn't," he laughed.

Rohan: He brought his DJ's hand to his lips. "You can always give it to me tomorrow. We've got time."

Ariel: How could he get dressed with Rohan so close?

"I should give it to you now, I mean, you need it. It's just... I'm worried it's too soon?"

Rohan: "Well now you've got me intrigued." Something Rohan needed that Ariel was worried about giving him because it was too soon?

Rohan's first thought was that it was a key to the loft, which wouldn't have fazed him in any way were it to be the case, given how expeditiously their relationship had been going thus far. But maybe that was him projecting his desires of domesticity.

Ariel: Something of the sort. Ariel plucked up the courage and walked backwards to the walk-in closet his computer desk leaned against. To a small space where clothes had been moved and pushed aside, just for Rohan.

"I know we got some shit to talk about. Like Dracula showing up and shit, but, like..." He gestured to the closet, to the space, looking back to Rohan with a bitten lip.

Rohan: “Oh,” Rohan said softly, feeling a comforting little tug in his chest as he smiled at the empty space in the closet. Even though he didn’t think Xavier would interfere with their relationship, he and Ariel did have things to talk about and tell each other that were important.

But right now? Right now he was going to let himself enjoy this thoughtful gesture.

Rohan stepped closer and gave Ariel a kiss. “Thank you.”

Ariel: A kiss returned in kind. Rohan's face was taken in both hands, tongue gently yet eagerly offered. He could work himself up with just a kiss, but they had things to do. Or well, he did.

"Make yourself at home, baby. Okay?"

Rohan: That was exactly why he tried to keep the kiss as short and sweet as he could. Still, he couldn’t manage to resist offering a second one as he nodded.

“Okay. I’ll put my things away while the bartender sets up.”

Ariel: "Yep. Want some water? Got bottles in the fridge." In case Rohan didn't want to socialize with the temporary help.

In the meantime, he was fingering through his formal selection in the closet. Nothing but polos and a handful of button-downs.

Rohan: “I’ll go down and get one when I’m done.” Rohan didn’t mind socializing. He would’ve felt a lot more nervous about being here if he did.

He opened his bag and started getting his things out. “Can’t decide what to wear?”

Ariel: "Not really." A purple button-down and a navy blue polo were pulled to examine.

Rohan: “I’d go with a button-down over a polo personally.”

Ariel: "Says the man wearing... What is that?" he chuckled. "Flannel? Really don't like suits, huh?"

Rohan: “Just cotton. Would I have been able to peel you off of me if I’d worn a suit, Mr. DJ?”

Ariel: "Nah. Barely peeling me off now," he grinned.

"Guess I like my polos." But he was putting it back. Pulling his sleeveless over head and tossing past the door.

First, some cologne, then he'd dress.

"Nervous?"

Rohan: “Exactly,” Rohan chuckled. “It was a matter of practicality and the fact that I don’t normally wear suits.”

He shook his head. “Not really, no. I’m sure I’ll get along fine with your friends.”

Ariel: Maybe he'd have him back in a suit before he was out the door again. If only for the pleasure of removing himself.

"Wanna pre-game? Or you want, uh, a briefing? Like... Some names and shit?"

Rohan: Rohan nodded and said, “Yes, please. To the briefing. Is it mostly people you know through work?”

Ariel: "Work, play," he laughed, "gym."

But his smile was stuck a moment, staring at the ground before looking up.

"How... are you gonna feel if someone I've slept with shows up?"

Rohan: “I’m not going to make a scene if that’s what worries you.” He shrugged and gave Ariel a patient smile. “Lots of people stay friends with their exes. It’s not a big deal.”

Ariel: "I didn't think you'd - no. Just if you don't want em there. Don't wanna meet anyone."

His patient smile was met with something almost apologetic.

"Some don't know. Just... don't freak out if I bring someone upstairs. That's gonna be me talking it out."

The fact that he said some only just hit him.

"What I did before, I don't wanna bring it into us. That make sense?"

Rohan: Whether it was some or only one didn’t really make a difference to Rohan. Everyone had a past, and he wasn’t about to begrudge or judge Ariel for his.

He nodded and took one of Ariel’s hand to bring to his lips.

“It does. You don’t have to feel bad about it, Ariel. I don’t mind meeting them or anyone else you’ve invited tonight. They’re your friends, they’re a part of your life.”

Ariel: "The day something really bothers you... " He shook his head, worry and humor behind his eyes. The idea was taken seriously, but not strongly enough to dampen the mood. It was a promise of appreciation.

"Some names... okay, so, Collier and Collin, step-brothers, sound tech guys. You're gonna mix up their names but not their faces. When you know, you know. Bringing their girlfriends I think. There's Solo, Harry, Konan, Matteo, Alexi, Diego - um... do you... do you wanna know the exes names?" The word had a very loose interpretation here.

Rohan: Rohan filed the list of names away to put faces to them later. The stepbrothers immediately stood out, solely because the notion of two people not blood related but having similar names and then becoming related piqued his interest.

He gave Ariel an encouraging nod. “Go ahead.”

Ariel: Ariel had never been one for shame, but Rohan wasn't a fuck buddy, nor a friend with benefits; it was his status that gave him pause.

The only way forward was with honesty. Whether it was true or not, it was how he wanted to proceed.

"I've fucked... Solo, Matteo, and Diego. Alexi's kissed me, but we were drunk and she's never brought it up, but that happened."

Rohan: Ariel’s honesty was rewarded with another kiss to his hand, followed by a whisper-soft one to his lips.

He felt no jealousy or upset because he had no reason to. His relationship with Ariel was separate from Ariel’s past and from his own and besides, there was no shame in simply having lived. Who was he—or anyone—to judge his boyfriend for having sex and being human?

“Okay,” he said with a nod. “Thank you for telling me.”

Ariel: "You're really cool with everything?" Just had to pause and bring Rohan back into his arms.

Rohan: He wrapped his arms around Ariel’s waist and nodded. “I am, I promise. I don’t mind meeting them and I have no intention of being rude to them.”

Ariel: "I didn't think you would be, baby. If anyone treats you like shit, a bad look, you'll tell me?"

Rohan: “I’ll tell you if I get treated poorly. I can forgive a nasty look or two.” He nuzzled Ariel’s cheek. “I’d also kick myself if I let you go.”

Ariel: Forgive him for not catching that. "What?" he smiled, nuzzling in.

Rohan: “If I were a pettier man and I was dumb enough to let you go, I’d probably also give your new boyfriend a nasty look if I happened to meet him.”

Ariel: That took him a moment, call it hunger or stupidity, but when it dawned on him, it showed. A gentle scoff and a shake of his head.

"Shut up," was immediately followed by a sweet kiss.

Rohan: Rohan laughed. Had he succeeded in breaking the tension Ariel was feeling? Probably not, but hopefully he’d at least given him a second or two of reprieve.

“Finish getting ready, I’m going to go downstairs.”

Ariel: Again, letting Rohan slip from his fingers before turning away to finish.

The bartender only glanced his way, stacking hexagonal disposable cups on the kitchen counter.

"You want Soju or a cocktail?"

Rohan: He greeted the bartender with a nod and a smile that very nearly faltered at the mention of soju.

“Cocktail please. I’d rather not have to be peeled off the ceiling today.”

Ariel: "Classy Daiqi, Dark n'Stormy, or Cuba Libre?"

Rohan: “Dark and stormy.”

Ariel: Yet another nod, and a bottle of dark rum was flipped from the table to his hand. Rum and Soju was the theme tonight. Birthday boy's choice. Soon to join downstairs with freshly tousled hair, hands smoothing over his half-tucked button-down.

"Getting started?"

Rohan: “I am,” he said, smiling again at the sight of his boyfriend. Looking at Ariel was so much better than reliving his last experience in a Seoul bar with Abel and Ramsay while he watched the bartender mix his drink.

“You look amazing.”

Ariel: "You picked the shirt." Zero hesitation in kissing his neck in front of the bartender.

Rohan's order was placed on the table just as a knock hammered on the door. Ariel snatched the remote to change the music as he opened the door. A man in clear glasses shouted a greeting, grabbing Ariel by the shoulders into a hug. The woman beside him laughed, pushing both men out of the way to squeeze through.

Her smile faltered only a split second at the new face, adjusting her sequined shirt as she sized him up, turning back to the pair at the door.

"Got started without us?"

"We just got started. I don't even have a drink. Uh," Ariel gestured to Rohan, "Guys, this is Rohan." He pointed to each one. "Matteo and Alexi."

"Sup, man?"

Rohan: “Looks like I made the right choice,” he said, looking mighty pleased with himself as he accepted the affection. And the drink, with another nod of thanks.

The smile on Rohan’s face at this first pair of arrivals was friendly and polite, though lacking in the warmth that Ariel would’ve become accustomed to. It wasn’t out of hostility, however. Merely unfamiliarity.

Rohan greeted Alexi and Matteo with a nod reminiscent of Xavier Atlas. “Nice to meet you both.”

Ariel: That nod made Ariel blink, but no eyes were upon him to notice. Before he could close the door, a pair of shoulders as wide as the frame blotted the hallway light. Slaps were exchanged to shoulders as the towering figure stepped in, taking the remote from Ariel's hand.

"He find you out in West Virginia?" Matteo teased, offering the only hand he would receive tonight.

Rohan: Rohan took the offered hand and shook, suddenly reminded of a business associate of Xavier’s that was rather trying to deal with. It was something about Matteo’s voice.

“I found him actually,” he said perfectly pleasantly, sipping his drink.

Ariel: "Huh." He had a few things to say, but Collin had pulled him into a playful slap and shove, shaking his thorns loose.

"Sup?" Came the newest greeting from a baritone with a smile.

Rohan: He immediately liked this man more than Matteo, and his answering smile reflected it.

“Hey. I’m Rohan.”

Ariel: "Collin." And Collier wasn't far behind. Ariel's words would make sense seeing the two side-by-side. One dark complexion, one Gothically pale. Collin was monstrously broad; Collier no larger than Rohan.

Baby brother's smile accentuated his many facial piercings. His sharp blue eyes were a complete contrast to the nearly black depth of Collin's. Collier only gave a nod, saying nothing.

"This here's Collier, my bro."

Rohan: Ah, now he understood what Ariel had meant. The two brothers couldn’t have more different if they’d tried, which only made the similarity of their names more fascinating.

“Hello,” Rohan said to Collier, returning his nod. Some of the warmth was returning to his demeanor but so far, it was only for these two brothers.

Ariel: Alexi and Matteo were busy with the bartender, talking amongst themselves and keeping Ariel's attention. That had been the plan all along since hearing the news of some boyfriend. Not spoken aloud, of course, not even to each other. An unspoken rule; no one in their group pined for marriage. That nuclear family bullshit wasn't on anyone's radar.

"So, what do you do?" Collin asked.

Rohan: Rohan thought nothing of being ignored. It was natural for Ariel’s friends to prefer his company and regardless of how they felt about Rohan, he was the one that would still be by Ariel’s side at the end of the night.

The petty part of him felt just a little bit smug about that.

“I manage operations for a shipping and import company. Not terribly exciting but I get to travel a lot. And you?”

Ariel: "We're audio engineers. Got our own company. Don't think you'll need our card," he laughed.

Collier simply smiled and turned his attention to the bartender, still not saying a word, only to turn back a second later and offer that very card.

Another knock on the door. Alexi was quick to open. More and more began trickling in. Ariel wouldn't be back in his arms for some time, but others were migrating throughout the house, and giving their greeting nods to the new face.

Rohan: Rohan took the card and offered his own. You never knew when you were going to require the expertise of an audio engineer or, on the flip side, when you were going to need to ship something discreetly.

Although he wasn’t usually one for parties, Rohan was having a nice time talking and drinking with whoever showed interest in interacting with him. If he did get any nasty looks, they would be met with either a neutral smile or ignored altogether.

Ariel: The majority of unsavory looks came from the original duo, but they were not the only ones, and of the fifteen Ariel had expected, ten more slipped in and out of the apartment. Some disappearing for the rooftop lounge, others migrating upstairs to the bathroom and sitting on the bed. Nothing that gave Ariel pause, until a man as pale as his shirt leaned into his arm, whispering in his ear words that caused a shiver, shaking his refusal.

It was Collin and Collier that kept Rohan's company. The one named Harry stuck out like a sore thumb, looking every bit as country as the name Spokane. He pushed up his glasses and talked just a little too loudly, nearly cheek-to-cheek to be heard over the music, wanting to know Rohan's entire life story.

Rohan: Country was comfortable for Rohan. He could relate to country. So of course he was happy to regale Harry and the brothers with stories of growing up in Romania and Washington and whatever else they wanted to know that he felt safe sharing. He had stories for days and he was sure they did as well.

The good conversation and pleasant company and the warmth that had returned to his demeanor as a result were the best shield against the nastiness coming from those who were making their disapproval of him known. Misery loved company but it wasn’t going to come from him. He was far too old to play that game.

Ariel: Harry hung on to every word. An unlit cigarette brought to his lips and forgotten. He could hardly relate to Goth Collier and Athlete Collin, but he knew Washington better than any stranger in this room, and could trade stories of fishing and how the hell he had ended up in New York. A familiar story to Ariel. Following romantic obligations and learning to live with the consequences.

"This is, like, my only day off. In eight hours I'm back out there saving idiots from themselves."

"Where's Cheryl?" Collin asked.

Harry shrugged. "Overtime."

"Divorce rate with first responders is like seventy-five percent," Collier muttered.

"Thanks for that," Harry smiled.

Ariel gave Rohan's little group a passing glance and a passive smile, making his way upstairs with the man in the pale shirt.

Rohan: Times like these made Rohan more grateful than ever that he worked for someone like Xavier. He couldn’t imagine having a single day off a week, and in such a demanding line of work at that.

Rohan sipped his drink and smiled. “It’s tempting to say that your day off would be better spent resting but we all need to unwind. Living in cities makes it hard to get any peace.”

As calm as Rohan appeared on the outside, it was a battle internally. It was hard not to follow Ariel’s ascent with his gaze or feel an anxious pull in his gut at seeing him accompanied but Rohan had chosen to trust his boyfriend. He did trust his boyfriend.

Ariel: "Maybe I'll chill after the wedding."

Collier opened his mouth, only to be elbowed by Collin without Harry's notice.

"So we gonna get the story about you two?" Harry turned around in time. Collier excused himself for another drink.

Rohan: Bless Harry and the distraction he offered.

“There’s not much of one to tell.” And yet, there was no hiding his smile. “I happened to be here on a business trip and walked into the right club at the right time. A mutual acquaintance introduced us.”

Ariel: "Sounds better than mine," Harry scoffed.

Collin echoed the sound, staring down at his drink. The air between them thickened, before Collin's inhale broke the relative silence.

"Collier took too much shit. Guess who showed up," he pointed at Harry.

"Kept getting Cheryl, all sorta worked out."

Rohan: Well now Rohan was wondering how the two of them had met their partners that made his own mundane meeting with Ariel seem so much better by comparison. And just why it had caused an energy shift in their group.

He sipped his drink. “As long as you fall into a rhythm you’re comfortable with, it doesn’t really matter how things begin.”

Ariel: "If it starts with a bang, it's gotta end with a bang," Collin nodded.

"If it starts in the club it'll probably end in it," said Collier, fresh drink in hand.

"I don't think you've ever said anything positive," Harry realized.

Rohan: What was that quote about the universe starting with a bang and ending with a whimper? It was suddenly very present in Rohan’s mind, but voicing that particular thought aloud would bring the conversation and indeed the jovial atmosphere to a grinding halt.

“Spending time thinking about how things might end doesn’t do much to let you enjoy the present. There are already enough things that do that in life.”

Rohan smiled at Harry. “Better to take a page out of Harry’s book and have a good time in the moments you can.”

Ariel: Collier didn't need any assistance grinding the gears of this conversation. Collin loved him out of obligation and Harry out of kindness. The only one among them that didn't have to tolerate his presence was the one smiling at Harry.

Ariel could be seen from their private circle by the window. His back was against the wall. Face forward, but his gaze was restless. His shoes, the neighboring wall, the women standing by the bathroom door. Their conversation teetered on fervid.

The man in front of him didn't move. A statue with a curved, slow speak mouth. Eyes locked and shoulders forward, lowered to match Ariel's height. It was only an inch, but enough to wane a man's confidence.

Rohan: Try as he might, Rohan couldn’t keep his gaze from drifting to the loft. Tonight was a test of many things, and currently chief among them were his resolve, faith, and the patience he’d nurtured in the six decades he’d been on this earth.

He did not like the look of the man talking to Ariel, would have very much liked to stop that man from talking to Ariel, but Ariel had asked for Rohan’s trust. He wasn’t going to make a scene because one, Rohan simply wasn’t the type of person to do that, and two, because doing so would spoil his boyfriend’s birthday party.

So all Rohan could do was maintain his iron grip on every bit of serenity he possessed and believe in Ariel’s ability to handle and take care of himself. But damn if it wasn’t difficult.

Ariel: Ariel was trying his best. Diego was a force to be reckoned with. When Ariel lowered himself, it was to be heard in a crowd. An excuse to be closer to the warmth of Rohan's skin, and the hope of his touch. When Diego lowered his body, it was to remind Ariel of his stature. A year ago it had turned him on. Swallowed him from the inside out when Diego brought himself to his level, graced him with a playful bite, and shoved him into bed. His presence, his strength, his dark gaze, were all intoxicating.

Or they had been. Now his skin crawled, and he was ashamed of the heat between his legs. He couldn't help his body's reaction. Mind and flesh contradicting each other.

"You're gonna go play house? And then what?" were words that echoed in Ariel's ear. "There's nothing he can do to you that I haven't already done."

The ghoul visibly shivered.

"Nothing wrong with wanting love."

"I love you every time I fuck you." One hand against the wall, beside Ariel's head. And then another to lock him in. But Ariel was quick to place his hand on Diego's chest.

"Don't do this."

Rohan: It was never a good sign when Rohan began envying Xavier his demonic abilities. What he wouldn’t give to be able to pin that man to the ceiling or to simply yank him across the room. Or off the face the earth.

But he wasn’t Xavier, and if some part of Rohan did want to do those things, it was simply anxiety talking. He knew himself well enough to recognize that.

That being said, being a mature adult didn’t mean he couldn’t imagine doing those things while he tried, probably uselessly, to catch his boyfriend’s gaze. But if he managed to?

He’d offer all the warmth and silent encouragement he could from across this apartment.

Ariel: Diego dripped honeyed words into his ear, but Ariel knew he was being tested. He could enjoy the temptation, the memories, but knew better than to lean forward into that heat.

The art of sexuality, sensuality, of God-given lust, none of himself had diminished. Only the concept of commitment had reared its head from the bog.

"There's the door if you don't like it," he managed, took a breath, and dipped under Diego's arm, retreating back downstairs.

Rohan: And just like that, Rohan’s self-worth and self-esteem lived to fight another day. Or, well. Another hour at least, if he was lucky.

If Rohan had been alone he would’ve let himself breathe out, but the current situation didn’t give him that luxury.

“I’m going to get myself another drink,” he told his companions, asking if they wanted anything before making his way over to the bar.

Ariel: Rohan's self-worth, but it was Ariel's integrity on the edge of a knife. Diego mingled with the ladies upstairs, joked and took his time. He had no intention to chase so obviously, but he wasn't done. Not by a longshot. He had no care for romantic prospects, but he was the one to walk away. Not the other way around.

Ariel was quick to wrap his arm around Rohan's waist, burying his face in his boyfriend's neck in greeting.

"Making friends?"

Rohan: Rohan was so in his head that he didn’t feel Ariel’s approach until he was embraced, startling just a bit before he realized who it was and smiled.

“I’d like to think so,” he said, turning to kiss Ariel’s head. “They’re very kind.” And Collier, Collin, and Harry also seemed to be the only people present aside from Ariel and the bartender who didn’t want to stab him in the eyes with a sharp stick. That helped.

“Hey.” Rohan lowered his voice so only Ariel could hear and said, “I know that wasn’t an easy conversation to have. I’m proud of you, my brave boy.”

Ariel: "What was that?" Ariel chuckled, kissing along his ear. "Yeah, they're good people." By they, he meant the very three Rohan had been glued to. The rest had their merits, but kind was debatable.

His low words forced his attention, turning to look Rohan in the eyes with a thick swallow. Being called his boy in public caught him off guard, but succeeded in warming his insides.

"It's a - yeah. Thanks."

Rohan: Rohan just barely managed not to grin. That was precisely the reaction he’d been hoping for. Although they were in public, this little moment was just for them.

“Are you enjoying your party?”

Ariel: "Yeah!" Despite Diego, everything was as it should be. Arguably Diego was as he should be, but he utter a word of his opinion.

"Want something else to drink?"

Rohan: “Good.” That was all that mattered. A few nasty looks and some anxiety didn’t matter as long as Ariel was having a good birthday. He deserved it.

Rohan nodded. “Mhmm. Came to get myself another dark and stormy and some water.”

Ariel: "Did you even eat today?" Just needed to be sure. A few people were walking around with bottles of Soju as though it were soda. Ariel was ready to join them, taking a strawberry for himself.

Rohan: God, it was like being in Seoul in the worst way. How anyone could willingly drink soju like it was nothing was completely beyond him.

“I did, don’t worry. Have you?”

Ariel: "I had yogurt, apple bacon doughnuts, aaannnd a hot dog from a cart."

Rohan: That was too far from a proper meal for Rohan’s liking.

“I was already planning on it, but now I’m definitely going to take you for a nice birthday meal.”

Ariel: "When, after the club?"

Rohan: Rohan shook his head. “Doesn’t have to be tonight, we can go tomorrow or whenever you like.”

Ariel: "We'll see how we feel in a little bit." A few more bottles of Soju and he'd want it sooner rather than later.

Rohan: “All right. In the meantime you can think about where you want to go or what you want to have.” He grinned. “And what kind of cake you want.”

Ariel: "You're gonna get me a cake?" Rohan was squeezed with both arms. "What kind you like?"

Rohan: “Of course I am.” He squeezed Ariel back and kissed his cheek. “It’s your birthday. You should always get cake on your birthday, whichever kind you want.”

Ariel: "Yeah, but I wanna know what you like."

Rohan: “I have a sweet tooth, I don’t think there’s any cake I don’t like. But if I had to pick a favorite?” Rohan hummed thoughtfully.

“I think…chocolate cake. With strawberries.”

Ariel: They could agree on berries, and chocolate was a staple. An image of their escapades in bed, the chocolate syrup, caused a blissful sigh.

"My turn to put chocolate on you," he said into his ear.

"When we get home."

Rohan: Rohan was taking his own little trip down memory lane. He’d be associating chocolate and strawberries with Ariel for as long as he lived, and that association was only going to get stronger.

He grinned and whispered back, “Whatever my good boy wants.”

Ariel: "I'd have you right here if I could."

A gentle nip to Rohan's ear was all he would dare. Leaning away to gulp down half of his Soju.

Rohan: “Your patience will be rewarded.” And so would Rohan’s. Knowing what was waiting for him when they returned would help him get through this party.

And seeing Ariel all flustered as he downed his drink? That helped too.

Ariel: The party was only getting louder. People were still in and out as though an every night occurrence. The drinks continued to flow, and the familiarity of Arie's friends began bordering on inappropriate. At least, it was Ariel's assumption of Rohan's perspective. Alexi loved her drinking games, and any excuse to have a mouth on her neck. Alas, no tequila, but clear rum was her substitute, and it wasn't long before Ariel's name was shouted, followed by a chorus, and without thinking, salt and lemon were licked away, before raising his hands in triumph.

"We're moving! Get outta my house!" he shouted.

Rohan: Rohan was no stranger to the familiarity that existed between friends, and so looked on in amusement as Ariel had fun with his. The knowledge of what was to come when they returned home was doing wonders for his confidence.

His only real concern was whether the man from earlier in the night continued to leave his boyfriend alone. Nothing he'd seen had indicated that Ariel's conversation with him had gone well, and nothing Rohan had observed about the man himself gave him a good feeling. But, as long as he kept his distance, Rohan was happy to continue enjoying himself and chatting with Harry and the brothers.

He never thought he'd be relieved to go to a club but tonight was an exception. He was actually looking forward to having a crowd of people between him and the death stares.

Ariel: It was too easy to lose Ariel in his element. The dark lights, strobes, and chest-pulsing baseline of bunker techno. Three bottles of Soju, shots of rum, and only one cup of water in his system. His arms were loose. His smile as plastered as he felt. More and more of his weight leaned on Rohan with every hug.

"You dance with me? Only me?"

Rohan: Although this would probably never be his environment, it was surprisingly easy to enjoy it when he was with Ariel. It was easy to be comfortable and let go when he was with Ariel.

As the night wore on, Rohan would find himself wondering more than once just what magic this man was working on him.

“Only with you,” he repeated, leaning in so very very close to be heard over the music. “But it’s going to cost you drinking some water, okay?”

Ariel: "Water?" Absolutely flabbergasted. Offended!

Rohan was pulled hip-to-hip, turning them towards the dance floor. Had to get his baby out in the middle of the crowd to show off.

"Soju has water in it!"

Rohan: “Yes, water,” Rohan laughed, letting himself be led. They could dance now but he wasn’t letting Ariel escape hydration.

“You need plain water, sweet boy. Drink some for me, okay?”

Ariel: "One dance?" His darling was given a spin. "Just one dance!" he sang.

Rohan: Rohan grinned and nodded. “One dance then water then another dance.”

Ariel: "Another?" He gasped, "Is it my birthday?"

Rohan: Why are you so cute, Rohan wondered, giving in to the impulse to kiss Ariel’s face.

“You can have as many dances as you want as long as we drink water in between, how does that sound?”

Ariel: "Done deal! Kiss on it!" Because he wanted another one. Because he knew he would be allowed the privilege. And because he was going to lean a little more into his boyfriend, just enough to rub his hardening cock against his thigh.

Rohan: Of course he would be. Ariel was Rohan’s boyfriend, and that afforded him as many kisses and as much contact as his heart desired. Because how could Rohan ever resist him? If the power to do so existed, a mere man like him did not possess it.

“Don’t be naughty,” he said into Ariel’s ear, forcing himself to take a deep breath. “Naughty boys don’t get rewards.”

Ariel: "Naughty boys? I wanna be a nasty boy." And he'd start by grabbing Rohan's ass then and there. He heard that breath, felt it like a pulse through his entire body.

"We're gonna dance, then we're gonna fuck."

Rohan: Ariel was nearly impossible to resist but Rohan was a determined man. He’d give in just enough, would let Ariel touch just enough, would kiss him just enough.

They were still out in public, after all, however shielded they might be in a crowd.

The only thing he’d indulge freely were all the dances he’d promised. That’s all Ariel was getting until they made it home.

Ariel: No one in January Embers cared. Some were quietly envious, longing for someone to look at them the way Ariel looked at Rohan. For hands like those, if not those specifically, on their body.

And he was aware of that. Aware Diego wasn't too far out of reach, and wasn't at all surprised when he slipped effortlessly behind the witch. His hips were professional grade and it showed. Ariel only slowed a little when Diego brought his arms under Rohan's, encouraging them to the ceiling.

Rohan: Absolutely not. The restraint Rohan had showed earlier in the evening had been in deference to the time and the place. There was no way he was going to make a scene in Ariel’s apartment and spoil his birthday.

Here it was different. There was no enclosed atmosphere to be conscious of. They were in public, in a crowd, and bathed in noise.

Rohan’s courtesy—and patience—extended only so far as to ignore the seagull of a man at his back while smiling at Ariel and deftly guiding him away and toward the bar.

“Time to hold up your end of the deal,” he said to his boyfriend. If Diego made a move to touch Ariel or stop them, he would find himself blocked by Rohan.

Ariel: For a moment Ariel was confused, looking back at Diego was certainly the wrong idea, but he was drunk and curious, and more than a little flabbergasted. In his haze, it was just a dance, and suddenly his boyfriend had become a guard dog.

"What was that for?"

Rohan: “I’m thirsty,” Rohan said simply, giving his boyfriend the same affectionate smile he had been all evening. The only thing that remained the same between the club and the apartment was that all of Rohan’s warmth was only for Ariel.

“And someone promised me they’d drink water.”

Ariel: "I did, yeah." But his tone gave away his thoughts, and then his brow, and then squeezing Rohan's fingers.

"Baby, it was just dancing."

Rohan: Rohan brought those fingers to his lips and kissed them. “I’ll only dance with you, sweet boy. No one else.”

Ariel: "Oh." Rohan would see those plastered eyes processing. Should he be offended or honored? He chose honor, and would drink his water without further complaints.

Rohan: Rohan got himself a water as well. He wasn’t really that thirsty but maybe it would help settle him.

Was he overreacting to the seagull and what may very well have been just a dance? Possibly, but he couldn’t bring himself to feel bad about putting some distance between him and Ariel. Or to believe it was just a dance for that matter.

Even if he hadn’t been privy to the conversation, Rohan had seen himself how intimidating Diego had been when Ariel had spoken to him.

But that was as much as Rohan was willing to think about the seagull. Tonight was for and about Ariel.

“Feel better?” he asked his DJ.

Ariel: Oblivious as he was to many things, there was a dodging look in Rohan's eyes he couldn't shake. Something was wrong but he couldn't - or wouldn't - pin that look on anything specific.

"I always feel good with you." He laughed at himself, shaking his head with embarrassment.

"I mean, yeah."

Rohan: Embarrassed or not, Rohan’s smile when he heard those words was blinding. He was going to take them and keep him close to his chest.

“I’m glad,” he said. “I want my boyfriend to feel good when he’s with me.”

Rohan took a deep breath and felt the last of his tension ease away. “Another dance?”

Ariel: "You really just say everything, don't you?" He wanted some rum to chase the water away, but had a distinct feeling Rohan would take the glass right out of his hand.

"Yeah."

Rohan: “There are some things you just can’t keep inside.” Although Rohan’s smile was lighthearted, his eyes were as sincere as his feelings, which were rapidly growing day by day.

It was still too soon, but he hoped he’d be able to say them aloud someday.

He held his hand out to Ariel. “Let’s go,” he said, leading his boyfriend back onto the dance floor as promised.

Ariel: "Okay!" he sang, squeezing Rohan's hand and following behind. So in his own bliss, not a single gaze was noticed. Not of ex-lovers, not of the vampire across the room. Not of the ghoul at the bar cleaning glasses. In his own little world that revolved around his boyfriend. What a fucking word! What a great word.

"I'm so fucking horny."

Rohan: Ariel could lose himself as much as he liked. Rohan was sober and aware enough for both of them, while also feeling uninhibited enough to dance with his boyfriend without worrying about anyone else.

Rohan laughed and pulled Ariel close, nuzzling his neck. “Just say the word and we’ll go back to your apartment, my good boy.”

Ariel: "Why do you call me that? What I do?" Both arms hugged around Rohan's waist, nuzzling back with none of a care in the world. "I'm not a good boy! I'm so bad."

Rohan: Rohan chuckled. “Well since it’s your birthday, you can be whatever kind of boy you want.” He just couldn’t resist a kiss to Ariel’s neck.

“But good or bad, you’re all mine.”

Ariel: "Just yours?" His hands were roaming again, further and further south, on an obvious and eager path for Rohan's ass.

Rohan: “Just mine.” Ariel’s hands could reach their intended destination but only there. They were hidden enough in the crowd for it not to be immediately noticeable just how close they were but if those hands tried to move anywhere else, Rohan was taking them between his own.

“I’m going to eat you up kiss by kiss, just you wait.”

Ariel: Intended destination was squeezed by all ten fingers. Lips greeted Rohan's neck, sliding down to his shoulder for a playful bite. That small audience? Didn't exist. Collier raising his phone for a selfie, right in their path? A complete stranger.

"I forgot! We gotta talk about something when we get home, don't we? Like, am I supposed to be mad at you?"

Rohan: “Hmm?” The question snapped him out of it, and good thing too. However good this felt, they were still in public and he’d almost been tempted to give in a whole lot more than he already had.

“Mad at me? Have I done something that upset you?”

Ariel: "Did you have your Dracula talk to my Lucy?"

Rohan: Rohan frowned. Dracula? Oh, of course. He’d forgotten that was Ariel’s nickname for Xavier.

“No,” he said, shaking his head. “I had no idea he was planning to until he came and told me that he’d talked to her.”

Ariel: "They didn't even ask me. Like," a step back was needed to rub his face, "what the fuck, yo!"

Rohan: He ran his hands comfortingly down Ariel’s arms.

“Let’s talk about it when we get home. I don’t think this is the best place for a conversation like this.”

Ariel: Ariel stared into space a moment, nodded. "Kay. Let's go home." Taking Rohan by the hand, he began leading them straight to the exit.

A hand was waved to the bar.

"He's - He's got my tab don't worry about it."

Rohan: This wasn’t a topic he planned to broach on Ariel’s birthday but since his boyfriend had brought it up himself, it couldn’t he helped.

“All right,” he said, trying to catch the bartender’s attention to give him a nod of thanks. “I’ll get us a cab.”

Ariel: "A cab!" he laughed, hugging Rohan from behind as they walked. "You're so old school. I love it. You know I love it?"

Rohan: With Ariel at his back, Rohan didn’t have to try to school his expression too much. Old school…

If only he knew.

“Do you?” he said, brushing it off and resting his hands over his boyfriend’s. “I’m glad. Let’s go home.”

Ariel: They would wait for a cab, rather than an Uber, and Ariel was just tickled to see the iconic yellow car roll up to their street. Despite his sudden questions, he was in good spirits, and the same affection given in the club was given in the back of their ride, nuzzling and kissing along Rohan's neck until reaching their block.

Rohan: Rather than think about things that didn’t matter and let his own fears flood his thinking, Rohan chose to focus on Ariel instead. His presence, his affection, which would be reined in as much as could he managed until they reached their destination.

The cab driver—who’d probably seen worse—wasn’t paying them a bit of mine but even so.

He paid the man, tipped him, and then led his boyfriend up to the apartment.

Ariel: Up and up to the seventh floor, using every ounce of his concentration to open the door, only to lift Rohan bridal style to carry inside. The apartment smelled of the remnants of people. Alcohol and colognes of various price, a faint odor of cannabis beneath it all.

Rohan: If he hadn’t been paying such close attention to Ariel’s movements, the lift would’ve caught Rohan by surprise. Since it hadn’t, Ariel would be rewarded with a laugh instead of a yelp.

“Is the impatience finally winning?”

Ariel: "What impatience? For sex? Yes! Get naked!" he laughed.

Rohan: “Mm, I think my boyfriend’s going to have to help me with that. I’m currently indisposed.”

Ariel: "In-dis-posed," he sang, standing there in the middle of the living room, bumping foreheads with the witch, smiling like a loon.

"Want me to put you down?"

Rohan: Rohan grinned and wrapped his arms around Ariel's neck. "Only if you want to. I'm perfectly happy where I am."

Ariel: "I can sleep standing up. I'll hold you all night. We could fuck this way."

Rohan: “Mhmm, we could.” Rohan leaned in to kiss Ariel’s neck. “Awfully hard to eat chocolate off of me in this position though. And I seem to remember someone saying that he wanted to.”

Ariel: Lips eagerly parted in a silent gasp. Up the stairs they went. Their not-truly-an-argument argument could wait indefinitely, or at the very least until sober.

"I gotta put you down to go get it. But I wanna put you on the bed so that's - what's what I'm gonna do."

Rohan: Rohan nodded and continued kissing Ariel’s neck. “That’s just fine by me,” he murmured into his boyfriend’s ear, nuzzling the side of his face.

He’d just make himself comfortable while Ariel went back downstairs. Maybe he’d even be waiting for him shirtless.

Ariel: Rohan could count the seconds until his return. A bottle of chocolate syrup in hand, the same bottle purchased in August, wearing nothing but boxer briefs and a smile.

"Ta da!"

Rohan: Apparently they’d been of a similar mind, although Rohan still had his pants on. He’d considered removing them but figured Ariel should have the pleasure of unwrapping something for his birthday.

Rohan grinned and held his arms out for his boyfriend to join him on the bed.

“Get over here.”

Ariel: Their dessert was placed on a pillow to be momentarily forgotten. Rohan was pushed flat on the mattress, straddled and admired.

"Happy birthday to me. Happy birthday to me," he sang, laughed. "You're the best thing ever."

Rohan: Rohan laughed with him, smiling up at his boyfriend as he wrapped his arms around his neck.

“That’s the alcohol talking,” he whispered, pulling Ariel down for a kiss.

Ariel: "Mm-mm." He kissed and kissed again. "You're the best. Thing. Ever."

Rohan: “Well if you insist.” He’d let the birthday boy have his way and Rohan would even tell himself that he believed it too, even if he didn’t.

“How do you want me, Mr. DJ?”

Ariel: "How abouuuut like a pop-pop-popsicle? Like them chocolate ones we got as kids."

Rohan: Rohan grinned. “You’re going to have to finish undressing me before you have your way with me.”

Ariel: "That's the best part." He nuzzled his way down, kissing Rohan's stomach and hips. Teeth nipped at his trousers before undoing them, pulling everything away at once.

Rohan: Rohan’s heartbeat quickened in anticipation as he watched Ariel make his way down Rohan’s body. This man was such a beautiful sight. Was it any wonder that he’d been unable to resist him?

He obligingly lifted his hips as he was undressed, stretching for his boyfriend’s viewing pleasure before reaching for him again. Rohan was positively starved for his kisses.

Ariel: He would be denied only for the count of three. Staring down at his boyfriend as though he were his birthday present. In a way, he would argue he was.

"You're so... everything." Not his most poetic, but he had an excuse, and he didn't care. Rohan could have what he wanted, offering his mouth and tongue simultaneously.

Rohan: Pretty words weren't needed when simpler ones conveyed one's feelings with sincerity. Rohan didn't care if Ariel was a poet, he just wanted Ariel to be present, to be in his arms, to be kissing him. He wanted to touch him, to feel his boyfriend's weight on top of him, his heat, his voice.

"I want all of you," he whispered unintentionally, trailing wet kisses down Ariel's neck.

Ariel: He was supposed to do something with chocolate. Supposed to have Rohan twelve ways to Sunday, but all he could give in that moment were lazy, barely-there kisses.

Almost. He almost said it. He wanted to. Too soon. It was too dangerous. But he was drunk. Could he get away with that as an excuse? No. It had to be meaningful, and as beautiful as the man he cradled.

"Mmmm you," he said instead, letting his thoughts slip from his tongue.

Rohan: The chocolate was all but forgotten, probably because his own sweet tooth wasn’t the one that was going to be indulged. Or, more likely, because Ariel was just that intoxicating.

“Hmm?” Rohan was too distracted by his current journey across one of Ariel’s shoulders to parse what he’d said for meaning. And of course the other shoulder needed kisses, too.

Ariel: Ariel realized he had found a loophole in the social mores. His eyes alight, he said it again. "Mmmm you," he laughed, not expecting Rohan to understand. He didn't mind. It would be his private joke.

"Hey." He stole a kiss. "I'm gonna go down on you."

Rohan: It was just as well that Ariel didn’t expect Rohan to understand because Rohan didn’t. His mind was elsewhere.

Or rather, the mind between his legs was currently in charge.

He nodded and smiled up at this boyfriend, taking possession of one of Ariel’s arms and kissing it since he was losing Ariel’s lips.

Ariel: Ariel felt Rohan's need for his lips and leaned up to offer one final kiss. He didn't know where that impulse came from. His own thought, he assumed, and pushed it on Rohan as a greedy excuse, all the while cupping and rolling his palm between his boyfriend's legs.

Rohan: Rohan’s eyes fell closed on a soft moan as Ariel gave his hardening shaft some friction. It definitely wasn’t just Ariel’s own thoughts; Rohan did need his lips, and took the kiss more than gladly.

He didn’t know why he suddenly felt so insatiable, only that he did. It scarcely mattered whether it was kisses or touch, he just wanted more.

Ariel: At last, he blindly reached for the bottle. Drunk off his ass and still hungry for one more thrill.

He forced himself on his knees and grinned. How much of a mess did he really want to make?

"Want some?" He tapped the tip against his chest.

Rohan: Oh, Ariel knew exactly how to get him.

“You know I do,” he said, sitting up with a matching grin. Apparently his sweet tooth would be indulged tonight after all.

Ariel: "We're gonna be sticky and gross," he laughed, almost light enough to be a giggle.

"Where you want? Hmm?" He did a little dance with his shoulders. "I know where." He tapped again, this time on his nipple.

Rohan: “We can shower together later.” Rohan seemed to recall that Ariel really enjoyed that part of their sticky sweet fun the last time.

He laughed softly and kissed Ariel’s sternum, just because he could. “My boyfriend knows me so well. Are you putting on the chocolate or am I?”

Ariel: "I put on you, you put - you put on me. Deal?" He danced some more, anticipation!

Rohan: Rohan took the bottle of chocolate sauce. “Deal.”

Ariel wouldn’t have to simmer in his anticipation for very long because most of Rohan’s patience seemed to have evaporated into thin air. He had just enough left to let the chocolate drip slowly over Ariel’s right nipple to avoid a mess and to admire the sight of it for a second or two before he was laving his tongue over it.

Ariel: Ariel had his own intentions, but they could wait. Having Rohan's mouth on his skin was just as good. Selfishly good. His smile was lunacy. The still open bottle nearly slipped from his grasp. His words, "Fuck me," nothing but a breathy expletive.

Rohan: Could it really be called selfish when Rohan was enjoying it just as much as Ariel was?

When the first nipple was clean and had been thoroughly loved, he kissed his way over to the other one and repeated the process. He could’ve gone on like this for ages but his whims had been indulged enough. As the birthday boy, Ariel was the one who deserved to be as self-indulgent as he wanted today.

Whatever he wanted of Rohan, Rohan would give him.

Ariel: Though he was meant to be the one lapping up the chocolate, he found himself not caring. Already hard, his body reveled in the attention. Sticky wasn't so unwelcome with Rohan's tongue doing the cleaning.

"Kiss me," he said, already pulling him to his mouth.

Rohan: Rohan wrapped his arms around Ariel and laid back on the bed, bringing his DJ with him. Ariel would be able to taste the lingering sweetness of the chocolate on Rohan’s tongue as he kissed him while warm, wandering hands caressed his skin and kneaded muscle.

He would never stop feeling grateful that this man was his. Would never stop wanting him and wanting to be wanted by him. More and more often lately it felt like the declaration on the tip of his tongue would come out at any moment but it still didn’t feel like it was the right time. So rather than say it, Rohan poured it into his kiss and hoped that Ariel could feel it even if Rohan still wasn’t brave enough to say it.

Ariel: In his intoxicated state, Ariel could fantasize why their kiss was so passionate. He could pretend he was the best thing Rohan had ever experienced, because it was what he felt. Had to be the drinks. He'd had more than his share, and knew it was because of the vampiric blood in his system that kept him conscious.

He didn't say anything. Riding the momentum, his kisses traveled southbound, leaving a sticky wet trail along the way.

Rohan: Someday, hopefully someday soon, Ariel would be able to do more than fantasize. He’d know exactly why Rohan’s kiss was so intense and could be secure in the knowledge that he was the very best thing Rohan had ever experienced.

Until that day came, they could say anything they needed to with their hands and their lips.

Ariel was already doing a phenomenal job. The shivers he was giving Rohan had nothing to do with the cool air hitting his wet skin and everything to do with pure anticipation.

His fingers found Ariel’s hair and buried there, still feeling needy for contact.

Ariel: Ariel looked up at his boyfriend and sucked his middle finger. He expected Rohan to know what would happen next.

Two things at once. Chocolate dropped on the tip of his cock while a finger demanded entry. Wanting everything at once could have made a mess of the sheets, his boyfriend, and his dexterity, but if he could just narrow it to two.

"I wanna fuck you already," he mumbled, swiping his wide tongue over Rohan's length.

Rohan: Rohan did, and there was a smile on his face as he gasped at the cool chocolate running down his shaft and moaned at the warmth of Ariel’s tongue licking it away. His body hadn’t been tense but the distraction helped regardless; it all but welcomed Ariel’s finger in.

“Well then what are you waiting for?” he said, letting his legs fall open just a little wider for his boyfriend.

Ariel: Ariel nearly stopped breathing, watching those legs, mouth agape. Utterly astounded that this man was now his, in the only way one could meaningfully possess another. Willingly, lovingly. That word again. He smiled just to do something other than gawk.

"I'm still playin'," he grinned.

Rohan: Rohan could only laugh at Ariel’s expression. It was a slightly breathless delighted sound, full of fondness for the man between his legs.

“You have all night to play with me. I’m not going anywhere.”

Ariel: His finger curled within Rohan's warmth. Watching him intently as he played with the tip of his cock with his wide flat tongue. The deeper his finger explored, the more of his length he swallowed. Yes, they had all night for him to play, but did Rohan realize his stamina yet, was the question.

Rohan: Rohan knew full well he was probably biting off more than he could chew with that little invitation but the desire to indulge and be indulged by Ariel was just too strong to resist. And besides, it was his boyfriend's birthday; why not wear themselves out in the name of celebration?

Rohan's body was more than receptive to the idea, and it let Ariel know with every tremble, muscle twitch, and jerk of his hips, all backed by a chorus of gasps and soft moans.

Ariel: Indulgence, hedonism, gluttony; Ariel had sins upon sins, and still a cross hung over his neck. Here was his newest obsession, one he promised to respect as one should a precious gift. Respect by spoiling, loving, fucking.

But first, his mouth. Still savoring the taste of his skin, precum, and chocolate. Only on the brink of his patience and sanity did he find the wit to wrap himself in a condom, to press every inch of himself in the warmth of his body and melt in his embrace. A thank you implied with every kiss. He was a teenager again, fluttering and stuttering, driven by instinct, nearly forgetting tact and stamina in his drunken primal need for satisfaction.

[keysandmirrors]

🐈‍⬛ 🐇 & 🦨 for the little friends ask game!!

Oo yay my first ask!

Just as a heads up I haven’t shifted to either of these DRs yet but I’m still gonna he answering for The Elementalists DR and Academy Inferno DR! 💞This also got long sooo under the cut it goes

🐈‍⬛ : BALANCED BLACK CAT . . . have you made yourself overpowered (no judgement btw) or are there aspects of your being that counteract your powerful nature?

The Elementalists: So I'm following the game's story line mostly which means yes I am overpowered lol. I'm like a demi god kind of except they aren't called gods they're called sources. I'm known for being the only sun attuned on campus which is a third tier attunement so everyone has pretty high expectations for my magical capabilities. I do prefer my second attunement which is air so I guess that kind of nerfs me? Idrc though cause I'm using air magic to ZOOM through campus!

Academy Inferno: I can't blame any source material for this one cause I made it all up but I did make myself overpowered again 😅 I'm pretty much known as the strongest necromancer and I scripted that my magic was so powerful it took a few years longer to plateau than normal. What can I say I just wanna be epic at magic 🤷

🐇 : RATIONAL RABBIT . . . what are the beliefs and or prophecies that people in your desired reality believe in simply because of tradition?

The Elementalists: Okay this one is kind of sad but blood magic has been illegal for a good while because this ONE GUY (I hate him so much) started murdering people to achieve ultimate power. Like blood magic was used for healing and a lot of other good stuff but he gave it a bad name which sucks cause my teacher is a blood attuned and she has to hide it but she's literally good vibes personified!!! Raife when I catch you Raife 🤬

Academy Inferno: This one is more fun though cause a lot of witches believe that if they become powerful enough a group of people can combine their magic and form ✨time magic✨. It hasn't been done but it has resulted in a lot of party games and sleepovers dedicated to trying to get it. It's a famous rumor/myth that the Academy's headmaster got the closest to succeeding and that's why he's lived such a long time.

🦨 : SOFT SKUNK . . . what are a few of your favorite memories in your desired reality? what kind of emotion to these memories bring about? who else is in these memories?

The Elementalists: Okay okay this is a tough one but I'm gonna try my best. The day I got my familiar, Tim, is a VERY happy memory. He's literally just a little guy. A fella. So dopey and sweet 🥰🥰 We got our familiars at the start of class and spent the rest of the class bonding with them and I just admired him for most of it. Another memory is my first birthday party that my friends threw after I told them I never had one growing up. They did not care if it wasn't actually my birthday they just wanted to party lol. It was also my first "birthday" celebrated with my estranged twin brother so yaaayy :D

Academy Inferno: This one is easier but requires a little backstory. I mentioned my magic plateaued later than it was supposed to so I was moved into a facility where I could be monitored to make sure my magic wouldn't hurt me or anyone else (it was a good place dw) but yeah the day I got the okay to leave and attend school was a GOOD day. I got to leave and celebrate with my family a bit before school started which was nice. Another good memory is meeting my friend Iridian on her first day of school. If anyone has seen "The Parent Trap" think of that camp scene where the girl helped pull the other girl's bag out of the car and that's how me and Iridian met lol. She was born on Earth so was new to magic stuff and she saw me walking past and was like "we're friends now can you help me" and I just went along with it.

[iru-doodles]

so uh,,,,guess im actually gonna do this-

let's see how far this goes, shalt we?

heres the first designs lol ill update them later

The Comic starts here

The Basics of the AU:

Since this is a separated!au, only mikey stayed with splinter here. The rest of the teetlez got lost sadly-

Leo- Leo ended up in the Hidden City somehow, but since he didn't really have any adults to go to, he pretty much raised himself on the streets.

He found a cloaking brooch once and made a human friend who I'm gonna call Mell for now. However, trusting her was a mistake as when he showed her that he was a turtle she kinda broke his cloaking brooch in front of the rest of the human kids and ~trauma~!(This also affects his relationship with April later on, and it takes him a lot longer to trust her than the others. Surprisingly this AU actually came about with the idea of Leo having a human friend lol.)

At 8, Hueso took pity on him and allowed him to start working, and at 10 he got himself a small apartment in a really sketchy part of town(Hueso did not know he was alone, only that he was homeless. The foster care system in the Hidden City needs work, so he didn't turn Leo in for that reason as well. He would've taken Leo in but Leo always escaped when he tried to offer.)

He met Usagi, his best friend(and crush but shhh) at 13 while working at Hueso's, and he starts to get over his trust issues yay!

The brothers find him when Leo's 14 at Hueso's!

Man that was longer than expected, aNYWAYS-

Donnie- He was raised by Big Mama in the Hotel lol. One of her workers found him in the sewers and Big Mama happened to be attached to that worker. Unfortunately he died so Big Mama took Donnie in but...she had no idea how to raise him so she pretty much neglected him til he was like 8. The tipping point was because Donnie got kidnapped so uh giving the bois more trauma yay :)

He meets Raph and Mikey when he's 11 and sneaks out to the surface and they bump into each other. Chaos occurs lol

Mikey- Splinter managed to keep him! After Splints lost the other turtles though, he panicked and confronted Draxum in the belief that it was his fault and he stole them back. The two started arguing really loud and Mikey started crying, so Splinter stopped yelling and tried to shush him. Drax is soft inside really so he and Splints become amicable as Mikey grows up. Splints teaches Mikey ninjocity, while Drax helps him keep his ninpo in check. Drax and Splints eventually get unofficially married lol.

Raph- Raph survived on the human streets until he was like 4 somehow, and then found the lair around 4 and a half I'd say? He becomes Mikey's imaginary friend for like a week until Draxum finds out. Him and Mikey are raised together after that :) He's super protective of Mikey once he learns about the twins being missing and even before.

April- Donnie met her while sneaking up to the surface at like 7 years old(he was a dumb little kid who thought he was invincible ok don't blame him lol). Big Mama was wary of her at first but soon adored her and trusted her(more than Donnie but don't let him know that)

im going to try and make a comic but since i'm very much a beginner artist with no formal training, please don't expect much lol :) love yall! <3

[beck-a-leck]

I'm gonna vent about fic comment etiquette for a hot minute beneath the cut and I'll probably delete this later after I've slept on it but...

I thought I would take my fics off of Registered Users Only lockdown, after being on it for several months. Not gonna lie I missed my guest readers and commenters.

But literally less than 2 hours after I did that I got this comment from a repeat guest commenter who has pretty much exclusively only asked the same thing when they comment

I'm legally allowed to commit murder now, right?

Like. For the last 3+ years this person has been reading my fics almost all of their comments are like this.

I'll post a brand new chapter and they'll comment 30 seconds later, "update when?"

Like. 😤

I get being excited over a fic. I get eagerly waiting for the next chapter. I even get the impatience that can come when a fic hasn't been updated in over a year.

I am very flattered to know that people feel that way about my stories.

But, mother fucker, I have been working on other things. If you just took 30 seconds to look at the rest of my profile, you would see that I have been writing other stories. I've been thinking about other fandoms. I've been juggling a dozen different projects at any one time. And I just want to shake them and shout "You'll get it when you get it! Stop asking!"

Like. I'm pretty sure this person commented a few months ago under a different name trying to semi-guilt trip me into continuing the story, which is not and never has been abandoned, and all they ever do it trigger the contrarian little gremlin in my brain that immediately says "well, now it's gonna take even longer. Nyeh!"

I just... idk. Part of me doesn't want to assume they're intentionally being rude. But also.

There are ways to comment on a fic you enjoy and would like to see more of, even if it's been on hiatus for a while without just demanding an update. They've MADE comments in the past that have been enthused and not demanding. But recently they've just gotten rude about it, treating me like I'm a vending machine and if they drop a comment (and comment) they'll get the content they want churned out to them in 2-3 business days.

I mean. Jfc saying "Please and Thank You" can go a really long way when you're asking people for things.

Like...

I just wonder if readers like that don't realize that every frustration they feel about an unfinished story, the writer feels tenfold along with a dozen other complicated feelings about it.

I certainly didn't expect that fic to still be in progress 3 years later. I thought it would be done in 6-8 months. But I can't control my damn muses and sometimes the inspiration just goes away for a very long time, and as the writer it's infuriating and guilt-inducing to see that Last Updated date getting farther and farther away.

But as the writer who is also doing all of this for free and for fun, I want to keep writing the stories that are currently fun for me, which means enjoying when different fandoms and new story ideas come and grab me by the hand and drag me off on new adventures.

I should just ignore the comment. Or at the very least wait until I'm less annoyed about it so I can respond civilly. But right now I'm just lying in bed, considering taking away guest reader privileges again. Just because I'm feeling petty.

[bonesandthebees]

this question seems a little silly to me but alas google was no help and you seem like something of a concert aficionado, but i just got tickets to an outdoor lovejoy venue and have no idea how it works when it’s outside since the only concerts ive been to are indoor venues or free outdoor ones (which def isn’t the same) and am happily overthinking the hell out of it. ive been to one other lovejoy show (still riding that high) and was as close to the mic as physically possible without being on stage, which was just from getting there very early. is getting close to the stage the same principle at outdoor venues? is there even a line to queue in still? Do they have a “doors open at 7!” moment when there’s no doors? are people like. more or less insane about getting there wildly early when it’s outdoors. i just have no clue what to expect so any little bits of knowhow would be hugely appreciated <3 also I love your writing

hi this question isn't silly at all! the only outdoor venue I've been to for lovejoy was a music festival, so if you're talking about a music festival I can help with that? but also all music festivals have different rules and setups for things like that so what applied for mine might not apply for yours

for my music festival, the entire festival opened up at 12 noon. I knew what stage lovejoy was playing on, and they weren't going to perform until 6 or 7pm I think. so while I didn't try to show up super early, my friend and thought the trolley that took us downtown was going to take longer than it would so we ended up there around 11 am. people had just begun to line up to be let into the festival, so we met up with some twitter mutuals of mine and lined up. now keep in mind this was just to get into the festival, the stage lovejoy was going to be on was further in the grounds.

so when 12 noon hit I was like the 5th person let in I think? and I just sprinted for the lovejoy stage. no one was there yet so I claimed a spot at the barrier, and the rest of the people I knew trickled in behind me and we all claimed our spots. from there it was just a matter of waiting at the barrier and not giving up our spots there until lovejoy came on. now regardless of venue type, all gigs are going to have different barrier variations. some barriers are going to be only a few feet from stage, some, like, at that music festival i was at, are going to be a bit further back. theres nothing you can do about that, but it's very rare to be so close to the stage you could practically touch the mic. that usually means there isn't an actual barrier fence for the stage, and the only time i've been to a gig like that was the lovejoy bowery gig in nyc last december

so basically, at least with the music festival i went to, there's no real 'queue' unless you count the line to get into the festival when the doors open. basically you just run and try to claim a spot at barrier as fast as possible. if lovejoy isn't performing until later in the day, you're either going to have a hell of a time waiting in the sun all day (although of course if the people around you aren't dicks they should be willing to hold your spot and let you come back to it if you need to get food or use the restroom or something), or because there's so much shuffling of crowds between performances as different artists come on and off the stage you have a higher chance of being able to slip closer to the front if you didn't get there at the start. (i'm not saying to shove past people to force your way through. i'm just saying other people might leave the barrier after the artist they're there for has performed, and you can swoop in and take their spot)

overall I'd just look up what time the venue opens and plan to get there an hour early or so if lovejoy is performing later in the day. if they're performing earlier, you might be more likely to see a typical 'queue' to get into the venue. and even if you do get barrier, there's a likely chance you're not gonna be that close to the stage as you described again. i'm still chasing the high of that bowery gig. best of luck to you though!

[pansy-placebo]

I had a good day today! I'm always trying to write down good days, especially days as good as this, and since I don't have a proper diary atm Tumblr will have to do.

CW : brief sex and kink mentions

The Morning

I didn't sleep much or at all last night, so I've been quite tired throughout the day. However, it meant this was a rare day where I was awake earlier than my partner! So after basking in bed for... I guess all night? I went to cuddle him in his bed* :3 Then my boyfriend's bf (henceforth to be referred to as bf²) came over to cuddle as well. So we alternately ate breakfast and cuddled, they hooked up at some point; it was a really, really nice morning for everyone.

*yes, we sleep in different beds. No, it's not because we're old fashioned or hate eachother.

The House

They reminded me that bf² and his friends were moving in together today, and I wanted to join in with them and bf to see if I could help at all. Nobody expected me to help. Everyone's aware of my illness so I'd packed my bag with books, snacks, and a jacket if things got cold: things for chilling out in. At most, I was officially there on "Spider Duty" and nothing else: catching spiders for deeply arachnophobic bf² whenever one was spotted while the house was cleared for the friends to move in.

It was also a beautifully sunny day, which made any time we were outside for any reason just... lovely. There was some kerfuffle with collecting the needed cleaning supplies from people's houses, as well as the keys, but we got to the new house and had toured it well before noon.

While a friend (F) and I were only technically there on Spider Duty, we both ended up making ourselves useful. (I fully expected F was gonna just sit around and talk based on what I knew about them)

See, while most of the house was lovely, clean and warm, with windows for lots of natural light, the basement they'd been planning on converting into an "adult playroom" was filthy, the air thick with dust, humid and mildewy, and had some massive piles of mouldy rubble lying on the floor from previous construction.

F volunteered to sweep the floor of smaller pieces of rubble and dust, in preparation of The Bleach Soak to come much later. I ended up helping to clear the rubble by loading it into bags to be carried out, and I did a whole lot of it. I even carried on doing it after bf² left to attend arriving guests. Bf² was really pleased with the progress we all made together :) And I'm quite pleased with myself for doing literally any manual labour, given my condition. Also, I absolutely killed it during Spider Duty!!

When I was done, I had gross old plaster dust in my mouth, up my nose, and caked on me. I was completely drained of energy, my arms ached badly and my back was painful no matter how I stood.

I washed my hands, took some CBD gummies, sat in a comfy chair and waited for my back to hurt less while the guests were given a tour of the house. I hoped I could hang out a bit longer but I know my limits, so bf took me home and I pretty much immediately conked out on the couch.

I slowly awoke some hours later to the voices of people in room, and bf² put a Munna plush on me and saying "it'll clear your dreams :)" and I think the Munna fucking vacuum sucked the dreams out of my brain because I was instantly awake.

The original crew from moving house earlier (no guests) were there, and to watch Doctor Who! I'd forgotten it was Saturday

Anyway then I woke up, made some simple dinner, and we watched the BEST doctor who episode this season, if not one of the best of all time!! Obsessed. We laughed and joked and chatted afterwards, it was fun :)

I'm writing this now that they've all gone to continue working on the house, to move the rest of the rubble I and clean the basement and move their stuff. My arms and back still ache but I've had even more CBD and at least now I'm resting.

Anyway, it was a really fucking good day. I contributed, I enjoyed the outdoors, I saw a great doctor who episode and I got to chat with nice people. For me, a day can get no better :)

[masked-disciple]

Care, Kazuma. You do it because you care. (Shaking you until you see what I see is also sounding better and better.) But I suppose I expected that you wouldn't admit to caring about those around you off the bat, so it's back to the usual tricks of throwing you off balance until you start listening.

Second: a hero, a villain, a leader, a follower, pride and joy; The person you need when all is shadow and all is forsaken- Stalwart, valiant, forgiven, brave- he who no longer walks alone.

The fact that you guessed van Zieks for this is actually killing me. Either you took just the last half of the last line at face value and ignored the rest of the stanza, or you're proving me right and you care a lot more about him than you'll willingly ever admit.

(Sort of makes me want to go find that post of his where he was all "Kazuma thinking I'm good at my job doesn't make him want me less dead" because this is damning evidence to the contrary, but as the only person who would survive getting between you two is Ryunosuke, I'm not gonna do that.)

The answer to this part is you. A hero and a leader, in Ryunosuke's eyes; a villain and follower, at different points, to van Zieks. Ryu also once called you his pride and joy, and I doubt you knew that, but I wanted you to know that he said that and meant it.

This is the heart of my argument. You said, a while back, that you didn't think you'd earned that image of transformation of the snake. You also said a couple posts later that you'd acted dishonourably.

The person who stood by your side when everything else had forsaken you and you had nothing but shadow, was you. You're stalwart, valiant, brave, and most importantly, forgiven. You're the one who no longer has to walk alone, the way you grew up. You can refuse to see the roots those around you have grown to hold onto you, but we're still here. That doesn't change the fact that at one point, we weren't. That the constant, the person who you can always count on no matter what, is you.

You don't think you can count on yourself, not really, because you got put in a corner for years and when you saw the opportunity to get out, you hurt quite a few people doing that. You're angry with yourself and scared of what you're capable of because you lashed out. I can see that. You're a grumpy guy just in general but it really looks like you're pushing everyone away because you don't know if you can treat them gently, because you do care and you don't want them hurt, certainly not at your hands.

You're better than that fear, Kazuma. You don't need to be afraid of yourself like that. And, equally important, you don't have to be angry with yourself, because everyone else already forgave you.

You wouldn't have heard me out if I'd told you right then and there to quit thinking you're less than you are. You would have doubled down and argued with me and refused to even consider that you're not as evil as you think you might be. Well, it seems you've gone from wanting van Zieks dead to genuinely thinking he's the one you need when all is forsaken, and well, if you were as evil as you think, that wouldn't be a thing you definitely said, huh?

The whole riddle's probably obvious now - there's only one way this can end - but I want you to hear me out on this first. I want you to see yourself the way I see you, the way Ryunosuke and Miss Susato see you, even if you can't hold that image for too long, just yet. I want you to figure out I call you Kazzy not out of disrespect, but because I think you're a good guy who deserves a nickname and the easy affection of friendship.

That's all.

I accept your terms, Kazzy - you'll never get Prosecutor-Asogi'd out of me, because I'm allergic to using surnames unless it's funny - but I suppose I can say Kazuma if I lose. Which I won't. Your only hint is that I know you better than you think I might. So, assuming tumblr doesn't break the formatting on me, here is your riddle:

A riddle of three, to one united goal, a game of names but never home; Broken in pieces an ocean away, beating outside your chest, reclaimed- Something close but ne'er the heart, to be found again one day.

First, the actions of the heart so sweetly, fearfully denied; It grows roots thick as iris 'round the wall, for friends, rivals, and family beside- That which is found in the quiet moments, weary and wary, breathing still.

Second: a hero, a villain, a leader, a follower, pride and joy; The person you need when all is shadow and all is forsaken- Stalwart, valiant, forgiven, brave- he who no longer walks alone.

Last but not least, a person to whom you cannot speak; The beginning of masks, to sorrow and plague and honest love- Beloved but shrouded in pain, still waiting at the end of the road.

Interesting. I have some ideas, but to my followers - what do you make of this? You may have a different perspective, and with such high stakes I don't want to overlook something.

[bondsmagii]

Man I see you getting all these asks about people turning 30 and depressed/terrified about it, but literally I'm 32 and hotter and cooler than ever. I go out with my friends and party every other night, I go to shows and festivals, camping and road trips. I'm having the time of my life, definitely having WAY more fun than I did at 22, because now I have a car, real friends, a wonderful partner, actual money and am now medicated. I look forward to the rest of my 30s, it's gonna be rad as fuck

this is such a nice message, because... yeah. I don't want to invalidate how people feel, because god knows I experienced the same kind of increasing dread as my twenties started getting behind me, so I try to go for encouragement and a different perspective rather than simply saying "oh don't worry, your twenties actually suck" lol. it's better to remind people that even if they are turning 30, that's still nowhere in the realm of "old".

but sincerely? all the evidence I have seen points to lives exponentially improving once people get out of their 20s. I think we have this idea that our 20s are going to be the time, because let's be real -- being a teenager sucks. anything seems better than that, and thanks to this and the fact that we're bombarded with media telling us what a roaring adventure our 20s will be, we go into them expecting things to be great. in reality, they pretty much suck. your 20s are the age where you're too young to be taken seriously but too old for anyone to feel sorry for you or feel an obligation to help you out or go easy on you. they're often marked by uncertainty, university stress, and poverty. many people move constantly during their 20s, thanks to university or changing financial situations, and this lack of security is also a headache. a lot of people also find it very difficult to make friends outside of a school setting, and wonder how the hell to go about it once they're an adult. finally, you're usually completely in charge of running your own living space for the first time, including thinking of meals every damn day, and that takes a lot of getting used to. by the time you hit your 30s, most, if not all, of these issues have been ironed out or are in the process of being ironed out.

my early 20s were probably the most miserable time of my life. I was living in poverty, I was stuck in a lot of situations that fucking sucked, and I wasn't a very great person. my mid 20s were spent dealing with the fallout from that shit and being unable to enjoy anything because of the financial trauma that I'd incurred. my late 20s were spent looking at 30 and feeling like shit because I thought I'd "wasted my youth" and the door was now closed for me to achieve anything. but then guess what happened! like a month and a half ago I turned 30, and I took stock of the last decade, and holy fucking shit I was glad to see it go. my life is nowhere near perfect, but I am a much better, cooler, and sexier person and I only get better, cooler, and sexier. I can no longer understand why I dreaded turning 30 so much. my most sincere advice to everyone with this dilemma in their 20s is that they should be looking forward to their 30s. only with hindsight do you realise that a lot of the stuff you were told about your 20s, that you feel like shit for "failing" to experience or achieve, was a fucking lie.

and don't even get me started about the later decades. I've had friends in their 40s, 50s, and even 70s. every single one of them insists that their current decade is the best they've had.

[hojiteaversion]

all those years, they were here first

(leo x laia, and the group | 1034 words | fluff and humor | on ao3)

"Would you kill me, my love? After everything we've been through? Me, the future mother of your children?"

“I cannot believe,” Vlad said, arms crossed, “you just pulled the ‘mother of your children’ card.”

“Shut up, Dracula." He was just being a pissy baby because he was the first one to be eliminated.

On the other side of the fake boulder, Leo snorted. Laia would like to say he looked as ridiculous as the rest of them did in the fake military apparel, but it was Leo. Somehow, the dull camouflage pattern and the stuffy helmet made him look almost dangerous. She was sure she and Vlad, in comparison, looked like the You’re disrespecting— You’re disrespecting a future US Army soldier kid.

"Oh, last name basis, is it? I'm your oldest friend," Vlad said.

Laia knew what Leo would say before he even opened his mouth. “Oldest, alright.”

“Focus, Nolan. She can't be up to anything good.” Vlad motioned at her, increasingly agitated. Also irritated was the referee on the other side of the field, who was probably only letting Vlad’s blatant rule-breaking slide because 1) he wasn’t paid enough for this, and; 2) Vlad’s death glare still looked scary to those who didn’t know he was actually a dork.

“Me?” Laia batted her eyes at them. “I’m the paragon of virtue.”

Even with the helmet, Laia could see Leo trying not to laugh.

“Right, she definitely has a plan,” her boyfriend said, not taking his eyes — or his gun — off her. She made sure to keep hers trained on him as well.

Technically, there was nothing stopping them from shooting. If they wanted, the game could end right now.

The problem, as Noe would put it, was that they were both idiots who liked each other too much. So here they were, guns pointed at each other and no further action taken. Shooting him and winning would be nice, but in many ways, she liked this better.

“I’m gonna give you one more chance,” Leo said, trying to pretend he wasn’t enjoying this as much as she was.

“To what? Shoot you? Then get your gun out of the way.”

“To surrender. Do it now and no one needs to get hurt.”

“Funny! I was about to say the same thing.”

Vlad sighed, loud and effectively signaling I didn’t come back after 600 years to witness more of your bullshit without any words (which, by the way, was a lie. He loved their bullshit).

“You have nothing over me,” Leo continued.

“But I could be over you later if you just gave up now.”

Leo failed miserably in his attempt to suppress a smile.

“Seduction. The desperate man’s tactic.”

“Bet I can make it work, though. You know how well I can beg.”

“Right.” Vlad exaggeratedly rolled his eyes. “I’m truly out this time.”

From the corner of her eye, Laia could see when his scowl became a frown. “Wait, wher—”

BANG! BANG!

Laia saw Leo’s shocked face before she processed the cold, sticky feeling on the side of her torso. Slowly, they both turned to look.

And there Sandra was, waving cheerfully at them with her gun. The mark of betrayal was scorched onto Leo’s and Laia’s sides in dull yellow paint. In a way, it was almost romantic, how their demise mirrored each other’s.

“Piss off, Sandra,” Leo said.

“Hey! Don’t be mean to her just because you lost.”

“You lost too!”

“But I never expected to win.”

Sandra’s smile was serene as she watched them bicker, and she turned to Vlad. “Tip for next time: plan for their idiocy. Use it to your advantage.”

Vlad made that face he did when he was pretending he wasn’t pissed; crossed his arms again. “I have known them for longer than you have.”

Sandra, who did know Vlad was more harmless than a baby unicorn, just laughed. Patted his cheek like she would a kitten mid-temper tantrum. “Don’t worry, grandpa. It’s normal to lose your edge with the years.”

Vlad seemingly couldn’t find words. Despite the loss, this day was turning out to be great.

In the meantime, Laia took off that disgusting helmet, pretending she didn’t see the referee die inside, and went to her boyfriend. He, despite everything, still welcomed her with open arms.

“So we were both defeated.” He kissed her forehead, her temple; rested his face on the crook of her neck. “Where do we go from here? How do we move on from the terrible, hurtful things we’ve said to each other, huh?”

She tried — and failed — not to laugh.

“Well, not all of it was a loss. I wasn’t lying when I said I would be happy to beg.”

His hand gripped her waist a little tighter.

“Well, if it’ll make you happy—”

“Get out! All of you get out!” The referee shouted. When Laia looked up, she saw his gaze, disgusted, settled on Leo’s hand near her ass. “This is a family-friendly establishment, for fuck’s sake!”

And so they were expelled from paintball.

“I don’t know that I liked this game,” Vlad complained as soon as they were outside. His scowl reminded her of when he was younger. Whenever he brooded like this, Laia understood why Aslan had called him his wolf cub. She snorted; hurried up to him and linked her elbow to his before kissing his cheek.

“Don’t be such a sore loser, Vladdy.”

“Vladdy—”

Leo took his other elbow, then offered his free one to Sandra as well.

“So, ice cream for the losers?” Sandra offered, smiling beatifically. “My treat.”

Vlad rolled his eyes again, a little less grumpy now that he was surrounded by his favorite people. “Don’t be ridiculous.”

Laia turned to Leo to ask, “What places has Vlad yet to try? Have you guys gone to that new one on 11th Street?”

And the four of them lazily made their way there. It was the kind of thing Laia was both used to and still deferential towards: the four of them together, at peace, free to be stupid and happy. She would never take it for granted, and so she savored every precious, ordinary moment.

It was a great day.

[crappycamille]

On Stand-By (bakugou x reader)

minors DNI

warnings: 18+, voyeurism/exhibitionism, somnophilia-ish (not really), unprotected sex, masterbation

Bakugou couldn't have been dreading a mission more. Why the hell did his agency have to put him, of all people, on this task. Okay fine- he knew that he was the one most fit for the mission but still. This was a pain in the ass.

The Commission was having trouble with a smaller gang of criminals. The mission was for him to wait on stand-by in a small apartment adjacent to the building where the gang's hideout was. Nothing Bakugou couldn't handle on his own, but still, the Commission had to put you on the job too. It wasn't that Bakugou didn't like you, in fact, it was quite the opposite. He always had a hard time controlling himself whenever you were around.

How the hell was he supposed to control himself when you always strolled into his agency in that skin-tight hero suit of yours? When you would come in and shamelessly flirt with his friends. He would see your fights on the news, but he couldn't even focus because with every kick your ass jiggled in such a delicious way. And when that bubbly butt came strolling into his office it took everything in his power to not take you right on his desk.

His pants tightened at the thought of you fucked dumb underneath him. Imagining what your pretty face would look like contorted into a fucked out expression. He wanted to ruin you. However, Bakugou needed to keep it professional. The Commission would often pair the two of you together since you were one of the few people who could keep up with him in combat and agility. Another reason why Bakugou sought after you. So when he heard he would have to be stuck in an apartment with you all day for two weeks he couldn't help but complain.

To make matters worse, when he showed up at the apartment there was only one bedroom. The couch was way too small for either of you to sleep comfortably. So, the two of you had to sleep in the same bed. His assistant sure got an ear full.

The first couple of days weren't bad. The two of you tried to spend the time as far away from each other as possible within the small studio apartment. Aside from simple greetings, neither of you talked to each other very often. Either one of you getting out of the shared bed as soon as you woke up to wordlessly make breakfast. You knew Bakugou well, so if keeping your distance would keep him in a decent mood for longer... the better for you both.

The instructions were to not leave the apartment by any means. The two of you were just supposed to wait for the call. And all Bakugou could do was hope that it was sooner than later.

Everything seemed to be going fine... that is until Bakugou woke up in the middle of the night to the sound of your slutty little fingers deep in your cunt. He couldn't believe his ears. Were you really masturbating with him right next to you?

You were almost too quiet to hear... almost.

You weren't making much noise aside from your labored breathing and the occasional whispered mewl. What gave you away was the not-so-quiet sound of your pussy. It was clear that you were drenched. Bakugou had to do everything in his power to not groan out as he imagined how wet you were.

He was painfully erect, but he didn't dare move a muscle in fear that you would figure out he was awake. He relished in the sounds of your cunt, wishing he could see it for himself.

He listened to you finish and quickly scurry over to the bathroom before falling back asleep. All while leaving him with a painful hard-on for the rest of the night. You were making this so difficult for him.

You went on during the day regularly, clearly unaware you had been caught. But each night the same thing happened. Bakugou would wake up to the sound of you. Some nights were quick and others you took your time to tease yourself. All while he would quietly palm himself to gain some relief. All of it was driving him crazy.

But then. Then... he heard it. Clear as day... His name.

"B-Bakugou" the sound came out as a breathy moan. It was a lot less subtle and quiet than you had intended it to be. Too lost in pleasure to realize the blond next to you heard you cry out for him. A sound that shot straight to his cock. A sound that made him feral.

He snapped.

In one swift motion, he pushed himself on top of you. A hand coming to grab the hand you had been teasing yourself with to keep it in place. A way of showing you he knew what you were doing.

Your eyes shot open wide in surprise, fear written all over your face as his predatory vermillion eyes glared down at you.

"B-B-Bakugou! It's not what it looks-"

"It's not what?" His voice deep and rasped. "It's not me catching you knuckles deep in your pussy being a fucking pervert?" Your pussy fluttered at his crude words. Taking your wrist into his large hand he brought your fingers, soaked in your essence, up to his mouth to suck on them. Groaning out at finally being able to taste you.

"It's not me catching you moan my name while you get yourself off while I was 'sleeping' next to you? Hm? Fucking slut. I bet you wanted to be caught."

"N-No I-"

"N-No I-" he mocked, a smirk gracing his face as he watched you squirm with humiliation. "Quit acting like you haven't been doing this all week." Your eyes widened at the realization he had heard you the entire time.

He began to rut against your clothed crotch, needing to alleviate the ache of his cock. Your hips matching his pace. Grinding against him with need. "What's the matter?" he said with a mocking pout. "Didn't think I'd notice?"

But Bakugou did fail to notice. He failed to notice that you felt the same way about him as he did you. He failed to notice when you would come to his agency more often than what was needed, just to see him. That you went out of your way to impress him on missions. That you would go out of your way to look good for him. That you would often stare for far longer than you were supposed to.

Being in such close quarters with him caused so much tension to well-up in you. You knew it was wrong. You hadn't intended to get caught, you just needed a way to relieve yourself. But in all honesty the thrill of getting off right next to the man you yearn for added to the pleasure. And being in the same bed as the handsome blond with his broad, sculpted back facing you made your lewd imagination run wild.

Your mind was brought back to the present as you felt your shorts being pulled down your legs. Before you could even react, Bakugou's strong hands pried your knees apart to reveal your sopping cunt to his hungry eyes.

He had waited so long for this.

"Bakugou wait-" He cut you off with a sharp slap to your inner thigh.

"It's Katsuki to you. Wanna hear you say my name. Got it." He said as he pressed a lasting kiss to your clit. The act was so gentle it seemed almost uncharacteristic. You couldn't help but nod senselessly, not entirely sure what you were agreeing to.

Before you knew it, the "gentle Katsuki" was gone. Two fingers slid into your slick entrance and began to rapidly pump against your velvet walls.

You immediately clamped down around his fingers due to the sudden intrusion. Your hips trying to get away from the surge of pleasure.

"Ah ah ah. Don't run away." A sadistic grin plaster on his face. "Be a good girl and take it."

"Oh fuck!" a strangled moan released from your lips. "It's too much!"

"Too much?" he said with a mocking laugh. "How the hell do you expected to take my cock if you can't take my fingers, hah?" In reality, Bakugou knew he was torturing you. Giving you no time to even think. Confusing you with going between being gentle and rough within a matter of seconds.

He wanted you to suffer, at least a little. After a week of making him suffer. Making him fight against himself for wanting to hold back. But most of all he was just enjoying seeing you squirm. As much as he imagined you in a state of pleasure, you far exceeded his expectations.

Your eyes half-lidded, struggling to keep them open as your eyes roll back. Eyebrows knitted together. Drool spilling at the corner of you of your gaping mouth that's moaning out his name just like he asked more like commanded. Fuck, you were so sexy.

You had already been teasing yourself. Edging yourself closer and closer to an orgasm, so you were already so close. The pressure building was like no other.

"So close! So close! I'm gonna cum, Katsuki." As much as Bakugou wanted to deny you relief, much like you unintentionally did to him, he couldn't bear to hold back any longer. He wanted to see you come fully undone. He brought his face down to lap and suck on your clit. Pushing you further over the edge.

"Do it. Cum all over me." The pressure snapped inside you. Breaking like a dam. You squirted all over. All over his face, his hands, and the bed.

"Holy shit!" He groaned; his hands never stopping. Working you to elongate your climax. Your hips bucking up to meet the thrust of his hands. His own hips bucking against the bed.

He swears he could cream just from the sight of you squirting like that.

Your hands curl into his hair to pull him into a needy kiss. Your slick dribbling down Bakugou's chin. He can feel your clit steadily throbbing from the overstimulation.

"Please Katsuki. I need it." You whine. "Need to feel you."

Bakugou couldn't wait any longer. He couldn't tease you for a second more. He was so hard it hurt.

"I know you do baby. I know. I need it too." He hurriedly releases his cock from the confines of his shorts. Sighing in relief as he rubs himself against your wet folds. Your hands were all over each other. Grabbing and groping at whatever you could. Both of you were so needy.

You've both wanted this for so, so long.

You hiss when you felt the stretch from Bakugou's thick cock. Bakugou wanted nothing more than to pound into you, but he felt as though he was going to cum any second. Your warm, velvety walls already fluttering around him.

"So fucking tight." He said through a groan. "Relax a little, will ya, you're choking me." He said pressing a kiss to the corner of your mouth.

Tears prick your eyes as he begins to move. Snapping his hips up to press the tip of his cock to your cervix in a way no one else has.

"Fuck yeah. So good, you're being so good for me." his praises coming out in mumbles as began to get lost in his own pleasure. "Come on, gimme one more. Cum for me like a good little slut."

"Nuh-uh. I can't." You cried out.

"You can and you will." His hand reached around to circle your puffy clit. Throaty grunts leaving Bakugou as your walls fluttered around him. "Shit. That's it, pretty girl. I want you to cum on my cock."

Your nails dug deep into Bakugou, holding on for dear life. "Cum with me Katsuki! Please. Want you to cum inside me!"

Pleasure clouded Bakugou's vision as pushes himself to fuck you through your orgasm, but he's not far after. Hips stuttering before he painted your walls white.

A sigh leaving him when he finally comes back to his senses, slipping out of you with a hiss as the cold air hits him. But holy- if he looked at you for too long he would get hard again. Seeing his cum leak out of you was a like a dream come true.

Maybe being on stand-by wasn't so bad after all.

a/n: thank you for reading. this is my first fic so feedback is welcomed and appreciated

[julemmaes]

The One Good Thing

Rowaelin Month, Day Two

A/N: again, I'm gonna fail all my exams because of this stupid app, I'm sure. Also, I miss the off campus boys so much I kinda made Fenrys one of them and I love the idea of the tog men as hockey players so yeah, enjoy;)

Word count: 2,581

Aelin would have killed for a second of silence.

She daydreamed of that almost noisy quiet that makes you feel every deepest thought hidden in your brain that exists only at 3 a.m., when every soul is resting and cars can't drive around the campus. And there are no children screaming at the top of their lungs or parties going on all night long.

That was what she had been promised, the flyers she'd been handed during the open days, when she had come to visit the college.

That was how it was supposed to be.

Aelin had tried so many times to ask her upstairs flatmate to hold his Twitch live streams strictly in the afternoons or mornings when she wouldn't be home, but when Fenrys Moonbeam had first opened the door to his place, the girl had known immediately that she wouldn't be able to change his mind even by paying him.

Especially since his live streams were followed by such a large audience that Aelin couldn't even begin to understand how he had managed to build an empire so big in just under a month. Surely it had something to do with the long blond hair, different from her own but just as beautiful, and the arms covered in tattoos so colourful they blind you. They had their own charm. Add to the pile the fact that he was the goalie on the hockey team, and he was the perfect mix for the guy to marry.

From what their common friends had told her, he was already earning enough to afford an off-campus home, but that he liked the comfort the college dorm gave.

A comfort that Aelin, after three years in those filthy rooms and shared bathrooms, had yet to find.

When yet another howl of celebration at yet another victory that everyone expected pierced through his floor and her ceiling, nearly drilling her eardrums, Aelin gritted her teeth so hard that for a moment she feared they might shatter.

She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath and trying to whisper, "Shut," failed miserably to keep her tone under control and shrieked the second word, "up!"

A booming laugh rang out upstairs and a millisecond later a message lit up her phone screen.

From Lys: Girl, maybe you should take a chill pill, I heard you on the live stream. Are you still studying?

She tossed the phone to the side, pulling her hair up and pinning it back with a pencil.

"Fuck off." she muttered under her breath.

Lysandra was one of the few in their group of friends who never missed a Fenrys broadcast. Whether it was at eleven at night or five in the morning, she was always one of the first to join in.

Aelin often wondered if she was just doing it because Fenrys was helping her sponsor her YouTube channel, but then she remembered that Lysandra would do the same for all her friends.

She got out of bed, taking all her books and notes in her arms, pen in her mouth and holding her phone between her pinky and ring fingers. She threw open the door to her room and found herself facing a wall of muscle, slamming into her roommate's chest.

Rowan's hands snapped forward and kept her from falling backwards and when Aelin looked up at his face, she almost lost her balance again.

His face was sleepy, only one eye open as he suppressed a yawn. The imprint of the pillowcase on his cheek just another sign that he had already been sleeping.

"Are you okay?" he asked her in a hoarse voice, stepping back and letting her through, "I heard you screaming. I was coming to check on you."

Aelin grimaced, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to wake you."

He shook his head, moving a hand in mid-air, "Don't worry about it." then his gaze snapped to the ceiling as another laugh from Fenrys cut through the thin material dividing their quarters. He frowned, lowering his gaze back to her, and it was at that moment that he noticed the books in her arms.

If possible, his frown deepened even more.

He closed his eyes, gently grabbing her wrist and leaning against the wall behind him, pulling her towards him.

Aelin let herself be tugged, arranging the books so that they didn't poke at either her or him in that uncomfortable hug, but she positioned her head against his chest, letting his fingers expertly massage the nape of her neck.

"Baby." he sighed into her hair. Her toes curled.

It had only been a few weeks since they had decided to start dating, a few weeks since Rowan had confessed to having feelings for her. They had exchanged a few kisses in secret from their friends, wanting to enjoy that first phase of their very fresh relationship in privacy. They hadn't done anything too steamy yet, and Aelin had more than agreed with his decision to take it slow, but one thing Rowan hadn't held back in the slightest from the first second she'd agreed to go out with him had been the pet names he'd given her whenever they were in the safety of their dorms.

Baby was definitely her favourite.

His hands slid lower, down her back, and she looked up, resting her chin on his chest and fixing her eyes in his. His gaze softened, still clouded with sleep. "You shouldn't be studying at this hour."

Aelin grunted, smacking her forehead against his chest, "But I have a test tomorrow."

Rowan sighed again, pushing her away and taking the books from her arms. "Precisely why you should be sleeping." He walked towards the common room, speaking softly and hoping Lorcan wouldn't hear them. They both knew their roommate suspected something, but he didn't have enough worries in the world for him to actually give a shit about their possible relationship, and they also knew he would never say anything to anyone. Maybe to Elide, but neither of them would bet on it. "I left you alone tonight because you needed to rest, not stay up until morning melting your brain."

She followed him like a lost dog, dragging her feet on the ground, finally feeling that visceral fatigue get the better of her.

"I can't leave the study half done."

Rowan dropped the books on the table, turning around just in time to block her before she bumped into him again and slipped the pencil out of her mass of hair, letting it fall around her shoulders.

"You're not leaving the study half done," he told her as he rubbed her arms to keep her warm, "you've spent the last five weeks studying this stuff and I'm sure you know it like the abc. You need a break." he told her.

Aelin looked up at him from under her lashes, a little annoyed that that was true, but completely distracted by the lines his fingers were drawing on her arms. She took a deep breath through her nose, puffing out her chest and thrusting out her breasts, catching the attentive gaze of her almost-boyfriend for a nanosecond.

He smiled wearily at her, "Are you sleeping in my bed tonight?"

Aelin just nodded and took both of his hands, pulling him down onto her. Rowan squinted his eyes and placed his lips on hers in a quick, chaste kiss. She hummed in satisfaction as his hands slid under her bottom and wrapped around her thighs, pulling her up. She tied her legs around his hips and rested her head on his shoulder as Rowan made his way into their tiny flat.

He lowered her onto the bed, pulling the blankets out from under her body and laying down beside her before covering them both. Aelin moved as close to him as she could, pressing her back against his chest and her butt against his crotch, tangling their legs together.

Rowan's arm wrapped around her waist as the other slipped under her head and his hand found hers under the pillow.

The second they were settled, every bit of their bodies touching, Rowan left a soft kiss on her shoulder, pulling her even tighter against him.

She smiled weakly, in a drawling tone, "Thank you."

He hummed against her skin, "That's what I'm here for."

"Don't let me die around finals time?" she asked in a teasing tone.

Rowan chuckled softly, making her back shake, "Exactly."

Aelin tried to turn towards him, wanting to trace the pale freckles that were starting to sprout on his nose now that the days were getting longer and the sun kissed his cheek every afternoon, but his arms blocked her.

"No, it's not fair for you to be the big spoon every night. I'm fucking sick of it, I want to hold you today." he muttered, the chains of sleep already dragging him towards that blissful unconsciousness.

She huffed, stopping struggling against his grip, relaxing and feeling her muscles scream with pleasure after being tense for hours on end while she studied.

She hadn't realised she'd stayed up so long, but she was terrified of failing this last exam. If she failed it she would have to wait months before she could retake it and the idea of it was getting her down more than perhaps it should have.

She started thinking about the various questions the professors might ask her the next day, repeating the answers in her mind, closing her eyes as she thought.

"Baby," Rowan grumbled, "you're talking out loud."

She hadn't realised she was biting the cuticles around her nails until his hand came to rest on her arm, pulling her hand away from her mouth. He took a deep breath, helping her turn to face him.

When she looked up at him from under her lashes, she saw the way he was fighting sleep. And she felt terribly guilty. If she was having trouble sleeping the day before an exam, that didn't mean he had to stay awake for her too.

She was about to speak, tell him to close his eyes again and let her go into the living room so she could finish going over the last few pages and then return to his room, but he put his hand on her cheek and in a soft voice asked, "What's bothering you?"

She bit the inside of her cheek, shaking her head, "Nothing."

He tried to hold back a yawn again, but couldn't this time and Aelin's guilt grew immensely inside her. "If you tell me right now what's wrong, I could help you fix it sooner. And we could get at least three hours of sleep before we have to go to class." he pointed out in an exhausted tone.

She blinked once, twice, searching for the right words.

"It's Fen. If he'd stop playing so late every night-"

Rowan quickly cut her off, closing his eyes, almost as if he could no longer physically stay awake. "Ace, Fenrys never really bothered you. You've always managed to study and ignore it. What is it that's bothering you?"

Aelin let go of a shaky breath, "It's nothing, really. We'll talk about it tomorrow."

He only opened one eye, watching her carefully as she hid her face against his chest and wrapped her thin arms around his torso.

His hand began to slowly massage her back, "If we don't talk about this now I'll be up all night worrying."

She huffed, knowing full well how true those words were. For the love of the other, she began to ramble on about the real reason she hadn't been able to focus on the textbooks.

"I don't want to tell anyone we're together yet," she confessed under her breath.

Rowan opened both eyes then, fixing them on her and giving a small nod with his chin to keep her going.

"It's not that I don't want to tell the others," she said, referring to their closest friends, "but the second they find out, the news will become public knowledge and there are some people I really don't want to let that information get to."

He nodded, understanding perfectly who she was talking about.

"We don't have to tell anyone," he kissed her forehead, continuing to talk in that position, his lips brushing against her skin with every word he spoke, "it'll be our little secret for some time more, until we figure out how to get all the puck bunnies off our backs."

Aelin smiled, lifting her chin and kissing him.

Being the captain of the hockey team, Rowan didn't exactly go unnoticed on campus. Not many people approached him during the day, especially when Lorcan was at his side, knowing full well that they would receive nothing but a rude invitation to leave, but their friend couldn't spend his life attached to Rowan's hip, and the few times the two of them had gone out alone it had happened that a horde of fans had overwhelmed them. After those afternoons, Aelin had found herself the victim of not so nice threats from unknown numbers, as had happened to Lysandra when she had first started dating Aedion.

With Manon's help they had managed to track down the senders and Rowan had been unpleasantly surprised to discover that it was one of the girls he always partied with after the games. A girl he'd always considered a friend.

Rowan had taken all the blame, feeling responsible for those attacks on Aelin and it had taken months to convince him that he had no part in the insanity of others.

They'd started limiting the dates they went on as a pair, even when they were just friends, to prevent similar things from happening again, but Aelin felt trapped.

And she knew it was the same for Rowan.

She wished she could get a place off campus, where she could retreat with him, away from the prying eyes of the world, but it didn't seem right to bring up the topic of 'let's move in together' after not even three months of dating.

Rowan rested a hand on her cheek, moving a strand of hair behind her ear, "It'll be fine. And if anyone finds out and the threats come back, we'll do something about it."

She nodded, not entirely convinced and not at all reassured.

He knew instantly, "Aelin, whatever happens, I don't care what others think. I've waited years to finally have you. I've been on the sidelines all this time, watching you go on date after date with everyone and never with me-"

"You never asked," she mumbled in annoyance.

Rowan continued as if she hadn't spoken, "I would have preferred not to be the talk of the town all the time, but I'm not going to let public opinion take away the one good thing in my life."

She opened her mouth wide, "What about hockey?"

He shrugged, looking at her, "Hockey is just a sport."

"If Lorcan could hear you right now..." she shook her head.

"But Lorcan's not here. And you won't tell him," he made her silently promise.

They exchanged another brief kiss, before they carried on talking about all the worries she had and every word that came out of his lips acted as a sedative for her fears, killing one at a time, until she fell asleep in his arms, lulled by his soft breathing on her neck.

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[rev3rb]

Hey! Sorry for the late ask, I literally just remembered the new chapter is out. And wow did it make me feel a lot of different things. I feel like it’s finally addressed Yuu’s ‘stupidity’ in a substantial way that’s really grounded it in not just his own persistence, but in his belief in Mika and their combined strength. And even though his plan to let Mika make a plan is not immediately promising, I like how they had him reflect on the situation they’re in and fully commit to making the best choices for themselves.

Also there were some much appreciated cute cheeky moments like Mika being chill about Yuu falling off the tower, Yuu self-identifying as the dumb brawn in the duo, and Yuu using Mika’s own words against him.

Ultimately though, their fight hit me right in the feels. It really contrasted Mika’s pessimism to Yuu’s optimism about their relationship and situation at large. Mika’s insistence that he must lose Yuu shouldn’t choose him bc he can’t believe it’s possible for them to actually work out and be happy like he wants. But what got me specifically was Mika telling Yuu that he should learn to like Shinoa back. That he should go live a normal (heterosexual) life without him bc Yuu’s feelings for him are ‘trivial’. As if Yuu could just choose to get over Mika and be happy with Shinoa. Like I’m sure I don’t have to explain to you how much that relates to so many ppl’s young queer experiences, but the nuance of the way they represented it in this chapter felt so much bigger to me than anything else between them so far. So sorry to YuuNoa shippers, but if Shinoa and Yuu ever get together after it being stated that Yuu doesn’t even like her at this point in the story, I might actually have to bring out the baiting word frfr.

Don't worry about it anon! I'm going to be super busy this month, so I also actually forgot there was a new chapter at all, which is why this response is even later than usual.

This gets long since I go a bit off the rails so I'm actually gonna utilize a read more this time! Sorry if this is a mess, again I'm busy and my thoughts are a bit scattered as such.

Yeah, you have a point. Really, I'm glad that Kagami didn't suddenly pull a 'Yuu is suddenly a mastermind' sort of thing and is instead sticking to his guns of 'Yuu has no idea what he's doing, but he sure is doing it'. I wasn't expecting that Yuu would suddenly become a mastermind or anything, but I was a bit worried that Yuu would suddenly have some half-baked plan in mind that would just work out because he's the protagonist you know? I'm much happier to see that his plan is to not plan and let Mika, who is way better at this kind of thing, do it. Sure, it's a bit concerning since Mika's just in the dark about the interworkings of everything as Yuu is, but it's a much better alternative.

And, before I dive into the rest of what you said, I'm happy to see them finally trying to set outside of the role of being a pawn. Outside of it showing some character growth for Yuu (kinda), it reflects Guren's story. Yuu and Guren have always had parallels, but Yuu is finally starting to step away from being a pawn, something Guren (arguably) has never really been able to do. Guren tried his damnedest to stop being a pawn in his story. He even also took the approach of 'either we achieve our goal or we die trying', but, in the end, he failed on both accounts because he cared too much. Maybe you could argue he's no longer a pawn with his current resurrection goals, but I'm specifically referring to Catastrophe at 16's story when I say this. Yuu is now essentially in that same position, but I have a feeling that, unlike Guren, he'll be able to break free from his role and actually achieve his goal. It's a very good 'the student surpasses the mentor' type thing. It'd be interesting to see if it's just because Yuu has more protagonist powers than Guren (a.k.a there's no particular reason Yuu succeeds when Guren failed; it just be what it is), or if it's because, unlike Guren, Yuu is able to sacrifice people more easily. As Yuu alludes to here and we saw last chapter, Yuu apparently has no qualms in killing(?) people he considers friends and has called family before. That could certainly play a role in Yuu taking a different path than Guren. However, you didn't really bring any of this up so this is a huge digression from your ask. Sorry about that! Moving on.

Say what you will about OnS, but it always fits in time for little character moments like that. It's fun to see.

To be honest, I don't have much to add to your last paragraph there as yeah, it's an interesting way to read that part of their argument and I can relate. I'll tackle the last bit of it though. For full disclosure, I feel I should say that I don't personally ship YuuNoa, but have no problems with it. If it became canon I just wouldn't be surprised bc that's how most stories like this go. But now into what I intend to say.

Mmm. Honestly, I do think applying "the baiting word" (I've never seen anyone avoid saying it so that made me laugh. thank you truly LOL) is a fair thing to do if that were to happen. The word does get used maybe a little too liberally as fans hype themselves up for a possible gay romance a bit too much sometimes (and I am very guilty of this myself. Don't get me wrong. I too wear my rose-tinted 'no one is straight' glasses at all times), but OnS is pretty heavy-handed with the subtext sometimes, whether it means to be or not. There are a lot of things I could point to with this, but the most glaring one was what happened in this chapter with comparing Yuu's feelings for Mika with his feelings for Shinoa. It's not even something that's exclusive to this chapter, though I don't think it's been this blatant before. Really, the amount of times the love that the protag (I'm grouping Guren in with this bc what he has going on with Mahiru and Shinya is incredibly comparable to what these three have going on) has for their best friend is compared to the love they have/should have with their LI is too great to count. For Yuu in particular though?

Numerous straight romances in shounen (other genres as well, but particularly shounen) feel forced due to the protag having more chemistry with the male (or female if the protag is not male) cast than their straight LI as romance is usually more of an undertone/side thing than the focus (though there are more reasons than that that I won't get into for length purposes), but usually, there's some build-up even if it's a poor excuse for relationship development. For Yuu and Shinoa that's not really the case. Yuu has never shown romantic interest in Shinoa, so it shouldn't be a surprise to see it confirmed here. Any romantic moments from them are only portrayed/seen as such from Shinoa's perspective, so I'm inclined to agree with you that it'd feel very off at this point in time for Yuu to end up with Shinoa. The story isn't over, so there's still time for feelings to build on Yuu's end of things, but right now? Yeah, there isn't anything there for Yuu. His feelings for Mika, romantic or otherwise, are stronger than his feelings for Shinoa.

But I do feel it's worth bringing up that, just because Yuu doesn't have romantic feelings for Shinoa rn doesn't mean MikaYuu will be canon. Who knows, we might end up with Yuu with no one (which would make more sense than YuuNoa at this point in time).

But hey, just because your ship isn't/doesn't end up as canon doesn't mean you can't enjoy it! That's what headcanons and fanworks are for!