#I've been mulling over writing for like WEEKS that like I love her but also she is SO FUCKING AWFUL and I am hesitant to girlboss her

[wardensantoineandevka]

I have to say, I DO admire Kozma's attitude in some ways bc I do wish I was that assertive and certain and a fucking bitch so that people don't fuck with me, but also every time I see someone talk TOO highly of her in my notes or in the wild or like someone hypes up a little too much about how badass is she or whatever, I DO react like 😬😬😬😬

[lycheedr3ams]

Congratulations on your account growth!! <33 (─‿‿─)♡

I followed you for that König story you wrote and I've been eating your works since then; truly, I loved your writing at first glance. Looking forward to future account growths!

Request: territorial!König x Gn!Reader •v• The rumor of Reader being the barracks bunny is false, obviously, but still, word got around. The rumors reached the highly respected and feared colonel König who confronted Reader and maybe...left a mark on them to show everyone who they belong to. Who they only belong to. Fluff/angst is fine, dom!König, so he's rough+degradation.

Everything else is up to you and please feel free to adjust or change anything to your liking! I just adore a territorial König story(⸝⸝ᵕᴗᵕ⸝⸝)

Thank you for your support!!!!!! You are so sweet

I love this ask!!! I love me a territorial, possessive man.... I have changed a few things tho. Personally, I think that colonel konig screenshot we all saw was fake info in the sense that the devs keep changing Kpnig's lore and stuff. I don't think he'd be able to be a colonel bc of his social anxiety, and his gear is just shit he put together. Besides, I lowkey like loser perv konig who isn't a colonel lol

I also made it she/her fem reader, i just don't relate to GN reader enough to write for it. I hope you still like it!!! also this turned out to be a lot longer than i had planned lol

...

Barracks Bunny

fem!reader x territorial!dom!konig

MDNI

Warnings: harddom!konig, degradation, rough sex, possessiveness, p in v sex, rumors going around about reader, territorialness (not a word but whatever), semi-public sex, slight humiliation, biting, not proofread

you had spent some time with konig since you first met him, and he eventually invited you to his room. you didn't care who saw you follow him to his room in the barracks, you just knew you needed him and his cock. the first time you both had sex, it was the best you ever had. his grunts flooded your ears as he took you from behind, pressing you down into the mattress with his hand on your middle back.

"arch for me, just like that," he praised. he couldn't get enough of your moans and the way your wet pussy perfectly sucked him in. he wanted to cum inside you so badly, but you told him no.

after that, you two had sex with each other at least three times a week when he was on base. some people who lived in that wing saw you entering and leaving his room, always looking a bit more disheveled than when you entered. but there were others who didn't see you leaving konig's room specifically, and their minds were left to wonder who the lucky guy was that night.

...

you had noticed that a lot of the men around base had been looking at you in a much more...predatory way when you walked around. sometimes, they would whisper as you walked past. you chalked it up to immaturity and harmless crushes, but you learned it was so much more than that when konig shoved you against his wall one night right as you stepped into his room.

"you told me I was the only one!" he whisper-yelled at you. his eyes glowed almost red from inside his hood.

"what are you talking about??"

"do you really not know?" he asked a bit more quiet this time. you shook your head, your eyes wide. konig sighed.

"they say you are the 'barracks bunny'. you know what that means, ja?"

your eyes widened and your heart sunk. so that's why everyone was looking at you like that? You looked up at konig, scared, and his eyes slightly softened at your expression.

"konig...I don't know why they'd say that. i've only been sleeping with you, i swear."

he stared into your soul for the next few moments, mulling over in his head if he should believe you or not. he leaned down and his breath ghosted your neck through his hood.

"you are mine" he growled. you couldn't help the way you shivered as his words went straight to your core. "and i'm going to prove that to every man on base, right now."

"wha-" before you knew what was happening, konig picked you up roughly and threw you onto his bed. you had never seen the way he was looking at you now: with eyes that could kill a thousand men. you weren't sure if the growl you barely heard was real or your imagination.

"strip," he commanded.

"konig, what do you mean you're -"

"don't make me repeat myself," his sentence clipped and precise. you gulped, and undressed yourself on his bed until you were bare before him, and your clothes were just a pile on the floor. you looked up at him with wide eyes. he slowly backed away, still looking at you, as he slowly turned the knob to his door and cracked it open a tiny bit. light from the hallway was streaming in through a little rectangle onto the wall. thankfully, the open space was facing the wall rather than you.

"konig, what're you doing?"

he rested one knee on his bed as he leaned down and looked at you. he was still in his camos and tight black shirt, just the way you liked it.

"showing these men who you really belong to."

he quickly pinned you underneath him and smashed his lips against yours, barely pulling his hood up all the way. it was so rushed that his hood got in the way of the kiss, and he angrily yanked it aside so that he could completely feel your lips. he bit your lip harshly, and you mewled.

"that's it," he praised as he licked your lip. "keep making those sounds. let every man here know who's making you feel this way."

he began to kiss your neck, feigning innocence, before he bit hardly on the space where your neck met your shoulder. you yelped louder this time, not prepared for the sting of his canines in your soft flesh. he laughed and bit you again.

"konig!!" you said loudly, not caring who heard you at the moment. "that hurt!"

he laughed darkly. "oh, my poor barrack bunny. you think i'm gonna go easy on you tonight?" he mocked. "nein," he growled in your ear. "i'm going to fuck you so hard that the only thing you remember is my name."

he pawed at your breasts hungrily, like they were his lifeline, like they were the last thing he would ever touch. you couldn't help but glance over at the sliver of light against the wall dimming every so often as soldiers walked by. you moaned loudly when konig sucked on your nipple. his siege on your boobs was relentless, his teeth teasing your sensitive nipple.

"seems you like this, ja?" he teased. "already so loud, and i haven't even fucked you yet."

he next went straight for your pussy. he spread you open wide by underneath of your knees, and didn't let you catch your breath before he attached his mouth to your wet cunt. he purposely slurped and sucked louder than he ever had, and you were already almost screaming. you slapped your hand over your mouth to keep you from being too loud as you saw people's shadows walking by.

konig roughly grabbed your hands and pinned them above your head.

"if you do that, i'm going to have to keep your arms restrained, ja?" he warned. "no hiding your sounds."

all you could do was nod as he squeezed your wrists. when you agreed, he went back to devouring your pussy. you listened to him this time, and you were nearly screaming with how hard he made you cum. the little beam of light from the hallway was dimmed for a while that time as soldiers stopped to listen.

konig sat up and unbuckled his belt in a rush, his fingers fumbling with the buckle as his cock threatened to rip through his pants. he pulled his pants and boxers down slightly with a hiss as his cock sprang free. it was completely erect, and slightly red at the tip already. he looked up at you darkly before he spread you wide again and shoved it all the way in without warning.

"KONIG!" you screamed. he grunted loudly before slowly thrusting into you, giving you a chance to get used to him for a moment. his huge body was blocking you from seeing if anyone was listening just outside the door. you tried to peek your head around him, when he punished you with a particularly hard thrust.

"no looking," he growled as he slammed into you again. "you just focus on me."

your face scrunched up in a mix of pleasure and pain as konig slammed into you again and again and again. his balls slapped against your ass loudly with each thrust, and your pussy was soaked. you threw your head back as he finally set a steady pace of punishing thrusts straight up to your cervix. it only took five thrusts for you to start nearly screaming.

"that's it," konig gasped as he pounded you. "let everyone hear you."

your pussy clenched at his words, and he laughed.

"oh, the barrack bunny likes that, doesn't she?" he teased. he leaned down, still pounding you, as he whispered in your ear. "they're listening right outside, you know. they can hear how well you take me. how hard i fuck you. let them hear. go on."

you clenched hard around him as you moaned and mewled and screamed. his pace got even faster, and the headboard began to bang against the wall. anyone walking by would definitely hear that. the sounds of the metal headboard hitting the wooden wall, your deep moans, and the slapping of skin on skin was so loud that it drowned out all thoughts.

you repeated konig's name like a mantra as he pounded you. he grunted. "see? i told you the only thing you'd be saying was my name."

suddenly, he came with a grunt, and you felt a wave of hot fill your cervix as his tip pressed against it and filled it to the point of overflowing. a ring of white formed around his cock as it twitched inside you.

that night, all the soldiers knew that you were certainly konig's, and only konig's, barrack bunny.

[ageofwagner]

Clone a Jake

pairing: Jake Kiszka x fem!reader

summary: Jake surprises Y/N with a special gift to keep her fulfilled while he's away on tour.

warnings: 18+ MDNI!! oral m & f receiving, sir kink (kinda), explicit language, slight overstimulation, use of sex toys, slight degradation, bad grammar. (lmk if I missed anything!)

word count: 5.2k+

a/n: hey guys! I've had this idea for too long and I just had to write it for all my Jake girlies (gn) <3 since this is the first one I’ve done, any feedback is greatly appreciated! also, let's not talk about the research I had to do about cock molds <3

masterlist

The beginning of the Starcatcher World Tour was just a couple weeks away and while Jake was eager to get back on stage and do what he loves most, he was torn about having to leave his love behind once again. Though Y/n has been there by his side since the beginning, it never got easier having to part ways when he had to leave for months at a time while touring the world.

Y/n was always supportive of Jake and the rest of the band, who she considers to be just like her own family; she joins them on the road when she can, though it isn't nearly as often as they had hoped. While the two are together, they are inseparable in every sense of the word, it's as if their souls were designed from the same stardust; a perfect match.

The nature of their relationship came with its fair share of obstacles, between the differences in time zones and long days, it was difficult, yet the two of them always found time for each other. Communication, while long distance, was an obstacle that could be easily overcome, but the one thing that Jake felt he couldn't remedy was the physical aspect of their relationship.

It was no secret that Y/n and Jake were usually all over each other, often times Sam would make a point of loudly gagging at their PDA wherever they went. It's safe to say that, while apart, the lack of intimacy was something they both hated. There were always other ways for them to recreate some semblance of intimacy, and relieve each other despite the distance, but it never came close to the real thing. Suggestive texts and late-night facetime calls got the job done but the lack of physical touch was hard, and Jake hated leaving his girl alone and unfulfilled. The two of them were no strangers to experimenting with toys in the bedroom, but Y/n had always insisted that it could never match the feeling of him stretching her, no matter what she tried while he was away.

Jake kept mulling over the idea of how he could keep his girl satisfied while on the road, knowing how much she loves the feeling of him filling her up. Keeping what Y/n had said in mind, Jake thought of the possibility for him to create a personalized dildo for her to use while he was gone, that way she could still be full of him no matter where he is. He did some research, seeing how he could pull it off, and quickly discovered there are several kits available for you to customize your own sex toy. Selecting the first website, he laughs at the title 'Clone-a-Willy' He finds exactly what he was looking for, adding the item to his cart and selecting the fastest shipping option available, eager to give it to his girl.

~

Jake anxiously waited for the package to arrive and hoped that Y/n wouldn't accidentally open it thinking it was one of hers, or ask him what it was. Thankfully, the package arrived while Jake was home alone; he didn't have much time so he quickly opened the package, read the instructions, and began mixing the molding powder with water. He ignored the initial feeling of embarrassment before prompting himself to get hard, just thinking about Y/n using a replica of his cock had him rock hard within minutes. He filled up the cylinder with the molding mixture and carefully inserted his cock, holding it there for two minutes. After removing his member from the mold, and piecing the remnants of his dignity back together, Jake got to work mixing the silicone and skin color powder before pouring the mixture into the mold. Finally, he carefully inserted the vibrator which he had added as a little something extra to make his girl feel good. The dildo needed to sit for 24 hours so Jake decided to hide it in the back of the closet in his office until then.

The next day Jake was eager to check on the mold, he had less than two weeks left with his girlfriend before he had to hit the road again and he wanted to test it out on his girl before leaving. He carefully peeled the mold away and found that it turned out perfectly, much to his relief. While attempting to ignore how bizarre it was that he was holding a silicone replica of his cock, he hoped that his girl would love it almost as much as she loved the real thing. Jake couldn't keep the secret much longer, so with a crooked smile on his face he pulls out his phone and sends a quick text to Y/n, cluing her into the gift he got for while he's away on tour.

~

To say that Y/n was intrigued by this was an understatement. She knew that they had less than two weeks before he would be leaving for a few months, and though she always insisted that he didn't need to get her anything, Jake loved planning small moments together and would surprise her with things like these more than usual in the months leading up to a world tour. Y/n stared at the clock urging the minutes to go by faster, it seemed like hours before it finally hit 6:00 and she eagerly made her way to her car, shooting Jake a quick text letting him know she was on her way home.

Y/n walked through the front door to find that there were lit candles throughout their home, a vinyl quietly playing from the living room, and the smell of Jake's homemade pasta that she always said she loved so much. She smiled to herself while kicking off her shoes and padding through the house to find Jake with his back turned to her, quietly singing along to one of her favourite songs, this man really does not miss any detail she thought. She slowly crept behind him wrapping her arms around his waist and kissing his shoulder causing him to jump at the unexpected contact. She giggles at him "Hi honey" she says sweetly, he turns around and melts into her embrace, gently cupping her cheek before placing a kiss in her lips, "Hi" he smiles, turning back around to finish the dinner he made for them.

Y/n moves to stand beside him, studying him carefully "So..." she begins, he raises an eyebrow at her urging her to continue, "What's the occasion?" he smirks at her "Who said there had to be an occasion? I just wanted to spoil my girl" he says, winking. She feels her face heat up, despite being together for 7 years, Jake still made her blush like a school girl with a crush for the first time.

~

After finishing dinner and a bottle of wine, Jake popped open a second, topping up their glasses as they moved to the living room, lit up solely by candles, the soft hum of a new vinyl playing in the background. He moves to sit next to Y/n on the couch and she turns to face him, perching an arm on the back of the couch, resting her hand on her palm as she looks at Jake, noticing he seemed to be lost in thought.

Jake finds himself suddenly apprehensive about the whole idea, how was he supposed to bring up the surprise? Would she hate it or think it was stupid? What if she took it the wrong way? What if- "Hey, did you hear me?" he blinks a few times, not realizing he spaced out, "Sorry" he chuckles. She inches closer resting her hand on his knee, "Is everything okay love?" he meets her gaze, sighing "Yeah, it's just" he pauses trying to find the right words "I got you something, the surprise I mentioned earlier, and I'm worried you won't like it" he looks at her nervously. "This," she gestures to the dining room and candles "Wasn't the surprise?" he laughs "Of course there's more, I'd give you the world if I could. You know that" She leaned forward, tightly clasping his hand in her own, "First, you didn't have to get me anything" she gently scolds "and second, whatever it is, I'm sure I'll love it, especially since you put so much thought behind all of this" she assures him "It's a bit unconventional" he admits making her laugh softly "I've never been one for what's conventional" she smiles "C'mon Jake, you won't scare me away" he studies her for a minute before standing, collecting their wine glasses and placing them on the table, he extends his hand for her to take, "right this way then" he winks, all nerves temporarily dissipating her her reassurance as he leads her to their shared bedroom.

~

Y/n stands by the edge of the bed, waiting for Jake to make the first move. As if he could read her mind, he steps closer moving her hair from her neck and tucking it behind her ear as he leans in to trail kisses from her jaw down her neck, grazing his teeth and biting gently before kissing over it again. He pulls away to see her biting her lip, and he makes a noise of disapproval, "You know the rules" he scolds, leaning in, he takes her bottom lip between his own, biting softly. "I want to hear every noise that comes out of that pretty mouth of yours, understand?" he pulls away, waiting for her confirmation, "Yes sir" he smirks at her already seemingly fucked out state, the lust clear in her eyes "good girl"

Jake slowly moves them backward until the back of her knees hit the edge of the bed, she lays back as he slots himself between her legs, taking his time biting and kissing from her neck down to her navel at an agonizingly slow pace.

She whines at his teasing, squirming under his touch as he places a kiss on her clothed heat, making his way up her body and taking her lips in a searing kiss. He drags his tongue across her lips asking for entrance and quickly takes control as she wraps her legs around his waist, fumbling to undo the remaining buttons on his shirt. As she pops open the last button he pulls away, both breathing heavily, she looks up at him, a mixture of confusion and frustration painted across her face as he gets off the bed.

He turns to face her with a smug look on his face, "you ready for your surprise?" she huffs at him "I just want you." she moves off the bed, standing inches in front of him before whispering in his ear in a sultry voice, "can the surprise be your cock?" she takes his earlobe between her teeth, pulling slightly. "I've been a good girl, sir" his breath hitches as he leans in, their lips barely brushing before he orders "Go lay down, I'll be right back" leaving her with a light smack on the ass.

Jake makes his way to his office to retrieve the gift from its hiding place, feeling reassured by her desperation for him, maybe she would love the gift after all. He walks back into their bedroom to find his girl in nothing but one of his shirts, groaning at the sight of her with her legs spread just enough to see she had removed her underwear as well.

He sits on the edge of the bed gesturing for her to join him, she bites her lip in anticipation as Jake pulls out a black gift bag "Close your eyes" she does as he asks with a giddy smile on her face "now give me your hand" he takes her extended hand, directing it towards him so she can hold the bag, "use your other hand and slowly reach into the bag" she can feel her pulse quicken, hesitating slightly before carefully sticking her hand into the bag.

As she pushes past the tissue paper she feels something long and firm, wrapping her hands around it she feels ridges on it, wait it almost feels like-"What does it feel like?" she heard him whisper as she continued to examine the item; she trailed her fingers up to the top and instantly knew what it was. But why did he get us another one? They already had a collection of various toys to experiment with. "I don't-" she cut herself off, trying to organize her thoughts "Jake, you didn't have to get me another, we already have" he started fidgeting with his hands, worried that she didn't like the gift.

Trying to keep his nerves down he instructs, "Keep your eyes closed for a minute and focus on what it feels like" she obliges, furrowing her eyebrows in concentration as she examines the item with her hands. She pulled the dildo out of the bag, wrapping both hands around it, trailing her fingers underneath the length of it she gasped quietly. Jake held his breath in anticipation as she repeated the motion, feeling his cock twitch at the sight of his girl stroking a replica of him.

Y/n knew what it was as soon as she felt the underside of the dildo, it felt exactly like Jake's, it was unmistakable; she had always loved running her tongue along the underside of his cock, the prominent vein that would throb as she gave him head. Her mind was swirling with questions as she repeated the motion, Jake's eyes were glued to her every movement, only tearing them away when she began to speak again, "I don't underst- how did you...is this you?" she stutters out, unable to sort the thoughts racing through her mind.

"Open your eyes" She opened them, her gaze immediately falling to her hands, examining the personalized toy carefully, "how did you do this? It looks and feels so real" he shot her a smile, "I'll answer all your questions later, right now I'd like to test it out, just to make sure it works"

Y/n looks at him with a smirk on her face, "So you're telling me I now have two of my favourite cock, to use however I'd like?" hearing her say that made his cock twitch yet again "anything you want. Tonight is all about you."

She sat up straighter, thrumming her finger on her chin, feigning contemplation, "strip," she demanded, though it sounded like more of a question; Y/n was rarely in charge as they both loved when Jake was in control in the bedroom. He smirked at her as he stood, slowly slipping the already unbuttoned shirt from his body, letting it fall to the floor as he moved to undo his belt. She felt her wetness pooling between her thighs as she focused on his hands sliding his pants down and stepping out of them.

She quickly slid from the bed and perched on her knees, already working to remove his boxers when he grabs both her wrists, scolding, "Babe tonight is supposed to be all about you" She sat back on her heels as she looked up at him "so we'll do anything I want, right?" he nods in confirmation, she inches forward pulling his boxers the rest of the way down before looking up at him through her lashes.

"Good because I really want you to choke me with your cock" Jake's gaze darkened as he called out her name in a warning tone "It's what I want" she replies sweetly. Jake's demeanor shifted "Then you know what to do, ask nicely" She grinned up at him in victory, "Can I please suck your cock, sir?" he smirks "Such a good girl, go ahead."

Y/n wasted no time wrapping her hand around the base of his cock, she pumped him a few times before running her thumb over his reddened tip, collecting his precum. She looked up to find him staring intently at her as she put her thumb in her mouth, making a show of slowly licking it clean, "no teasing" Jake gritted out between clenched teeth. She pumped him a few more times while holding eye contact, challenging him.

Leaning closer, she licked a bold stripe on the underside of his cock from base to tip, coaxing a shuddered breath from him. Unable to wait any longer, she took his cock in her mouth, swirling her tongue around the tip as Jake moved her hair out of her face, holding it in a makeshift ponytail while Y/n worked to fit his length down her throat, inch by inch. He made sure not to hold back his moans, knowing how much it turned his girl on when he let her know how good she made him feel.

His head fell back, a deep moan coming from his throat as Y/n took him all the way down and swallowed around his length, trying not to gag. She took a second to adjust, focusing on breathing through her nose as she moved back, almost releasing him from her mouth before deepthroating him again. Jake tightened his grip on her hair, holding her against his base, groaning as he felt her swallow around him again, gagging.

He released his hold allowing her to breathe before she took his full length down her throat once again, a surprised moan falling from Jake's lips as she looked up at him with pleading eyes. He quickly understood what she wanted, adjusting his grip on her hair, he moved to thrust his hips into her, "Does my little slut like it when I fuck her throat, hm?" She let out a broken moan in response, the vibrations making Jake's cock twitch in her mouth, causing him to abruptly pull out.

Y/n took a few deep breaths as she glared at him "I wasn't done" he smiles at her as he extends a hand to help her up, "As much as I would love to cum in that pretty mouth of yours, I'd much rather cum in your pretty pussy" Y/n could feel her face heat at his comment, subtly trying to relieve some tension by rubbing her thighs together. Jake noticed her movements, a cocky smile on his face as he taunted, "I bet that pussy is weeping for me, isn't she?"

Pulling the shirt she stole from Jake over her head, she climbed on the bed, propping herself against the pillows and spreading her legs, "Wanna find out?" Jake stood there admiring her, his eyes exploring her body as he joined her on the bed, "that's my girl" he stated proudly, slotting himself between her spread legs.

Leaning in, he trailed kisses down her neck, biting harshly just above her collarbone and placing a kiss overtop the forming bruise. He continued until he reached her chest, taking time to pay extra attention to each of her nipples, sucking them into his mouth, biting slightly as she tangled her fingers in his hair, moaning his name. Jake continued kissing and caressing his way down her body at the same agonizing pace, he shifted lower down the bed so his face was hovering directly above where she needed him most.

Looking up at her with a teasing smile, he blew cool air on her soaked core, making her squirm. Her voice was dripping with desperation as she moaned his name, wiggling her hips toward him, begging him to relieve the building tension. Jake would normally punish her for using his real name instead of 'sir' but tonight he loved hearing her so desperate for his touch in the way she begs for him and how her body responds to his slightest touch.

Desperate to taste her, he licks a bold stripe from her entrance to her clit, swirling his tongue around the bud before sucking it into his mouth. Y/n let out a breathy moan, reaching her hand down to lace her fingers in his hair, pulling him deeper into her core. Jake moaned at the sting, the vibrations causing her to squeal and clamp her legs closed around his head. He pulled away, slapping her thigh, "Spread your legs and keep them open, I'm not done tasting you" She spread her legs wider giving him the opportunity to spit on her pussy, watching it run down to her entrance as he dove back in, collecting as much of her wetness as he could on his tongue, shaking his head side to side making Y/n scream out his name, tightening the hold on his hair.

Jake began rutting his hips into the bed, trying to find some relief for his aching cock. The taste of her combined with the noises she was making was almost too much for him, but he was determined to make his girl cum at least twice before he would allow himself to.

He could tell she was getting close as she began frantically grinding her hips into his face and tugging his hair harder while he devoured her. He flexed his tongue, teasing her entrance before sliding his tongue fully inside her. She arched her back repeating his name like a mantra as he continued to fuck her with his tongue, moving his hand to rub circles into her clit.

She whimpered "Fuck Jake, I'm so close" he hummed in response, speeding up his motions as she bucked her hips more frantically into his face until her orgasm finally came crashing through her. The force of the orgasm had her legs trembling as Jake continued to lap her up until she attempted to close her legs, signaling her overstimulation. He pulled away with a cheeky smile on his face, glistening with her release.

Eager to get him closer, she pulled him up crashing her lips into his, moaning at the taste of herself on his tongue, "I need you, Jake. Please" He kissed her again, reassuring her "I'll take care of you, don't worry" He reached for the toy that was temporarily forgotten about at the side of the bed, "do me a favour and get this all nice and lubed up for me, okay?"

Bringing the dildo to her mouth, he tapped it on her lips twice, she opened her mouth sticking out her tongue as Jake slid it in. They maintained eye contact as he slowly worked the toy in her mouth. The action of thrusting the dildo identical to his cock into her mouth made him feel like he could cum right then and there. After another minute he pulled the toy from her mouth seeing it sufficiently lubed up.

Jake ran the toy through her folds slowly, teasing, until finally pushing into her entrance. His jaw slacked as he propped himself on his knees between her thighs, watching the toy stretching her easily. His eye flick up to find his girl with her head thrown back, one hand massaging her breast, the other gripping the bed sheet and allowing her moans to flow freely.

Using his other hand, he rubbed soft circles around her clit, her hips jerking at the added stimulation. A combination of his name and curses spill from her as she nears the edge of her second orgasm.

"Jake-fuck I'm gonna cum" she whimpers breathlessly. He speeds up his movements, adding more pressure to her sensitive clit as he plunges the toy inside her, eager to see her fall apart by his hands once again.

She cried out his name as her orgasm washed over her for the second time, Jake slowed his movements, "that's it baby" he praised as her thighs began shaking.

Carefully removing the toy, Jake looked up and smiled at his girl's fucked out state, he shot her a wink before leaning in and capturing her lips in a kiss, "now that was a great investment" she breathed out making him laugh, "Oh baby we're not done with it yet" Y/n pouted at him, "Jake, I love the toy and don't get me wrong, it'll be my best friend while you're gone. But right now I need you" Jake feigned hurt as he responded, "You didn't think I was gonna neglect my girl, did you?"

Jake took his aching cock in his hand, stroking it a few times before lining up with her soaked entrance and sinking fully inside of her in one thrust. Both of them let out a loud moan; Y/n had missed the warmth of him as he stretched and filled her, and Jake had to fight hard not to cum too quickly as he had been edging himself for the past hour.

He kept a steady pace as he grabbed the toy again and put it in her hands, "I want to see you gag on my cock while I fuck you" She felt herself clench around him at his words, "If it gets too much you can stop okay?" she nodded at him before relaxing her jaw, taking as much of the dildo down her throat as she could.

Jake felt his cock pulse at the sight, groaning a string of curses as he tightened his grip on her hip with one hand, using the other to apply pressure to her oversensitive bud. The unexpected stimulation caused her to jolt, gagging on the dildo, she pulled it out, a string of saliva falling down her chin as she took in the sight of her boyfriend over her.

The toy had been long forgotten as she pulled him by his shoulders so their faces were just inches apart, "I'm gonna cum" he grunted as felt her walls clench around him, "Fuck baby, you want me to fill you up?" she whimpered in response, "Fuck, yes Jake!" determined to make her cum before himself, his thrusts became more erratic as he got lost in the feeling of his girl wrapped around him. "Let go baby" he encouraged as she came for the third time, he buried himself deep inside of her, feeling his release fill her up.

He remained seated inside her as he caught his breath, both of them basking in the silence, completely blissed out. After a couple minutes Jake slowly pulled out, making Y/n wince at the loss. He dipped his head down between her legs as she attempts to clamp them shut, "Babe no I'm too sensitive" he looks at her with pleading eyes, "Just a taste?" she lets out a laugh but obliges, letting her legs fall open.

Jake drags his tongue through her folds, collecting their shared release. His goal wasn't to get her off again, but instead to clean up the mess he had made. He loved the taste of them together, something that was completely unique to them. He repeated the action a few more times before moving to hover over Y/n once again, "I'll never get enough of tasting you and I together" he says before crashing his lips onto hers; she moans into his mouth at the taste of their shared release.

Pulling back, he stares at her with a loving look in his eyes, Y/n becomes very aware of how fucked out she must look, "I know, I'm probably a mess right now" She shied away from his gaze, he shook his head, "Beautiful," he corrected as he peppered her face with kisses making her giggle.

Jake stood up begrudgingly to grab a towel, soaking it in warm water and making his way back to clean up whatever mess was left. Before getting back into bed, he grabbed a new pair of boxers for himself and a fresh shirt for Y/n, both cleaning up before cuddling in bed once again. Jake put his arm around her as she rested her head on his chest, listening to his heartbeat as he rubbed circles into her back, both exhausted from the day.

"I love you so much," Jake says, pressing a kiss on the top of her head, she craned her neck to look up at him, "I love you more" he shook his head, a smile on his face as he leaned down to press a kiss on her lips.

"Jake?"

"Yeah love?"

"What made you think of getting this for me?"

Jake thought for a moment before replying, "I know it gets hard when I'm away for so long. Obviously, it won't fill all aspects of our relationship that are affected by me being away but I figured at least this way you can feel me, even when I'm across the world" he winks at her before his expression turns more solemn, "It kills me that you can't be there experiencing it with me"

Y/n took a moment to process what he had said, "It was an incredibly thoughtful gift, I didn't even know you could do that" She laughed before continuing, "It is hard when you're gone but knowing that you're living your dream makes it worth it" she smiled at him, "plus, you already know that I will be coming to any show that I can" She moved to straddle his lap, lowering her voice, "After all, I have to show you what you're missing when I'm all alone with nothing but a silicone copy of you"

Jake groans, "I don't know how I'm going to manage, just think about you using that toy, feeling me, while I'm away" She giggles at his exasperation, "Seriously! I might have a permanent boner this tour! I could give Josh a run for his money!" they both burst out laughing.

"Did you really think I would use this gift without sending a little something for you? This was a gift for the both of us" he pulled her further against him, eliminating any remaining space between them, "I love the way you think, woman" he chuckles, placing a kiss on her temple"

"Okay one more question," she tries to conceal her laugh by clearing her throat, "so...how exactly did you make this toy?" she questioned with a knowing smirk.

Jake looks away, his face twinged pink with embarrassment as he clears his throat, "I'd rather not talk about that" she laughs, "it was worth a shot"

After a few more moments basking in each other's embrace, Y/n wiggles from his grasp, scooting to the edge of the bed, Jake questions "Hey where are you running off to?" She peeled the shirt from her body once again, "taking a shower, wanna come?" she asks in a suggestive voice "Hmm, round two?" he suggests hopefully, "I love the way you think...sir" she winks before running to the bathroom.

Jake quickly follows her lead, coming up behind her and circling his arms around her waist, "Oh, and one more thing I forgot to mention" She turned to look at him, a curious expression on her face, "it vibrates too" he smirks.

Y/n groans in response, "You, Jacob Thomas Kiszka, will be the death of me."

Thanks for reading <3

[elwinsglasses]

shannon's editor essay please if i beg will you give it to me

Haha so sorry about that y'all I'm pretty sure I answered an ask or smth about that essay all the way back in March, and now it's uh *checks notes* August. Whoops. I dug back through my drafts and it turns out that the essay was pretty undeveloped lol, and part of the reason that I procrastinated so long was because I was too lazy to hunt down sources for some of the stuff. Also, at this point a lot of the stuff I was going to write about is (at least in my perspective) pretty common knowledge, so I didn't feel it was super important. Anyways though I'll probably never get around to getting it well organized so I'll just bullet point the general ideas. Also just in case this is all my theories/speculations and none of them have been proven.

So basically I had a kind of far-fetched theory about why the character development of Sophie/Fitz/Keefe in the later books but especially Unlocked/Stellarlune was Like That was because of Shannon's editor

Shannon had a baby I believe 2019/2021ish? and as expected her writing schedule was severely impacted bc obviously baby

And the result of that was that (for at least Stellarlune) her editor ended up drafting the general plot, and she would fill in the outlines (this was stated in I believe an instagram live or barnes and noble interview for Stellarlune. There was a post floating around her that summarized that event but for the life of the I can't find it)

Anyways if you're unfamiliar with Shannon's editor, she's a super pro Keefe/Sokeefer, and is the reason why Keefe is on a disproportionate amount of covers. That wouldn't necessarily be a big deal except I feel she's allowed it to color her view of the story, instead of focusing on what makes the most sense narratively speaking

Like my biggest issue as stated in my last post was how the narrative treats Keefe, esp at the beginning of Stellarlune

However, as a whole, I personally found the whole plot and character development of Stellarlune to be a little forced, instead of it feeling like a natural progression

Because Sophie in Legacy, after breaking up with Fitz, was like "hmm I don't think I'm ready to date anyone"

And I was absolutely here for that. However, in Stellarlune, which is set just a few weeks later, she suddenly knows her soulmate is Keefe

And honestly now that I've had time to mull on it, I do think it's not 100% her editor's fault.

Shannon has been writing Kotlc since she was 21, and has been at it for over 10 years. I imagine a lot of how she feels about Kotlc and the characters has changed significantly. Plus she as a person has changed significantly, and is now a mom of two. As such I think she probably also wants to be done with Kotlc, which probably also explains why the Stellarlune felt that way

Either way this is kind of a negative post lol, but I don't exactly blame either of them. I have the feeling Kotlc has worn out its welcome one way or another, and like it or not, the chapter is about to close soon. I still remember fondly how much I loved this book in my early teens, even as I wish it could have ended with more of a bang than a whimper.

[anogete]

Hi. Update of random shit in case anyone cares.

The scary test I was stressed over in the fall when I was posting my last fic? It was the CFP (Certified Financial Planner) exam. Yes, I passed it. The designation requires a bachelor's degree, so I had to go back to school to finish my last 10 classes. Then I had to take 7 more classes that are pre-reqs for the exam. Then I spent probably 700 hours attempting to cram everything you could think of related to personal finance (my god, there is a metric shit ton) into my head. The designation also requires 5,000 hours of experience in the planning field (which I thankfully already had). By the time I passed the test, I was no longer proud of the accomplishment, just relieved to have it behind me.

Work was intensely busy in November and December. I got little reading and no writing done.

I have a WIP featuring the Darcy/Rumlow pairing that has been languishing on my computer since 2020. To be honest, I've mosty forgotten what the conflict driving the plot was going to be. I think I was trying to tie it into the events of Wandavision. Took place after the show and had Monica Rambeau and Darcy kinda sorta working together and trying to figure out what, if anything, crossing the barrier that Wanda had thrown up did to them. Of course, Rumlow is alive and scarred and back with the good guys. And also really annoyed that his recent gunshot wound stuck him on desk duty watching the nerds complete their physicals as part of employee onboarding. Darcy doesn't want to have gym class with Rumlow, and Rumlow doesn't want to be there either but he's also kinda into the sassy brunette who tried to sweet talk him into passing her without making her run a mile. In the chapter or two I did write, the banter between Darcy and Rumlow was so fun, so I'd love to go back to it and try to move it along.

I got sucked into reading Draco/Hermione fanfic recently. Blame those damn Snow edits from the latest Hunger Games movie. Guys, I have never read those books or seen the movies, but blonde Tom Blyth is looking like the fanfic Draco of my dreams. How dare. This rabbit hole led to me deciding I needed to write a Dramione piece. It's maybe 6 pages and has gone nowhere even though I have a vague idea of the plot. My muse is struggling.

I found my old folder of all the fic I wrote in the past 20 years. There are still a couple hockey fics I haven't posted to AO3. There are also Anita Blake fics (I was a hardcore Anita/Edward girlie) and Harry Potter fics (don't cancel me but I used to write Snape/Hermione; NO student/teacher stuff though). I think I have an old Doctor Who fic featuring Nine/Rose (yes, I'm a Nine girlie). And a very old Forgotten Realms fic that paired Catti-Brie up with Jarlaxle. Look, I don't know. It was ages ago. With the exception of the hockey fics, I do not think any of these are of the same quality I've posted on AO3, but I've been toying with the idea of trying to clean them up and posting them so more of my work is archived together instead of spread over various fan sites. Does anyone have any interest at all in reading this shit? Like, at all?

I decided 2024 is going to be my book binding era. I bound isthisselfcare's Draco Malfoy and the Mortifying Ordeal of Being in Love a couple weeks ago. I did all the typesetting with the help of some macros. Printed it, folded the signatures (the booklets that comprise the book), sewed them together with waxed linen thread, glued the text block together with some mull, and used chip board and book cloth to make the case. It feels and looks like a book, y'all! I could do a better job with lining the signatures up when punching the holes for sewing and with the measurements on the case, but overall I am pretty proud of it. If anyone is interested, I can link a nice tutorial series on TT and/or post progress pictures I took during my book binding experiment. I have to say, it's exciting to have the ability to put my fav fanfics on my physical bookshelf.

[cheesus-doodles]

Hello again! How are you? I'm the anonymous person who previously asked about the "boss". When reading your response about her personality in the "red dragonflies au", I realized it was me who had asked the same question back in 2022, recognized by the heart character I usually use haha, I didn't even remember that.

To be more recognizable, I'll use a more specific emoji this time.

This isn't a writing request, but I'd like to know about your creative process when writing. Usually, I focus more on my ideas after having a cup of coffee and meditating with white noise. My mind organizes better, and I avoid making too many mistakes.

I can say that your profile is one of my havens in the tokyo revengers community. Your writing and character inspired me to pick up an old project I started weeks after reading a few chapters of the manga, back when my only concerns were school exams, haha.

— 🥀.

was thinking between posting this now and next week, but I suppose it doesn't quite make a difference! will be back working on some longer fics but i'll make sure there's no drought next week

Masterlist

‎‎‎

Hello again 🥀 anon! well I have to say its great to see you around, and to have a recognisable emoji! :D I'm super thankful that you decided to stick around here all this time, best of luck with that project (and if you don't mind, I would love to see it whenever you're done!)

Ahh I do kinda miss school a little - the transition to work life is still pretty jarring ngl ;-; I still hate it time to time but what can we do amrite HAHAHAHA

‎

In terms of my creative process, I had a think about it because I was originally going to say that I didn't have any fixed process, but then I realised that the one constant time that I would get some writing done would be usually late nights/early mornings right before bed time. Mostly because I work full time and there are chores and stuff to do around the house after work, but also because I've always been a night owl and I find writing a good way to burn off whatever energy I have left before bedtime. Plus usually I get a bit more loose and fluid when I'm tired (its pretty strange ngl - the logic is just too strong for yanderes to make sense when I'm fully awake).

I also love to watch/listen to news updates/documentaries/financial stuff while I write? Or if I'm overstimulated I listen to music! I did try watching some cafe asmr while writing previously but I get too distracted watching the video to write so that didn't work out HAHAHAHA

But writing when I'm tired generally has an adverse effect on the sentence structure/grammar/generally story flow, so I will use my awake brain to string together what my tired brain wrote the previous night. From time to time at least, other times I'm just too impatient and just fuck it and post it.

‎‎

Inspiration also tends to hit me here and there, so I will occasionally write down ideas and sentences at work if I have free time, or while I'm out and about on weekends - just pop open Tumblr/Google Docs and jot it down before I forget! Might be that I was mulling over the prompt/idea and I see/hear/think something that hits just right!

Yea but that's how I usually go about it! As chaotic as it sounds ngl, but it works I suppose :))

Would love to hear more about your idea flow/creative process if you would like to share! Like where you get your ideas and inspiration, character personalities, or anything else you want to talk about :)

[cleoselene]

the top 5

So I'm not really a film buff. I like a lot of movies, but I'm a tv person. TV is my love, TV is where my passion is. And I've been mulling over the question of what are my actual top 5 favorite TV shows of all time?

I can tell you the top three easily:

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - uncontested favorite show of all time. Perfect characterization. Covers nearly every genre you can think of. Intricate, deliberate, patient storytelling. Gets a reputation for being the "dark" Star Trek but is still loads brighter and more hopeful than anything labeled "Star Trek" after 9/11. The writing is so strong, the characters are so lovingly crafted, there are over 100 incredible episodes to dig into. It doesn't overwhelm you with anything, when the story is very serialized, it gives you a break. When the story gets too intense, it takes a turn and gives you something lighter. I have SO MANY OPINIONS about how fandom kind of lets me down in its appreciation of this show but my appreciation of it is perfect.

Six Feet Under - beginning to end, uniformly wonderful quality. Claire Fisher and I went through a few too many of the same experiences as young women in the early '00s. I think if we're lucky, we find a television show that portrays experiences in a way that are true to us, and Six Feet Under speaks a certain kind of truth for me. Claire and I had the same cynical views, the same confusion in early adulthood, the same flirtations with sinister older men, the same asshole artist boyfriend who got us pregnant and then acted like when she/I had to get an abortion it was all about HIM. That complicated, painful relationship a young woman has with her mother, that's fraught with fighting and pain and a fierce kind of love. And the most perfect, beautiful ending in television history. My only complaint with SFU is that Nate Fisher is an incredibly difficult character to sit through on rewatch (and on first watch honestly) but I forgive it because through Nate we get Brenda, who is the Difficult Woman that fandom always claims they want to have to love but always hates when they get her. Brenda is amazing. I love Brenda.

Twin Peaks - a multi-decade obsession that I don't think I need to get into too deeply here because I have been fawning over it on this blog for months, but a few notes: This show takes a single tragedy and doesn't allow you to get over it, in a television landscape that encourages you to consume a new violence every week and then forget about it, Laura Palmer's death has lingers with us for over three decades because it should. It should be terrible and awful and painful. Twin Peaks also came about when crime media like Silence of the Lambs was telling us that the true evil scary bad guy was a crossdressing serial killer, when television soap operas coded crossdressing as a deviant, evil behavior, and said, "one of our explicitly coded good people is transgender." Twin Peaks told us that the killer is not some weird other, but as it is in reality, someone more familiar and mundane that we try to imagine is a terrifying monster to cope with the brutal mundane reality. And that's just the tip of a massive iceberg when it comes to what this piece of interpretive art is tackling. The wonderful thing about Twin Peaks is that you can read a million theories trying to define exactly what it's about and they can all be correct, because it's not just about consumable tv violence or trying to make monsters out of the mundane, it's about how we perceive our realities and so, so much more. The iceberg's depth is endless.

and then after those top three, I struggle to round out the top five. I have other shows I LOVE, but hesitate to put in with these elite three, for a variety of reasons. I love Star Trek: TNG and Voyager, but the uneven quality I think kicks them off the top five. Voyager has brilliance but some really dog bad episodes, TNG has some whole bad seasons.

HBO's "Rome" is an obsession that was so potent while it lasted that I am tempted, but it was a 2 season show and the quality fell off badly because the plot was majorly rushed in S2. I don't think it qualifies for top five, either.

My most recent sci-fi obsession is The Orville in that it really comes close to hitting the sweet spots the 90s Treks hit within the limitations of shorter modern television seasons, but I don't know if it's a complete work yet. I HOPE NOT. Season 3 was as beautiful and wonderful as modern television gets. It's got major top 5 potential.

Legend of the Seeker is up there with Rome in that the obsession was potent but way too brief: a 2 season affair. It's tempting to put this one in the top 5 because honestly I had almost no complaints about it. It adapted absolutely dog-awful atrocious shit source material and Raimi/Tapert gave it the same magic they infused into Xena to make it a really fun, progressive show. I want to give it a top 5 spot just because IT DESERVED BETTER AND EVERYONE ON IT WAS SO BEAUTIFUL. Also the fandom was super fun and I made really good friends in it and it was just a really joyful show to watch. It made me feel happy. TV doesn't make me feel happy enough anymore. Usually it makes me feel depressed *cough all the new Star Treks, cough* but Legend of the Seeker just lifted me UP. It was syndicated and I worked graveyard shift and I would get home after working all night at 7am and watch the new episode before bed and it was just. Such a boost of happiness.

Finally, I think Farscape deserves a slot. I don't know where. I am WAY overdue for a Farscape rewatch. After the roommates and I get through DS9 (one of them has never seen it!!) we are going to Farscape next. I always love telling people that Farscape is like Star Trek if Star Trek allowed itself to be kinky. What was that one TWOP description of Farscape? "American man lost in the Australian S&M scene." Roflcopter. Also, John/Aeryn is one of the more epic ships of all time. OF ALL TIME.

[dreamdaddydutch]

What about a fanfic about the last good Christmas holiday for the Van Der Linde gang? The 1898 holiday season and all the gang together with Jenny, the Callander boys and the rest of the lads, with the exception of Keiran ofc.

Thanks for the consideration and happy christmas! 🎅🏼🎅🏼

What a lovely request, although slightly sad! So I've written the below, it isn't quite the long fic I wanted it to be but as it's Christmas Eve I really wanted to finish something otherwise I was worried the mood to do it would go! Maybe next year I'll write something more elaborate but for now I hope you enjoy. Merry Christmas! 🎅🏼 x

“Who got the mulled wine?” Hosea’s voice rung through the camp.

Abigail and Karen exchanged glances and shrugged.

A silence descended on the camp. Hosea sighed audibly, nearby he heard Arthur chuckle. Over the weeks previous Dutch had made it clear to all of them that he wanted this to be the best Christmas ever. So, when Hosea thought someone had forgotten to obtain this vital drink his heart sunk, he knew just how important this year was to Dutch and how he wanted everything to be perfect.

*****************************************

“We have had an exceptionally good year, a lucky year, yes. But this has been down to our hard work, our determination, our family.” He had proclaimed one evening, “And with the plans for next Spring in the works I want this to be the best Christmas and New Year ever.”

As if reading Arthur’s mind he continued, “With no expense spared. Decorations and candles, alcohol and good food, gifts for all. We are taking some time off.”

From the corner of his eye Arthur could see Susan huff, her arms folded indignant. “I mean it Miss Grimshaw, we’ll all be pitching in with the cleaning, cooking…isn’t that right Hosea?”

Hosea, ever faithful and by Dutch’s side nodded, “That’s right Dutch.”

“All helping out apart from Dutch, can you imagine him washing dishes? Or Molly for that matter,” Karen muttered under her breath before sipping on the whisky Sean had just passed her.

Javier appeared behind, “Ay, don’t be like that.”

Karen ignored Javier’s comment, she’d learned a long time ago he’d always stick up for Dutch and take his side. He could do no wrong so in her mind this speech of his now was bound to have Javier excited and practically frothing at the mouth.

Thankfully for Karen, Dutch hadn’t heard her comment – very few had and Javier, as fond as he was of Dutch, was also fond of Karen and secretly he knew where she was coming from.

*********************************************

Tilly appeared beside Hosea, “We could always make our own?” She suggested.

Hosea turned to his side and greeted her with a smile, “Ahh now that is a fine idea miss.”

Tilly nudged against him, “Well Hosea I have been known to have a few.”

“More than a few mulled wines I’d say by the sound of it the other weekend!” Tilly turned to see Mac stumbling towards her. She rolled her eyes, choosing to ignore the comment.

“Take no mind of him, he’s just jealous he can’t handle his alcohol as well as you,” Hosea said.

The camp was a flurry of activity leading up to Christmas day.

Like a flurry of snow, the members beavered away. All with their charms and graces, all with their chores and their busy excitement. It made Dutch proud to see them at work.

And Dutch, did Dutch join in with the work? He tried.

On December 22nd the decorations were up, boughs of holly and ivy in between tent posts and a wreath above Dutch’s tent. Mistletoe hung from the branch of a tree which they’d decorated with paper angels, bells and candles.

Javier sat carefully making the most beautiful snowflake paper chains, Christmas here was nothing like Christmas at home he pondered. But then maybe that was a good thing. Maybe it was the best thing. “What’ya doing?” Jack asked.

Javier, not looking up answered, “Making paper chains to decorate your and your mama’s tent.” Was he? Shit, he thought. He was making snowflake paper chains for the camp and not specifically for them.  Why had he said that?

He looked up at Jack, for a moment he felt he could see something of his brothers in him. He shook his head, “Uncle Javier?” Jack sounded concerned. Javier shook his head, “Sorry got distracted thinking about how magical this time of year is.” It was a lie, for the most part. There had been little magic in his childhood Christmases, but perhaps now with his new family he could finally start enjoying them again.

Davey chopped extra firewood, getting some comments Uncle about how he was finally doing something useful for the camp, “Say’s you, shit you’re a parasite!” Davey replied, half in jest.

Uncle shooed him away taking a swig of Irish cream liqueur, “I got lumbago!”

*********************************

“Can we go to Midnight mass?” Tilly asked, full of anticipation of the season. Hosea nodded, “Sure, as long as you and any others who want to tag along are on their best behaviour.” The wink he gave her then was what was written in her list of reasons for loving and looking up to him most of all. Even though Dutch taught her how to read, she always felt she owed so much to Hosea.

On December 24th the food arrived, a giant turkey and some chickens, potatoes, carrots, cabbages, sausages and even some cranberry sauce – rationed at one tablespoon per person which if anything Dutch thought was awful generous of him. There were several large Christmas puddings and Brandy Sauce, Sean was desperate to set fire to them on Christmas day. The answer was a resounding, well….it depends on how drunk you are. Dutch hides a penny in all of them.

Arthur and John cut down a perfect Christmas tree for the camp and set it up near the campfire, they don’t argue, not once…Arthur agrees to put aside his grievances to be in keeping with the goodwill of the season. Javier played festive songs on his guitar while others sang along, though cold outside with food and drink in their belly’s, and love and a song in their hearts they made it through the season.

Before sleep Tilly and Mary-Beth read to Jack, Abigail and John are able to have a moment alone away from the others and share a kiss under the mistletoe.

That night they have a party – was there any other way to do Christmas Eve with the Van Der Linde Gang? Mac and Davey sing a drunken duet, arms linked round one another, they do-si-do round and round, Javier speeding up the playing of his guitar with their dancing.

****************************************

On Christmas morning Charles is the first to wake, he watches the sun rise over the snowy landscape, coffee in hand to keep himself warm. He quietly tiptoes round the camp to ensure everything is perfect for when Jack wakes. He doesn’t know why, he hasn’t been around for long but he wants to make a good impression, wants to be useful, he wants to start anew and enjoy life going forward. Javier wakes next, perhaps it’s the lack of warmth from Charles’ body beside him or perhaps he’s nervous that everyone will have a good time and Dutch will be pleased.

Lenny takes a mug of hot mulled wine over to Jenny and passes it, nervously across without a word. She thanks him with a smile, he smiles back and stands just a little bit too long. She opens her mouth to speak but the moment is lost when Bill claps a hand on Lenny’s shoulder. Jenny blushes and turns away, not wanting Bill to catch-on that there was a little spark between them.

By the time the food was ready the gang had already made their way through most of the mulled wine Tilly and Hosea had made. But there had been no fights or arguments, no acquisitions thrown around and no worries.

They all gather around the tables they’ve joined together, there aren’t enough seats but no one minds. Dutch is at the head of the table with Molly by his side, Hosea on the other side and Arthur, John, Abigail and Jack nearby. Everyone is together; Javier, Charles, Karen, Mary-Beth, Tilly, Susan, Swansan, Strauss, Sean, Pearson, Davey, Mac, Uncle, Jenny, Lenny, Bill, Micah and Trelawney. There is room for everyone at Dutch’s table.

Dutch stands to toast them and every member of his family looks up in awe to the man they owe their lives and freedom to. At least that’s how they see it in that moment. At least that’s how Dutch paints himself and just for the day it’s true.

“My friends,” Dutch announces raising a glass, “My family,” He looks down at Hosea, Arthur and John before looking at the others. “To what has been a fantastic year, I am so proud of each and every one of you. We look forward to the New Year which is going to be even better than this, but for now as a family we celebrate the unity we share, our love of freedom and to live the life we dream of. To all of us this Christmas, bless us all who make our own luck. I love you all.” There was a beautiful sincerity in Dutch’s words, years later others would reflect on how this was the last time the gang were truly happy and at peace.

Across the table glasses were clinked against glasses, Jenny started the clapping and cheering, Javier whooped, Davey and Mac stomped their feet and Arthur shouted, “Here here!”

After food and toasts the party continues long into the night, games are played and a few kisses are stolen under the mistletoe. Jokes and ghost-stories are spoken in hushed voices, thoughtful gifts exchanged with drunken hugs as thanks given.

The sleep they enter into in the early hours of the following morning is a peaceful one, full of dreams and high hopes. Most stagger to bed as the embers from the fire are dying, others stay awake and watch the stars in the clear sky. Each of them dreams of this life they have chosen to lead and how in that moment, if this year was anything to go by the next would be even better.  

[inkwell-intrigues]

TSTS Annoucement

I was hoping this wouldn't happen. Like, I always knew it could happen -I remember seeing this happen to a bunch of fanfiction writers when I was a kid- but it really sucks.

So, I'm crazy burnt out from writing AND Cuphead has stopped being my current hyperfixation. (I'm also on different medications now- which probably doesn't help.)

Even the thought of Cuphead right now gives me pretty bad stress, because of how far behind I've fallen in writing The Strength and The Sight.

I know I made a post literally a few weeks ago saying that I was back and all that stuff, but... After I sat down and started trying to write I began to realize that not only was I badly burnt out, but also The Strength and The Sight's plot/focus/etc has changed multiple times during the process of me writing it. This has led to a LOT of inconsistencies in terms of the plot, character arcs, and in general, the pacing ended up being all over the place because of it. 

For instance, Chalice is supposed to be one of the main characters, but her role in the story has changed a bunch AND I ended up focusing on her a lot less than characters who were supposed to be side characters- like Ginette. (I love Gin, I swear, but she wasn't supposed to be as big of a focus as she ended up being. -That mainly came about from me getting super obsessed with her character and forgetting my other characters- In multiple chapters, she even overshadows the brothers. Oops. xD)

This all has led me to realize: Even if I wasn't burnt out- I simply cannot continue writing a story that I know has inconsistencies. 

So, does this mean that The Strength and The Sight is over? No. No, it does not.

This post is me announcing that I will NOT be taking a break or canceling the story in the traditional "burnt-out fanfic writer" sense. Instead, I will be REWRITING the entire story- starting with outlining the plot from the beginning in lots of detail and sticking to the plot I set.

This rewritten version will be filled with full-color illustrations, more focused, and A LOT shorter. While mulling over the idea of a rewrite, I realized just how needlessly long TSTS has become. Like, the book which I use as a reference and inspiration, Scythe by Neal Shusterman, is only 102k words, while mine- which is not even halfway done- is 114K. (There are a lot more examples of my word count v.s. other books, but I won't bore you all with those numbers.)

BUT, I don't want to leave you guys in the dark while I begin this intense process of rewriting TSTS. So, instead, I want to continue posting on this current fic as a sort of "journal" of my progress. I know a lot of you guys are writers yourselves, so this could be a super cool opportunity for you guys to see my process and learn some tips and tricks along the way.

My long-term goal is to post a probably 100% finished redone version of The Strength and The Sight when The Cuphead Show is renewed and the new season releases on Netflix. (I'm manifesting so hard, IT WILL BE RENEWED I KNOW IT) Or I'll try and release it if/when Studio MDHR releases another Cuphead thing/game. Whatever comes first.

Until then, I'll be using this as my progress journal. I'll be posting rough sketches (because I'll also be doing updated illustrations!), rough outlines (with redacted spoilers, lol), and more! 

I know this is probably really disappointing. I'm kicking myself quite a bit here and wishing I'd been able to finish TSTS before I got burnt out, but I believe that everything happens for a reason. My hope is that TSTS will be a much better and higher-quality novel because of this rewrite.

Thank you for your patience and I'm truly sorry for all the delays. I promise that I'll do everything I can to make The Strength and The Sight worth the wait.

-- Your Friend, Inkwell Intrigues

[wildlinginkings]

Writeblr Introduction

This blog has been in existence for quite a while, but it’s recently turned into a store of queued posts that never actually became any kind of sensible chaos that a blog should be, due to Anxiety™. Not much has changed, but I've the sudden and overwhelming feeling that I really can't be bothered to be anxious anymore, and I’m hoping getting this place getting organised might help put my plot bunnies in a row, so…

I go by the names Autumn, or Wildling

I’m from England, she/her, and I'm a literature and history student, currently mulling over postgraduate options

I write across genres, but tend towards fantasy, crime and mystery, and historical and alternate history. There’s usually a healthy dose of all of them at once.

I also write poetry, but I’m thinking that probably won’t appear here.

My current focus is to work on the first draft of my first novel, which is the project known as 'Death Comes in Threes', and as a result will be featured here quite often.

Additionally, I'm simply trying to get back to enjoying the process of writing, and return to my previous voice and style, my studies having made my brain feel like it's liquified and fallen out of my ears. I love constructing characters and world building, and a continual feature of this blog will be expanding on the universe of my fantasy novel (Project : Dobro), which I hope to be my second or third novel.

I shift between various projects, with about three major WIPs, though occasionally I get distracted by new bunnies.

aesthetics : folklore and mythology, complex and morally grey characters, fantastical creatures, women with weapons, men in long black coats, apothecary boxes, botanical elixirs and poisons, crumbling sweet pastries, the enemy of my enemy is my friend, diversity, damp and dark forests, umbrella fights in the kitchen with your bff, renaissance tapestries, hope against hope, secret gardens, 1930s americana

On this blog you’ll find a lot of photographic inspiration for my projects, mood boards, positivity for writers (and in general), and writing guides.

Current WIPs

Project : Abide

Genre — crime/literary/humour

Premise — a Southern Gothic following a group of women hatching murder plots over Eggs Benedict in the local diner. 

Project : Dobro

Genre -- epic fantasy/alternate history

Premise -- Set in an alternate and fantastical Edwardian-inspired world, a disparate group of characters try to navigate and survive amidst large-scale revolutionary conflict, each of whom carry differing ideas of the future, dark secrets, and terrible power.

Project : Death Comes in Threes

Genre -- Wild West fantasy

Premise -- When Cate finds her father has been murdered, she settles with the idea that vengeance is now the only thing that can keep her company, but on the way, she encounters a gentleman conman who promises his aid, on one condition; she must explore the depths of her extraordinary powers, whatever the cost may be.

Project : VIII

Genre — urban fantasy

Premise —The Greene’s were always going to be murdered. They were the most prominent bounty hunting family in the dark disquiet of the Other World, after all. But Holliday Greene had been planning for this for a long time, and she’s prepared for a very busy week.

Project : Road

Genre — crime/mystery/literary

Premise — Three siblings, their lives irrevocably changed fourteen years earlier by the murder of a local schoolgirl, are again thrown into turmoil when a family friend goes missing in similar circumstances. To unravel the mystery, they must confront their personal demons, the complexities of grief, and a hidden darkness that has gripped the town for two decades.

[wheel-of-hyperfixation]

Every couple of months this concept for a fic (a whole damn series tbh) pops back into my mind

I really want to make myself write it. Reasons I should give it a shot (this list is kind of just for me, lemme convince myself)

I used to start writing stories as a kid (many a few pages that I started but never continued) and even though I never finished them, it made me so happy. I think I'd like to explore the storyteller in me from a new place; not as a dancer.

All the writing that I end up doing now is for school. I'm typically not one to boast but I will say that my written responses and essays are reallll fucking good. And even with fighting my own brain trying to write for those assignments (anxiety, depression, adhd yall do NOT make it easy) I still Love writing those essays. I have Fun writing those essays

I say I don't have free time but I do manage to find time to rest. Usually though resting just ends up being laying in bed all day watching some show on my laptop. And then I feel shitty (physically and mentally) that I haven't done something more productive. Not productive like "you should've deep cleaned the entire apartment on your first day off in three in a half weeks" but like "hey girl could you just maybe do something that involves some healthy brain stimulation? pls??" I think this would be a good outlet yk healthy for my brain and my body

I'd really like to be able to share something of mine with the folks here I admire

Going off of #4, I have such a hard time sharing my art online but sadly my career path kind of depends on my ability to do that. I have yet to a really clean, simple answer of how to overcome that--at least they haven't been routes I've felt I could make myself do (I'm very stubborn). This however might be a good way for me to practice and build this skill, in a place where my career, My Dream isn't at stake.

_______________________________________

so the plot..

Eddie Munson x (lemme be self-indulgent and also add to our minimal representation on here) BlackFem!Reader

Will the upside down be a thing that happened? I'm guessing no. But if it is then ofc this man survives -as he should as he should-

Eddie has finally graduated ('86 baby <3). He has another 6 months-a year afterwards working every moment he can and saving every penny. He finally leaves Hawkins (would need to write some sad shit with leaving Wayne ofc but yk maybe in a later chapter as a little flashback) for [SOME BIG CITY - i have some choices but it depends on details about Reader i haven't given thought to yet]. He's trying to get into the music scene-- make friends, find some footing, get a consistent gig somewhere if he can. There's a rock night at a local bar he sees a flyer for and there he meets this percussionist who's drumming with a band playing that night. BAM! They're instant friends. IMPORTANT: i headcanon that Eddie also managed to learn to play drums sometime in late middle school/early high school, he doesn't have formal training but can work his way around a drum set. Plot things plot things plot things -> New best friend percussionist has a job with this proffesional dance company as an accompanist; they play for classes and rehearsals and has recently been in talks with the director about their upcoming season because of a new work one of the choreographers will be building. It'll be a lot of workshopping but just conceptually it seems great. The other two accompanists who usually work with the company don't drum though and the choreographer really wants a musical focus on percussion. BestFriend calls Eddie while he's still at the studio speaking with the director and choreographer :)

WELCOME READER!! I'm not sure who exactly she'll be yet but currently mulling over some possibilities: a friend of this choreographer from a previous job who they've asked to help with the choreography? a brand new company member? someone who's danced a couple seasons with the company (corps dancer) and is getting her first larger role? Lots of possibilties but the point is that she's part of the new work too.

And they meet when Eddie comes for his first day-- it's company class in the morning and rehearsal begins later after their lunch break (again it's lots of workshopping, collaborative space, freestyle amongst the dancers as they just get to play around with the music). Eddie is a little entranced by Reader the whole time, and Reader tries to not get flustered and distracted in the middle of learning these movement phrases when she catches him watching her specifically.

Pretty, lovely, dream-like things ensue for them <3

_________________________

That "quick rough summary" turned into a word-vomit brainstorm with a lot more detail than I anticipated. Cool.

[myc-ology-whore]

Mycology, Pt. 1

Myc x Fem!Reader (SFW)

This... This is 5.7k words. And it's part one of two (???), quite possibly more. I'm in too deep for an ask, folks.

Okay! So, I've been working stupidly hard on this ask for the last three days or so. I accidently deleted the ask, but thankfully I'd screenshotted it beforehand lol. So, I put a lot of effort into this, partially because it's an introduction to one of my favourite OCs, Leon, and partially because I really liked this ask and just couldn't stop writing. I think normally people would pay writers on Tumblr for this, but you know what? I like to write, and I had a lot of fun writing this. So, as sincerely as I can possibly say this, thank you for the ask. It may not be exactly what was asked for personality-wise, but I hope it satisfies nonetheless.

FYI, while this part is SFW, the second part will 100% be NSFW. Also, none of the side characters really matter much except Leon, lol. He's the only one I've really fleshed out and put heart into. Let me know what you think of him.

You'd been working at Cognito for some time when the mycelian had first found his way into your life. The lab you were given to study your specimens was several floors below the atrium, and you often left the building late because you got too caught up in your work, so you'd just never managed to catch a glimpse of him. You were well aware that there was a mycelian working in Cognito somewhere, because you knew that they were the source of the hyper-psilocybin samples that were sent to your office to be processed, but it wasn't your job to extract that from the specimen, so you'd never had any need to go see them.

That didn't mean you didn't want to, however.

You were checking on the growth of some of your psilocybe cubensis in their primordium stage when you heard a sharp rapping on your door. "Come in," you called, taking a few snapshots of the baby mushrooms. There was a click behind you as someone entered your lab, shoes tapping the tiles audibly as they walked up beside you.

"Hey, gorgeous," said a familiar smooth voice, prompting you to sigh and roll your eyes. It was your coworker, Shaun, a rather attractive man only a few years older than you. He was a bit of a womanizer around this section of Cognito, from what you’d heard, and in the past week or so he'd made it his goal to get in your pants. His attempts amounted to nothing, of course, as you weren't interested in someone like him, but he was friends with one of your nicer coworkers, Amelia, so you hadn't outright turned him down yet.

"He's really a pretty decent guy, if you give him a chance," she'd tried to convince you, but you weren't buying it. "Just once, you should come to McUltra's for drinks with us. It'll be fun! Plus, I won't be the only girl in the group anymore."

"Do you need something, Shaun?" You walked around the table where your specimens sat to pin up the photos you'd just taken onto your progress board. He leaned casually onto the table as he eyed you; you noted that he was dangerously close to your baby cubensis, but tried to ignore it in favour of not looking rude.

"Yeah, wanted to ask if you'd finally changed your mind on those drinks," he replied, a friendly smile on his face. "Amelia, Kaiden and I are heading to McUltra's after work again today, and--"

"Again? I've told Amelia I'm not interested," you grumbled, leaning against the wall with your arms crossed.

Shaun frowned at your disposition. "Ah, come on, (Y/n)," he insisted, standing up straight to step a little closer to you. "I thought Amelia said you were s'posed to be fun. I'd love to watch you drink her under the table, or you could play some pool with us. Whatever you wanna do, I mean, you could even leave early if you wanted."

Womanizer or not, he did look genuine. There must be some reason Amelia sticks around him, I guess... And considering she doesn't like guys? Maybe he really isn't so bad.

You huffed in annoyance, rubbing your eyes as you mulled it over for a second more. Finally, you looked up at Shaun, suspicion in your gaze. "Just one night, then you guys will shut up about it?"

Shaun grinned. "Mhm, promise," he confirmed, miming zipping up his mouth.

"Fine. But you're buying my first drink."

. . . .

Thankfully, Cognito was nice enough to allow their employees to wear casual clothes, with the exception of lab staff having to wear lab coats while working, so you didn’t look totally out of place for a bar setting despite arriving straight after your shift. It didn’t matter much anyway, you realised, as many people here worked nights or multiple shifts, and would stop in at McUltra’s in full suits or biohazard-wear before, after, or even during work. You were rather surprised at just how many people were in the bar, considering it was only four in the afternoon, but you knew running the shadow government could drive anybody to drink after a few weeks.

Almost all of the booths in the bar were already full, and so were two of the three pool tables. Even the drinks bar itself was pretty crowded, though there were a few seats open. “Welp,” Shaun declared, looking around the room, “let’s find somewhere to sit.”

“There,” Amelia exclaimed, pointing happily at one of the booths in the very back corner of the bar. “That one there is open!”

Your three companions, Amelia, Shaun, and Shaun’s friend, Kaiden, quickly made a beeline for the table while you sauntered along behind them, scanning your surroundings. There were some arcade cabinets in the opposite corner from your table; you might be able to kill some time there. You spotted one of your favourite coworkers, Leon, sitting up at the bar by himself, drawing a smile from you. That’d be where you’d head first.

You walked up to Shaun’s side, Kaiden and Amelia already having sat down. “Alright, is everyone good with beer?” The two at the table agreed, and Shaun turned to face you. “You want something different?”

“I’ll pick up the drinks, so you don’t have to worry about it,” you said, smiling politely. “I’m assuming a beer for you too?”

Shaun raised an eyebrow, a grin spreading on his face. “Yeah, sure,” he answered, “but I’m still keeping my promise of buying the first round. Just tell the bartender to put it on my tab, he’s a really nice guy.”

You nodded and turned to the bar, your eyes locking onto Leon. You narrowly avoided bruising your hip on some of the tables several times, and nearly tripped over the lengthy tail of a particularly iguana-like reptoid, but you made it to the barstool beside your friend without injury. When you tapped on his shoulder to get his attention, you were greeted by the bright pink nose and tiny, beady eyes of a moleman. He frowned for a moment, sniffed the air around you, and broke into a wide, sharp-toothed grin.

“Miss (Y/n)!” he greeted in his polite southern accent. “I ain’t never seen you here before, ma’am! What brings you here so early in the afternoon?” The older moleman was, ironically, the lab levels’ mailman. He was very friendly to everyone, but most of the scientists were cold to him due to prior disagreements between the mole people and humans. He was very interested in your work, however, and you were happy to tell him about it when you weren’t busy, which was how you’d become acquainted.

“Some coworkers of mine insisted I come hang out with them,” you huffed, sitting down beside him. “I’m still trying to figure out how to get away from them completely, but I saw you sitting up here and figured I’d come and say hi.”

“Well, as always, Miss (Y/n), it is an absolute deeee-light to see you,” Leon said, his nose twitching happily. “You gonna stay and talk awhile?”

“I don’t see why not,” you reckoned, “though I promised I’d bring back drinks first.” You turned and waved over the bartender, a tall Easter Islander fellow with a silver nametag on his chest that read Tony. “Hi, excuse me, Tony? Could I get three beers and a piña colada, please? Shaun over there said we could put it on his tab.”

“Of course,” he replied, glancing at your table before getting to work on your drinks.

“Christ, it’s been a while since I last drank,” you chuckled, watching as Tony filled three iced glasses with foamy beer from the tap. When he finished your piña colada, you slid it into Leon’s hands so he’d know where it was, knowing well enough not to depend on a mole’s vision. “Here, keep tabs on this, will you? I’ll be right back.”

“Your drink is safe with me, Miss (Y/n),” he assured you. You beamed at him before picking up the beers to take back to your party.

Everybody was already getting into an excited conversation when you stepped back up to the table, but Shaun frowned as he saw that there were only three drinks. “You didn’t get anything for yourself? You don’t have to worry about paying for it, remember?”

“Oh, I did,” you assure him, setting a glass down in front of each of your companions, “but I’ve got someone watching it over at the bar. I found one of my friends here, so I’m gonna go sit with him for a bit.”

Shaun and Amelia both looked aghast at your announcement, but Kaiden looked like he could care less. Amelia spoke up first, protesting, “You’re ditching us?”

“I mean, you guys wanted me to come out here,” you shrugged. “I’m just saying hello to a buddy, and after that I guess we’ll see what happens.”

“Well,” Shaun sighed, “if that’s what you really want. Enjoy your drink.”

You almost felt a little bad when you saw how upset he and Amelia seemed to be, but you couldn’t be bothered to care. Maybe you were a dick, but if you were going to allow yourself to be nagged into going out, you were going to do it on your own terms. “Yeah, thanks. See ya.”

When you came back up to sit beside Leon, he pulled your drink to his chest for a second to sniff at you, then passed it back. “Safe as a baby in a bunker,” he said cheerily, listening as you took a sip of the sweet drink. “That rum sure do smell strong, ma’am. I ain’t never tried anything like that, truth be told.”

“Mm, I can get you one if you want,” you say, slurping up the fruity mixed drink like a mosquito. “These things are sooo good.”

“Oh, I shouldn’t, ma’am,” the moleman dismissed, waving the thought away. “We mole people don’t have much of a tolerance like you humanfolk. If I have anything more than two drinks, I won’t be able to smell my way home.”

“Huh, I had no clue.”

“Our noses are a magnificent tool, ma’am, but alcohol messes with our sense of smell the same way it messes with your sight and balance,” he explained patiently, taking a small drink from his glass of whiskey as you listened intently. “This here is my first glass, however, so I’ve still got a ’ways ‘til I’m ready to pick up and leave.”

“I’ve always wondered just how strong your noses have to be,” you remarked, thinking aloud as you stared into your drink. “I mean, is it like echolocation? Like, you can pick out everybody’s individual scent and quote-unquote “see” where they all are?”

Leon chuckled in amusement at your inquiry, enjoying your interest in his species. “Somethin’ like that,” he confirmed, swishing his whiskey around. “Everybody has a certain smell, that much is true, but some folks got a scent so unique that we can pick ‘em out in a crowd. It don’t even have to be that special, really, as long as we been around you long enough to memorise it. Take you, for example.”

“Me?” You furrow your brows, unsure of what to think. Laughing awkwardly, you ask, “Are you trying to say I stink, Leon?”

The moleman lets out a sharp bark of a laugh, clicking his claws on the bar. “Not at all, ma’am,” he says kindly, shaking his head. “No, it’s your job that gives you your scent, Miss (Y/n). You’re ‘round all those fungi all day, and that rubs off on you. At the risk of offendin’ you, you remind me of home, Miss. Moist dirt, mushrooms, lichen, everything you takin’ care of in there; though the smell isn’t strong enough for humans to notice, it’s easy for us mole people to see.”

Your cheeks are slightly red as he explains this to you. “I’m flattered, Leon,” you laugh. “I had no idea.”

“Of course not,” he replied, polishing off his glass of whiskey. “You’d never have a clue if one of my people didn’t tell you themselves. Speakin’ of…” He lifted his head up in the air, nose twitching vigorously as he locked onto a smell. “I think one of ‘em’s comin’ close now.”

You frowned in confusion and turned to the wide entrance of McUltra’s. “You can pick out a mole person’s scent from pretty far off,” you mused, seeing no one else of his kind in the bar.

He shook his head with a small chuckle as he relaxed his posture once more. “Not one of my species, Miss (Y/n), but one of my folk,” Leon corrected. “One of the many peoples from below.”

You were about to ask what he meant when something brightly coloured slid into the corner of your eye, and you whirled around to see a neon pink and blue mycelian scuttling into the bar, his flashy colours indicating that he was a male. You found yourself entranced almost immediately, your eyes wide and scrutinising the way the mycelian moved as he approached the bar. Though you had no reliable way of knowing where his gaze was, you somehow felt like he was watching you as well, and when he ended up stopping right in front of you and Leon, you felt a strange sort of energy coming off of him.

“Well, look who it is,” the mycelian crowed, his voice loud and pleased. “Long time, no see, Leon.”

“Good to see you, Myc,” Leon returned, holding out a clawed paw to the giant mushroom. The mycelian took it instantly, pulling Leon in for a rather bizarre hug.

“I see you got a little lady friend,” said the mycelian, leaning in to get a good look at you. You didn’t shy away in the least, a childish grin on your face as you looked into his swirling orb. “You interested, hot stuff?”

“Myc, please,” Leon groaned, seeming embarrassed of his friend. “Miss (Y/n), I apologise on behalf of my good friend here. You’ll have to forgive him his crude nature, he doesn’t understand manners so well.”

“(Y/n), huh? You sure seem enamoured with me, dollface,” he leered smugly, and although you were about to defend yourself, you thought of a better idea. Maybe if you could get on his good side, he’d tell you a little bit about his species like Leon had.

“Well, you’re a very beautiful specimen,” you answered truthfully. The mycelian, Myc, seemed a bit taken aback by your choice of words.

“Specimen?”

“Miss (Y/n) here is a mycologist,” Leon said, sounding almost proud as he introduced you. “She grows all kinds of fungi down in the bio labs. Granted, she doesn’t grow anything quite like you.”

Myc laughed slyly, moving closer to lean onto the bar between you and Leon. “A mycologist, hmm? Sounds like I could teach you a thing or two, kiddo.”

Leon shoved him back, his mouth agape in disbelief. “Myc! That is not how you make a good first impression on a lady,” he reprimanded, holding a clawed hand out in front of you. Addressing you, he says, “Don’t pay this old man any mind, Miss (Y/n). He’s not so bad once you get to know him, I promise.”

“You think too highly of me, Leon,” Myc chuckled, his gaze still roving over you. “Besides, I think the kid here can speak for herself, can’t she?”

“I can, though I appreciate your concern,” you said to Leon, gently pushing his paw down. To you, this was an unmissable opportunity to get up close and personal with a mycelian, and you weren’t going to turn that down. “If you wanted to come down to my lab sometime, I’d love to take a closer look at you. I’ve always been interested in examining one of your species,” you offer, smiling kindly.

Myc seems to think that’s a grand idea. “Maybe I’ll take you up on that, kid,” he remarked, coming to lean in close to you again. This time, he stood on your other side, however, that way Leon couldn’t shove him back again. “Just promise you won’t dissect me, yeah? I like my flagella just the way they are, thanks.”

“Myc, don’t you try and pull any funny business on Miss (Y/n), y’hear? She’s a very nice lady, and I will not have you ruining her opinion of us for your own amusement,” Leon warns, pointing at the mushroom with one of his thick claws. Myc looked so soft and gel-like, you thought, that if these two were enemies, Leon would slice right through him.

“Yeah, yeah, I got it, Fuzzy,” Myc snickered, moving around you to rub the moleman’s head condescendingly. Leon took the teasing willingly, and you wondered just how long these two had known each other. Turning back to you, the mycelian asked, “So, can I buy you your next drink, doc? I got plenty of time to sit and chat. You know, get to know each other a little better before you… examine me.”

. . . .

As it turned out, Myc and Leon were pretty close. You found out that Leon hadn’t actually grown up in Hollow Earth but on a mushroom farm in Mississippi run by a kind human family; they’d found him rustling around in the brush and took him in, intending to keep him as a pet until he started learning to stand upright and talk. They raised him as they did their daughter, who was around his age, and taught him how to run the farm and dress properly and whatnot. When one of his adoptive sister’s schoolmates came over and spotted him, gossip led to Leon being found by Cognito.

“They asked me if I wanted to stay with my family or go back down to where I come from,” Leon recalled over his third glass of whiskey (Myc had insisted upon it, assuring the moleman that he’d get home safe). “I says - hic - I told ‘em, I ain’t goin’ nowhere if I can’t come back ‘nd visit my Ma and Pa and Mae. So, Cognito, they tells me that - hic - that if I come ‘nd work for ‘em, then they’d give me free passage from home to… to the Hollows.”

“Take a breath, champ,” Myc chuckles, leaning onto one of his flagella and watching in amusement as Leon swayed on his barstool. Continuing the moleman’s story, he says, “Kid had to come to Cognito and get settled before he could get onto the subway to Hollow Earth, and they figured he’d be more comfortable if he had someone from the Hollows to show him around. They didn’t really seem to take into account that he’d never been down there, meaning he had no clue what the fuck he was looking at when I came knocking.”

“I damn near screamed my head off!” Leon laughs animatedly at the memory, leaning back on his stool, and you smile fondly as Myc reaches around you to steady his old friend. “I was cryin’, ‘Alien, alien!’ Whoo, Myc sure got a kick outta that! He was shakin’ in the doorway like a leaf from laughin’ so hard, while I stood backed into the corner o’ my room, thinking he come to take my brain like in one o’ them zombie films. Ah, it’s funny lookin’ back, but I was terrified of ‘im that day.”

“Well, to someone who’s never even heard of them before, mycelians can be easily mistaken for extraterrestrials,” you reason. “How many years ago was that again?”

“Oh, that must’a been… why, thirty-odd years ago now,” Leon remarked. “Correct me if I’m wrong, Myc.”

“Yeah, somewhere around there,” the mushroom confirmed. “You’re what now, fifty?”

“Yessuh,” Leon said with a grin. “You’re sharp as ever.”

“I went to your birthday last year,” Myc laughed, swirling a tendril around in his own whiskey. You watched absentmindedly as the liquid slowly disappeared, somehow being absorbed into the flagella. “If I couldn’t remember something as recent as that, they might have to put me in a home or some shit.”

“Wait,” you thought aloud, holding up a hand to halt him. “How old did you say you were again?”

“What, you can’t tell? I’m flattered,” the mushroom said sarcastically. “Four thousand and forty-one. I don’t look like it though, huh?”

He snickers as your mouth falls open, your eyebrows scrunched up in disbelief. “You’re kidding.”

“Not at all.” Well, now you were doubly - no, triply as interested in examining the mycelian as you were when he first walked into McUltra’s. His body had been moving, healing, and functioning on its own for several thousand years, yet he was as lively and visually healthy as a man in his twenties or thirties. “Soak in it for a minute, why don’tcha? Guess I can’t blame you for not knowing too much about us; you’re a mycologist, not a cryptobiologist.”

“That doesn’t mean I don’t want to learn more,” you alluded, letting your hand slide across the bar to poke gently at the flagella curled around his glass.

“You’re pretty forward, for such a geek,” Myc chuffed, and you felt something ghost over your jeans before wrapping itself around your thigh. “Keep talkin’ like that, I might just have to visit your lab sooner rather than later.”

“You’ve always been such - hic - such a smooth-talker, Myc,” Leon said from your other side, and you turned to see him lying his head onto the bar, his small eyes beginning to droop. “Just don’t… don’t mess this one up. Hic.”

“I think it’s time to get you home, buddy,” Myc sighed, hopping off his barstool. He laid a flagella onto Leon’s shoulders to support him, making sure he wouldn’t fall if he tried to get down. “Wouldn’t want you to end up cock-blocking me, Fuzz.”

“Ah, I’m fine,” the moleman replied, swiping at Myc with his paw. You jumped a little and covered your mouth in worry at just how close he got to accidentally slicing the mushroom’s limb off, but Myc seemed unphased.

“C’mon, champ, you’ve had enough,” he held, grabbing onto the moleman’s bicep and yanking him down and onto his feet. “You’re gonna make a fool of yourself here pretty soon.”

Leon grumbled something unintelligible, but relented arguing. He looked like he’d just been told to go to bed by his father, reinforcing once more just how much older Myc really was. You watched as he wrapped a flagella loosely around Leon’s ribs to steady him, Leon grabbing onto Myc’s stem in return, reminding you of a passenger hanging onto the poles in the metro. When Leon was fully balanced, Myc turned back to you, looking at you almost expectantly.

“Well?” You raised your eyebrows at his implicative tone. “Are you gonna help me walk him home?”

“Oh, uhm…” You thought for a moment, glancing briefly at your original group playing pool in the corner of the bar. Ah, who cares, you decided. “How far is it?”

“‘Bout a ten minute walk and an elevator ride away,” Myc answered.

“Then sure.” You went around to Leon’s other side, letting him rest his other arm over your shoulders. Looking to Myc, you nodded. “Lead the way, cap.”

The three of you start walking toward the exit of the bar, making it just outside and onto the tile floor of the mini-mall before you’re stopped. Shaun’s shoes squeak as he slides out in front of you, holding his hands up to signal you to wait.

“(Y/n), hey,” he says, brows knitted. “Where are you going? You’re not going to come back and hang out with us a bit before you leave?”

You looked at your coworker incredulously, glancing between the moleman leaning onto your side and back at Shaun. “Um, I’m a little busy here.”

“Yeah, screw off, bud,” Myc grunts in annoyance, shifting impatiently as Leon swayed in between the two of you.

“I’m sorry, who are you?” Shaun gives the mycelian a once-over, taking in the strangeness of him. “I don’t think I know your name.”

“Good, ‘cuz I don’t think that’s any of your business.”

“Now, Myc,” Leon slurred, leaning up to talk to his friend, “don’t you cause no trouble here, old man. I just - hic - need you to get me to the elevators, ‘nd I can take it from there.”

“Yeah, I got it, kid,” Myc said dismissively. He made a shooing motion at Shaun with one of his flagella, tilting his head toward the bar. “Run along now, princess. We got places to be.”

Shaun’s face lit up with anger and embarrassment at Myc’s treatment. He took a step forward, pointing aggressively at the mushroom. “Now, look here, asshole--”

“Shaun, just drop it,” you commanded, glaring at him. “I’ll be back later, alright?”

“Yeah, drop it,” Myc sneered. “(Y/n), can we please get moving now? My flagella are gonna start acting on their own here pretty quickly.”

“Myc, just hush,” you snapped. Looking back to Shaun, you said, “Sorry, but we have to get going now. Just go on and hang out without me, okay?”

Shaun hesitated, clearly not wanting to budge, but eventually seemed to cave in. “Just be safe, okay? You know these guys well, right?”

“Well enough,” you confirmed with a nod. “Thanks for worrying, but I know how to handle myself.”

“Alright,” he sighed. “I’ll… see you at work tomorrow maybe?”

“Yeah, maybe.” With that, Shaun finally relented, letting you pass. He gave Myc a side-eye as he returned to the bar, something that merely seemed to amuse the mushroom. As you began walking toward the elevators, you cleared your throat, catching Myc’s attention. “Sorry about that guy, by the way,” you said, glancing over at him. “He’s just… really weird.”

“And by really weird you mean a creep,” Myc replied shortly, looking back at you over Leon’s furry head. “That guy desperately wants to fuck you, you know that, right?”

A sudden laugh almost made you choke, and you coughed for a few seconds as you tried not to stumble with someone else’s weight on your shoulders. “H-How would you even know that?”

“Well, first of all, he was painfully obvious,” he snickered. “I thought it was pretty clear that part of the reason he didn’t want you to leave was because he was jealous. Can’t say I didn’t understand his worry though, seeing you walk off with two guys you didn’t walk in with. His motives weren’t entirely selfish, at least.”

“And how are you so certain of his motives?”

He scoffed at that. “Don’t you know anything about mycelians? I thought you’d be at least a little informed.”

“I only know what your excretions do,” you admitted in an embarrassed mutter. “They get sent to me for processing, and that’s about all the information I get. I don’t even know how they get the stuff, though considering how you’re walking around freely, I can thankfully mark torture off the list of possibilities.”

Myc chuckled slyly, tilting his head toward you. “You’re in for a big surprise then, sweetheart.” You gave him a curious look, but he said no more on the topic. “And for your information, we’re psychic. Y’know, like we can read minds and shit like that? I’ve been in your head since I first walked into the bar.”

“That’s amazing,” you marvelled, eyes wide. “Psychic abilities… I’ll have to write that down. And where did you say the hyper-psilocybin comes from?”

“You’ll probably find out soon enough,” he said vaguely. You reached the elevators at the edge of the mini-mall, and were pleasantly surprised to find that one was already waiting for passengers as you pushed the button to summon one. “Ladies first,” Myc stated, gesturing for you to step in. You did, backing in carefully so you wouldn’t put all of Leon’s weight onto Myc; the moleman was practically sleepwalking at this point. “Negative eleven, that’s where his apartment’s at.”

As soon as everyone was inside, the elevator began its swift descent to the residential level; Cognito had many employees that were better left unseen by the public, so they had two whole apartment complexes built into their facilities. One was aboveground in a nice, boring little neighbourhood in uptown D.C., while the other, the one you were headed to now, was an underground complex made for the workers who’d rather not see the light of day, if they didn’t have to.

You’d visited the upper complex before, but you’d never even seen these apartments before. Though the hallway you came into looked like any modern hotel, there were slight differences. The lights were much dimmer here than in the rest of Cognito, and the ground was made of some sort of packed dirt rather than carpet. It felt cool in the same way as a cavern, wet but not uncomfortably cold; you wondered what kinds of people lived down here, other than mole people.

Myc stopped walking in front of one of the many identical doors in the hall, distinguishable only by the numbers beside them; this one read 201. Leon mumbled sleepily as Myc reached into the pocket of his mailman uniform, pulling a small ring of keys from it. “You look like you’ve done this before,” you chuffed as he began fumbling to unlock the door.

“I’m not the best friend a guy could have,” he admitted, opening the door with a click and kicking it open. “This isn’t the first time I’ve ended up getting the poor kid shitfaced.”

“Well, you’re a good enough friend to make sure he gets home safe,” you countered. Myc gave nothing in response but a short laugh, though you felt that he appreciated the comment. You followed his lead as he dragged his friend into the apartment, and were surprised to see just how… burrow-like it was. It was clear that it was originally just a basic empty room with a bathroom and hallway leading off of it, but someone had gone to great lengths to cover every inch of the walls in dirt, piles of it remaining in the corners of the room. Lanterns and candles were the only source of light you saw, the original lights having been covered by the muck. Cozy-looking wicker furniture decorated the small living area, a thick red rug in the middle of a circle of armchairs, and a small wooden coffee table was atop the rug.

“Here, just stay put for a minute,” Myc said, hoisting Leon up enough so that his arm slipped off your shoulders. Heading for the hallway that broke off of the main room, he explained, “I’m just gonna drop him off in his bed real quick. I’m sure he wouldn’t mind if you had a look around.”

You nodded as he left and did just that, for several things had caught your attention. A variety of shiny objects decorated the dirty wall, pinned into the muck with wooden nails. Necklaces, rings, pocket watches, and coins galore were pressed inside of the dirt, and you felt like you were walking through some strange museum exhibit. You gathered that these must’ve been things Leon had found while digging around; it made you smile to see that each object was polished with love, making the artefacts look brand new despite being stuck in dried mud.

As you looked around, you found picture frames sitting throughout the room as well. You saw one placed on a small table in the corner of the room beside a bowl of peppermints, and you picked it up to examine it. It was Leon, though clearly a bit younger than the one you knew; he stood beside a very pretty young girl with a smile as bright as the sun, his clawed hand on her waist. On the back of the picture frame was the name Jeannie, a small heart beside her name.

“Whatcha got there?” You jumped as a voice came from right over your shoulder. Myc chuckled as you turned around to face him, setting the portrait back where you’d found it. He stretched upwards and over you to look behind you, looking at the picture himself. “Ah, doing a little snooping, are we?”

“You said it was okay to look around,” you defended.

“That I did,” he replied, leaning back to give you your personal space. He turned and scuttled away toward the open door of the apartment, looking back at you expectantly. “C’mon, let’s move,” he stated, setting Leon’s keys on a rack hanging from the wall and locking the doorknob lock. He waited for you to pass him before shutting the door and matching your pace as you walked back to the elevators. “Not the kind of place you expected him to live in, huh?”

“I guess it’s the kind I should’ve expected,” you remarked, stretching your neck out as you walked; your shoulders were sore from carrying Leon’s weight. “He is a mole, after all.”

“Well, don’t say it like that, you’ll get the guy fired in a place like this,” Myc jokes, eliciting a soft laugh from you. “By the way, you’re looking a little tense there, doll. If you want, I could help you relax a little.”

“With what, your psychic abilities? You’re not going to hypnotise me, are you?” Myc snorted, knowing you were fully aware of his implications. “If you want to go down to my lab now, I won’t turn down the offer.”

Myc tapped his orb as though in thought, a strangely human gesture you didn’t expect from him. “Well, if you’re so eager, why don’t we do it right now? The bio labs just seem like such a long walk away,” he suggests, his tone making it clear that he was ready to go when you were.

You shook your head, stifling a grin. “I think you’re misunderstanding what the term examine means, buddy.”

“And I think you’re underestimating my abilities to woo and persuade you into some additional fun, doc.”

“Yeah, we’ll see about that.”

“We certainly will,” he agrees, wrapping a flagella around your shoulders with a sly laugh.

[thera-daydreams]

PLUS ONE

》 A TRESE TWOSHOT 《

[Maliksi x Reader]

📝 Summary: In which your beloved best friend snatches you from your apartment at dawn asking you to be his plus one for his cousin's wedding. Unbeknownst to the clueless you, everything is just going according to Maliksi's ultimate masterplan. With the help of friends and family, the Prince of the Tikbalang finally gets the girl he's been longing for. And oh, Señor Armanaz gets his dream daughter-in-law and the promise of grandchildren within the year.

📌 Warning: May contain some slight NSFW for spicy suggestiveness and cussing. No smut or anything super SPG—this girl can't write that for her life—but just be prepared. It's Maliksi we're talking about. We've got friends-to-lovers, obliviousness, pining, fluff, and a tikbalang simp. Figure it out. 😃

(word count: 7,454) ♥︎ Part Two: ?

》 AUTHOR'S NOTE 《

Not an Inday spinoff, but a lengthy oneshot in celebration of this blog getting 90 followers. Just ten more to 100, yay! Thank you so much for the love and support, everyone. I also promised that I'll be making this brainrot that @binibiningbabaylan and I have fangirled over a few days ago (find the original post here) when I finished the latest chapter of Inday. Here it is! 🥰

Before I forget, I was also inspired by the cute fic made by @crispybasil titled "Sunshowers" and the "Trese Boys As Things My Guy Friends Do" made by the amazing @smolla-than-a-bug (I bow down to your wonderful works in the Trese fandom). I definitely see Maliksi to be the type to go on spontaneous roadtrips and be the boyfriend to drive you around eveeeerywhere (while also driving you crazy). 🚘

There are also some songs mentioned throughout this work. You should probably listen to them while reading for the full experience. Ending was somewhat rushed but eh, I'm too exhausted and I've rewritten it too many times. Also, if someone makes some actual tikbalang smut, tag me please. Anyways, enjoy! 💕

The way it all started was hilarious. Absolutely fucking hilarious. It happened like a blur. Literally. One second, you were snoozing in your bed. The next? You had a seatbelt on in the shotgun seat of a sophisticated-looking car. Your brain didn't even get to process it yet.

"... So let me get this straight," you grumbled, still half-asleep from your sleep marathon. You just finished a hugely successful project at work yesterday, got promoted, and wanted to make up for the restless nights you spent overtime in the office. Of course you were irritated from being disturbed. You were on vacation leave for two entire weeks, originally planning to go into temporary isolation by deactivating your social media accounts and reserving a beach cabana for yourself in Batangas.

Well, turns out, you weren't going to Batangas anytime soon. All because your unreasonably spontaneous bestfriend of ten hectic years stole you from your apartment at 2AM. Was this considered kidnapping? Was this him just being more in touch with his tikbalang side, taking unsuspecting women in their sleep and leading them to their inevitable death? (He was going over the speed limit, so it was a valid thought.) Will wearing your shirt inside-out save you today? Lord, masyado ka pang pagod para mag-isip ngayon.

"Go on."

"You abducted picked me up in the middle of the night because you want me to be your plus one at your cousin's wedding in Tagaytay?"

"Yup. And technically, the venue is right on the outskirts of Cavite going to Tagaytay," he corrected you as a matter-of-factly.

"Same thing, whatever," you huffed tiredly. "Your cousin's wedding is at 6AM today. In a few hours. In four hours."

"Uh-huh."

You groaned exasperatedly, "Mal naman, eh! You didn't even let me bring anything. Could've at least given me a heads-up a few hours ago. I'm practically emptyhanded right now save for my phone! Sinungaling ka, you said this was just a normal midnight drive—not a freaking wedding!"

The Prinsipe ng Mga Tikbalang, son of the Great Stallion, heir to the Armanaz herd, and the Top Drag Racer of C-5 Expressway—if that was even one of his Game of Thrones-like titles—grinned as he continued driving beside you. He let you continue ranting in the passenger seat while he mulled over his ultimate masterplan that would change his entire life later on. He was a spur-of-the-moment kind of guy, so all this wasn't his thing. But for you? He'll make plans, alright.

"Wala man lang akong dinalang masusuot o kahit konting makeup para maging presentable sa harapan ng buong pamilya mo," you exclaimed, in absolute despair. "Do you know how out of my league you are? Your rich-ass family might judge me—hell, your dad might see me as a hampaslupa if I show up there in my pambahay and tsinelas!"

"Psh, I'm not out of your league," Maliksi waved it off, smoothly turning a corner. "And calm down. We've known each other for a decade! My dad practically loves you as his own daughter. Heck, the entire family knows you and keeps telling me they want you adopted in already. Lolo Andres and Lola Perlita said they'd have the paperwork settled. You just need to sign them."

It would be even better (and easier) if you married into the family. To him, specifically (as if he'd let anyone else have you). God, he was already being so obvious in his advances, but you were just so damn oblivious whenever it came to romance. None of this needed to happen if you just got it through your thick skull that he was madly in love with you.

"That's not the point, idiot!" you slumped back into your seat, hopeless. "Do you think the bride and the groom will get offended? Shit, baka masumpaan ako kung magagalit sila, Mal. Mukha akong patay galing sa South Cemetery."

The long-haired tikbalang rolled his eyes, "Huwag kang mag-alala. Nothing's going to go wrong. Chill ka lang diyan. I've got everything under control, babe."

Babe. Yes, he even called you babe but you thought it was him being a himbo and a massive flirt. Now, it was his common term of endearment for you, but you still assumed it was him just being irksome to you and that you couldn't stop the man from saying it anymore. Thus, you let it be (the most obvious hint of his attraction to you, bestie).

"... Ugh, why didn't you ask Hannah or Amie to go with you?"

He just smiled knowingly, shrugging and making up an excuse, "Nagmamadali ako, eh. Hannah and Amie are also coming, but they already have the other tikbalang as dates."

"'Luh, ako pala ang backup choice mo?"

"Heh. Whatever you want to think."

Little did you know that you were always his first choice. Always. Even when he pursued Alexandra Trese many years ago, trying to convince himself you were just his best friend, it was always you. How did he come to that realization? Well, an international band he was a fan of released a song a couple years ago and he heard it being played in a club in BGC. The song title?

It Was Always You by Maroon 5.

Needless to say, after hearing the song and being unable to get it—get you—out of his mind at night, he stopped courting Alexandra. Unfortunately for him, that time, you'd started dating other men. Therefore, he was left on the sidelines... until your latest and most painful breakup, at least. That was five years ago. You still hadn't dated anyone since then, kind of traumatized from getting into another failed relationship like that.

In the present day, as if the fates were playing on you two, one of your favorite artists played on the radio. A very ironic song given the situation you two were in.

Best Friend by Rex Orange County.

Maliksi knew it was a favorite of yours. He knew it by the way your eyes lit up like a star brightening the twinkling night sky. Like the sun first rising in the morning at Apolaki's command. Like the moon extending its gentle rays from the magic of Mayari herself. If there was anything he wanted to ask of the old gods, it was you—everything else be damned.

"I wanna be the one that makes your day, the one you think about as you lie awake," you half-sang and half-screamed happily, somewhat out-of-tune. "I can't wait to be your number oooooone! I'll be your biggest fan and you'll be mine—"

Maliksi glanced at you, not minding that his eardrums were probably getting microscopic ruptures from your aggressive singing. As much as he wanted to stare at you all day, he had to keep his eyes on the road. But the lyrics you were singing were wrong; the Prince of the Tikbalang was already yours from day one.

"Babe, McDo drive-through tayo for breakfast. Let me make it up to you. Gusto mo ng caramel sundae for your promotion gift? Sige. Ako bahala. Chicken nuggets din? Mabubusog ka ba niyan? I don't think they serve those this early..."

》》》

"Sandali lang!" you shouted out from inside an empty room. You'd just arrived at the venue—the Alta Veranda de Tibig in Silang, Cavite (practically the gateway to Tagaytay)—an hour or so ago. The hired makeup artist just left so that you could privately change into the outfit that had been bought specifically for you. Curse Mal and his ability to buy anything (perhaps anyone) he wanted. "Bwiset, Mal, you didn't tell me we'd be part of the damn entourage. We have to be walking the aisle in thirty minutes, simbako! You just love rushing me, don't you!?"

If only you were the one walking down the aisle today towards him.

When you exited the room, Maliksi couldn't help but let his jaw drop as he skimmed your figure, clad in the luxurious, silky satin blush midi dress he bought in one of those fancy stores in Makati yesterday. He imagined that it would look great on you, but now, seeing it on you in person... you looked divine (and frankly, he wanted to see it off your body to see what was underneath—but don't get too ahead of yourself, Mal). It was a whole 'nother level from his imagination. The deep cowl neckline and thin spaghetti straps showed your lovely collarbones... as well as a peek of your cleavage. His favorite and the best part of it all? It was backless, allowing him to gaze at the tempting curve of your spine.

He hadn't realized he had grown silent until you smiled and closed his mouth, tapping his chin.

"Lalangawin ang bibig mo, Mal," you laughed softly. Never had you seen him so speechless. You then flicked your hair back, ridiculously posing for him like you were on the cover of Vogue magazine (haba ng hair mo, gurl!). "Do I look that good? Char lang."

"... You look absolutely ravishing—I mean, uh, stunning. Hot. Yeah." That was all he could say. He mentally punched himself for not showering you with more suave compliments.

Still, your face brightened up, not knowing that the man in front of you just fell for you a thousand times harder, "Wow! Really? Damn. Ang galing talaga ng MUA na kinuha mo, ginawa akong artista. Give me their contact number later! May work event pa naman ako in two months. I'm shocked, it's like they made me rise from the dead! Even my eyebags are gone, Mal! How'd they do that?" Heck yeah, your confidence was boosted. He offered his arm to you like a gentleman, making you half-heartedly roll your eyes (you took it anyway). From holding it alone, you could tell that your best friend was a sinewy man (well, you knew that already after seeing his tikbalang form before—the little shit didn't even wear a loincloth like all his clanmates; your poor eyes were eternally scarred).

You looked him up and down. You wouldn't lie—Maliksi is and always has been an attractive man. Now? With his hair in a ponytail (pun not intended), definitely one of the hunkiest men you've ever known. "You're not looking too bad yourself, horsey."

"Ako pa!" He puffed his chest out in pride. You chuckled at his reaction.

"By the way, how do you even know my dress size and my shoe size?"

"Babe, I've known you too long. You know almost everything about me, I know everything about you."

You snorted at his confident tone, "'Di nga? You don't know every single thing about me, Mal. Assuming ka masyado."

"Alam ko nga anong cup size mo. Wala lang 'yang shoe and dress size."

You slapped his shoulder, cheeks quickly flushing red, "Huy, umayos ka! Walang hiyang tikbalang na 'to." With this guy as your best friend? You heard dirty jokes at least once a day. "Don't be inappropriate here!"

"What? It's only fair I know!" He looked down on you suggestively, wiggling his eyebrows. "You already know I always go commando, so of course I know that your bra is a size—"

"Shhh! Baka marinig ka, 'nyeta."

"So? Let them hear. My best friend has a nice set of melons!" he shouted. You were grateful there was no one around. Hopefully.

"Oh my God..."

Your best friend chortled at how flustered you'd become. He led you to where some of his family was waiting, with a couple of his relatives already greeting you. You instantly and quite easily mingled with them, your worries of them not accepting you far from even true (they all knew how much their prince loved the innocent you).

"Kayo na talaga, pare?" one of his older tikbalang clanmates asked while you went away to be fawned over by his aunts.

Maliksi chuckled, crossing his arms as he watched you from afar, "Heh. Hindi pa."

Another one of his clanmates—a younger one—laughed, wrapping an arm around his shoulder, "Talaga? That's cap, bro. You two are like a married couple already and you guys still aren't a thing?"

"Ilang taon na ba kayong magkakaibigan?" the older one asked him.

"Almost ten years," Maliksi responded, a smile unconsciously pulling his lips up as he remembered your moments together. He watched you converse with his female relatives (who adored you the moment Maliksi brought you to a family event many moons ago).

The two tikbalang snickered as they saw the look on the Great Stallion's heir.

"You're down bad," the younger one said, snapping a photo of his lovestruck kuya. "You've got it so bad for her, dudeparechong!"

"Balak mong ligawan anytime soon?" the older tikbalang inquired.

"Heh. Balak ko na ngang pakasalan. Kung pwede, ngayon."

They looked at Maliksi as if he was crazy. He was very much serious, though, even if there was a huge, lopsided smile on his face. The Prince of the Tikbalang raised a brow at them.

"What? Don't give me that look. Our ten years of being best friends is practically the courting and the dating stage already."

"Eh... you're right. Don't waste anymore time. Go and marry her today, dude. Suporta kami sa'yo, basta groomsmen kami sa kasal niyo, ha!"

"Ge. Without question."

Meanwhile, on your end with the ladies of the family, they started pestering you on your love life (like all typical Filipino aunties). Chismis everywhere.

"O, iha, single ka pa ba?"

"Kailan ka magpapakasal? Malapit ka nang pumasok sa thirties mo."

"Do you want kids? How many?"

"Are you and Maliksi a couple? You look good together! Kayo na, 'di ba?"

"Will you be getting married next? Are you engaged? When's the wedding? Invite niyo kami!"

Before you could get overwhelmed by their questions, Maliksi swept you off your feet to lead you to the entourage that was lining up outside the chapel area. Again, it happened like a blur. He laughed at the partially nauseated look on your face.

"You okay there?" he asked, grinning.

"Your family thinks we're together," you muttered quietly, not meeting his eyes. You weren't sure why you felt... tingly about their statements.

He tilted his head at you curiously, gently setting you down on your feet and helping you stand.

"Do you hate the idea?" It hurt him to ask you the question, but he wanted your thoughts on it. Perhaps doing this was a bad idea. Maliksi was competitive in many things, including wanting you to be his, but if you were so opposed to it, he would never force you into something you didn't want. He let go of your hand; you didn't even notice he'd been holding it until he let go. "Am I making you uncomfortable?"

Your wide-eyed gaze snapped back to look up at him, "No! No, it's not that! And... it's not bad." Your hand felt strangely empty now that his was gone. Biting your lip, you disclosed, "You're not making me uncomfortable, Mal. Don't ever think that."

With that, you shyly interlocked your arm with his, tearing your eyes from his to mask the growing warmth you felt spreading in your veins. You two didn't say anything else when the ushers let you walk down the beautiful, petal-covered aisle together.

The man beside you was starstruck. Hopeful. Maybe both of you did have a chance. Maybe somewhere in the depths of your soul, his feelings for you were being reciprocated. For the rest of the sacred ceremony in the gorgeous main pavilion, both of you relished in short, comfortable, and low conversations. He even cracked jokes every once in a while—really funny ones that made it challenging for you to you stifle your laughter.

"I now pronounce you husband and wife! You may kiss the bride."

Maliksi fervently prayed to Bathala that he'd experience the same opportunity he was seeing with you someday. One day.

Even while the sun was brightly out, the sky began showering down light rain onto the land. You were in awe as you looked out the window.

"Hala, totoo nga pala! Tignan mo!" you laughed, tugging Maliksi's suit sleeve, pointing at the window.

"Na ano?" he curiously inquired, not understanding what you were referring to.

"Na kapag may tikbalang na kinakasal, umuulan habang may araw pa," you replied, eyes filled with childlike mirth and wonder. A rainbow had even begun to form by the clouds. "Look, it's magical! Ang ganda pala ng view dito kasama ang old Spanish architecture. Timeless na timeless. It's so pretty, 'no? Picture tayo 'maya, Mal."

Unlike you, it wasn't the sky outside that the prince was looking at. Amidst the loud cheers for the newlywed couple and the bubbles the guests were blowing, his vision could only focus on how magnificent you looked while being amazed. You were his best view. (Ed from 90-Day Fiancé, kabahan ka na, may katapat ka sa pickup line mo.)

》》》

"Smile for the picture!"

You giggled as Maliksi was dragged into a photo-op with the bridesmaids and the important older wedding sponsors a few feet away (funnily, he looked a little constipated around them). All of a sudden, when he was heading back to your direction, you were roughly pushed into the said man's arms. When you turned around, there was nothing (except maybe a gust of wind that came out of nowhere).

"Ooh, gotcha. Careful," the tikbalang steadied you, strong hands holding your biceps. "Natapilok ka?"

"... Huh, hindi naman," you wondered suspiciously, looking around. "I think someone pushed me? Parang tinulak ako... but wala namang tao."

"Weird. Maybe it was just the wind."

It actually was. Really. Maliksi knew for a fact that it was those two taong hangin who were spying on you from the corner, trying to pair you up. He gave them a thumbs-up while your back was turned in the opposite direction. Hannah and Amie returned the thumbs-up before vanishing. Suddenly, the two wedding photographers had moved on from the bridesmaids and were right beside you.

"What a lovely couple you two are!" she praised. Before you could correct her, she held up the black contraption she held towards you two. "Pose for the camera, lovelies!"

And so you did, the photographer guiding you two on what to do. Maliksi wrapped his arm around your waist and you leaned on his side, looking sidewards to the camera with one leg cocked in front of the other. Her assistant, who was holding a polaroid camera, printed out two photos for you.

"Thank you," you told him, taking the photos from his hands then flicking them rapidly to make the images develop. You and Mal were about to walk to the reception area when the photographer stopped you, handing the male beside you a business card.

"If you two need a photographer or a videographer for your wedding, call me," she signaled to both of you before running to another guest, bringing her assistant with her.

You gawked, "Mal, did you just hear what she said?"

"Loud and clear." A grin was on his face. He seemed very pleased at what he heard.

"... How can she even tell if someone is married or not?"

Maliksi's free hand took your left hand, tapping the ring finger, "Nothing here."

"Ooooooh. I get it now." Your brows creased. "Huh. This is like the fifth time today the people here have mistaken us for a couple."

Maliksi shrugged, teasing you, "Who knows? Baka may potential tayo, babe."

Before you could ask him what he meant, he was hurriedly towing you to the reception venue. While he was doing that, you stared at the now-developed polaroid photos you were holding. Huh. Maybe you two did look like a couple.

"Come on, they're serving some snacks at the welcome reception area. Peach pie and mango float-flavored. Paborito mo, babe."

》》》

The rest of the night went by without a hitch. You were actually enjoying the event—the host was great, the food was great, the music was great. Everything was great... that was, until the games.

"Alright! Now that the bride's garter has been removed, let's have the bouquet and garter toss... starting with the females!" the host announced. "Dear bride, please stay here in front. And all single ladies—and by single I mean ready to mingle and are not married—please rise and stand here on the dance floor. Let's play matchmaker tonight, everyone!"

"Uy, single ladies daw," Maliksi nudged your side. "Sign mo na 'yan." You snorted like a pig.

"Nope, ayokong madamay sa bouquet toss," you whisper-yelled at your best friend. "Do you know how embarrassing that is?! Besides, they won't notice if I don't join! Special tactic ko 'yan sa weddings: pretending I'm not single. Katabi naman kita."

More women came to the front, making you feel assured that you didn't need to participate. The host was about to say something, when the bride interrupted to whisper something into his ear.

"Hala, halaaa! Sabi ko all single ladies, pero may isang single lady na nagtatago pa!" he announced, making you freeze. Please don't let it be you. "What's her name, beloved bride?"

"Y/N L/N." You nearly spat out your champagne. You? Did they just call out your name? How did they know?

"Oh fuck," you cursed quietly.

"'Di ka makakatakas dito, babe," Maliksi jabbed, making you stand up. "Tinatawag ka na."

"Baka may ibang Y/N L/N dito," you resisted, attempting to sit back down. "I can't do this, Mal."

"'Sus, ikaw pa. And it's just a symbolic ceremony!" he encouraged, as if he didn't have any underlying intentions. "I doubt the bouquet will go to you anyway."

Sheesh, what a big fat liar you are, tikbalang prince.

You expressed your dissatisfaction with the situation, "Bwiset, fine. I'll just... dodge it. Or evade it. God, I swear..." You calmed down, confident. "I'm not going to worry. I've never caught the bouquet at my own friends' weddings anyway."

When you were at the dance floor, Maliksi snickered, seeing the bride—his cousin—wink at him. After all, he had thoroughly bribed her earlier.

《《《

"It's about time you settled down with someone, Mal," the bride commented while he slipped her the newest Hermés designer bag filled with a bunch of jewelry (plus some bills) two hours ago, right before the reception began and while you were in the restroom freshening up. "Hehehe, this is why you're my favorite cousin."

"Do we have a deal?"

"Of course. I'll make sure she participates. I'll also try to throw it in her direction."

"Good. Thanks."

"You better invite me to your beach wedding. I can tell how much you love her."

"Not a problem. I'll even make you a sponsor."

The bride stared at her bouquet, already practicing how she was going to throw it, "Tito's going to thank me so much for ensuring that he's going to get grandkids soon, hihi."

》》》

Back to the present, on the other end of the room, Maliksi saw a familiar duo give him a sign that they were ready. Bingo. Time to execute the most important part of his plan.

《《《

"I don't care how you do it," he told the two wind elementals after he bribed the bride. "I've already instructed the bride on what she should do, pero siguraduhin niyo lang talagang lumipad sa kanya ang bouquet."

"Mmhmm," Amie flipped her hair, a hand on her cocked hip. "And what do we get in return, oh great Señorito Armanaz?"

"Sagot ko bar-hopping niyo for one month."

The two girls pretended to think about it, making Maliksi roll his eyes. He had to pull out the big guns, huh?

"Fine. Magbibigay ako ng cash deposit plus pwede niyong gamitin ang black card ko for a one-week shopping spree in Ortigas." There. Bullseye. That's what they liked.

"Deal!" they exclaimed excitedly.

Hannah let a cool gust of wind enter one of the nearby windows, testing out how they're going to do this. "Ano pa bang pinaplano mo for Y/N mamaya?"

Maliksi hummed, "Basta."

》》》

You tried your best to hide within the densest part of the group of women. The bride seemed to have her eyes on you, weirdly enough, and she looked almost feral wanting to throw her flowers into someone's face.

That someone being you. Most likely.

"Target locked on," you saw her mouth move. She positioned herself like she was about to throw a football at someone (ahem, you). Holy shit, was she talking to you? Miss ma'am, it was a bouquet toss not a bouquet throw. The bride seemed to notice this, and once more regained her elegant composure.

"3, 2, 1," the host counted down. "Go!"

Surprisingly, the bouquet flew very high into the air (it was a wonder it didn't get tangled in the ceiling decor), but quite a distance away from you. You grinned, knowing it was too far to even touch you. Squeezing through the crowd of women eagerly awaiting the bouquet, you went to return to your assigned table.

Ah, what a wonderful evening.

Sike!

Something painfully landed right into your face, leaves and flowers getting into your hair and mouth.

... Wait, leaves and flowers?

Before you could comprehend it, the bouquet dropped right into your arms. What kind of ungodly, inhuman force allowed this to even happen?

"Ladies and gentlemen, we have our lucky girl for the night!" Everyone clapped, with some—those guests you knew—even cheering your name unbelievably loud. The host approached you, a glint in his eye which you couldn't understand. "Miss Y/N, kindly sit here while we await the lucky guy who catches the garter from the groom."

What just happened?

"All single gentlemen, please proceed to the dance floor. Remember, the man who gets the garter gets to slip it onto the lucky lady's leg later!"

Oh, God. You pinched the bridge of your nose. What you'd give to be back at home or to be in that resort in Batangas you'd planned on going to for a solo vacation.

"To make this even more exciting," the host stated, handing you a black blindfold. "Our lucky lady has to keep her eyes closed until her lucky man for the night captures the bride's garter! When the music plays, only then can she uncover her eyes."

See? Humiliating, just as you expected. Still, you wrapped the blindfold around your head (albeit hesitantly). You attempted to guess who it might be, thinking of all the tikbalang friends Maliksi had introduced to you back then whenever he invited you to his clan reunions.

"Groom, are you ready?" the host asked, microphone loud and clear.

"Ready na ready!"

"Single gentlemen, are you ready?!"

"Ready na ready! Awoo, awoo!" they loudly chorused, exactly mimicking Spartans about to engage in battle. You sweatdropped in the seat you were in. This was actually kind of scary. Maybe you felt a bit objectified.

"3, 2, 1, go!"

There was a brief moment of silence, which made you concerned. Ba't ang tahimik? Then, everyone erupted into roars and bravoes much louder than when you caught the bouquet—perhaps even louder by tenfold. What the heck was happening?!

The music played. Very raunchy, spicy, babymaking music. You expected it to be the typical Careless Whisper by George Michael or Pony by Ginuwine (corny songs which you could probably laugh at, at least), but no. Nuh-uh, this was probably worse. The DJ must be pretty young, the song of their choosing being a slowed, bass-boosted, sexier remix of Earned It by the Weeknd.

Ano 'to, bold? Fifty Shades of Grey? The hell was this?

Alright. This was embarrassing. Thank the heavens there were no children at this party. From the music alone and its implications, this was strictly for adults.

You removed your blindfold (that was okay now, right?) as the guests whistled playfully. You peeked one eye open reluctantly, then inwardly groaned. Oh, no. You should've expected it to be him of all people from how loud the reactions were. And all those yells from the crowd were from his family.

Son of a—

"Well, this has proven to be a very interesting arrangement!" the host proclaimed. "Our lucky man for tonight is none other than our great clan leader's heir, Maliksi Armanaz! Congratulations, sir! You get to slip the lacey little garter on Miss Y/N!"

The said very smug tikbalang stood a few feet away from the chair you were sitting on, smirking at you. His hair was no longer in that mesmerizing ponytail—instead, he'd tied it into a more sinfully attractive man-bun, loose strands framing his face and accentuating that sharp, angled jaw of his (say yes and thank you to Manny Jacinto's jawline, besties).

"Let's cheer him on in his new mission, everybody!" the host pushed. Was this that glint in his eye earlier? And was that a one thousand peso bill sticking out of his pocket?

The groomsmen, Mal's cousins and uncles whom you've met before, hollered words of encouragement to the tall man (who was, oddly enough, not one bit fazed). In fact, Maliksi seemed like he was famished as he stared you down.

You swallowed, feeling like you were going to get eaten (heh, say that again). Maliksi had shrugged off his dark suit blazer to the beat of the song (holy fuck, he also unclasped the suspenders attached to his pants right before your eyes—asdfghjkl). Were you prepared for this? No. Will you ever be prepared? No!

"Mr. Armanaz, before you begin," the host interrupted. "We have an additional challenge for you in this mission. Kaya mo ba? It was a request of the newlywed couple."

"What is it?"

"Use your teeth!" the bride and the groom cheerfully shouted, clapping with the other guests. Whatdidtheysaaaaay???

The cocky bastard didn't even hesitate, his smirk at you growing wider; those pearly whites of his on full display. Was it just you or were his canines a little sharper than usual?

"Anything for the newlyweds. Challenge accepted," he dashingly replied, winking at you. You sputtered indignantly. Pisteng yawa. Putangina. Putek. Pakshet. You swore you thought of every swear word in the book at that moment. What did that YouTube parody song about Filipino mythological creatures say again? About the tikbalang? Ah, yes. Half-macho dancer and half-stallion. Maybe the joke was true, especially when you saw what Maliksi did next.

He bit the shred of lace, loosening his necktie (bestie, you good there?), unbuttoning some top buttons, and rolling up the sleeves of his collared white undershirt up to his elbows (consequently showing off his toned, veiny forearms—those lucky bridesmaids behind him nearly fainted). Honestly, you felt like you were about to lose your mind from embarrassment. With how tantalizing your guy best friend was being? Let our response be: San Pedro, kunin mo na ako. Was he doing all this to tease you? To rile you up?

Because damn it all, it was working. In your ten years of knowing Maliksi Armanaz, withstanding all his daily dirty jokes and flirtatious attempts, never had you seen him like this. So... wolfish. Ravenous. Like he was a man that hadn't been fed in years.

He stalked closer towards you, falling to his knees in front of your legs. Your gown had a long slit that extended up to an inch or two below where your left leg began—your best friend was eyeing his target already, knowing where to place the garter. Normally, you would never even wear something as revealing as this gown. It just wasn't your type, but Maliksi was the one who bought this for you for this specific occasion, so you had no choice. It was this or your pantulog he stole you in just hours ago. At first, you were confident in the gown. Now? You felt too... naked.

Somehow, in the heat of it all, you'd muted out the noise of the venue. Maliksi teasingly lifted your foot up, fingertips slyly grazing the thin shoe straps around your left foot—his calculated touch leaving fire in its trail. Once the garter had been successfuly inserted past your high-heeled stilettos, the man kneeling in front of you kept his hands to himself. Despite the fact that now there was absolutely zero skin-to-skin contact between you and this man, your body felt hotter than it ever was before as he expertly slid the lacy bit of cloth up your ankle at an agonizingly slow pace.

Maliksi's warm eyes had turned dark, his pupils blown, a tinge of red in them—of his true beast—while he maintained striking eye contact with you, pulling the garter up your calf with his teeth. Smoothly tugging... tugging... tugging. Tangina, it was like he was undressing you with his eyes alone; like he was telepathically telling you to keep your eyes open.

To keep your eyes on him, where he was knelt inbetween your legs, his hands intentionally locked on his back. Did you ever imagine this? Him between your legs? Maybe. Once or twice. But you never thought about it seriously; Maliksi dated girls left and right in the past.

His lips... his lips were so close... so close to your leg that you could feel the heat of his breath along with the lace. Were you about to die? Perhaps you already did. Maybe you were in heaven. Up... up... up... snap!

Suddenly, he stopped, grinning up at you mischievously and letting the elastic bounce back to the skin of your left knee.

"I'm not going any further, don't worry, babe," he whispered, noting that your eyes had become misty and glazed over. Internally, he grew worried. "That's enough." Did he think it was from discomfort? From you being uncomfortable? Bitch, no. It was the exact opposite. You had never been this turned on in your entire life.

You felt like your soul had left your body at that moment. Did you just have a heart attack? Was your blood pressure okay? Before you or Maliksi could stand, however, someone bellowed from the wedding sponsor tables.

"Higher! That's an order!"

Fucking hell, it was Maliksi's father who shouted. He wasn't in the huge tikbalang form you'd normally meet him in, but he was still very intimidating in his humanoid form, commanding attention and subservience wherever he went. You could tell where Maliksi got it from.

Instantly, the other guests—already half-drunk and wanting the spirit of partying to continue on—joined in.

"Higher! Higher!"

The host cheered, "You heard Señor Armanaz! Higher!"

Maliksi gave you a questioning look. Even if it was his father who spoke up, he still wouldn't do anything you didn't want. Well, you two made it this far; there was no point in getting embarrassed now. You bit the inside of your cheek, nodding. You probably couldn't erase the redness on your skin with how much you'd blushed from this night. It was as if the heat was tattooed onto your skin.

"Go on, Mal," you whispered to him, bending your torso down closer to his face, eyes half-lidded from want. "Finish what you started, babe."

With those sultry bedroom eyes he'd never once seen you show him before—plus you turning the tables with that familiar term of endearment, how could he refuse? Like a switch had been flipped inside him, he immediately complied, taking the frilly scrap of stretchy lace between his teeth once more, moving it further up to your thighs until where your high slit ended—centimeters below the warming juncture between your legs.

Your legs felt wobbly... boneless, as you stood up from the chair, the fabric of your gown cascading over where the lace sat securely on your upper left thigh. The party was still going strong even after you two finished the garter wearing tradition.

"'Atta boy! That's my son!" Señor Armanaz blazoned, standing up and raising his glass for a toast. "Cheers to the newlywed couple! May they last forever!"

You guys weren't the newlyweds, but it did sure feel like it. If the clan leader was hyped up, everyone was hyped up. Heck, the groom and the bride didn't mind one bit what had just transpired on their dance floor. In all the chaos, Maliksi took you out of the reception area and somewhere quieter. More private.

You would need to have a serious, urgent talk with your boy best friend.

》》》

You two silently sat on a stone bench in a gazebo somewhere in the reserved venue for the wedding, trying to cool down and get yourselves back together (at this point, you needed ice from that steamy, half-scandalous event you just went through). Here, there was no one else except for the chirping of crickets, the lush trees surrounding the area, and the golden fairy lights strewn all over the roof. Awkwardness was something you'd expected after what just happened, but somehow, you still felt comfort in this man's presence. For the past thirty minutes, both of you just stayed still, lost in your thoughts and reflecting.

"Mal?" you finally spoke up.

"... Hmm?"

"Ano tayo?"

"Whatever you want us to be."

Your fingers instinctively reached out for his, just like they always did when you were anxious. Sensing this, he grasped your hand and squeezed it reassuringly. Soothingly. He massaged the skin of your fingers, distracting you from your nervousness. It seemed like both nothing and everything changed between both of you. The gesture was the same, but so different at the same time.

"Mahal mo ako." It was not a question. It was a statement. A truth—one that you'd been too blind to see before. One that you only discovered while you stared into each other's eyes in that party not as best friends. You realized with a jolt in your heart what he really felt for you, and now, what you really felt for him. In those thirty minutes of silence, you knew. You just knew.

"Yes. I do."

"... Just as a best friend?" you probed.

"..."

Finally, you gazed into his eyes, previously so dark and full of hunger. Now? Just reluctant. Vulnerable. Open. Unsure of what to do next.

Seems like you had to be the one to take initiative tonight. Taking out your phone, you opened your music app and pressed play on a certain song. Ikaw at Ako by Johnoy Danao. You removed your heels (which were starting to blister your ankles and toes), then pulled him up to stand.

"Dance with me," you murmured, grabbing his arms to wrap them around your waist. He was stiff. Tense. What was he to do when the woman he's been pining after for so long let him hold her? All his gallantry and ability to romance disappeared out the window the moment you let him touch you so intimately.

You two weren't even waltzing. Just swaying. Slowly, you leaned your head on his broad chest, listening to the steady thump of his heart.

"... I love you," Maliksi admitted in the middle of it all, feeling like he was dreaming. Your head on his chest kept him grounded to reality, however. "More than anything in the universe. I fell for you ever since you patched me up when you were nineteen and I was a reckless drag racer who didn't have a purpose in life. 'Nung dinala mo ako pabalik sa Armanaz Tower on the verge of death. Simula noon, ikaw lang."

"I realized that," you smiled, reminiscing the old memory. You were just a broke college student that time, coming back to your dorm from making your group thesis at a classmate's house. Imagine your panic when you found a half-man, half-horse bleeding out by some bushes on the way home at night. Despite your fear and your little money (only enough to feed you for the week), you went out of your way to buy a first-aid kit at the nearest 7/11. It was scary, but you managed to mend the creature's wounds by the side of the road. When he was finally able to speak, turning fully human (which you admit, freaked you out initially), you arduously carried him back to his address—to his father and his clan, even if you had classes the very next morning. Because of your heroic deed of saving their precious heir, the tikbalang clan had become indebted to you: a teenage girl on the verge of a mental academic breakdown, just making her way through the cruel adult world. How old of a memory that was, you thought, yet you still recalled it in perfect detail. "Just a while ago."

"Ah." He swayed you gently.

"Lahat ng ito, plano mo?"

"... Yes," Maliksi fessed up. "Except for this part where we're here dancing in this belvedere. Wala sa plano ko. Gusto ko sanang magconfess doon sa may fountain para sweet, pero..."

You lifted your head off his chest, smiling at him with one brow raised, "You know, between both of us, you're supposed to be the spontaneous one. Planning isn't usually your thing."

"I know. It's a failure, huh?" Maliksi sighed.

"Nah." You shook your head, then suddenly locked lips with him. It was so fast and surprising he didn't even get the chance to return your first kiss. For once, you caught him off guard. You pecked him on the lips again. "It's not a failure."

"Wha—"

"I'm sorry for making you wait, Maliksi. Ten years. We're twenty-nine now, and only tonight do I realize how blind I've been. We've been going around in circles, wasting so much time. Ayoko nang mag-aksaya ng oras," you whispered guiltily against his lips. How could you have been so blind? Andaming nasayang na taon. Making up your mind, you told him, "Yes. Sige, I accept. I'll be your plus one."

The tikbalang was flustered and baffled from the kiss, as well as your revelation, "... But, you already are?"

"No, silly. I meant that I'll be your plus one for life. For as long as you'll have me," you laughed, now processing that you were currently dancing barefoot with your boy best friend and had just kissed him in a wedding you didn't even plan on going to. The universe had a mysterious way of doing things. "Guess I'm the spontaneous one now, huh?"

Maliksi was tongue-tied. "Seryoso ka ba? Is... Is this a marriage proposal?"

"Whatever you want it to be," you echoed his words back to him. "Best friend, plus one, girlfriend, wife—mmpf!"

He kissed you so hard your lips bruised. After an impromptu makeout session which was definitely more in character for Maliksi, you both pulled away, panting heavily in search for air, still desperate for passion. He cupped your cheeks, giving you a sweet, featherlight Eskimo kiss.

"You're missing one more title."

"Hm? What do you mean, Mal?"

"Love of my life." He kissed you again, this time lifting you off your feet and spinning you around (his sneaky right hand was resting on your bum, too, giving it a tight squeeze). You know in the Princess Diaries where the main character's foot just... pops whenever the prince charming kissed her? Yeah, that happened to you on that humid summer night. This was right. You two were meant to be together. Everything was falling into place.

The bungalow you reserved for your Batangas vacation leave ended up being the site of your very eventful honeymoon with the Prince of the Tikbalang (with his libido, it wasn't that difficult to continue where you'd left off in the garter toss; that scrap of lace came off your leg the same way it went on). Actually, nauna pa ang honeymoon sa actual wedding (it was definitely spontaneous). Right after your confession in that alcove, you two went to Maliksi's father to ask for his blessing (which he gladly gave, cackling and saying that it took you long enough) before you guys went driving off to Batangas that night. You and Mal indeed had lots and lots of fun in that resort (I'll let you imagine the rest). More beautiful memories were made from that point on—this time, not just as best friends.

All that and your small, intimate wedding occurred in early April. Just when you thought that it'd be impossible to fulfill Maliksi's life goal of having a baby within the year (nine months of pregnancy meant that the earliest you'd give birth would be January next year), the impossible happened.

Exactly thirty-two weeks later, on New Year's Eve, the Armanaz herd welcomed one prince and two new princesses into the world. Triplets who were instantly adored by everyone in the clan.

Señor Armanaz had never been happier, and so were you and your husband. Your best friend. The love of your life. Your forever plus one.

Maybe being spontaneous wasn't so bad after all.

Taglist: @belladaises @binibiningbabaylan @4kodzuk3n @sparklingmallow @severuslovebot @holyshxtangel @marinac15 @space-flamingo @pippethealien @kashasenpai @disappointmentpastry @hornehlittleweeblet2 @seijohoe @monimiin @ibelievein2dmensupremacy @tinybonksharkcop @methehipster @banisuoh @genshin-idiot @lemonnie-kimmie

[xslytherclawx-writes]

The Charm Offensive & plagiarism

I've been mulling this over for a while, and while I did make a brief post about this initially, I'd like to name names because, frankly, I don't see any reason why not

Allison Cochrun, the author of The Charm Offensive, a widely-praised LGBT romance novel, seems to have based her novel on a Harry Potter fanfiction I published between 2018-2019.

I never gave consent for publishing my work or using my work as a base to edit for publication.

The main plot of my fanfiction is the same as the novel - though the novel also "borrows" many minor details to a point that it is impossible to believe that it is simply coincidence. My fanfiction predates the actual novel by over a year. In the fanfiction, a Harry Potter character goes on the Bachelorette and falls in love with one of the crew members - and then announces it on the televised finale.

Sound familiar?

Details below.

The fanfiction was the result of an inside joke with a friend, and I only posted it on AO3 (rather than keeping it in my google drive, in which case I can just about assure you: there would be no Charm Offensive) because I thought a handful of people familiar with some of my original characters might be interested in reading what is doubtlessly one of the silliest things I've ever written.

I wrote the fanfiction over the course of a few weeks in October 2018, while I was between jobs and looking for something to occupy my time waiting for HR to process my upcoming job offer.

At the time I found The Charm Offensive on Barnes and Noble's website, the fanfiction had around 700 hits. It isn't widely read, and, frankly, this isn't the first time that someone has ripped off my fanfiction, but this is the first time I've seen it monetized and acclaimed.

It is, quite honestly, an infuriating position to be in. I write fanfiction as a hobby; this is not my career, but why should that mean that I should sit idly by while someone else gets praise for my idea?

I found The Charm Offensive while looking for books to add to my cart so I could buy another romance novel without feeling guilty about paying for shipping. I saw the description and thought it sounded uncomfortably familiar, so I managed to get my hands on a copy without giving the person who ripped me off money. Because I needed to see if it was, perhaps, a strange coincidence.

It was not.

That became even more evident the more I read it.

The changes made are the sort of deliberate changes that are apparent when one reads other fanfiction that has been turned into published novels - but the key difference here is that Cochrun did not write the fanfiction, I am not her, and I did not consent to this.

And like, to be clear, this is a non-exhaustive list of the similarities between this novel and my fanfiction that was published between October 2018-January 2019 - so also before Cochrun says in the acknowledgments that the novel was actually written:

- bachelor-style setting - relationship is a participant on the show/a member of the crew (the “bachelor”/his handler vs a contestant/make up artist) - character A is a minority and specifically one often seen as a Model Minority (Indian vs Jewish in the fanfic) - character B is white & culturally christian and grew up with super homophobic parents - character A, however, grew up with super loving and supportive and slightly hippie parents who sought diagnoses and treatment for his neurodivergency and mental illness from a young age - all main cast in mid-late 20s (almost exactly the same age; they're 28 in the fanfiction and I believe 27 in the novel?) - character B went to a top university (Stanford vs Columbia) - character B (appears to? in the novel) speak German - special reassurance scene at a home visit with character B and someone who isn’t character A - character B has severe anxiety including panic attacks and thinks he’s unloveable (which isn’t unique but come on) - character B’s best friend is a woman who takes no shit and is also LGBT in some way (Pansexual vs lesbian) - character B is super into science fiction and exercise - character B is drop dead gorgeous and muscular with grey eyes - character B is sexually inexperienced - character A is very tall and skinny and often wears shorts (to a point where other characters use it as a defining thing) - character A is a hopeless romantic who desperately wants to find true love but can’t seem to find it - character A is sexually experienced (especially compared to character B) - character B / character B’s brother leaves home at 15/16 to get away from abusive, homophobic parents (LITERALLY. WHAT. THE. FUCK.) - subplot of the producers / show runner trying to make an extremely chill bisexual contestant’s sexuality into drama fodder - the entire plot about editing the footage after the fact to include scenes with characters A & B together because… - character B comes out on television, and says the words “I didn’t expect to find love here” (or similar) and then details that he did fall in love with one of the crew - also one of the women is a bisexual medical student (novel) / doctor (fanfiction) which is just. a lot. It’s a lot of little things that all seem to add up to more than coincidence, and given the way I've seen the author react to claims about the Desi rep in the book (it's not good, and I can tell you that much as someone who has just had Desi friends since she was 9), I doubt anything will come of this, but I thought I'd say it outright and make it clear that this is not anything I signed off on or was aware of prior to publication.

But hey! Don't just take my word for it. I've kept the fanfiction up with a disclaimer, so you can read it here! (Edit: originally linked the wrong fanfiction; the link has been fixed!)

[kingandfireheart]

Cassian's Love: words from a guy who speaks through actions

Something I love about Cassian is that he doesn't really hide the ball when it comes to his feelings for Nesta. He's most definitely an actions speak louder than words person (physical touch is his love language), but he does use words in ACOSF. I read someone say that Cassian didn't show his love for Nesta, and I completely disagree. Even though SJM never showed us Cassian saying the actual words, we see it so often through the small touches like flicking her cheek, the way that he never makes fun of her (many) questions, or the way he's always there, but he never pushes her too far.

In ACOWAR he confesses his love

" I have no regrets in my life, but this. That we did not have time. That I did not have time with you, Nesta. I will find you again in the next world -- the next life. And we will have that time. I promise. "

Yes, there is a lot he doesn't say - that they are mates, that he wants more than just sex, that he loves her. He even goes far enough to attack Lanthys to prevent him from revealing the truth. (I can write a whole post on why he wouldn't tell her about being mates, but I think Nesta's reaction to Lucien's declaration at the end of ACOMAF can suffice as explanation).

After his heartbreaking confession in ACOWAR, it makes sense that he's more reserved with Nesta. When thinking about his almost confession on solstice, he even says, "He hardly managed to walk away with some semblance of pride. Over his cold, dead body would she do that to him again." He is protecting himself by ignoring the mating bond too ("Some small quiet part of his brain whispered otherwise. He ignored it. Had ignored it for a long time now.")

Still throughout the book, he owns up to his feelings for Nesta when given the opportunity -- he just doesn't say the words "I love you" or "You're my mate". This post goes through some scenes in chronological order, since they show how Cassian does care.

(I could write another whole post on how I feel cheated of two months of happy Nessian between Solstice and Starfall, but that's what fanfiction is for, right?).

When Mor asks if it pains him to see Nesta like this, he says:

"All of it pains me... It pains me that Nesta has become... this. It pains me that she and Feyre are always at each other's throats. It pains me that Feyre hurts over it, and I know Nesta does, too. It pains me that ..."

When he's pleading her to train, she asks him why he isn't negotiating harder, he says.

"For you, I have no strategies."

Then there's the confrontation before, "I'm always thinking of that look on your face". (Yes, he's goading her here, but I don't think he's lying)

"Why so many questions tonight?" // "Because we're talking like normal people, and I want to know. About all of it." // "Let's nor retread old territory, Nes." // "It never mattered to me whether you took half the Cauldron's power or a drop. It still doesn't matter. // "Why?" "Why do you even bother?" // "Why did you stay at my side when we went up against the King of Hybern during the last battle?"

Answer: because they're mates.

After Nesta fights with Elain, he tells her he'll be there for her.

"Whatever you need to throw at me, I can take it. I won't break." No challenge laced the words. Only a plea. // "You don't understand," she said, voice rasping. "I am not like you and the others." // "That's never bothered me one bit." (emphasis added)

When Rhys gives Nesta a mental warning about Gwyn:

"I'm pissed off that you can't seem to believe one good thing about her. That you refuse to fucking believe one good thing about her."

When they are discussing the Dread Trove and pushing Nesta to scry: Yes Cassian for arguing against only protecting Elain

" There is an innate darkness to the Dread Trove that should not be exposed to." // "But Nesta should?" Cassian growled.

"It's not right to wield Elain as a threat to manipulate Nesta into scrying." "There are harsher ways to convince Nesta, boy" "You're a fool if you think threats will make her obey you." ... "If we manipulate Nesta into scrying, even by using Elain against her, then we'll do what is necessary." "I don't like it."

After Nesta's nightmare:

"Hey." "Hello" "Are you all right?" "Yes." "Good" "You want to talk about it?" "No" "That's fine." "You want breakfast?" "I like your priorities, General." (italics added)

When Rhys and Feyre mention bringing in Helion:

"He'll help...If only for another shot at her." // Nesta rolled her eyes, and and the gesture was so normal that Cassian's smile became more genuine, edged with relief // You wear your heart for all to see, brother. Rhys said without turning Cassian's way. // Cassian only shrugged. He was past caring.

When they finally have sex , we have this short back-and-forth:

"I'll hurt you." // "I don't care" // "I do."

and my personal favorite

"I'm beyond lies right now, Nesta."

When Nesta asks whether Cassian enjoyed their previous encounter, he tells her:

I enjoyed myself too much. I've thought about it for days and days.

"Whatever you want. Whatever you need from me." He knew those were a fool's words, knew he offered up too much.

And when Nesta asks "How can I need you again so soon?" Answer: because they're mates.

"I've needed you from the moment I first met you. And now that I get to have you, I don't what to stop

When they find out about the new Dread Trove, he's quick to defend Nesta to others:

This scene isn't really dialogue, but I'm including it because I love Cass.

They moved on to far merrier subjects, but Cassian mulled it over throughout the evening. The fighting was only part of it. The Training would sustain her, funnel her rage, but there had to be more. There had to be joy. There had to be music. (emphasis added)

When Nesta breaks down at the end of the hike, we see that Cassian doesn't just love Nesta, but he likes her, he may even admire her.

"I don't know how to get there. I don't think I'm capable of it" // "You are. I've seen it -- I've seen what you can do when you are willing to fight for the people you love. Why not apply that same bravery and loyalty to yourself?"

"You don't need to become some impossible ideal. You don't need to become sweet and simpering. You can give everyone that I Will Slay My Enemies look - which is my favorite look, by the way. You can keep that sharpness I like so much, that boldness and fearlessness. I don't want you to ever lose those things, to cage yourself."

"I'll be with you every step of the way... Just don't lock me out. You want to walk in silence for a week, I'm fine with that. So long as you talk to me at the end of it." (emphasis added)

When Cassian and Nesta go to the prison, there are some more telling moments:

"What if my presence would go unnoticed, but yours sets off a trap? We can't risk that." // His throat bobbed. "I can't risk you." // The words slammed into her heart. (emphasis added)

and later,

"I have always been your friend Nesta. Always"

When Nesta and Cassian return from the Prison:

Nesta brushed her fingers against Cassian's in silent understanding. His own curled against hers, meeting her stare as if to say, See? We're the same after all.

But when Rhys suggests having Nesta dance with Eris, Cassian is territorial to the max

"You're not going to use her."

"Over my dead fucking body," Cassian exploded.

"Nesta hasn't agreed to anything," Cassian snapped. "Even one dance with that prick is too much --"

"I don't like it."

He also agrees to go with her to the cottage in the human lands, and is so damn supportive and kind to her there. Action not words here but I love this himbo so much

Cassian stood beside her through all of it. Not speaking, not touching. Just there, should she need him. Her friend -- whom she'd asked to come her with her not because he was sharing her bed, but because she wanted him here. His steadiness and kindness and understanding.

And of course, the amazing and wonderful solstice scene:

"I'm sorry for how I behaved last Solstice. For how awful I was."// "I know. I forgave you a long time ago."

"Because I was fucking jealous!" He roared, wings splaying. "You looked like a queen, and it was painfully obvious you should be with a princeling like Eris and not a low born nothing like me! Because I couldn't stand the sight of it, right down to my gods-damned bones."(emphasis added)

"You're not going to marry Eris." "No" "There will be no one else. For either of us." "Yes" "Ever."

The big ole fight

"Say what I've guess from the moment we met. What I knew the first time I kissed you. What became unbreakable between us on Solstice night"

"I am your mate, for fuck's sake!" "You are my mate! Why are you still fighting it?

"You promised me forever on Solstice," he said, voice breaking. "Why is one word somehow throwing you off that?" (emphasis added)

And the conclusion that just wasn't satisfying enough:

"What do you want? // "You" // "You've had me from the moment you met me."

[kissinginkitchens]

You Bring Me Home — Chapter One: Flightless Bird, American Mouth

a/n: I've been working on this story for mooonths now and I'm so excited to finally share it with the world! It's heavily inspired by Harry's Behind the Album mini doc, except I changed the setting to Hawai'i because I've personally spent some time there and as they say, write what you know! YBMH takes place in the period between One Direction's hiatus and Harry's first album/tour, but with that being said, this is entirely a work of fiction and some events don't follow the true timeline. Thank you so much for taking the time to read my little story, I hope you love it as much as I do! It will be updated every Friday at 5 PM PST. My inbox is open, so feel free to talk to me once you've finished reading! I'd love to hear from you :) Much love, Mel <3

Pairing: Hawai'i!Harry x Original Character

Warnings: swearing

Word Count: 5.5k

May, 2016

Harry watches LAX get smaller through the airplane window and visualizes all of his worries stuck at the terminal gate, their magnitude also diminishing as he takes flight. He sinks lower in his seat and skims through playlists on his phone when a nagging feeling at the back of his mind pulls his attention away from the screen. Looking up from the song choices, he spots a cell phone quickly lowered from his line of vision and a girl with flushed cheeks who quickly averts her gaze. Harry shoots a tight-lipped smile in her direction and goes back to his phone with a sigh. The days when he could roam the streets freely without fear of recognition—or worse, harassment—feel like an entirely different lifetime. He sometimes imagines that he’ll wake up back in his childhood bed as if the past five years had all been a dream, but he never does. In fact, his privacy and anonymity seem to dwindle with each minute of radio play that One Direction receives. It’s a bittersweet pill to swallow, but one he hopes will go down easier with some time in the Hawaiian sun.

His close friend and new manager, Jeff Azoff, had suggested the vacation as soon as the band privately agreed to take a hiatus.

“You’ll go home for a few weeks,” his voice had crackled through the speakers of Harry’s phone. “Visit your mom and Gem, lay low for a while until the smoke blows over,”

Harry mulled it over in his mind, eyes flickering over the rolling landscape outside of the tour bus window.

“Then what?”

“Then you go for a little vacation. The label offered to cover a house in Hawaii so you can start working on the album,”

“Alone?”

Jeff chuckled lightly on the other end before responding. “I mean, if that’s what you want,”

“No,” Harry corrected. “You and Tom should come. Mitch and Bhasker, too,”

“The dream team,”

“And there’ll be a studio there?”

“Yes,” Jeff started, almost hesitant. “But I don’t want you to think about that too much,”

“But you said the label—"

“I also said vacation. Look, Rob said ‘it will all happen in due time,' did he not?”

Harry twisted the rose ring around his finger, tracing over the silver petals and thinking back to his conversation with the CEO of Sony Music, Rob Stringer. Upon the proposal of his debut solo album, Rob had told him that the most important ingredient for a successful debut would be patience. The singer had agreed in the moment, but every day not spent in the studio felt like a test he hadn’t studied hard enough for.

“Yeah.”

“So you take the free vacation,” Jeff suggested. “You go out, live, get some writing material. Maybe mess around with some tunes. And then we come back to L.A. and get to work. But until then, I just want you to focus on taking it easy.”

So take it easy he had. Or at least he had tried to when he was back home in England. Harry quickly grew restless after what felt like the millionth awkward conversation with past friends and acquaintances, all of which eventually led to the topic of One Direction and it’s unexpected hiatus. After one month at home, his mind and journal were full of ideas for songs, things that he wanted to say before he lost his nerve. One night as he tossed and turned in bed, he shot Jeff a text, just two words that would kick off a three month getaway to the Big Island of Hawai'i:

I’m ready.

********

“Sounds great, I'll go put in your order.” Alani offers sweetly, trying not to overdo it with the customer service voice. After waiting on the family at her designated table, she heads back to the kitchen and finds her younger sister, Pua, crouched in the corner taking what appears to be a serious phone call.

“I don’t know, I just saw it!” Her sister cries in a hushed tone. “Where do you think he’s going?”

“Is everything okay?” Alani cuts in with concern.

Pua whispers into the speaker before bringing the phone to her shoulder.

“Harry Styles was just spotted on a plane this morning,”

“Who?”

“The guy from One Direction,” her sister explains with a hint of irritation in her voice. “The band who sings that song you secretly like, ‘Fireproof,'”

Alani vaguely recalls the melody, but she waits expectantly for Pua to elaborate. “And this is news because…”

“Because the band just broke up, so where could he possibly be going?”

"The unemployment office?”

Pua rolls her eyes and returns to her phone call while Alani envelops her in a tight hug.

“I’m just kidding!” Alani apologizes, squeezing tighter despite her sister’s attempts to break free. “I’m sure he’ll be living off of royalty checks until he’s, like, eighty,”

“Get off me, freak!” Pua cries out, finally breaking the embrace.

Alani clutches her chest and pulls out an invisible knife. “Ouch. I’m telling Harry you said that,”

“This is exactly why I don’t tell you things.” the younger sister huffs, storming out of the kitchen through the employee entrance where Alani’s best friend, Maleah, has just arrived.

“Looks like someone forgot to eat their Cheerios today,” she remarks, tying her curls into a high ponytail.

Alani shrugs and leans against the counter. “She’s going through something. Just discovered that boys in pop bands are, in fact, just regular boys.”

“Poor thing,” Maleah frowns. “We all have to learn eventually.”

********

The sky is a blend of cotton candy pink and burnt orange when Alani returns home from the café with a strawberry smoothie in tow. She empties the mailbox and sorts through the various bills and advertisements, but her stomach drops when she sees a familiar return address label. After a quick greeting to her excited dog who waits at the door, Alani bolts up the stairs and quietly shuts the bedroom door behind her. Breathe, she reminds herself before tearing into the envelope and discarding it onto the wooden floor.

Dear Ms. Hale,

We are very grateful to have received your submission to Rolling Stone magazine. However, we regret to inform you—

She doesn’t read the rest, slumping to the floor in defeat. The sixth rejection letter from Rolling Stone lies crumpled at Alani’s feet and she kicks it across the room with a frustrated grunt. She had worked for over two months perfecting her analysis of Joni Mitchell’s Big Yellow Taxi and its allusions to the environmental impact of urban development in Hawaii. As part of her initial research, Alani had even traveled to both the Royal Hawaiian hotel in Honolulu, which is the famous Pink Hotel mentioned in the song, and Foster Botanical Garden that Mitchell referred to as “the tree museum.” She was certain that her effort and persistence would result in at least a consideration. The second third time's the charm! Maleah had joked watching Alani submit the piece. Six articles in the span of two years, each one facing the same rejection despite the increased effort Alani had put in over time. The fact that the rejection letter hadn’t changed over the course of the two years brings an incredulous smile to her face, and her stomach turns when she considers that the editors probably hadn’t even read her work, anyway. All that effort, she thinks to herself, all that time, for nothing.

“It will take time,” her favorite professor, Dr. Hudson, had reassured her three months after the Joni Mitchell article was submitted. “Every great writer faced countless rejection until that one piece. Yours will come. Keep your eyes open and your pen ready.”

Alani sighs and lifts herself off the floor, choosing to crawl into her unmade bed instead of slumping onto the hardwood. She hears a soft scratching at the door before her King Charles Spaniel, Freddie, pads into the room.

“Come here, bubs,” Alani whispers. He obeys and burrows into the duvet, giving her temple a gentle lick before nuzzling into the nape of her neck.

“You still love me, right?” she asks, voice cracking. “Even if I’m a failure?”

Freddie sniffs her ear in response.

********

“Right,” Harry says, his tongue peeking from the corner of his mouth as he reads the map. “No, left, sorry,”

“Do you actually know how to read a map?” Jeff teases, correcting the turn.

Harry pouts in response, his brows furrowing. “In my defense, we’re literally in the middle of fucking nowhere,”

“There are worse places to be,” Mitch pipes up from the back seat. “England, for example, where they say things like ‘litchrally’,”

“Very well said, Mitchell,” Jeff Bhasker adds with a fake British accent of his own.

Harry turns to his friends in the back seat with a finger pointed like an agitated mother. “If you lot don’t shut up, I’m gonna lead us to a volcano and push you in,”

“Where are we even going? I forgot,” Tom complains.

“To get food,” his manager responds from the driver’s seat. “I think,”

“Why can’t we just stop there?” Mitch asks pointing to a café pulling up on their right.

Jeff merges into the turning lane quickly without a second thought. “Good enough for me, I’m starving.”

“Sorry, H.” Mitch pats his friend on the shoulder.

Harry scoffs. “You’re the one who wanted poke.”

The Aloha Nui Loa Café is much more spacious than the exterior suggests, yet it still feels cozy. The walls are painted sage green and adorned with various local art pieces, as described by the plaques that accompany them. A skylight fills the center of the room with plenty of warm lighting, leaving the space along the walls in a bit more shade for an intimate feel. In one corner, a hanging disco ball leaves freckles of sparkling light along the walls where the sunlight hits, making the whole image very idyllic in Harry’s mind. As if he couldn’t enjoy the setting more, he hears the beginning of an Otis Redding song that he’s had stuck in his head drift through the restaurant speakers.

“Welcome in!” a voice calls, which pulls him from his survey of the room. His head whips to the source—a girl around his age with wavy, dark hair and honey skin. “For here or to go?”

Harry takes a hesitant step up to the counter. “For here,”

She smiles warmly and pulls some menus from under the counter. “How many in your party?”

“Five.”

“Great, follow me.”

Harry and his friends follow the waitress to the corner of the room under the disco ball and take their seats at the round table.

“My name is Alani,” she introduces herself, setting the menus down. “I’ll be serving you today. Can I get you started with some drinks?”

Harry continues scanning the restaurant while his group orders. His eyes land on the shirt that Alani is wearing, a white tee with the words “Enjoy Health, Eat Your Honey” in blue lettering that surrounds a picture of a cartoon bee.

“Harry,” Jeff says gently, catching his drifting attention.

The singer turns to his manager, who nods to Alani waiting with a pen pressed to her notepad. Harry feels a rush of embarrassment creep across his cheeks and he clears his throat to cover it.

“Just water,” he says, eyes glued to the menu. “Thanks.”

“You got it.” Alani nods, flashing a toothy grin at the rest of the group before turning back to the kitchen. Harry. Her mind repeats, finding a hint of familiarity, though she doesn’t know why.

When Alani arrives at the drink station, she finds her sister staring at her, mouth agape, while Maleah unsuccessfully conceals her laughter.

“What?” she questions, checking herself for any embarrassing stains or smells.

“You were—and he—” Pua stammers. “He was—and then he—”

“That’s Harry Styles,” Maleah translates, her voice hushed as she peers over her friend's shoulder.

Alani turns to steal a glance at the table she just seated, but Pua and Maleah latch onto her and shake their heads frantically.

“Don’t look!” her sister hisses.

Alani smirks, amused at their reactions. “No shit. That’s One Direction?”

Maleah snorts, clasping a hand over her mouth as Pua huffs. “No, dumbass! It’s just Harry. I don’t know who the other guys are,”

“But the blonde guy? That’s not—?”

“No!” Pua and Maleah giggle in unison.

“Okay, geez,” Alani relents. She manages to steal a quick glance at the table over her shoulder, immediately searching for Harry. Her eyes scan over the long, curly hair kept out of his face by a pair of white sunglasses that she had seen on Kurt Cobain once. All of his features are sharp and striking, from his pointed nose and defined jawline to the bright blue eyes. Or maybe they were grey? Alani wonders, trying to remember the exact shade. He doesn’t look anything like the fresh-faced teeny bopper she’d had in mind, the one from a music video her sister had shown her a long time ago. She would have never guessed that the What Makes You Beautiful singer had so much dark ink trailing down his bicep and forearm, though her knowledge of One Direction was very limited.

“What did he order?” Pua questions, her eyes wide.

Alani quickly snaps back to reality and resumes filling the drinks. “A water,”

“Oh my god,” Maleah swoons. “I’m never drinking anything else ever again,”

“I didn’t even know you liked him,” Alani teases with an eyebrow raised.

Maleah sneaks another peek at the table and catches her lower lip between her teeth. “I mean, I didn’t really think so either but look at him. What a fucking dream,”

Harry was objectively handsome, this Alani could admit, but she personally didn’t see the appeal and had a strong feeling that he was just like every other male celebrity. The fact that he hadn’t even bothered to make eye contact with her only served as further proof of what she knew to be true.

“Okay, well, your dreamboat is waiting for his water. So excuse me,” Alani winks, making her way back to the table.

The singer spots Alani returning out of the corner of his eye and the sight of her causes a strange flutter in the pit of his stomach that makes him want to duck for cover. Instead, he pulls his phone from his back pocket and pretends to be occupied with something on the screen.

“Okay,” she greets, setting the drink tray down. “I have a Blue Hawaii, a Mango Mama, two Loco Cocos, and a water,”

The group graciously accepts their drinks with a chorus of “thank you," but the only one under Alani’s scrutiny is Harry. He still doesn’t meet her almond eyes, and though she figured he wouldn’t, she can’t help the inkling of disappointment that washes over her. After taking their meal orders, Alani heads back to the kitchen, checking on her other customers along the way. Harry’s eyes follow her and he observes the way customers light up at her presence, indulging her conversation with laughter. He watches as she lingers by the jukebox in one corner of the room, a detail he had missed in his initial scan, and waits anxiously to see what song she chooses. Baby I’m-a Want You begins softly and Harry feels the corner of his lip curl ever so slightly. Good choice, he thinks.

********

“He’s still here,” Pua muses, peering through the tiny window in the kitchen door. It had been nearly two hours and the five men were still seated around their table cracking jokes and doing a lot of talking with their hands.

Alani doesn’t look up from her bowl of sliced kiwis, offering a hum in response. “And what do you want me to do about that?”

“Nothing,” Pua shoots back. “Don’t bother him,”

“What kind of girls do you think he’s into?” Maleah asks, attempting to peek through the window.

Alani shrugs, bored of the conversation and of thinking about Harry. “I don’t know, but I’ll bet he’s a real sucker for the ones who stalk him while he’s eating,”

“How does he make eating a salad look hot?”

“Can we talk about something else now?” Alani whines, poking holes in a lone kiwi with her fork.

Pua tosses a wet dish rag in her sister’s direction and cheers when it lands in her face. “Go see if he wants more water, he looks thirsty.”

“I already refilled it,” Alani defends. “Twenty minutes ago. I’ve refilled it a hundred times, I’m surprised he hasn’t peed his pants.”

I’m gonna piss myself. Harry thinks, his right leg bouncing to distract himself. He really wasn’t all that thirsty, but he couldn’t stop himself from finishing each glass of water that Alani placed in front of him. He really wasn’t all that thirsty, but he couldn’t stop himself from finishing each glass of water that Alani placed in front of him. Like clockwork, she would return to fill his glass almost as soon as the last drop had been drained, and so what began as a little experiment slowly turned into a bladder hazard. But if the trend was to be trusted, she would be back any minute and he wasn’t going to miss it; afterall, there were only so many ways to casually linger in a small café without making it weird. Unable to bear it any longer, he heads to the restroom and hopes that Alani doesn’t clear their table before he has a chance to see her again.

Harry pads down the back hallway with his eyes cast down at the floor, which proves to be a mistake when he walks directly into another person.

“Sorry!” they both apologize quickly, Harry’s palm taking purchase on the other person’s upper arm.

“I wasn’t paying attention,” he offers, finally meeting the dark, mocha eyes already looking back at him.

Alani presses her lips into a tight smile. “Me either,”

Harry’s heartbeat picks up when he realizes it’s her, and he isn’t aware of how close they’re standing until he detects the faint scent of kiwi on her breath. He takes a step back and rakes a hand through his hair.

“So I guess I’ll just—”

“Yeah, sure.”

Green. Alani notes to herself. His eyes are green.

********

Shortly after Harry returned from the restroom, him and his friends settled their bill and headed out. Alani cleared their table and her eyes nearly fell out of her head when she saw the hefty tip left behind. The word mahalo was also left behind on the receipt, underlined twice, and she wondered if it was his handwriting.

Later that night, she settled into bed with her laptop and hesitantly typed his name into Google. As she expected, countless articles about the split of One Direction emerged, most of them speculating what was next for each member. To her surprise, however, Harry’s name seemed to be mentioned more than his fellow bandmates as various sources labeled him “the next Justin Timberlake” and rising star of the group. Upon further investigation, she learned that the demand for information about the elusive Harry Styles was high, especially concerning any possible solo music. No news had yet been confirmed by Styles himself, nor anyone claiming to represent him, but she still wondered if his presence in Hawaii had anything to do with a possible solo project. Almost as soon as she thought it, Alani dismissed the theory in favor of the idea that he was most likely just taking a vacation. And from the buzz that she saw surrounding the news about One Direction, she couldn’t blame him.

The more Alani read, the more she wanted to know, and something deep down told her that his was a story worth telling. Of course, the only problem was that she had hardly talked to him, and there were only so many things she could say about the fifteen glasses of water he downed. There was no way of knowing if she would ever see him again, either, or if he was merely stopping in Hilo on his way to another island or somewhere else entirely. Alani sighed, thinking back to her most recent rejection from Rolling Stone. She knew that there was no possible way she would ever see or talk to Harry ever again, and even if she did, why would he bare his entire soul to a stranger? Still, she let her mind wander through the possibility.

Dear Ms. Hale, the letter would read, we are very grateful to have received your submission to Rolling Stone magazine and are pleased to inform you that your piece on Harry Styles will be featured in next month’s issue. Additionally, we would be honored to have you on staff, effective immediately.

It was far-fetched, Alani knew this, but she dozed off that night with endless ideas swimming in her head.

********

By the third day after his visit, the only trace of Harry is in Alani’s search history. She would have completely forgotten about him if it weren’t for her sister’s constant reminiscing and multiple attempts to rename the house salad to the “Harry Special.” As a result, a part of Alani’s thoughts periodically linger back to that day and the subsequent hours spent on Google that she’d rationalized as research instead of stalking. Somehow the knowledge that she’ll never see him again only adds fuel to the questions still burning in her mind, but a customer clearing their throat while she sorts menus below the hostess podium interrupts her thoughts.

“Welcome in!” She calls, standing. “What can I—”

She stops in her tracks, unable to believe her eyes. Harry blinks and waits for her to continue.

“What can I get started for you?” Alani tries again, hoping that he hadn’t noticed her shock. Luckily for her, Harry had been too focused on choosing his next words to register her mistake.

“What’s in the Honu smoothie?” he asks, mentally kicking himself for asking such a stupid question when the menu just inches above her head clearly spells it out.

Alani hums, thinking back to the times she had made the smoothie herself. “Kiwis, spinach, mango, avocado, and a hint of lime,”

“I’ll take one of those,” Harry says, reaching for his wallet.

Alani punches in the order with trembling fingers and nods. “For here or to go?”

“To go,”

Disappointment fills her chest. Sure, she hadn’t planned on seeing him ever again, but the fact that she did felt like a sign. If she wanted to take the chance, she’d have to do it fast.

“Anything else?” she asks, weighing her options while he skims the menu.

“No thanks.”

Alani makes the smoothie quickly, head spinning. She had spent most of the night after their initial meeting planning out exactly the type of questions she hoped to ask him and what kind of article she would write. She was used to writing about what she knew—artists and music she’d admired for years— but she figured that starting fresh with someone she hardly knew would be a good challenge. Not to mention that it seemed like just the thing Rolling Stone would jump for. Alani finally works up the courage as she finishes his smoothie, but when she returns to hand it to him and hopefully strike up a conversation, his ear is pressed to his cell phone. She holds out the drink and he graciously accepts, giving her a small nod as a “thank you” and rushing out of the restaurant.

Two days later he returns and is seated at the counter, typing away on his phone. Alani feels both a rush of optimism and annoyance at the universe for dangling his presence so unexpectedly. She starts heading over to him, but Maleah cuts in.

“Trade me?” she proposes, eyes wide.

Alani blinks. “Oh, I would but I—”

“Please,” her best friend pouts. “I’m leaving to see my grandparents in stupid California for two months. Who knows when I’ll get the chance to see him again?”

Alani sighs, but gives in, reluctantly exchanging Harry for the family of four seated by the window. A strange feeling settles into the pit of his stomach when he sees that she heads in the opposite direction after a hushed conversation with another waitress. He doesn’t know why she traded him for a different customer, but he takes the hint.

A week goes by without another sighting of Harry and Alani has permanently taken on the role of greeting hostess in hopes of seeing him again. Her heartbeat temporarily speeds up when she sees a long haired customer approach the door, but her spirits quickly fall when the face doesn’t match his.

Another week brings another disappointing realization that Harry might be gone for good. One rainy morning when the restaurant is quiet and only two customers huddle together in a booth near the back, Alani hunches over the hostess podium and doodles on a stray receipt— a sunflower, a crescent moon, and two hearts. The bell above the door jingles but she doesn’t look up, too absorbed in her scribbles.

“Do you serve coffee?”

The familiar accented voice stops Alani’s pen dead in its tracks. She lifts her eyes first to confirm, and then straightens up when she sees that her ears haven’t deceived her.

“Yes,” she swallows.

“Great. I’ll take it to go,”

She slightly deflates, but Harry thinks he’s reading too much into it.

“Actually,” he corrects anyway, just in case he isn’t. “I think I’ll stay for a while,”

Alani flashes a warm smile and nods in the direction of the counter. “Right this way,”

Harry sheds his windbreaker onto the back of the seat, revealing a black and white Rolling Stones t-shirt that makes Alani’s blood pressure rise. A sign, she thinks.

“What do you want in your coffee?” she questions carefully.

“Nothing,” he responds, shaking out his damp hair gently. “Or actually, uh, butter...if you have some,”

Alani blinks, not sure if she’d heard correctly or if there had been some transatlantic miscommunication.

“Butter?”

“Yeah,”

“Like the—”

“Spread, yeah,” Harry confirms. “It’s weird, I know,”

She lets out a light-hearted laugh and nods. “It’s a...unique request,”

“I thought the same thing at first,” Harry confides. “It’s not bad, actually. But maybe I’ve just been in L.A. for too long.”

“I’ll take your word for it.”

She offers a polite smile and heads to the kitchen where the cook and two other waiters talk amongst each other. Alani is grateful that the restaurant is slow this morning because she knows that it means minimal interruptions to her time with Harry. To ensure this, though, she asks one of the other waiters to cover the podium and returns to Harry with his coffee.

“One butter coffee, free of judgement,” the waitress announces, setting it down.

Harry grins softly, stirring the drink with the spoon Alani provided. “You can judge, it’s alright,”

“I just wanna know why,”

The coffee had been part of a fad diet while on tour in order to boost Harry’s energy on stage and stay trim for the hundreds of photo-ops he would be a part of. He doesn’t know how to communicate all of this to Alani, however, not sure how much she knows about that part of him, so he shrugs and tells a simplified version of the truth.

“I read about this trend a while back, it's called bulletproof coffee. Supposed to get your energy up and I needed it for my job,”

“Which is…” Alani trails off, downplaying the knowledge that she had acquired from Google.

“I make music,” is all Harry says and he takes a sip of the drink to avoid elaborating.

“Anything I would have heard?”

He swallows hard and listens to the faint rumbling of thunder outside before replying. “Possibly,”

“Try me,” Alani challenges.

He narrows his eyes and takes another sip of coffee. “Why don’t you tell me something about yourself first?”

“What do you wanna know?”

Everything, Harry responds internally, though he reigns it in. “How you got into waitressing,”

Alani sighs, resting her elbows on the counter across from him. “There’s not much to tell, it’s a family business. What I really wanna do is write,”

“Music?”

“Articles. I’m studying Journalism at UH,”

Harry hums in response, filing the detail away in the back of his mind. “Sounds interesting. You ever publish anything?”

“Not yet,” Alani shakes her head gently, toying with the sleeves of her green University of Hawaii crewneck. “Hopefully soon, though,”

Harry racks his brain for something else to say, but before he can, Alani speaks up again.

“Is it my turn to ask something now?”

He offers a curt nod and stirs his coffee.

“What kind of music do you write?”

Harry chooses to be vague again. “Different stuff. Pop, usually. Been messing with some classic rock, though,”

“Explains the shirt,”

He peers down at the design on his tee and agrees. “Yeah, I guess so,”

“Do you like it?” Alani asks, her eyes begging to make contact with his again. “Writing music, I mean,”

“Yeah,” Harry confirms, tapping his spoon against the rim of the mug. “I really do,”

Alani’s heart pounds. This is her chance, a moment to finally secure her breakthrough piece. She doesn’t know how to approach it, so she opts to dive right in without looking back. The worst he can say is no.

“Can I ask you something else?”

“That’s cheating,” Harry teases lightly. “It's my turn,”

She pouts playfully, but obliges. “Fire away,”

Harry doesn’t know which question to ask first, but when he glances down at the crescent moon inked on her wrist, he decides to start there.

“What’s with the moon tattoo?”

Alani isn’t sure what she expected him to ask and wonders what purpose such a detail could possibly serve him, but she answers anyway.

“Oh, well,” she begins, tracing her index finger over the outline. “It’s kinda the meaning of my full name. It’s Mahealani, Hawaiian for ‘heavenly moon,'”

Fitting, Harry comments to himself. Every detail he learns about her makes him want to learn that much more, from her favorite foods to the last thing she thinks about before falling asleep. Studying her expectant eyes, he suddenly remembers that it’s his turn to respond.

“That’s cool,” is all he says.

Alani doesn’t know what to make of the faraway look in his eye, but she decides to pose her most burning question while he appears to be in good spirits.

“I know this is gonna sound totally out of the blue,” she starts, working past the lump in her throat. “But when you mentioned how you write music, I was just reminded of this assignment I’m working on in my class,”

Harry waits for her to continue, nursing his now lukewarm coffee.

“I’m supposed to write a piece about someone who I don’t know that well,” she continues. “You know, to practice our interviewing skills. And, well, I was just kind of wondering if you might be interested in helping me out—being the subject, I mean,”

Alani had every intention of telling Harry the truth, about how she really planned to submit the article to Rolling Stone in hopes of securing an internship before her college graduation next Spring. But as she started speaking, she quickly realized how it would come off: a complete stranger asking for personal information to submit to a well-known publication. She knew that there was a chance he would shut down and never return, so she lowered the stakes and hoped that this route would be less risky. Was it ethical? Alani hadn’t decided yet, but she would work out the details later. After six failed articles and two years of rejection, she saw a ray of hope and wasn’t going to let it slip away.

Harry ponders her offer for a moment, which confirms that she had recognized him. Normally he would be off-put by such a request, and to a certain extent he is, but there is something sincere in her voice that he trusts deep down. Before he agrees, however, he decides to fish around a bit to test her reaction.

“You know who I am,” he says gently. “Don’t you?”

Alani’s heart drops into the pit of her stomach, not sure what to say next. She hopes with every fiber of her being that she hasn’t upset him, or worse, ruined her chances, so she decides to offer some truth to throw him off her scent.

“My sister recognized you,” she explains. “That day you came in with your friends. I thought they were your bandmates at first,”

This lets Harry know that she isn’t a total stalker, which is comforting, but he wouldn’t have been minded if she were a fan simply engaging in conversation.

“Oh,” he laughs weakly.

“I totally understand if you say no,” Alani offers quickly, trying to smooth things over. “I just thought it was worth a shot. And that it might be more interesting than interviewing our produce guy,”

Harry decides to give her one last scan for any sign of insincerity. He’d always felt that his gut instinct was strong and it hadn’t led him astray thus far.

“An interview?” he clarifies.

“Just one,” Alani promises. “An hour, tops. And you can proofread all of it once I’ve finished, too.”

Harry waits a beat, already knowing his reply, but he wants to see how she will react to his silence. She doesn’t budge, almond eyes set and determined.

“Okay.”

next chapter