#I've been on the dating scene for so long which has kept me busy but that's like a bunch of first and second dates.
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bithegarden · 1 year ago
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had a little party and got to see my friends todaay!! :D
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snowqueen · 4 months ago
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If I get read as trans at a "queer women's event," dykes assume I'm a straight transsexual guy. Ironically, this grants me free access. I bear no resentment toward my FtM brothers, but I do grind my teeth over women's spaces and dyke circles that welcome them yet which exclude my transsexual sisters. I am infuriated by the underlying assumption: my brave FtM brothers, who have sacrificed to become men, are just conformist women, and my bold MtF sisters who have fought to be women, are really men with a fetish for being marginalized. Are we dykes so fragile, so afraid, that we cannot allow anyone to enter, leave, or even explore? When we imply FtM men are still gay women, how can we also fear that "we are losing our butches"?
Our butches? Whose butches? Does the dyke community own its members? Our sex lives? Our genders? Does it control us for our own good?
Dykes are not fragile flowers. Many femmes wear the flaming rose. It's a flower, but it'll fight back if you try to crush it. What tough flower would symbolize us butches? Or do we fear that butches are the fragile ones, anxious to leave the dykespace?
We fear men will undo us, erase us; that we must guard against their entrance into our spaces, or our sister's pants. But men have been part of butch-femme for as long as I can remember. Pre-electrical lesbian spaces contained trans-spectrum men who feared presenting as male in public, and butches who feared looking mannish because of laws, written and unwritten, that prohibited putting a vagina into a pair of pants. Medical transition has been around since the 1930s, and it has not destroyed us. There were gay men who shared our bar scene, and their business kept many of "our" bars afloat. The lesbian communities that most feared men also feared femmes, butches, transsexuals, and every other stripe of gender freedom.
Butch-femme is tough. We are tough. Our cultures have survived alcoholism, homophobia, beatings, corrupt vice squads, poverty, and the sex wars—plus all the other problems of living. I think we can survive transgender medicine.
The happiest butch-femme spaces I've seen are those that embrace the gender spectrum. There we find butches and femmes who go by "she" and love their unmodified bodies. We have FtMs who've done the works—T, top, and crotch—who may be men or butch or femme or more. They include me and others who transitioned into being butches. They include femmes without questioning their taste in lovers. And it works.
Men will not undo us. But an unchecked fear of men—of becoming a man, dating a man, having been forced to be one, looking too much like one, being too attractive to men in general, or aiding and abetting any of the above—can and will make our community unliveable if we let it. But we should not fear or police ourselves. If we did that, there'd be no butch or femme in the first place.
— Amy Fox, "BORDER CONTROL AND FRAGILE FLOWERS" from "Changed Sex. Grew Boobs. Started Wearing a Tie." from Persistence: All Ways Butch and Femme (edited by Ivan E. Coyote and Zena Sharman, 2011)
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haystarlight · 2 years ago
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Disabilities and Disclosure
@lollytea made a post about this idea and I went with it.
I don't have dyslexia. If you or someone you know has it, I'd appreciate your input!
@avatarmerida @fairytales-and-folklore
______________________________________________
"Disabilities and Disclosure"
"I'm gonna have to borrow that book when you're done with it!"
Willow wasn't really thinking when she made that promise. She'd been too caught up in Hunter's cool outfit and his sweet smile to realize what she was signing up for. She'd been so preoccupied with flirting with the cute boy she didn't bother to think she was actually going to have to read that book later.
At first, she put it off. They were busy fighting villains, rebuilding society, rebuilding their homes, starting a new semester at Hexside. Then, a few months after she and Hunter started dating, he remembered she had expressed interest in reading Cosmic Frontier.
Oh no.
"Here you go! you can keep it, I have another copy at home."
"Aww, Sunflower, this is so nice of you."
Hunter blushed, he always blushed when she called him that.
Aw fuck. The book was even bigger than she remembered.
"A little fat, ain't it?" She chuckled nervously "how did you read it all in 2 days?"
"Haha well, yeah. I don't wanna brag but you do remember I've been called a 'genius teen prodigy'," He said this in a tone that sounded like he did want to brag. "it's not that fat, tho. A regular reader like you can probably kill it in a week or two. And then you can share your thoughts with me, Gus and Camila!"
Yeah. Sure. A regular reader like her.
A week or two. Sure.
Hunter must've sensed her uncertainty because his voice immediately dropped from excitement to comfort.
"Hey, I won't get upset if you don't like it. Just so you know."
"Aw, yeah, I wasn't worried about that. But thanks."
She tried looking at the summary on the back and almost got a headache. She knew he wouldn't mind if she didn't like it... But would he be disappointed if she couldn't even finish it?
"Oh, and I hope you're cool with this... I kinda wrote stuff on the margins," he said this bashfully.
Willow opened the book on the first page. The first two pages of every book are always blank before the actual story gets started. She'd always considered that a waste of paper.
This time, however, she saw on the first blank page something written in Hunter's perfect calligraphy. He had such nice handwriting. Her writing was so messy in comparison.
Even she was able to read the three simple words written there with love and care.
'To my Captain 💛'
What had she done?
______________________________________________
The days passed by and no matter how hard she tried, the damn book was impossible to finish.
It's not that she couldn't read at all! She could read! She was 16, not 5!
But some words were harder to understand than others. Words that were really long and complicated gave her the hardest time. It didn't help that all these characters had odd names that looked impossible to pronounce and even harder to spell. She kept getting headaches whenever she stared at a page for too long.
She had always been like this, since she started school. It was one of the reasons abominations were so much harder for her than plants, abominations required a lot of reading and theory, plants were direct hands-on action. She had so many memories of staying up late with her parents trying to help her as she agonized over the homework.
And, as the days passed, she kept avoiding having to talk to Hunter. He always asked her how far into the book she was, which scene had she gotten to, who was her favorite character so far. And Gus was no better. Gus knew of Willow's reading issue but it seemed like the young boy had forgotten about it as he got caught up in the excitement as well.
One day, Willow was alone, sitting on the school steps when she suddenly couldn't take it anymore and screamed in frustration, throwing the book away from her.
Luckily, someone caught it.
"Wow! You must be really angry at this thing," Luz said, in between scared and impressed. "did your favorite character die or something? I hate it when that happens."
Willow sighed.
"No, it's just... it's so hard to read."
"Really? It says here the age rating is 13 and up," Luz pointed at the back of the book.
Willow groaned.
"Is it because you don't understand all the weird sci-fi things? I know you guys still don't know a lot about the human world. It makes sense you don't get all the space and science-y thingies," she laughed. "heck, I'm a human and even I don't get it half the time! It's super confusing, you don't have to feel bad for -"
"That's not it either, Luz."
There was a silence between the two of them. Luz felt the weight of that silence and sat down next to her. The human carefully laid a hand on her best friend's shoulder.
"Hey. You don't have to tell me but it looks like it'll make you feel better to tell someone."
"It's... I don't... it's not that I can't read or write! You've seen me do it! I know how to read and write! I'm not a baby!"
Luz simply stared at her, waiting for her to continue.
"But, even though I can do it, I find it very... difficult. There's lots of words that I can't spell because they're too long, the letters sometimes like... move around and blurr together even when I'm wearing my glasses!" She took off the golden frames as if to clarify. "and I keep getting headaches and I hate it when a sentence has too many comas and -"
"Oh, you have dyslexia!"
Willow stopped her rant to look at her friend. She put her glasses back on, confused.
"What?"
"Oh, that's what humans call it! I don't know how witches call it or if it even has a name here. I didn't know witches could have dyslexia... but I guess it makes sense cause human brains are very similar to witch brains. I wonder if-"
"Luz, what's dyslexia?"
"Oh, right, sorry," she smiled apologetically. "it's a learning disability. It's what you just described. Someone who has a hard time reading, who can't spell long words, who struggles with big books... etcetera."
Willow looked shocked, her mouth slightly opened. It has a name? Other people have it?
"I'm not a doctor so I can't really diagnose you. But, if you want, we can do some research! There's lots of info on the human realm! It's actually a really common thing so we have lots of methods to help make it easier. We can look up Cosmic Frontier audiobooks! You can just listen to it, no reading required."
Despite of herself, Willow smiled. Luz was a really good friend.
"Thank you, Luz. That sounds nice."
"And I bet Hunter will love to help! You know how he loves research!"
The smile dropped as quickly as it had come, replaced by panic.
"NO! DON'T TELL HUNTER!"
"Okay, why?"
"He just... Hunter's so smart and I'm..."
"You're smart! Just because you have a learning disability doesn't make you not smart! Mom has ADHD and she's super smart!"
"What's ADHD?"
"Oh, it's another learning disability. I think I have it too but that's a conversation for another day."
"Mmmkay," Willow shrugged and went back to the matter at hand. "Hunter's so smart and he's such a good reader and... and he's always going on and on about how talented and clever I am and he admires me so much and... I don't want him to be disappointed or to see me different."
Luz stayed silent for a moment while she contemplated what to say. She finally settled on:
"I'm not gonna tell him because I respect your privacy but I think you should tell him. Hunter loves you but he doesn't have you on a pedestal, he knows you're a person with limits and weaknesses. He's not going to be disappointed if you tell him this."
Willow didn't respond but she knew her friend was right. Oh, where would she be without Luz the human?
______________________________________________
A few days of research and information gathering with the assistance of Luz and Camila, and Willow was now ready to come clean to her boyfriend.
She sat with him on a picnic they'd set up in the forest as she laid out all the information. Hunter would occasionally ask a question but, for the most part, he just let her speak. In the end, Willow stared at him in deep dread.
"Wow, ok. Thanks for telling me this," he stopped to take a sip of apple blood before continuing. "how can I help?"
Willow stared at him, processing the words.
"You want to help?" She asked incredulously.
"You're my girlfriend and you need help, therefore, I'm willing to do what I can. Is that not how it works?"
Willow couldn't help but smile. Hunter was getting better at this relationship thing.
"Yeah, thank you. I was just... I was being paranoid."
Hunter tilted his head, offering her to go on.
"You're always... you're so smart and well-read and... you always tell me how talented and clever you think I am and you compliment me for knowing so much about flyer derby and plants and insects... I feel like I'll disappoint you if I'm actually not as smart as you think I am."
Hunter frowned. He did tend to go on about how amazing his girlfriend was, he couldn't help it! He loved her! And she had always looked so happy when he said those things, responding with a smile or a blush or a thank you or paying him a compliment in return.
He didn't realize that maybe there was a bit of a negative side to it.
"Willow, I'm not gonna be disappointed in you for having limits and weaknesses. Nobody's perfect! And that's fine! You're the one who taught me that!
The plant witch snorted. It was true, she had been the one to teach Hunter that. Why couldn't she remember her own advice?
"There it is," Hunter said, fondly.
"There what is?"
"You snort like a pig when you laugh, you kick people in your sleep, you take pictures of strangers on the street like a creeper..." He counted on his fingers. "I could keep going but the point is, I know you're not perfect. It's okay to not be perfect. I don't love you because you're flawless! I love you because you're Willow and you're impossible not to love."
He said that last part so sincerely, she had to believe him. The plant witch grabbed her boyfriend in a tight hug. He hugged her back and she felt the warmth fill her with comfort.
"I love you too, Sunflower."
They kissed. They'd already kissed so many times, it came naturally to them by now. Willow was long familiar with the taste of his lips but it still somehow brought firebees to her stomach no matter how many times she did it. It never got old, she would never get tired of it.
Every time they kissed, like clockwork, flowers came out of Willow's head. It was like her heart and her magic couldn't control themselves when she felt his kisses. This time, the flowers on her hair were white bellflowers.
"Now, back to the 'how can I help?' thing," Hunter said, after they had broken apart. "I think I have an idea you might like."
______________________________________________
Normal people would simply find a Cosmic Frontier audiobook for Willow to listen to. Or maybe they would read to her out loud. Or maybe they'd show her the movie adaptation (tho, she'd been told by Hunter, Gus and Camila that the movie was awful and did a terrible job at adapting the original source material).
Hunter wasn't a normal person, not by a long shot.
He'd decided to act out all of the memorable scenes from the book like it was a play. After telling the others, they had also been incredibly excited to help.
Everyone did something. Willow built the stage and props, Hunter made the costumes and wrote the scripts, Vee and Gus were on special effects with their shapeshifting and illusions respectively, Amity brought some abominations for extra manpower and Luz and Camila put together a playlist of songs that went perfect with every scene. Eda and King brought snacks.
When the night of the premiere finally came, Willow sat down at the Owl House's backyard with Luz, Amity, King, Eda and Raine as they watched it all unfold. Luz took out her phone and started recording because she wanted to put it on Mewtube, Amity didn't understand anything that was going on, Eda ate all the snacks and King fell asleep on Raine's lap halfway through. Perfection.
It wasn't a quality production, it was very low budget and DIY. It reminded Willow of those plays the bard witches from the drama club at Hexside often did. It was silly and weird but it was wonderful.
At the heart of it all were the actors. Vee obviously knew how to play a convincing alien monster, Gus and Camila were not professionals but they felt such passion and appreciation for their character's plight that they could bring themselves to do a pretty good performance. And Hunter was just IN IT! He was an artist lost in his art and Willow never wanted him to stop ever.
His voice cracked with emotion on the dramatic scenes, he stricked poses and smiled at the audience, he recited every line from memory, he even cried on the sad parts. It was hard not to love the book when it inspired something so incredible on all these people she loved.
When the play ended, the actors took a bow and everyone clapped. Luz was the loudest, woohoo-ing and wolf whistling. She cheered so loud, King woke up with a yelp.
Willow made flowers with her magic, throwing them at the stage enthusiastic. Gus caught one and pointed a finger gun, winking at her. Vee caught one and giggled. Camila caught one and her smile got even bigger.
She threw a whole bouquet of roses. Hunter caught it and blew her a kiss.
Yup, this was her new favorite book.
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elm-writes-stories · 1 year ago
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Cuphead: Isle of Memories (Rewrite)
*Hey guys! Happy New Year! I'm sorry that I've published this late! I've been busy with work and had been running into a writer's block, but I'm back! Anyway, this episode is published on January 1, 2024. If you guys like this chapter, don't be afraid to heart, reblog, and comment! That would be greatly appreciated! Happy New Year and let's hope this year will be a good year! Enjoy!*
Episode Eleven: Turning Up the Charm
Today was a relaxing day for once in Mugman’s life.
No demons. No Tremaine.
Just him reading a story with Cassidy sitting on his lap to read. Her purring were the only sounds that he could listen to all day. Now, he wished every day could be like this. It didn’t help he was sitting on the bean bag in the corner of the library Djimmi made.
She was resting her eyes while they were reading, which was causing him to fall asleep reading the story with her. And he didn’t mind as long as she was in his arms. But he could’ve sworn he would accidentally drop the book falling asleep like this. He started to move around to close the book, which woke her up a little.
“Oh, sorry,” Mugman whispered to her while putting the book back on the shelf.
“It’s okay,” she said tiredly, cuddling her head on his shoulder. Her paws were making biscuits on his shirt with a content smile.
Once he put the book away, he leaned back so that she could get comfortable laying on him. A smile formed his face. He began resting his eyes and holding her in his arms.
Before he could sink into a deep sleep, Chalice appeared by his side as a ghost.
“Mugsy!” Chalice shouted with a sudden urgency, waking both Mugman and Cassidy up with yelps and jolts.
Mugman took a few deep breaths with a groan. “Chalice…”
“I have a crisis,” Chalice replied. “It’s urgent…and, uh, private.”
“Private?” Mugman questioned.
Chalice nodded her head. “I promise it’ll be real quick.”
“Okay…” Mugman moved a little while Cassidy scooted off of him. “I’ll be back.”
“Okay,” Cassidy said while watching him get up from the bean bag.
He felt his legs ache from letting Cassidy sit on his lap for too long. He shook off the aches and followed Chalice around the corner away from Cassidy.
“So, what exactly do you need from me?” Mugman questioned.
“I’ll tell you in a minute,” Chalice stated. Once they got away from Cassidy, she turned to him. “Okay, there’s been something that has been bothering me and you’re the only one…well, besides Cuphead by now, that knows what to do.”
“Uh…know what to do about what?”
“Ya know? Uh…this…um…well, you know how you are when ya first met Cassi.”
Mugman tilted his head for a moment until he realized what she was talking about. Then he smirked teasingly at her. “Yeah?”
“Well, let’s say that there’s a fella who knew how to play the violin, fix some things, and he’s a nerd when it comes to myths and legends. I dont’ know if he likes me back the same way though,” she responded.
He blinked in shock. “I thought he already likes ya.”
She blushed. “He does?!”
“Yeah, I thought that was obvious.”
“Wait, we’re talkin’ about the same guy, right?” she asked.
“Canteen Hughes?” Mugman inquired.
“Yeah, we’re talkin’ about the same guy,” she said.
He arched a brow. “And you like him back.”
“Well, yeah…I mean, I think he’s neat. I dunno how this works. You and Cuphead might be the only two ding-dongs I know that knows about this kind of feeling,” Chalice replied. “Ugh, now I realize why Saltbaker kept saying he’s my future boyfriend.”
“Okay, okay, calm down,” Mugman responded while rubbing his hands. “Maybe you can ask him out on a date.”
“Oh, like you did with Cassi?”
“Yeah.”
“Good one. But if I were to ask him out on the date, it has to be spectacular!”
“Uh, well, it doesn’t have to be—”
“I know! We can start arguing and then not getting along until finally we confess our feelings for each other and we are dating officially!” Chalice replied.
“Uhhh, I’m not sure that’s how romance works—”
It was sudden that Cuphead zoomed into the scene with a panicked look on his face. “Hey, Mugsy! I just asked Nat out on a date and she said yes! What do I do now?!”
“Whoa, whoa, one at a time!” Mugman shouted until he noticed his brother’s legs bruised. “Wait, what happened to your legs, Cuphead?”
“Uh…it’s a long story,” Cuphead answered nervously.
“Wait, you asked Nat out on a date?” Chalice questioned with a gasp.
“Yeah,” Cuphead responded nervously.
Chalice’s smile brightened. “Way to go, Cups! I knew you had it in you! Now, I have a question for you. How did you do it?”
“Do what?” Cuphead asked.
“Ask her out on a date?” Chalice persisted.
“I dunno. We got ourselves into a dangerous situation and kind of confessed our feelings to each other. I mean, we kissed on the lips first and then I asked her out on a date,” Cuphead responded.
“Wait, what?!” Chalice and Mugman gasped.
“You jumped into it?!” Mugman shouted.
“No, she kissed first!” Cuphead said immaturely.
“Aww,” Chalice replied. “Wait, you said you were in a dangerous situation?”
“Yeah?” Cuphead uttered.
“And you confessed to each other about your feelings?”
“Yes.”
She pondered for a moment and then smirked mischievously. “That gives me an idea.”
“Wait, Mugman, which one of you kiss on the lips first? You or Cassi?” Cuphead asked.
“We haven’t kiss each other on the lips yet,” Mugman answered sheepishly.
“WHAT?! You two have been together all this time and haven’t kissed each other on the lips yet?!” Cuphead yelled.
“Not so loud, Cuphead!” Mugman whispered harshly to his brother.
Chalice groaned impatiently. “Can we get back to the matter at hand?”
Mugman nodded. “Yes, yes, please.”
“How did you two ding-dongs get those girls to like ya? Let alone letting girls kiss ya first?” Chalice asked the brothers.
The cup brothers were silent for a moment while looking at each other. Then they glanced back at Chalice.
“I dunno,” Cuphead responded.
“Yeah, me neither,” Mugman replied.
Chalice slapped her forehead with a sigh in discouragement. “I thought you both would be more experts on romance.”
“Chalice, I just asked Nat out on a date. I don’t know how I got her to even like me,” Cuphead responded. “I mean, I did tell her how I feel about her.”
“Yeah, I did the same to Cassidy…although I thought I was confessing it to you,” Mugman said while looking at his brother.
“Hey, at least, you got together with Cassi thanks to me,” Cuphead replied with a smirk.
“So, I guess I got to tell him how I feel then,” Chalice replied, pondering. “While turning up that charm of acting like a ding-dong! That’s what I’ll do! I get him to come with me on a perilous journey, get trapped in a cave with him, confess to him on how I feel, and then ask him on a date. Or kiss him on the lips first and then ask him out on a date. Whichever works!”
“Uh,” the brothers uttered.
“Thanks, fellas! Wish me luck!” Chalice said as she flew away.
Cuphead and Mugman froze and looked at each other.
“Should we go after her?” Cuphead questioned.
“Nah, she’ll be fine,” Mugman responded and shifted his attention back to Cuphead. “Soooo, you asked Nat on the date, huh?”
“Uh, yeah,” Cuphead said with a blush. “Mind helpin’ me out?”
“Helping out?”
The cup brothers turned to see Cassidy walking to them.
“Oh, Cassi,” Mugman replied excitedly and hurried over to her. “Sorry I was taking so long to get back to you.”
“It’s okay,” she said with a smile. “I was wondering about what’s happenin’ with Chalice.”
“She’s on her own journey. Say, maybe you could help us,” Mugman suggested to his girlfriend.
“Ooh, help with what?” Cassidy asked excitedly.
“You see, Cuphead just asked Nat out on a date,” Mugman replied.
“Hey, no need on tellin’ the whole world about it,” Cuphead responded defensively.
“Shush,” Mugman replied, continuing to talk to Cassidy. “I’m going to get Cuphead a nice suit for his date. Do you think you would want to help Natalie with getting ready for the date? Kind of like what they did with us?”
Cassidy seemed uneasy for a moment, which was noticed by Mugman.
“Oh, you don’t have to help if you don’t want to,” Mugman replied.
“No, I want to,” Cassidy said. “It’s just…I’m never a fashion expert. Natalie knows more than I do and I feel like I’m going to mess it up for her.”
“You won’t,” Mugman said softly. “I’m sure you’ll do fine.”
Cassidy thought about it. Her ears perked as soon as an idea struck her. “Ooh! I know someone else who’s a fashion expert!”
The red feline kissed Mugman on the cheek and ran off with a newfound determination.
Mugman gazed at her with a lovey-dovey smile.
Cuphead rubbed his arm. “So, are you gonna help me pick out a suit?”
“Yeah!” Mugman said excitedly. “Right this way, my dear brother!”
Cuphead walked with Mugman while rolling his eyes.
~.~
 Canteen had been trying to get back into building things in his tent.
Ever since he was a kid, he had a mechanic family that didn’t have a happy family. Remembering those families that died all those years ago still brought him back to that trauma. However, he wanted to build something…something like a plane.
Canteen had been drawing on a blueprint paper of all the screws and parts needed to build a plane on his wooden desk, but his mind started to drift off today.
Instead of drawing screws, he drew a face on the blueprint. His pencil outlined the details of the person’s face and he found himself drawing Chalice. It appeared to be accurate to the detail. He kept drawing her face, including her eyes and her dimples when she smiled. Then he drew her torso and a skirt she always wore since he first met her. Her heels were last. A smile came on his face as he drew more in detail.
“Whatcha drawin’?” A familiar cheery voice spoke beside him.
Canteen jumped with a yelp and covered the drawing of Chalice. He looked over his shoulder to find Chalice floating next to him.
“Uh…nothing. Nothing…j-just working on a new project,” Canteen stuttered with his face red.
“Ooh, can I see?” Chalice asked excitedly.
“Uh…i-it’s not really complete yet.”
“That’s okay. I don’t mind seein’ it anyway. Unless you don’t want me too—”
“No! No, uh, I just…uh, haven’t sketch the full picture yet.”
She turned into her physical form with a bright grin. “Well, you can show me it when you’re ready! But, on a fun side of things, I got an adventure we both can go on! Together!”
“T-Together? As in me and you together?”
“Yep! I heard that there’s a really cool place that we can explore together! It’s about…maybe thirty miles from this place. What d’ya say we go and see what’s there?”
Canteen blushed at the thought of going with Chalice someplace. “Um…yeah, sure.”
“Alright! Let’s go!” Chalice started to walk away.
“Wait,” Canteen urged while leaving the blueprint behind. “Where are we going exactly?”
“Well, that’s for me to know and you to find out,” she said with a wink.
He blushed and followed her out of the camp.
~.~
Natalie had been pacing in front of the ship with her anxious thoughts running through her liquid mind. She couldn’t believe she said yes to dating Cuphead. First, she kissed him and then she accepted his offer for a date.
She had been many dates before because her mother forced her too and most of them were little boys richer than her. Or guys that were way older than she liked to admit. And of course, she chased away the dates who were boys her age. She always thought it was them, but now she believed it to be her once she realized how badly she mistreated Cassidy. Natalie couldn’t believe that it took Cassidy being under the Devil’s control to wake her up.
“Natalie—”
Natalie screeched and spun around to find Cassidy behind her. She grabbed her chest and sighed in relief. “Oh, Cassi, it’s just you. Sorry, I was thinking about stuff.”
Cassidy gave her a smirk. “About your date with Cuphead?”
Natalie’s face turned redder than a tomato. “How did you—?”
“Cuphead told Mugman and Mugman told me,” the red cat said.
“Oh,” Natalie uttered while rubbing her arm nervously.
“And I came to help you get ready for your date. You know, the same way you helped me get ready for a date with Mugman.”
Natalie frowned. “You remembered that?”
“Of course I remembered,” Cassidy said. She noticed Natalie’s frown. “Are you okay?”
“I didn’t think you would remember what I’ve done that was good.”
Cassidy softened her gaze. “Well, I would be lying if I said that you never did anything to help me.”
“Yeah, but I—”
“I want to forget the past.”
Natalie glanced up at her friend in shock. “But—”
“You have done horrible things to me in the past,” Cassidy said softly. “I stuck around you, because you were the only friend my age who even tolerated me at the time. I feel like I have to want to do things with you so that I can be around you. Or do the things only you want to do just to be around you. But you’ve changed. I’ve noticed that you’re not like that anymore.”
Natalie widened her eyes more.
“I don’t hate you, Natalie. I’ve never hated you. I’m always going to be your friend…I’ve always made that promise to you. But I want to forget about what happened in the past. It brings pain to even talk about it.”
Natalie softened her gaze and nodded. “Okay. I just want to say I’m sorry…for everything.”
“I forgive you.”
There was silence as both of the friends exchanged soft smiles.
“Now,” Cassidy began excitedly. “Let’s pick a cute dress for you.”
“But you don’t like clothes shopping,” Natalie pointed out.
Cassidy grinned. “Well, I know someone who knows about fashion. C’mon!”
She grabbed Natalie by the wrist, pulling her away from the ship and hurrying away to pick a cute outfit for her.
~.~
“Are you sure you know where you’re going?” Canteen asked while strolling through the forest with Chalice.
“Oh, I’m sure of it,” Chalice said while looking for a cave around them to get trapped in.
Canteen didn’t seem convinced by Chalice’s answer. He looked around the forest to hear the pretty birds chirping and the sun shining through the leaves of the trees. The branches swayed to the gentle breeze, setting chills down on his spine.
He glanced at her and softly gazed at her. “Sooo, are you going to give me some hint as to where we’re going?”
She turned back with a small smirk at him. “It’s gonna blow your socks off.”
“That’s not a hint,” he teased with a blush.
“It’s some hint,” she quipped.
He rolled his eyes playfully. “Look, if you think it’s my birthday, you’re way off by two months and twenty days.”
Her smirk widened. “I’ll be sure to note that. But it’s not for your birthday.”
He dropped his playful look. “Then…what are you taking me out for?”
“Well, there’s something I oughta show you and I thought you would like it—”
Both Chalice and Canteen stopped when they noticed a temple ahead of them. For some reason, the white stoned temple seemed familiar to her.
Canteen gasped in recognition of the temple. “Whoa.”
“Whoa what?”
The silver canteen headed off towards the temple, taking the lead now with fascination in his eyes.
“Canteen, wait!” Chalice chased after Canteen towards the temple.
The kids reached to the bottom of the steps, looking up at the two front statues.
Chalice softened her gaze at one of the statues of a cup woman with long wavy hair resting on her shoulder and her name engraved under her feet of her name.
“Esther Cupchal.”
Chalice frowned at the name and then looked at the other statue, a man with a cup for his head that was chipped on the side. His name was engraved under his feet as well, but it was barely readable.
“Chester Cupchal.”
Canteen focused on the entrance of the temple with an awed look. “Is this what you’re trying to show me?”
Chalice faked a smile. “Yeah, definitely. Definitely! Since ya like myths and stuff, you might like looking at a mausoleum.”
He turned to look at her and saw her fake smile. “Are you sure this is the place you want to show me?”
She waved off her emotions and took him by the hand. “Yeah. C’mon. There’s so much to look at.”
They head into the mausoleum. Once they were inside, Chalice found herself more familiar with her surroundings. She looked at more statues of familiar friends, remembering their dead bodies in the glitch of her memories. She moved her eyes away from the statues and focused forward, leaving Canteen in confusion.
Canteen noticed one of the statues that was a spoon with the name under her feet:
Silversmith Spoon.
The canteen realized that Chalice was trying to keep her gaze away from the statues. He frowned at the sight of her and hurried beside her, faking a grin.
“Hey, if you want, we can find somewhere else to explore. I’m sure there are plenty of things in the forest we can explore other than this mausoleum,” Canteen said.
She faked a smile. “Aww, I thought you liked myths and legends.”
“I do,” he replied with a blush. “But I’m sure there are more adventures out there than this old mausoleum.” As he was saying the last part, he stepped on the floor plate that sunk below his foot.
He widened his eyes in shock and looked down to see that he pressed the floor plate.
The ground began to open under their feet as they wrapped their arms around each other and fell into the dark abyss with screams. 
~.~
Cassidy was guiding Natalie through the village, looking for this supposed “fashion expert” to help her find her friend a perfect dress for the date.
Natalie was surprised to see this side of Cassidy, the one who was all giddy and excited for her best friend’s date. Not that Cassidy had never been happy for Natalie before, but Natalie could see a gleam in her eyes that were filled with pure genuine joy. She knew Cassidy didn’t like clothes shopping as much as Natalie, but it didn’t feel like Cassidy was sacrificing her own happiness for Natalie’s sake. Or forcing herself to dangerous situations to please her best friend. Maybe because this time…Natalie didn’t ask her too. And maybe this time…Cassidy wanted to do this.
However, Natalie felt a slight disappointment when she was taken to Porkrind’s shop. She blinked in confusion and glanced at her best friend.
“Why are we—?”
The answer was revealed immediately after Cassidy opened the door. The girls noticed Dice leaning over the counter and talking to Porkrind, who seemed to lean a bit towards the former gambler in interest of what he was saying.
“So, here’s the thing, if we can make your shop just a tad bit fancier,” Dice began while gesturing to the shop without looking at the girls. “You should be getting more customers and more customers means more money.”
“Make it fancy?” Porkrind questioned. He crossed his arm with a brow raised. “How fancy are we talking?”
“Well…” Dice looked around the shop until he noticed the girls. “Oh, hey, girls.” He glanced at the pig to whisper, “You got your first customers.”
“Actually, Dice, we’re looking for you,” Cassidy clarified.
“Me?” King Dice glanced at Porkrind, who shrugged his shoulders. Dice shifted his attention back at the girls. “Why me?”
“We need your fashion expertise,” Cassidy replied excitedly.
A smug smile formed on the die’s lips. “Well, well, you came to the right place. So, who do we need to dress up?”
Cassidy glanced at Natalie, who waved at Dice nervously.
“Hi,” Natalie uttered.
“Hello,” Dice responded.
“She needs a perfect dress for her date with Cuphead,” Cassidy said with a bright smile.
Natalie’s entire face turned red and she smiled nervously.
“Oh,” Dice responded with a small chuckle. “I didn’t think that cup is gonna get a girl because of his lack of…well, intelligence. But I see he’s got you fallin’ for him.”
“Hey, Cuphead is not stupid,” Natalie argued with Dice in a defensive manner.
Dice blinked in shock.
Porkrind put his hand on his hip and looked at Dice with a teasing smirk at him. “Better not talk bad about her man.”
Dice giggled and glanced at the one-eyed pig. “He ain’t a man just yet.” He shifted his attention to Natalie while rubbing the bottom edge of his square face. “Buuuut…I can get you pretty up before the date. You know, if we put some light make-up and a pretty pink dress on ya, you would look fabulous. It’ll even knock Cuphead’s socks off.”
Natalie suddenly became uncomfortable when Dice offered his hand to guide her. Cassidy noticed the discomfort in her friend’s face along with Dice and Porkrind.
“You okay, Nat?” Cassidy asked with a brow raised.
Dice blinked in realization and frowned for a moment. He shook off his frown and gave Natalie a comforting smile. “Would it better if you have a lady help getting you ready for your date?”
Natalie glanced at Cassidy for a moment and then back at King Dice with a small nod.
“What—?” Cassidy seemed confused until Dice pulled her aside and whispered to her about what happened to Natalie before they went to rescue the feline from Hell. The red cat gasped in shock and glanced at her friend with a soft look.
Natalie looked away in shame and embarrassment.
Dice turned to Porkrind. “Hey, Porks, you got a phone? I gotta make a call real quick.”
Porkrind darted his gaze at Natalie and then back at Dice. He pointed at the phone hooked on the wall next to him. “Knock yourself out.”
Dice nodded and headed to the phone. He dialed the number and leaned against the wall, holding the speaker.
“Hello, is this Sally?” Dice called. An answer came, causing him to smile. “This is Dice. Uh, say, someone needs your help in dressing her up and getting her ready for her date. Do you mind helping her out?”
Dice smiled when he got a response he wanted to hear. “Great. We’re right inside of Pork’s shop. See you soon.”
He hung up the phone and glanced at the ladies. “So, I got someone on her way to help ya out.”
“Thanks, Dice,” Natalie said with a weak smile.
Not even a minute later, Sally entered the shop with a bright smile and dresses on her arms.
“I heard someone is trying to get ready for a date,” Sally replied excitedly.
Natalie rose her hand slowly. “I am.”
“Ooh, I got a bunch of pretty dresses that are not costumes. Wanna try them on?” Sally asked while showing many dresses on her arms.
Natalie nodded her head. “Sure.”
“I can come with you if it’s okay with Dad,” Cassidy said while looking at her father.
Porkrind smiled. “Yeah, yeah. Just stay safe out there and have fun.”
The feline grinned and stayed by Natalie while they walked away to go with Sally to try on dresses.
Once the girls left, Porkrind huffed a sigh and looked at his desk.
Dice noticed Porkrind’s sigh. “Everything okay?”
“Yeah. I’m fine,” Porkrind said.
“You sure?”
The one-eyed pig glanced at Dice to notice the former gambler leaning forward a bit in interest.
“It’s nothing. It’s just that…she keeps reminding me too much of an old friend I had once.”
“Shayna, right?”
Porkrind glanced at Dice in shock.
“Uh, Jerry told me about you lost her. I’m sorry for your loss.”
The pig waved it off. “It was years ago.”
Dice frowned to notice him looking away. “But it still hurts you to this day, right?”
“Sometimes.”
Dice tilted his head. “Is she Shayna’s daughter?”
“Yeah.”
“Oh…well, that puts things into perspective than.”
“What?”
“Well, most people hate red cats back then. But you didn’t because your friend was one of them. I guess it’s why you cared so much about Cassidy since she’s your friend’s daughter.”
Porkrind huffed a laugh. “You’re a detective now?”
“You can say that I’m connecting the dots here. Am I getting any of it right so far?”
The pig looked away sadly again. “Yeah, you’re getting it right.”
There was a brief silence while Dice frowned and looked away.
Porkrind noticed Dice shifting his glance away and cleared his throat to get his attention back. “You know, I’m wondering what the boys are even doing to get Cuphead ready for his date.”
Dice huffed up a laugh. “Yeah, I wonder that too.”
~.~
Mugman searched through the closet of their new home, finding a bunch of clothes he didn’t know they even had. Suits, shirts, shorts, and pants. Heck, even coats with two pairs of winter boots for the snow.
Cuphead sat at the edge of the bed while staring at his brother looking through the closet.
“Man, to think Djimmi would add clothes on top of giving us a house to live in. Oh! There’s that red suit I was lookin’ for!” He turned to show the red suit to Cuphead. “What do you think, Cuphead—?”
Mugman noticed Cuphead looking at the ground without lifting his eyes up to see the suit. He tilted his head in confusion. “Hey, aren’t you excited about your date?”
“Huh?” Cuphead snapped out of his thoughts and looked at his brother. He faked a smile. “Uh, yeah, I am.”
Mugman wasn’t convinced. “Cuphead, the date is gonna be fine as long as the Devil, the demons, and the infectees won’t find us here. Which they won’t tonight. Or any other night hopefully—”
“I ain’t worried about the date.”
“Then…you’re worried about something.”
Cuphead rubbed his hands without saying a word.
Mugman set the suit aside and sat by his brother. “Hey, if there’s somethin’ bothering ya, you know you can talk to me about it, right?”
Cuphead nodded his head, but there was no response still.
Mugman looked ahead with a sad look. “Did I…do anything that made you feel like you can’t talk to me?”
His brother shook his head. “Nah, you did nothing wrong—”
“Are you sure?”
“Mugman, it ain’t got anything to do with you. I just—” Cuphead couldn’t finish the sentence without hugging himself.
“You just what?”
“I just thought about how I was trying to help you set up for your date with Cassi. Now you’re trying to help me set up for my date with Nat. It’s kind of nice, you know? Like how you were trying to keep me from losing my soul to the Devil. And now, sometimes I feel like I’m trying to keep you from getting hurt.”
Mugman frowned while listening to his brother.
“I’m sorry I hadn’t been the best brudda to you in a past,” Cuphead said.
Mugman chuckled a bit. “I hadn’t been the best brother to you either.” He placed a hand on Cuphead’s shoulder, getting his brother’s attention. “It’s okay, Cuphead. You don’t have to feel guilty about it anymore.”
“I know…I just…can’t help but think about what it could’ve been if I ain’t so stupid.”
“Well, what you did a lot of stupid things,” Mugman corrected his brother. “Going to that carnival where the Devil tries to steal souls, getting answers wrong on Roll the Dice, stealing cookies from the cookie factory, getting ourselves arrested being in that said cookie factory, almost getting yourself injured at every turn, blowing up wood for the winter, stealing the Devil’s pitchfork—”
“Are you trying to make me feel better? Because it ain’t workin’ so far.”
Mugman sighed. “But besides all of that, Cuphead, I couldn’t have asked for a better brother who is also my best friend. You annoy me and irritate me, but you also taught me a lot of things….good things! Like being brave and making decisions that were opposite of yours when situations arise.”
“Okay…”
“You also were there for me when I’m hurt, sad, lonely, and when I needed you the most. You get me into a lot of trouble and it was all fun while it lasted. What it could’ve been doesn’t matter now. We got each other and right now, I’m gonna help you get ready for that date of yours. Just like how you helped me.”
Cuphead smiled softly. “Thanks, Mugsy.”
Mugman nodded and skipped off the subject. “Say, you want to wear the red suit or…any other suit?”
“I’ll stick with the red one since it suits me more.”
“Perfect.”
Cuphead pondered for a moment. “I wonder how Chalice was doing confessing to Canteen.”
“Oh yeah. I’m sure they’re fine.”
~.~
Canteen and Chalice were laying on the ground with groans of pain from the fall.
Chalice sprung herself up on her feet and dusted herself off. “Well, that was quite a fall—” She noticed Canteen barely standing up with wobbly legs. “Golly, Canteen, you okay?!”
“Yep…” Canteen answered with a thumbs up. “Are we still at the mausoleum?”
Chalice looked up at the hole they fell from. “Looks like we’re under it now.”
“Geez…”
“Hey, we got ourselves trapped in the cave.”
“Uh…yeah?”
“Ooh, okay. Um…how should I—how should we—?”
“We just look for the way out,” Canteen said with an obvious tone. He pointed straight ahead. “There might be something ahead. Let’s go.” He limped forward, causing concern for her.
She clenched her teeth. “Man, I didn’t think about the injuries for this trip.”
Both of them walked through the cave, shivering in the soft breeze. Canteen’s limping started to bother Chalice to the point where she contorted her face in guilt.
“Man, this is not how I would imagine this.”
“Imagine what?” Canteen asked with confusion.
“Well, you see…um, I was thinkin’ that we go on a perilous journey—without gettin’ injured…and, you know…say our deepest feelings.”
“Deepest feelings?” Canteen questioned.
“Yeah. What’s your deepest feeling right now?”
He rubbed the back of his head. “Well, I’m the one that got us trapped here. I didn’t think there was a pressure plate.”
“Yeah, I didn’t see that either. Don’t feel bad. It happens.”
He frowned.
She noticed it with a curious look. “What’s wrong?”
He shook his head. “It’s nothing.”
“Canteen…”
He went silent for a moment until he glanced at Chalice. “Have you ever felt like…?”
She leaned a bit to listen what else he had to say.
“You know…have you ever felt like you’re a bad omen?”
Chalice blinked at the question. “A bad omen…?”
“Yeah.”
She pondered for a second. “Well, before I met the two ding-dongs, I did feel like a bad omen. But when I did meet them, I didn’t feel so…alone. I felt like I gained something that I’ve lost a long time ago. It’s…hard to explain.”
He reached his hand out for hers to comfort her until she noticed. He pulled away, blushing in embarrassment. She gave him a warm smile and held his hand. He was shocked at the gesture for a moment until he exchanged a warm smile back to her and held her hand a bit tighter.
“Soo, do you feel like a bad omen?” she asked softly.
He lost his smile. “Well…yeah. I get called ‘Bad Luck Hughes’ growing up.”
“Oh golly! Why?”
“Heh, it’s complicated.”
“I’m all for complicated, you know.”
He paused for a moment and then sighed. “Whenever I get adopted…my parents just died…”
Chalice blinked in shock.
“Like…one of the parents who adopted me got into a car accident. The other parents got themselves killed in a fight…Heck, the third time I got adopted, my parents just got jumped by a gang and died. That’s when the rumor started to spread by the caretakers in the orphanage. They would tell the parents who would think about adopting me that I was ‘Bad Luck Hughes’ and to not adopt me if they don’t want bad luck in their houses. Then the kids became afraid of me…like I was going to hurt them…and I would never hurt anyone…ever…” He started to choke out the words at the end.
She widened her eyes in shock to hear this from him. Then she watched him trying not to sob in front of her with a frown.
“I wouldn’t want to hurt anyone ever…not even you.”
She smiled softly and held his hand tighter while listening to him break down and cry.
“Now I got us trapped in this cave and I’m sorry. I’m sorry I haven’t brought the best of luck with the group…it’s almost like every bad thing happened and I’m scared that if I lose you…I-I don’t know what would happen. I just…I guess I don’t want anything bad to take you from me.”
She blushed at his words.
He shook his head while wiping his tears away. “Sorry…that was pretty stupid thing to say.”
“It ain’t stupid. Out of all of the things I’ve heard in my past lives, you ain’t saying anything stupid.”
He glanced at her and sniffled. “Sorry.”
“You don’t have anything to apologize for,” she said while leaning her head against his.
He smiled softly and let her lay her head on his. They continued to walk through the cave and saw a door ahead.
“Is that the way out?” Canteen asked timidly.
Chalice opened the door. They both widened their eyes to discover there were three orbs resting on both sides of the wide hallway. One was glowing pink, one was glowing bright green, and one was glowing dark blue.
By the end of the hallway, there was a glowing pool. She stepped forward towards the pool, followed by Canteen.
“Chalice?” Canteen called, but she didn’t respond.
Her eyes started to tremble as she continued towards the pool. She looked down to find that there was no bottom of the glowing pool. She didn’t want to jump into it, but she remembered something about it…something familiar.
“I—I remember this place…”
He looked at her in shock. “What?”
She tilted her head and got on her knees, trying to find the source of the glow in the pool. “I remember this pool.”
He arched a brow in confusion. “What are you remembering?”
She glanced at him. He could see the tears in her eyes.
“I don’t know…” she said sadly.
He frowned and looked at the orbs. He was curious about the dark blue orb, but he didn’t draw near it when he turned to look at her. He came by her and sat next to her to stare at the glowing pool.
“Canteen…there’s something I oughta tell ya…and I need you to not tell the others about it,” she said finally. “Not until I can be brave enough to tell them.”
He looked at her and nodded. “I won’t, I promise.”
She smiled at him softly. “You read the legends of the Legendary Chalice, right?”
He nodded his head.
She continued, “Well, what those legends didn’t tell ya was a long time ago, the Calix Animi were supposed to serve the Most High and protect mortals from dealing with demons, but the gifts from the Most High became their own gifts when the members of the Calix Animi became prideful. The members say that only people who are chosen by the Most High and worthy will obtain the last two gifts. Then a ding-dong thief managed to mix the last two gifts together and became one of them.”
Canteen tilted his head. “ The two gifts mixed together? Wait! Are you talking about the Eternal’s Orb?”
She smiled. “Yep. That’s how the Eternal’s Orb was born. Anyway, the other members didn’t react too kindly when they saw a thief having the Eternal’s Orb inside of him. Of course, that caused a lot of division between them. The Devil sees this and well…took advantage of it. There was a battle and…let’s say that the Legendary Chalice lost everything. She’s the only one who survived the battle.”
He frowned when listening to the story. “She must have felt alone.”
“And a bad omen too.”
He perked his head up.
She sighed sadly. “She decided to do something that she regretted and caused her to reincarnate so many times. She threw her spear down into that pool, gather the powers of her dead friends, and hid them away in this place…except for one.”
“The Eternal’s Orb?”
“Yeah, she placed it over at the other mausoleum at someplace different that eventually became Sugarland,” Chalice replied. “Don’t ask me why…I still didn’t get why I decided to place Eternal’s Orb to this day. Probably scared that the demons might find it…? Not sure.”
He frowned. “And now you’re here.”
“Yep…”
He held her hand, catching her attention. “I won’t say anything to anyone. I promise.”
“I know. I trust you, Hughes,” she said with a soft smile while she grabbed his face and kissed his lips. He widened his eyes before melting into the kiss. He grabbed her face to keep the kiss going until they broke away to look into each other’s eyes. Their eyes suddenly broadened cartoonishly as Canteen let go of her face.
“Whoa,” he uttered.
She felt sudden chills coming down her spine. “Wow…heh, I’ve never felt this before.”
“Me neither…” he said while blushing madly.
She got excited and kissed his lips again, almost knocking him down. He gasped in shock once her lips crashed into his again, but his shock melted away as he caressed her face.
They both broke away, causing Chalice to bounce away like a little kid.
“Whoa, wow! Wow,” she responded, trying to keep herself together.
He giggled giddily. “Yeah…” He realized that they were still in the hallway. “Uh, should we get out of here? Maybe later we can…you know, find someplace to hang out and…”
“Date?” she finished with a smile.
“Yeah.”
She came up to him and helped him up on his feet with a lovesick grin. “I would love that.”
They both turned to look and found a door to the side. They went to the door and opened it to find that there was a way out from under the ground. As they went up the stairs, they were holding hands and walking as close to each other as they could.
~.~
The night was young.
Cuphead had been standing outside of the theater with his red suit after the brothers were told by Cassidy through the phone that they were getting ready at Sally’s theater.
The cup became impatient, which was noticed by his brother.
“She’ll come out. Don’t worry,” Mugman reassured his brother.
Cuphead looked away ashamed. “I know. I’m just…well…you know how it feels, huh?”
“Anxious, impatient, nervous, and excited all mix together?”
“Yeah.”
Mugman smiled softly. “Welcome to dating.”
They heard heels clicked and turned their heads to notice their girlfriends coming out.
Cassidy let Natalie walk towards Cuphead.
Cuphead’s pupils dilated when he saw her wearing her dark pink dress with a skirt that appeared to be fluffy and with feathers dragging on the floor. She had only light make-up with light pink eyeshadows and light blushes on her cheeks. She had her brown liquid hair up in a bun, pinned by the dark pink feathers. She had long light pink gloves on that went up to her elbows and heels.
She seemed nervous. “Heh, I don’t know if I picked the right dress for the date—”
“Pretty,” Cuphead blurted out.
She stopped her sentence and blushed. Then she gave a smile. “You think so?”
He nodded his head. “Yeah.” Then he noticed Natalie wearing the pink pearl necklace that Cuphead gave to her when Mugman was first dating Cassidy. “Hey, you’re wearing the necklace I gave ya a long time ago.”
“Yeah…you don’t mind, right?”
He shook his head. “I bought it for you. I don’t mind at all whether you wear it or not.”
She grinned at him. “Ready?”
He nodded and held his arm out. “Ready.”
She wrapped her arm around his and stayed close to him.
Mugman watched them with a proud smirk at his brother. He felt someone lean against him and looked to see Cassidy rubbing her head against his with purrs. He wrapped his arm around her waist while her tail embraced around his waist.
“Are we going to spy on them like they did to us?” she whispered against the side of his head.
He giggled. “Maybe. Maybe not. I ain’t too worried about them.”
She sighed and laid her head on his shoulder. “You know, since everything is getting calmer, do you think we can try another date?”
He looked at her. “Like going out to eat kind of date?”
She nodded her head with a ‘Mhm’.
He gave a small chuckle. “I would love that.”
Chalice and Canteen approached them with bruises and scratches, which were noticed by Mugman and Cassidy.
“By golly, what happened to you both?” Mugman questioned Chalice and Canteen.
Both Chalice and Canteen exchanged glances at each other and snickered a bit.
“Well, let’s just say that we went on a perilous journey,” she said with a shrug.
Mugman looked to see Chalice holding Canteen’s hand. “Oh. Well, congratulations.”
“Thanks,” Canteen answered bashfully.
Chalice looked to see Cuphead and Natalie going to Fly Trap and sitting at the dock of the ferry ship. “Did I miss anything with Cuphead and Natalie?”
“Other than them getting ready for a date, not that much,” Mugman answered.
They watched as the cups were going on date. By the end of the date, Cuphead and Natalie danced with each other to the music played by Ribby and Croaks.
As Mugman watched on, he felt something strange in his body. His vision became a blur for a moment. He almost stumbled, but he felt Cassidy holding him up. He glanced at her to notice her concern look with a clearer vision.
“Are you okay?” she asked.
“Yeah, yeah,” he said.
His friends and his girlfriend didn’t believe him, but they didn’t push further.
As they watched, Mugman couldn’t help but felt like something was calling him. It was calling his name. He tried to ignore it, but it was getting harder and harder to ignore. A vision of a pool came and went for a second. He became light-headed from trying to ignore this weird vision. He felt like he was going to throw up, but he couldn’t. His legs were shaking and he was breathing shallow breaths. He could barely hear Cassidy’s concern tone, but it was muffled. He could assume that she was asking if he was okay. He gave a slight nod to her as his vision became a blur. Then the blur became black. He lost his balance and collapsed onto the ground.
He could no longer hear the voices asking him if he was alright. It was just him and the darkness. 
To Be Continued...
12 notes · View notes
bright-omens · 1 year ago
Note
Do you have any miles headcannons it can be angst or fluffy or a little bit of both. It's up to you
Haha. You gave me too much power. Also, I wasn't super sure if you meant general headcanons or, like, x reader kinda ones, so you get general hc's (if that's not what you wanted, I apologize and will write whatever it is you actually wanted lol). Anyways! On with the headcanons :D
TW: Angst, slight mentions of SH, mention of panic attack, mention of drugs, mention of sex
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Fluffy headcanons
He absolutely adores the piano. I think it's canon that he at least knows how to play the piano, but I feel like he really likes it and kinda uses it as a stress reliever of sorts
I feel like he'd also just like the sound of a piano being played, which is what made him want to learn in the first place (The mental image of him serenading his lover by playing the piano. I ascend)
Personally, I feel like he's neurodivergent in some way, so when he gets really excited or happy, he stims in very subtle ways. Like, watch the scene where Miles is telling everyone to go to Tiger's race, and that's what I'm talking about
He's the type of friend that's there for his friends no matter what. He will drop everything just to help them if they need it
He is a little shit though and he will mess around with them and tease them if they do something stupid
I honestly feel like his mom is actually really supportive of him being gay and encourages him to wear what he wants and to do what he wants to do (y'all saw how she kept Simon from the party right? I know she said it was because he was spreading rumors about her son, but part of me feels like it's because she knew and didn't want him to be exposed)
In a modern AU, he's a Swiftie and also loves Lana Del Rey (but only specific songs). I take no critisism
I feel like he definitely had an attraction to Adam at one point, but then Nina showed an interest in Adam, and he backed off. Adam never knew that Miles liked him, and was confused as to why Miles started acting slightly differently when him and Nina got together
Miles did get over the attraction though, so it's not like he was heartbroken or anything
He ends up knowing a lot about cars after dating Tiger
I also feel like Tiger was his first actual relationship. Before Tiger, it was all just one-night stands
Angsty Headcanons
After the Tiger incident, he has trust issues
It takes him a while to fully trust someone again (especially in a romantic sense)
He's back to one-night stands and uses it as a coping mechanism
He also falls further into drugs for a while
We never see his dad in the movie, so I feel like he just kinda...left him and his mom, which really upset him when he was younger, but now he really doesn't care
He kinda went into a really dark place after the whole Tiger incident
Once he realized that he had no friends, he had a panic attack on the train and just cried the entire time
When the letters were first revealed, he briefly considered harming himself
If he ever does get a boyfriend again, I feel like he'd do his best to keep said boyfriend at arms length. He'd feel terrible for it, but he just wanted to protect himself
He misses his mom and his friends, and will cry himself to sleep sometimes because of how much he misses them and wishes he could see them all again
That's all I have! Sorry this took so long, I've been busy and swamped with work these last few days and I hate it lmao
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nossbean · 2 years ago
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For the WIPs, would love to know more about #7, we held our breath 👀
Okay so this one is back from where I was doing a pandemic watch of New Girl and was Very Taken with the scene when Jess and Nick finally kiss, around the same time I wanted to practice writing makeouts and sexual tension, AND the whole thing earlier in the episode with Nick going out the window to avoid Jess struck me as a Jaime mood (if with something of a different vibe) so I played around with some dynamics. It's been mostly written for Some Time (which is why it actually has a title!) and I've been toying with posting it for literal months, whether to do it as its own thing or as part of a collection of snippet fics since I'm not likely to do much more in this AU. I think eventually it will probably be part of the latter, but for now, here's a bit of it!
Brienne and Jaime have been shoved in a room together in the midst of a game, banished until they provide evidence they've kissed. They've tried arguing their way out, lying their way out and forcing their way out to no avail:
“Look,” she said, and Jaime cut an incredulous look at her. She was distracted for a beat, looking at him closely for the first time since they had been trapped here. The line of his jaw was particularly sharp at this angle, his neck long and accentuating his shoulders clearly defined by his tailored t-shirt. His arms crossed drew attention to his biceps, to sculpted forearms, the veins leading down across the nobbles of his wrists, to his strong hands. They were feet away from one another, and it was ridiculous, but she imagined she could feel the heat from his skin. She swallowed, met his gaze and found his eyes narrowed, watching her closely. Her words lodged in her throat: anger flashed in his eyes and something else. Hurt? Nothing about his expression made any sense to her. 
She cleared her throat, tried again. “Look. I-I’ve kissed people.” Jaime’s lips curled at this, and her cheeks heated.
She remembered, suddenly, that night when he’d encouraged her to have a one-night stand shortly after she’d moved in and when she was still nursing her broken heart, and she had rhapsodized to him about how whatever other people did safely was their business but she would never kiss anyone she didn’t want to see again. 
It was partly self-defensive. If she made herself out to be a serial monogamist, her friends were less likely to push her to use dating apps or try to pick up men at bars or set her up on blind-dates. They meant well; Brienne knew how those tunes would go. But mainly, in her heart of hearts, she was a romantic. She wanted to be swept off her feet. She wasn’t made for such things, she had learned that well enough by now. It just meant she kept those romantic aspirations secret. And now stayed safely ensconced in her admittedly somewhat mediocre relationship with Hyle, where she knew exactly what to expect and never got her hopes up for anything else.
But Jaime wouldn’t believe she was so cavalier about this. And that… That was part of the problem. The other problem was.
The main problem was.
The problem was Jaime. And things she had thought about even when she told herself she shouldn’t. 
But she’d agreed to play this godsforsaken game — never again with ‘Red Viper’ rules — and she’d be damned if she didn’t follow through. 
So she ignored her flush, tipped her chin up, looked down her nose at him, still watching her, incredulous. “I’ve kissed people,” she said again forcefully. “You’ve kissed people. It’s not a big deal to just...”
He scoffed, his frown deepening as he looked ceiling-wards, but after a beat, he dropped his head and searched her face. She tried to look certain, tried to keep her other feelings hidden. She didn’t understand the gathering heat behind his expression, how his frown was loosening by the time his gaze fell to her arms wrapped around herself, and when he looked up, something soft now around his mouth, his eyes a shade darker, her stomach swooped. He pushed away from the wall and took a step towards her and her heart was the sea at its most playful, scampering up the shore to dance back, and absurdly she felt herself straightening, her hands tightening where they clutched her biceps.
“It’s. We’re not getting out of here until...” She trailed off, took a breath and tried again. “We should just do it. Just… Kiss.”
He took another step, tilted his head, eyes shining in the low light, and a lock of his hair fell across his forehead and she wanted to reach out, brush it back —
His voice was low, seemed to skim across her skin, when he said, “Is that what you want?”
Yes.
Her cheeks burned, and she fumed at herself, but it also wasn’t a lie, her breath catching and a tug of want from her core at the very thought, but there was Hyle, godsdamnit, but still she couldn’t stop looking at Jaime, watching him take another step. Jaime could be — he could be cruel, with his jokes, and a chill passed across her shoulders that maybe that’s all this was — 
Jaime didn’t lie. Not to her. And she couldn’t actually remember when last he’d needed to apologise to her — except about Hyle — he’d learned where her lines were, and surely he would know a joke about this would be a line too far. Which meant.
Which meant she should stop this. Whatever this was. They were friends. Best friends. She should stop this.
Jaime was so close now. She had imagined earlier that she could felt his heat when he was feet away from her, she knew it now. Their friends — Hyle — were still chanting kiss! kiss! kiss! from the other side of the door as if this were a game, as if she wasn’t thinking — for the hundredth, thousandth time, guiltily — about how his lips might feel on hers, about licking into his mouth and learning how he tasted — she had always guessed whiskey this time of night, though more likely beer tonight thanks to the game — and about how hot he would be under her hands if she slid them across the firm planes of his chest, down, around his ribs, flat to his back to pull him flush against her, run her palms down the muscular lines of him to grasp —
“What’s taking so long?” Margaery complained loudly from the other side. Brienne was going to kill her, she could hear the mischief lacing her voice. “We’ve got a godsdamned game to finish!”
There was a chorus of yeah!s and then someone’s fist hit the door, then many hands started slapping it in time with kiss! kiss! kiss! kiss!
“No,” she finally answered, defiant. Jaime’s eyes flashed, her face and chest were hot and her heart would not stop — she cleared her throat, said more forcefully, “No, I don’t want that. It’s just — the game.”
He raised an eyebrow at her as if to say liar. Brienne opened her mouth to snap at him, but there was a tension in his face that stopped her. From the corner of her eyes, she saw as his hands flexed, and as he shook them loose. She knew what that meant. Jaime could usually school his expression when he wanted to, so his tells were elsewhere. In his hands, she had watched him, nervous with Melara, flexing his hands and forcing them loose, all while looking otherwise easy and relaxed. When finally he’d stretched his arm around her back, and Melara had sunk into his hold, his fingers twitched, settling on her shoulder. 
His hands flexed again, and Brienne swallowed thickly. Then his tongue darted out, wetting his lips, which then stayed parted, his teeth a flash of white in the soft overhead lighting, and she swallowed back a whimper, caught between wanting to step forward and wanting to step back — Forward and everything changed. Back… she didn’t know what back might mean, and — Jaime tossed his head, another tell, no matter how casual it looked, and gods, but he wanted her looking at him, and she always wanted to be looking at him, oh this was a disaster, but forward seemed the more appealing and he was so close now, it would be one step — 
“Just pretend he’s me, Brienne!” Hyle shouted, accompanied by wolf whistles and catcalls, and the heat fizzled like water tossed on a fire. The moment gone, left only with smoke, inexplicably acrid between them.
Jaime’s lips thinned, then he muttered, “Not like this,” and stepped away. He looked around the room, before striding to the window.
Brienne watched disconcerted, feeling dizzy and disappointed and guilty, and it took her too long to realize he was wrestling with the window catch. “What the hells are you doing?”
“You want to return to your precious Hyle,” he grunted, finally getting the catch open. “And I don’t want to be in here with you for another minute.” He shoved the pane so the window popped open, and hoisted himself up. “So. I’m going.”
Before she could do more than shout his name, he was up and out, onto the ledge that was four-fucking-storeys above ground, pressed flat against the glass and shuffling towards the living room.
Endless WIP meme
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lovecolibri · 2 years ago
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Okay, SO. This is a long and highly speculative ask that could potentially make sense to answer after 6.14 airs and we know more information, but right now I'm going off of spoilers from the early release. Eddie ends the episode single and open to dating but not actively dating. As far as I know, he didn't yell, "I'M STRAIGHT!" during the episode. And sadly, that is the best possible outcome that I could imagine from a writer like Nadia and a showrunner like Kristen.
What I've seen others continue to worry about - and have worried about myself, if I'm being honest - is that Marisol returns and since Eddie is now in a "good place"for dating, he will choose her (although I think this is a somewhat unnecessary storyline to show that he is in a "good place" because it wasn't like he was in a "bad place" generally to date after Ana...he just didn't want to date HER, which I thought was the entire fucking point of that storyline, but I digress).
Marisol's actress' captions was, "I don't know if it's out yet so I can't quite say but I just love when I work." We know that she posted it in late March. People fixated on the "it" as meaning one episode. And if that's true, I'm just very confused how she wouldn't know if her episode was out?? Especially if she was going to be playing a fairly significant role in terms of Eddie dating?? And if she's coming back in a later episode, like 6.17 or even the finale, how would she not be aware of the much later airdate?? I realize I sound a bit unhinged with the question marks, but the actress has been in the business for years and doesn't seem like an idiot. It just struck me as weird!
The other view of this, which is more negative, is that she meant "it" by "the news that I'm going to be returning to the show." Maybe she assumed that the show or her agent was going to release that information and she was waiting for the "okay" to say more. Her posting that selfie at Fox around the filming of the finale could support that theory that she's gearing up for a more serious role as a love interest (hence making the "it" being "the return"). Again, this is negative, but I don't know if I'm reading too much into what "it" means here because I find it unrealistic that she wouldn't know when her episode comes out...
ALL of that said, it's possible that she did film for 6.14 or even an earlier episode and her scene got cut (hence why she deleted the picture)? Maybe the episode WAS supposed to end with Eddie choosing to date her, but they decided to nix the scene. It would make a lot of sense because Nadia was the one who created her character.
Honestly, I'm going to need a leak or something about this character because every time I see an anonymous ask or theory about Marisol...the suspense of where this is going for Eddie ... AHHHH! LOL. What are your thoughts??
Well, it was good to wait until after 6x15 to answer this because we know from the synopsis guest cast list that she will be back in 6x17. I'm fairly certain with the lid they have kept on any of the women around Buck and Eddie, that she was probably told not to say anything. That pic she posted was, unlike her other ones from 6a, not on set or in her trailer or in costume or anything, it was just her outside a studio that 911 fans happened to know is the one 911 uses. Most people wouldn't have been able to pick up on that so she probably thought it was safe to post but of course the whole thing blew up and that's likely why the pic was taken down. We know the pick that was posted of L was also taken down when that sparked some backlash as I'm sure the show didn't want anyone to know she was back on set. No one really knew anything about Natalia until the synopsis came out so that was kept pretty under wraps too and ONLY really sparked talk because of Aisha's live where that name came up (and we all saw Oliver's reaction because he KNEW what fans were gonna do hearing he was going on dates).
IDK what the plan is for Marisol if it's for more than one episode or not, but this late in the season I'm sure it's all just testing the waters to see how the majority of the audience responds to the character so they can plan out season 7. I personally don't care where it's going because I'm never going to like or praise or accept the show throwing random women at Buck or Eddie at this point. They already both had THEE breakup where they did the thing they needed to do (mostly) with Eddie putting himself first instead of what he thought he had to do for Chris, and Buck being the one to walk away instead of being left again (even if he only did it because someone else got hurt and not because it was what HE needed to do for HIMSELF because HE was miserable, but that's on KR for fucking up that storyline to push L and not ending BT back in 5a 🤷🏻‍♀️). At this point, it's all just a repeat of storylines while they try to find women that will stick with the audience which to me is just bad storytelling from a bad showrunner. Not that I don't think they could make it work out in the end and give some reason for Buck and Eddie getting growth out of it. Hell, fandom has come up with plausible explanations by the droves! I'm just not sure if the show WILL, because Kristen has proven herself to be spiteful and doesn't see Buddie at all, and unless Timmy comes back and takes the reins or someone else takes over I just see this endless cycle continuing to the end of the show and Buck and Eddie being single so they can throw out the tired PR line that it allows all fans to be happy and see what they want in that relationship which is another way of saying they refused to commit one way or the other because they're cowards. 🤷🏻‍♀️
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hollymbryan · 10 months ago
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Blog Tour + #Review: KILT TRIP by Alexandra Kiley!
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Welcome to Book-Keeping and my stop on the HTP Books in-house blog tour for Kilt Trip by Alexandra Kiley! I've got all the details for you below, along with my review!
About the Book
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title: Kilt Trip author: Alexandra Kiley publisher: Canary Street Press release date: 5 March 2024
For fans of Emily Henry and Sarah Morgenthaler comes a brand-new Scotland-set romantic comedy. In this enemies-to-lovers romance, one woman discovers more than the just the magic of the heartland's lochs and landscapes—but not before clashing with the proud Scotsman she's forced to work with. Addie Macrae has always followed her wanderlust. As a travel consultant, she turns struggling businesses into world-class tour groups. Her job comes with the perk of jetsetting around the globe, which means never being in one place for too long—just the way she likes it. Since her mom passed away ten years ago and her father never stopped grieving, no place has felt like home anyway. But when she’s sent on assignment to help a family-run tour group in Scotland—the one place she swore she’d never go—Addie has to shed her emotional baggage and turn on the professional charm. Logan Sutherland’s family business is operating just fine, thank you very much. The Heart of the Highlands was never meant to make the family rich, rather to teach sightseers to appreciate the beauty of Scotland’s hidden gems, which are more captivating than any tourist trap. The last thing Logan wants is some American "expert" pushing Outlander-themed tours and perpetuating myths about the Loch Ness Monster. And for a travel consultant, Addie oddly doesn’t seem interested in learning about the land Logan loves. Equally put off by each other, the new colleagues clash on every company decision. Then Logan discovers Addie does have a personal connection to Scotland—it was her late mother’s favorite place, one that now lives on in a handful of faded Polaroids Addie kept from her parents’ Honeymoon. She wants to seek out the places in the pictures, but is worried that she's too late to capture the wonder of following in her mother's footsteps. Logan is convinced he can help Addie get some closure, and the two realize, when they agree, they actually work pretty well together.  But Addie’s contract with The Heart is almost up, and the business is still losing money. They can’t afford distractions, but there’s no denying the intense chemistry between Addie and Logan. Besides, how can Addie do her job properly if she hasn’t explored all Scotland has to offer?
Add to Goodreads: Kilt Trip Purchase the Book: Bookshop | B&N | BAM | Amazon
About the Author
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Alexandra Kiley writes big-hearted romances full of banter, found-family, and deep love. When she’s not writing, you can find her drinking tea, hiking, or gazing adoringly at the mountains of Colorado where she lives with her husband and two kids. Her novels are inspired by her semester in Scotland where she fell in love with not only the lush and magical land, but also the people who invited her into their homes and made her feel like family.
Connect with Alexandra: Website | Twitter | Instagram
My 5-Star Review
I desperately want to visit Scotland and have since I was younger. Outlander is one of my faves - I read the books as they came out (yes I'm old lol) and I adore the show - and I watched so many Hallmark Christmas movies set in Scotland 🙈 So when I heard about Kilt Trip and the chance to be part of the street team for Alexandra Kiley, I jumped at the chance! American travel company consultant travels to Scotland and meets hot tour guide in a kilt?? Sign me the eff up! 😂
I'm so happy to have been able to read an early copy of this delightful romance. I laughed, I swooned, I cried - literally every emotion ran through my body reading this book! There are some open door scenes, but they are relatively mild, what we used to call "tasteful" (even though it's not my favorite way to describe it). Logan was gaaaahhhhh just gorgeous and swoon worthy!! 😍 I absolutely loved him from jump. Addie is a strong woman, my word she is stubborn, but she's carrying so much grief with her and she's been so hurt that she has walls up for days. Logan may just be the one who can finally do that! Plus there's an amazing family, snooty sheep, adorable hairy coos, and so. Many. Kilts.
Any fan of romance needs to read this one, it's an absolute delight (even when I was crying - thanks Alexandra) and I want everyone to read it and then gush with me about it! Thanks again, Alexandra, for having me on the team!
Rating: 5 Stars!
**Disclosure: I received an early e-copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley for purposes of this blog tour.
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moonshineboyz · 3 years ago
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[17:40]
Pairing: volleyball player!Juyeon × volleyball player! fem reader
Genre: Smut, enemies with benefits
Word Count: 2.3k
Warnings: swearing, unprotected sex, rough/hate (?) sex, usage of the word slut, mentions of choking and spanking, lowkey public sex, brief fingering
a/n: i know juyeon is not holding a volleyball but let's just pretend. i got this idea from listening to lying is the most fun a girl can have without taking her clothes off by panic! at the disco 🤠 i'm not sure if i like the ending but,,, (@annyeongffs enjoy bb)
masterlist ♡
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“Okay guys, let’s wrap up for today. Both teams did great!” The coach called and everyone got out of their positions, stretching out the tense muscles and walking out of court. “Nuh uh, minus you two Juyeon and Y/N.” He called again making you stop in your tracks. “You’re gonna take the volleyballs and net to the equipment room and pump up the basketballs. That’s what you get for arguing and swearing at each other every five minutes even during practice.”
You cursed under your breath sending a death glare towards Juyeon, who just looked at you expressionless. ‘Stupid son of a bitch.’
The coach left the court with the remaining of your team mates that waved at you from afar. You waved back and went to collect the scattered balls letting the boy get the net, since he was taller.
“If you weren’t so annoying, I could be going to my dorm right now.” He said when you walked past him on your way to the equipment room. You thought in giving a rude reply but bit your tongue not to curse back at him, already feeling your blood boil. “I'm talking to you.” You turned on your heel to face him.
“What do you mean? It’s your fault! You were throwing the ball too far for me to catch it in time!” You snarled.
“Isn’t it the whole point? Make the ball touch the floor on your adversary's side? I think you're just complaining because you're not that good of a player." Juyeon had just finished getting the net out of the first pole and glared at you with a raised brow. He really was getting under your skin.
"For your information, I'm the second best in the female team. I just can't deal with bullshit coming from a jerk like you."
Fuming, you turned your back again, walking away to fight back the temptation of throwing one of the balls in your arms directly at his annoying handsome face. Juyeon knew exactly how to get on your nerves and you couldn't stand having to be in the same room with him for too long without getting annoyed or bickering.
You were looking into the lockers searching for a second air pump, since there wasn't any other way and you had to pump up the balls, the best option was to you two do it separately so you could go home as soon as possible. While you were at it Juyeon entered the equipment room bringing the net and you quickly thought of a way to get yourself out of that situation.
"Here, the air pump." You handed him the object, to which he accepted but kept looking at you puzzled. "I didn't find another one, so, you do it."
"And what you're gonna do?"
"Go home!? What else do you expect me to do? Blow out the balls like they're balloons?" Your eyes rolled at how he scoffed at you, arms crossing in front of your body.
"I mean, I know something else you'd like to blow." A cheeky grin grew on his lips and past scenes of his dick on your mouth flashed through your mind.
“Shut the fuck up, will you? You’re so fucking annoying.” You raised your voice taking the boy aback for a moment, your jaw clenched and brows furrowed. “I can’t even stand looking at y-"
The words died at your throat as Juyeon dropped the air pump to grab your jaw firmly, pushing you up against the nearest wall. He was close, his tall figure towering over yours as he looked down at you with dark eyes.
“If you want to yell at me so bad, then I'll give you a reason to do so.” He muttered through gritted teeth and you could feel he was getting mad as well.
“Fuck you.” You scoffed trying to masquerade the fact that your heart was beating fast.
“Oh, you just did on semi-finals night, darling.” Juyeon let go of your face to brush his knuckles against the skin of your cheek, trailing south till it reached the side of your neck. You wished you didn’t shiver at the light touch, making it obvious to him that you enjoyed it. “Speaking of which, where have you been these past weeks? Were you too busy with that asshole from the basketball team?”
You didn’t even notice when you started to hold your breath but you were already feeling intoxicated by the low tone of his voice, knowing exactly what he was implying. His longs fingers wrapping around your throat not helping at all, and you thanked the sound of your racing heart wasn’t audible.  
“Why? Jealous much?” It took everything in you to let that out in a disinterested voice, sticking to an attitude not to let him win in any circumstance.
“C'mon, doll, you know I'd never date you; this is just for the fun. You’re just someone to hook up with.” He took a step closer, few inches away to press his body against yours. His skin was still glistening from the after practice sweat and you could almost say he looked hot, even though your mouth told otherwise.  
“And that’s all you can get after all. You’re good in bed but you’re as charming as a rock. No surprise you’re single.” Juyeon quirked a brow, his eyes dark as ever.
“Aw, you’re not attracted to me? Yeah, keep lying to yourself, darling. This is the most fun you can have besides taking your clothes off, isn’t it?” His breath fanned at your lips as the grip on your throat tightened, making him chuckle when a small moan dared to scape you. “Gosh, I really missed your pretty little pussy swallowing my dick and you screaming my name.”
You hated Juyeon to the moon and back with your whole being. He was arrogant, full of himself and egocentric, but what you hated the most was the fact that he knew how to touch you and make you feel things in a way you’d never experienced before, and you’d never admit that out loud. You'd never admit to his face how you also missed him pounding into you while you hooked up with other guys.
It was hard to recall when or even how you two started having this type of relationship, an 'enemies with benefits' kind you could say, because you clearly weren’t friends at all. You would pay not to have to spend the practice time looking at his face, and Juyeon would rather die than bumping into you in the hallways.  
But both couldn’t deny the sexual tension, and maybe that’s what led you to it, or maybe that was only a tactic to release stress, and you just happened to be there for each other. What’s a better way to calm your nerves than fucking your enemy? The sex was great after all and you couldn’t name any other boy who has ever made you cum so hard. Perhaps the hate towards each other really did add fuel to the fire and made things more interesting, competing who could make the other orgasm the fastest.
"I hate you so much." You said trying not to moan again when Juyeon pressed his torso against yours, sneaking his knee between your thighs, to which you rolled your hips grinding down on it.
"It's reciprocal, I just like to fuck you dumb." His hands went to your waist, grabbing hard and pulling you more into him. You were already melting at the tip of his fingers and didn't think twice before crashing your lips together and tugged at his hair with force as he moved his leg to cause more friction on your core. His big hands roaming all over your body roughly and squeezing your ass. A hiss came out of Juyeon's lips when you scratched his back underneath the shirt, sure to leave red marks. "Don't start a game you know you're gonna lose."
Juyeon pulled you by the wrist to the old desk to careless bend you over it. You couldn't lie saying you didn't like how everything was rough with him, it made a shiver run down your spine every time he kissed you hard and pulled your hair as you cursed at him digging your nails into his skin. He never cared about whether or not he was leaving bruises on your hips, neck and inner thighs, but neither did you. You secretly enjoyed admiring them later in the mirror.
“Here? Really?”
“It’s not like we haven’t done this before. Plus, everyone left, you can scream all you want.” A hand came down hard on your right ass cheek making you yelp. Another smack on the left side and you winced in pain arching your back. “You look good in the team's uniform, but look even better when I'm filling you up.”
He massaged your ass before harshly pulling your tight shorts down to your ankles and you stepped out of them, feeling his hands travel up your legs and holding your hips to press his hard on on your clothed core. You sighed grinding against him, your mind already getting hazy.
The boy brought you up to leave hungry kisses down your neck and bit on the curvature. Your breath hitched when his short nails raked the skin of your belly and you let your head rest on his shoulder, closing your eyes lost in the sensations. “Now tell me, is it still me that makes you sweat? Did you think of me when you were in bed with them?” He growled in your ear biting your lobe, making you grind harder.
“Not even for a second, didn’t even cross my mind.” Lucky you your mouth worked faster than your body so you didn’t dumbly nod agreeing with him. “You’re good but not the best.” You weren’t even ashamed in lying.
Juyeon let out a dark chuckle and grabbed your throat while the other hand squeezed one of your breasts. “We both know I've got a hotter touch, a better fuck than any guy you’ll ever meet. Or else you wouldn’t be coming back begging for my cock whenever you feel horny.”
“You wish.”
“Then why are you still here?” He teased licking your neck and smirked when you shuddered.
“Didn’t you say you missed my pussy? Then fuck me already.” You huffed impatient to which his only answer was to rub circles in your clit over your damp underwear. Juyeon pushed you back to bend over the desk, quickly and roughly pulling your panties down that you’d had stumbled if you were standing straight. “You’re gonna rip my panties, you asshole.”
He scoffed, slapping you once again. “You didn’t complain the other times I did.” His hand palmed himself through the shorts while the other went to your core, fingers playing with your wet folds. You whimpered when he slid one digit inside and added a second right after already moving, making your back arch. “Think I need to remind you that you’re just a fuck toy, not some porcelain doll. They must’ve treated you so nicely, but you like it rough, don’t you?”
Juyeon removed his fingers from you and pulled his own shorts down just enough to free his member and teased your slit with the tip, making you bite your lip in anticipation. Your breath got cut short when he gripped your waist and pushed in in one quick thrust, his cock disappearing into your warmth and your pussy clenched at the feeling of every inch of him stretching you open.
He didn't give you time to even take a deep breath and started moving in a fast pace, grabbing your hips with force. You could feel your whole body getting hot, sweat starting to form on your temples, skin prickling. "How someone so annoying like you have a pussy so good?" He groaned giving a hard, sharp thrust making you gasp and lifted your right leg to put over the desk. You were there so open for him; bent over that he could do anything. And you enjoyed every part of it.
Breathy moans were leaving your lips mixing with obscene wet sounds from your dripping cunt and his hips slamming yours recklessly now, going deeper and deeper inside you. Juyeon was holding you so strong and digging his nails in your skin that you were sure it'd leave bruises. "F-fuck, Juyeon!" You screamed out when he pulled almost all of his length out just to pushed it back in with a quick motion. He smirked to himself and kept repeating it, just to see you writhe and lose your mind.
His hand pulled your ponytail to which you winced but couldn't contain a moan. Your knuckles were turning white holding onto the desk for dear life as Juyeon completely rammed into you. "Not so talkative right now, huh?" He grabbed both your arms, pinning them behind your back with his own hands. "Look at you clenching so desperately. Gonna cum on my cock like a good slut?" His voice was low, watching your whole body shake as you approached your high, loud and breathy sounds escaping your lips.
You came crying out his name, shaking violently and trying to roll your hips back to get more of him. Juyeon pulled out slowly, feeling your walls fluttering and you whimpered at the emptiness. Even though you were sensitive, Juyeon's dick was so good that it never failed to make you want more and more.
A last sigh left you before you got pushed to your knees facing his cock. "Now be the good little slut and you are and put this mouth to a better use."
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mythicalgemwrites · 4 years ago
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Selkie x F! Reader (Linn) Part 1
Sorry for not posting earlier guys! I've been very busy with online classes.
Warnings: mentions of drowning. Pics are not mine, all credits go to the owner!
M! Selkie X F! Reader
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Living on an island your whole life has its perks. From the fresh scent of the salty ocean air to the calming sounds of the waves crashing lazily, it never failed to wake you up with a serenity that could be found nowhere else. You had lived alone with your Toller pup for the past couple years, in the house that your grandparents had left for you. You grew up with them, as your parents always had to move from town to town due to their profession. They were both marine biologists and had taken up a job at a top secret research facility when you were 12, so they decided to let you stay with your beloved grandparents. However, on a stormy day a couple years ago, when you were 19, both your grandparents got caught in a storm while they were out fishing, and they never came back. During the funeral, you had found out that in their will, they had stated that you should get the house, in the event of something tragically happening to them.
And that’s how you got the house three years ago. When it became too lonely, you decided to adopt a Toller puppy for company, and you had named him Sam, which was your grandpa’s nickname. He provided good company and unconditional love, which is important in every home. The house had its own dock leading to the beach, so every morning, after your walk, you’d put Sam’s retriever genes to good use and play fetch with him, fetching the ball from the ocean was one of his favorite past times. Whenever you brought him to the beach, you sometimes feared he was going to be the reason why someone almost drowned. To date, you were grateful nothing like that had ever happened, but you sometimes couldn’t brush off that fear. You were a writer, and sometimes, you couldn’t control how far your imagination went, and sometimes, the words you put on paper would be some of your worst fears, if they were to come alive.
As the days go by, and the weather gets chilly, you would often take Sam on a walk to the nearby cove, usually in the warmer months it would be filled with children playing by the beach and in the waters, but as the weather got cooler, it was mostly couples going on romantic walks, or some who preferred the solitude, just came to enjoy the sunset. On this particular day, there weren’t many people by the cove, just a couple strangers. It was around 6:15 when you threw the ball the last time, and waited for Sam to retrieve it. You closed your eyes and took a deep breath, fully inhaling the chill autumn air, when you heard a whelp coming from the water. Opening your eyes, you saw Sam caught on a wave, and struggling to get back to you. In a panicked state, you took off into the water, not worrying about the growing current, but more worried about your faithful companion, struggling in grasps of strong waves, at least for a dog his size. As you grab him by his collar, attempting to pull him out, another wave comes crashing into the two of you, causing you to go under. Trying to call for help, and failing, as the water fills your lungs, you stop struggling, knowing it might make your situation worse, however, Sam starts barking, with his head barely above the water.
Suddenly, you could feel yourself being pulled out of the water, and being held against a broad chest by strong arms. Once you reached the water, you looked at your savior, beautiful greenish-blue grey eyes met yours, and you saw a cute familiar face looking back at you. It was Linn, the barista in the cute local café. You had to admit, you’ve always had a crush on him, but from afar. You didn’t know anything about him, except that people claimed that his family had lived on the island for years, centuries even.
He had shaggy brown hair, and small freckles were scattered along his face. With his help, you got up from the ground and called out to Sam. “Are you alright? I saw you getting pulled under and saw your dog barking. Do you want me to call someone?” he asked , in a boyishly deep smooth voice. Gaping like a goldfish out of the water, it took you a few seconds to process what was said. Coughing, you rasped out “ Yes… I’m fine, thank you! My dog , Sam, got caught in the waves, and I tried to get him out.” you started babbling like a lost child. “ Can I call someone to come get you?” He asked again, a hint of concern in his eyes. “ oh, no… no it’s okay, I live alone, well with Sam. There’s no one to call.” you said, trying not to act like a 15 year old who just couldn't help but be nervous around her crush. “I’ll be fine, really, I just need to walk home and dry out. Thanks again for helping!” you exclaimed. Calling Sam to you, the both of you started to walk home. “ Hey! Wait!” you heard Linn calling from behind, “ I’ll walk you home, if that’s okay. It’s getting dark anyway. I’ll see to it that you both get home safe,”. Before you could say anything, you felt him putting his jacket over you, helping with the chill. You didn’t realize you were freezing until he wrapped his jacket around you.
When the three of you reached your home, Sam was happy to be back in the warm embrace of his bed. Standing by the door “ Would you like to come in? Maybe a cup of coffee… or tea or anything else, if you prefer?” quickly giving him the option of whatever he preferred, to make sure you didn't seem ignorant. Sure, he worked as a barista in the local café, but that doesn't mean he loved coffee, right? “ Um, sure! Anything will do,” he said, as he followed you in. Looking around, you kicked yourself in your head, not keeping up to the schedule you set yourself for cleaning up around the cottage. Sure, it was decent, but paper everywhere? A heaping amount of mugs were strewn around your coffee table, as you sat there working on your next work.
Quickly picking them up and moving them to the sink, you filled up the kettle and turned it on to boil. “ There’s tea and coffee in the cabinet above the kettle, feel free to help yourself. I’ll go get dried up,” the words left you, as if you were telling them to an old friend, hoping to not make a fool of yourself anymore, you gave him a sheepish smile and made your way upstairs to your bedroom.
(Linn pov)
I made my way to the cabinet, looking through the various tea blends. Something which would help with the cold temperature would be nice. There in the right corner of the cabinet, was a box of peppermint tea. It would definitely help make her feel better, since she was soaked to the bone. I can’t help but feel a sense of concern for her. This beautiful strong woman that I always encounter in the café I worked in, and possibly have a crush on, I can’t believe I never spoke to her. I’ve always seen her writing in the corner of the café, in her spot, as my coworkers and I have labeled it. She always seems so sure of herself, and always seems ready for anything, but today, out in the water when I saw her struggling, something came over me. I had to save her, felt a sense of protectiveness for her, hence why I offered to walk her home. Taking two bigger than average mugs from the cabinet, I filled them up with the boiling water, after placing a tea bag in each and placing them on the coffee table before the couch. Her dog was in front of the heater, longing for some warmth and hoping to dry off. I heard soft footsteps coming down the stairs.
As I got to the bottom of the stairs, I saw Sam laying before the heater, trying to get warm. Making my way to the tiny laundry room, I picked up Sam’s towel. Making my way to him, from the corner of my eye I saw Linn, sitting on the couch, two steaming mugs of what seemed to be one of my teas in front of him.
“ I made some peppermint tea, it helps with colds, we don’t want you to catch one now do we?” grinned Linn.
Thanking him, and taking the mug he held one, I sat next to him on the couch. Keeping some distance between us, I asked him if he wanted to use the bathroom to clean up.
“ If you have any spare clothing that might fit, I’d like that! It’s okay if you don’t though!” he nervously exclaimed. “ I do have some spare clothing that belonged to my grandpa, they should fit. Gimme a sec! I’ll go grab ‘em, and a towel too!” I exclaimed, leaving the cozy embrace of the couch.
Making my way to my room, where I kept a spare drawer full of my grandparent’s clothes, I dug out a jumper and a pair of pajama pants which belonged to my grandpa.
When I went down, I saw Linn drying Sam with the towel that I had left by his dog bed, and Sam being the belly rub loving dog he is, happily accepted Linn drying him with the towel, belly rubs being a necessity. Letting out a chuckle at the scene before my eyes, I held out the spare clothes and a fresh towel to Linn.
“ There’s a bathroom two doors left from the stairs upstairs,” I exclaimed, reaching for the doggy towel he left by the couch and chucking it in the laundry room. “Thank you,” he exclaimed, leaving to go to the bathroom.
Once Sam was dry enough, I picked up my mug of tea, making myself comfortable on the couch. Looking out the living room window, rain droplets trickling down the class, I sip on my tea, waiting for my guest to arrive from the bathroom. A couple minutes passed, looking up when I heard soft footsteps heading towards me, I offered Linn a smile and patted down the space next to me on the couch. “ Here, you can leave once the storm stops,” I handed him the mug.
We both sat beside each other, talking about what we remember about my grandparents and how we never spoke to each other when we were younger. Sam sitting at our feet. The dying fire casted a warm allure on his face, illuminating the soft scattered freckles. Hours passed as we enjoyed each other's company over another mug of tea, laughing at all the brief mutual moments that were shared between us. He mentioned that he would always get excited to see me whenever I visited my grandparents by the docks. I didn’t want to admit it, but I always loved to catch a few glimpses of him, whenever he wasn't looking as well.
I laughed at his words, tired but somehow feeling rejuvenated. It had been a long time since I last laughed with someone. It felt good to let go.
His expression of awe paused me mid laughter. He was gazing into my eyes, as I his. For a brief moment, his gaze averted to my lips. Moving his gaze up to my eyes, as soft as a whisper “ May I kiss you?” he asked, a foreign emotion lingered behind his now soft eyes.
Giving him a gentle nod, I felt him place his hand at the nape of my neck. Inhaling a deep breath, his scent which reminded me of the sea with a hint of musky peppermint enveloped my senses.
Linn leaned in, gently bringing my face towards his. He closed his eyes, and for a brief few seconds I admired him until mine shut involuntarily as I felt his lips on mine. After a few seconds, he pulled away, still gazing into my eyes, “ I’ve been wanting to do that for quite a while now,” he said, with a sheepish grin, before kissing me again.
He deepened the kiss a little, giving my bottom lip a light lick before pulling away. “ I regretted not telling you how I felt about you earlier… I did ask permission from your grandpa before he passed. The last thing he said to me was, he’d be happy if you chose me,” he paused for a second, a hint of sadness and regret casting a shadow on his blue eyes. “ I… I need to tell you something. I might … might not be who you expect. And I understand if I’m not who you want,” he stammered. Grunting, “ The rain’s about to stop. I should probably get going,” he said as he started to get up.
Grabbing onto his hand, “ No...don’t! Please… It’s late, you should stay!” I stopped him. “And I’ve had a silly little crush on you too… I just never knew how to tell you” I whispered. He sat next to me, slowly, as if I were made of fine china. That, at any moment, I might crumble. “ You did?” he breathed, his breath close enough that I could feel it on my face.
“ I also know what you are. Grandpa made sure to educate me on myths, and he said some were not myths. I’ve seen you carry your pelt around sometimes,” I closed his hand between mine. “I know you’re a selkie, Linn. I don’t want you to hide that from me.” I breathed, gazing into his eyes. I could catch a glimpse of adoration in them. “Thank you… for not running away, even when you knew what I was,” he sighed. I gazed at his lips, before catching them with mine, a soft peck, to let him know I accepted him for who he is.
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martelldoran · 4 years ago
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unsolicited tfatws opinions because i have them vol. 1
warning: here be spoilers
starting on the positive because there were things i did like in the episode
things i liked
sam wilson: *exists*
me:
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sam's storyline was definitely the strongest of the two in this ep and i liked pretty much everything he did.
the opening aerial fight! was! so! cool! seeing batroc again was a nice nod to tws too and an interesting parallel to steve's lumerian star fight. i loved seeing his quick tactical thing, seeing how he fights, and the way he utilises the wings even in close quarters.
sam speaks arabic!
sam fixes redwing! (validation of a hc of mine that he's good with robotics. maybe that's a widely held fandom one as well? idk)
i instantly found torres to be really endearing and i'm looking forward to seeing more of him throughout the series. the relationship between him and sam has a lot of potential.
the manipulation of the government and general set up for sam's storyline felt strong. good basis for a story and pertinent to the current political landscape.
sam's speech as he handed over the shield was well written and gave me the same kind of vibes as the 'the price of freedom is high' speech. they could be quite nicely paralleled side by side.
sam's family! look, i'm a sucker for domestic moments for our faves so the entire sequence where we got this insight into sam's past, his relationship with his sister, and where he's come from was brilliant. i like sarah a lot and seeing her frustration with her brother for trying to come in and fix things when he's been gone for so long felt really realistic. i felt for her a lot. because you can tell there's so much there bubbling under the surface, a mix of love and resentment and frustration that was palpable as they talked about what to do with their parents' house/boat/business. so, give me all of the sarah wilson moments pls n thnx.
seeing the consequences of the snap (hi, i am refusing to call it the fucking blip. marvel, my god, get better names for shit.) idk how in depth they're really going to go into it all but at least they attempted something here with the scenes at the bank.
bucky's nightmare sequence as the winter soldier. it was such a brilliant reminder about how terrifying tws actually is. he's silent and ominous and THAT MUSIC. his presence is legitimately unsettling from the moment you see him. (but he runs around like a bull in a china shop which does make me 🤔 when i remember he's supposed to be a g h o s t s t o r y. idk. not exactly stealth and shadow work. but that doesn't look cool on screen so 🤷🏻‍♀️)
and on that note, vindication of my 'they sleep on the floor after coming back' headcanon. literally had raymond holt screaming in my head the second i saw bucky wake up on his living room floor. does my heart break for him? yes. was i smug about being right? also yes.
leah seems cool. could she actually be telepathic??? since she hit every single one of bucky's boats while they played battleships? i would like to see it. 😂 there's def more to her character than meets the eye since she's slated to be in all six episodes.
bucky having one (1) old man friend even if the reason behind it was heartbreaking.
so, yeah. these things i genuinely liked.
things i didn't like
the therapy scene. i genuinely hated it. there's a different between a no nonsense therapist and someone being deliberately antagonistic and that definitely erred on the side of the latter imo. she tells him to 'get over it' and mocks him for not reaching out and meeting people. media in general doesn't do a good job of depicting therapy so this is just yet another poor offering into the canon. i'm tired. i want healthy depictions of therapy already. it's supposed to be a supportive environment ffs.
plus she kept calling him james 🤮 genuinely wouldn't be surprised if she turns out to be a bad guy plant. which i think is a cliche at this point? 🤔
bucky's new look. which i know we've seen before now but i've not offered my unsolicited opinion on it. it's just sebastian stan in an ugly leather jacket. it's generic male lead#346. it's broification. someone said they made him look like brock rumlow and now i can't unsee it. 😭 rip to bucky with the good hair. i'd have loved to see him with some curls tbh. or a wave that kind of calls back to his pre-war days. anyway. i digress. character design is 0/10.
would have been nice to see him cut his hair as a marker of him starting a new chapter and coming into his own personhood.
rhodey's disability was just? glossed over? no visible assistive tech at all?
the date. just the fact it was there at all. it was heavy handed and not subtle and we know why they put that in there within the first 10 minutes of bucky's screen time. that's all i'm going to say about it. if you follow me, you know where i stand. we don't need poorly written romance. get it in the bin.
there was no acknowledgement of bucky's relationship with steve. if there was a memorial to be had then bucky should have been there. maybe these will come later but i'm not holding my breath.
is steve dead? i assumed that the party line was that young steve died in the battle and no-one knew about old steve . but did they actually kill steve off-screen? what a kick in the teeth if that's the case. let me just cut open a wound for them to pour the salt straight into, shall i?
things i'm mostly neutral on
john walker. he looks like a cop and his wink at the camera gave me the creeps but i'm interested to see how that pans out. i hope sam beats 50 shades of star spangled shit out of him.
the flag smashers. premise of a world without borders is interesting and a believable concept given what's happened in universe. there's a lot of scope there i think. that said, the name is dumb.
right. i think that covers everything for now. my expectations going in were really low, i won't lie. before the premiere i tried to stay away from the trailers and tv spots and the hype in general so i was pleasantly surprised at how much i enjoyed certain aspects of the show.
in conclusion, some good, some bad, some ugly and i will be cherry picking my favourite nuggets for fic at a later point. also, i'm still a skrull!Steve truther. real steve is chilling with some wakandan goats 😌💖✨
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somersetmummy · 4 years ago
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(A/N) This is a TNA one shot, taking place immediately following book 1 chapter 12 (the gala balcony scene). Characters, some storyline and some dialogue property of Pixelberry.
Story told from point of view of MC Katie Hide. Internal character thoughts are written in italics.
I tried to think about how they would get through the rest of the gala after their little extra curricular activities on the balcony….so here it is!
Original characters: Katie Hide (MC), Sam Dalton, Vivienne Dalton, Mason Sr Dalton, Carter
New characters: Laney, Ryan
Content warning: Some light adult language
Summary: Nanny Katie Hide and her boss Sam Dalton finally take their relationship to the next step on the night of the gala, but just when they should be feeling elated, things spiral quickly. Can they get through the rest of the evening together now that things have changed for good?
Word count: 3462 (I’m out of control!)
- Bonus social edits at the end -
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Alone on the balcony, looking out over the city's twinkling lights, she should've been basking in the afterglow of the best sex of her life but instead she feels empty. Her resolve held strong in front of Sam as he skulked off seemingly full of regret but now, her mind races through every minute detail of what had just happened.
Instead of taking the time to carefully ingrain every delicious detail of their time together into her memory, she painfully second guessed every move, every touch, every whispered promise. Once her exhausted mind began to fray she decided to sweep the whole thing under the carpet determined to save face, for now. Collecting herself, she absentmindedly ran her fingers up and down her arms, goose bumps standing proud, finally giving in to the cold night air.
On her way back towards the ballroom, while wondering how the hell she was going to get through the rest of the evening, she prolongs her return to reality by ducking into one of the lavish bathrooms to freshen up.  The room is quiet, an older lady leaves as she enters, another younger girl, probably around her age, is refreshing her makeup by one of the opulent vanity's. She sits down on the plush velvet ottoman in the middle of the vanity area with a sigh, not really sure what to do next.
"Well you look like you've been through the ringer!"
Turning towards the kind voice, the girl who was doing her makeup, a warm glow pours out to her as the stranger looks her up and down with genuine concern. Her face is one of those which feels familiar, like someone she could’ve known her whole life. It is enough to encourage her to open up a little and feels like a relief to have someone to talk to after feeling so alone out on that balcony.
"I'm sort of having the best night of my life as well as the worst. And to top it all off I've left my purse in the main room..." She gestures towards her untidy hair and slightly smudged makeup by way of an explanation.
The stranger offers a knowing look in reply.
“So are you here with someone? Your dress is divine by the way."
Smoothing the front of her dress, Katie replies absentmindedly, "Oh no, I'm just here with my boss, filling in an empty seat at the last minute." Hesitant to share more with someone she'd just met, she kept the more intimate details to herself.
"Me too, well sort of. I'm a stylist, one of my clients insisted I join them to make sure they look perfect all night long, god forbid her dress creases when she sits down for dinner!" She waves Katie over to the vanity and the open make up case. "Here, use whatever you need." She continues watching as Katie gratefully grabs a brush and some powder. "I'm really just starting out but figure these sorts of events are great publicity if I can dress the right people. I mean they're all living on another planet of course but they love to be in the spotlight and gush about their outfits, which is great for me!"
The pair chat easily together for a while before Katie glances at the time on her phone screen realising she'd been gone much longer than anticipated. She’d enjoyed having an ally and getting her mind off the car crash of a moment with Sam, truth be told, she’d much rather stay here in the safety of her mirrored cave and the kindness of a stranger than plaster a smile on her face and return to the Dalton’s table. With a wistful smile she turns to the stranger.
"I suppose I should be getting back, although I can't say I'm looking forward to it."
"I'm Laney by the way." She holds her hand out to Katie and they share a gentle shake.
"I'm Katie. I've really enjoyed hiding out in here with you, thanks for everything." Leaving Laney to pack up the overly large purse full of beauty treasures, Katie heads back towards the bustling ballroom. Barely making it into the room, Laney breathlessly catches up to her holding out a business card.
"Hey, I thought maybe we could meet up for a coffee sometime, you know if you want to have someone in the real world to spend time with!" She points over to someone across the room and continues animatedly, "You said you went to NYIT right? I'm sure my friend Ryan would love to meet you too, he did his Grad course there and always loves a trip down memory lane!"
Taking the card, Katie’s eyes are drawn to Sam over Laney's shoulder. He looks just as he did before the balcony, the ever professional businessman, as if nothing had ever happened. He gives a slight tip of his head in Katie’s direction, motioning for her to join him back at the table.
The new friends share a quick hug promising to catch up soon and she makes her way over to Sam who won't quite meet her eye. Despite the frostiness between them, he's a gentleman at heart and doesn't think twice about pulling out her chair, tucking it in gently as she sits. As the bustle of dinner being served continues around them, the thorny silence between them grows thick with unspoken feelings.
After a whirlwind of Sam and his parents catching up over the exploits of various family friends and tales of the boys, Vivienne turns to smile at Katie.
"Now dear, we're being rude talking around you as though you're not here. Sam tells me you're quite the budding scientist yourself?"
She looks to Sam to see him offering a helpless smile and shrug of the shoulders and can’t help but wonder whether he’d shared anything about his previous employees with his mother, or if she was the first. As Katie pulls her eyes away from Sam’s, she pushes down all the feelings which bubbled up inside her and plasters on her most professional smile.
"Yes, Mrs Dalton, I have a Masters in Chemistry and up until recently was managing projects for Panacea Labs."
Being the expert that she is at reading people, Katie astutely notices how Mr Dalton’s ears prick, he clearly didn't know that there was more to her than being 'just a nanny', whatever that means.
"Please dear, you're practically family, call me Vivienne."
A warm glow fills her body at the thought of being accepted into the fold of the Dalton family. Smiling back at Vivienne, she continues to share stories of her experiences in the industry, her passion for science and her love for exploring through the twins eyes.
"Mickey and Mason are such a brilliant example of how a love of science can be developed at a young age. They're so curious and passionate about exploring, it's such a pleasure to be a part of."
Next to her, barely able to disguise the pride he feels for her, Sam tries his best to remain outwardly impassive while watching the rest of the table listen attentively, completely captivated by her storytelling. He'd meant it earlier on the balcony when he'd agreed that she was meant to be by his side, a partner not a secret he had to hide his feelings for. He just didn't know how to make it a reality, trapped within his own life. But in this moment, his feelings bubble to the surface and it takes everything he has not to take her in his arms in front of everyone and let them come flooding out for all to see.
After all, it wasn’t Katie’s fault that his true feelings for her hit him like a tonne of bricks earlier that evening while he watched her effortlessly talk Selene into keeping her shares. In front of his parents no less. Right there, everything he loves about her shone out for everyone to see and he realised he was deeply and helplessly in love. It just wasn’t with his fiancée. Hell that's the reason he took Katie out to the balcony in the first place, to steal a moment to share how he really feels but as always he was too much of a coward to do anything about it in fear or letting everyone else down and jeopardising his sons future.
He knows that the only way to try to push through it all is to detach himself from Katie as much as possible, even if it means becoming the bad guy. In his mind, she deserves better, she deserves the damn fairytale and that's just not something he's able to give.
As they move through the plentiful courses of dinner, Mason Sr continues to interrogate Katie on her knowledge and opinions of various scientific and business theories, although his directness falters as the meal goes on and they both seem to enjoy the lively debates. Vivienne occasionally interjects with questions of her own about Katie’s family, her life back in England and whether it's difficult to be far from home. To Katie, it almost feels like she’s on a 'meet the parents' date which in her mind could be going a lot worse.
When coffee is finally offered, Mason Sr stands abruptly, eyes focussed on Sam.
“Ladies, while this evening's discussions have been...interesting, I think it's time we get down to some business." He nods curtly at Sam before gesturing towards a quieter bar area off the back of the room.
Sam stands to follow him but not before turning to Katie and instinctively placing a hand on her shoulder. She involuntarily shudders at his touch as her mind races back to the last time they touched on the balcony.
"This shouldn't take too long, will you be ok here?"
"Of course she will darling, I'm not going to bite her!" Vivienne cuts in before she can reply. Sam nods in approval towards her and lingers for a moment before walking away to meet his father. Katie's shoulder still tingling at the memory of his touch.
Katie looks across the ballroom taking in the general splendour and jovial atmosphere while Vivienne takes the opportunity to really look at her, contemplating how much to share with her. After taking a few sips of coffee, she turns herself to fully face Katie and offers a warm smile.
"I can see why the boys are so taken with you...all of them."
The honesty of her comment takes Katie by surprise. Unsure how to respond, she slowly turns to meet Vivienne’s eye, raising her eyebrow slightly in question.
"You're all the things Sam said you were. He was right when he told me we'd get on well."
The intensity of Vivienne’s gaze is so strong Katie daren't look away.
"I want to thank you for everything you've done for them all. They've come alive again since having you in their life. Poor Sara was taken from him far too soon, from us all really...it was all so hard on Sam and the boys." She trails off clearly lost in memory. "I know he cares for you and wants you to feel part of the family."
“Shit” she thinks to herself. Feeling like a rabbit caught in headlights, Katie's mind races. Does she know? How can she, they've only met once before, surely that's not enough to make her suspicious?
"I think Sam's just taken pity on me because I'm so far from home and he knows I don't have any family around. He and the boys have been so gracious in making me feel welcome."
Hoping she sounds convincing she takes a sip of coffee, relishing the opportunity to hide her blushing cheeks behind the cup. Vivienne suddenly looks up with Katie follow her gaze over her shoulder. Behind her, Laney is standing with a cowboy-next-door handsome man in tow, a welcome interruption. His dirty blonde hair is slightly unkempt, his frame more lean than Sam's but he still carries an athletic look, he smiles charmingly at Katie.
“Excuse me" Laney directs to Vivienne before turning to speak to Katie. “This is my friend Ryan who I was telling you about earlier."
Katie reaches out to shake his hand which he is already holding out towards her.
"I hear you're a fellow NYIT grad? You look far too respectable to have hung out in the sort of dives I used to find myself in!"
"Try me..." she challenges with a twinkle in her eye.
Laney rolls her eyes with boredom and escapes, business card in hand, to fawn over an awkwardly dressed woman at another table.
"Would you like to dance? I promise not to break out the old NYIT match day chant moves!"
She can't help but laugh at his natural charm. After looking to Vivienne, who waves her hand in approval, she lets Ryan lead her out to the dance floor where they sway together at ease in each other's company reminiscing. It’s a far cry from the intimate dance with Sam earlier that evening, instead Katie could relax into it knowing that she wasn’t trying to hide anything, and it felt freeing.
As Sam's discussion, or more accurately argument, with his father comes to an end he heads back to the table where he notices his mother is sitting alone.
“Where's Katie?" He asks forgetting to hide the panic in his voice, worried for the second time that evening, after she had disappeared to the bathroom for half an hour, that Katie had thought better of compromising herself for him and fled the gala.
Vivienne nods towards the dance floor, Sam's eyes follow and a bolt of jealousy hits him right in the heart as he sees her in the arms of another man.
With a steely glare he starts towards her but is stopped by Vivienne's hand firmly holding him back by his arm.
“Leave her be, she's enjoying herself."
Letting out an almost inaudible sigh he sits down next to his mother but can't pull his eyes away, so enthralled that his mother's voice is almost a whisper in the background.
"She really is wonderful darling, I know even your father is impressed, of course he'll never say it." Her arm still resting on his, she studies Sam's face before continuing, "What a shame you’d not met her sooner.”
Allowing himself for a moment to hope that his mother's glowing reference suggests she is in approval of his relationship with Katie becoming something more, Sam smiles and leans forward ready to gush even more. He catches himself just in time as the ever repeating voices in his head remind him of his responsibility and everyone else's expectations of him, instead he brings it back to the boys.
"Yes she's brilliant with Mason and Mickey, they're lucky to have her."
Dancing and talking together with Ryan, Katie had almost forgotten about Sam and their earlier tryst on the balcony, grateful for the distraction and if she was being honest the attention. It's not every day that she goes to the effort of dressing up at the last minute and schmoozes the un-scmoozable to help her sort-of-boyfriend look good, it's nice to have someone sweep her off her feet and put her first for once.
"Your boyfriend doesn't seem too happy about us dancing together" Ryan nods towards Sam who is trying to get their attention, his parents behind him appear to be getting ready to leave.
"He's not my boyfriend."
Ryan's eyes widen sensing an opportunity. “Well I guess that's good news for me...can I call you sometime, take you out for dinner?"
She drops her gaze, shaking her head slightly.
“I'm sorry, I don't think it's a good idea..." trailing off, he gently lifts her chin to look up at him.
"But you're single...?"
"No, I...it's...it's complicated" she stutters while looking over his shoulder at Sam, who looks less than thrilled.
"Well, if you change your mind, Laney has my number." With that, he kisses her hand and watches the silk of her gown cling to her hips as she walks away.
Returning to the table, Mason Sr takes Katie’s hand and shakes it almost warmly.
“Pleasure to see you again Katie. Excellent damage control with Selene earlier...very impressive."
He moves to Sam, impassively shaking his hand as Vivienne envelopes her in a hug, kissing each cheek.
"Wonderful to see you again dear, give those grandsons of mine one of these from me!"
Katie smiles tenderly back at her, nodding in agreement.
After the Dalton's leave, Katie and Sam remain at the table, sipping their drinks in awkward silence, steadily interrupted by acquaintances of Sam's wanting to talk business. Finally, noticing Katie’s arm propping up her tired head, Sam stands.
“I think that's enough shop talk for one night, let's get you home."
Waiting for the limo to pull to the front of the building Sam notices her shiver in the cold night air. He takes off his jacket and wraps it around her shoulders, the most contact they’ve had all evening since being intertwined on the balcony together. His gaze lingers on hers, neither able to look away. She tries to read his thoughts as she looks deep into his eyes but all she sees is a muddle of pain, confusion and longing. It doesn't make her feel any better.
"Mr Dalton..." the driver says with a small cough as he stands by the open limo door.
Sam pulls away and walks her over to the limo with his hand hovering behind the small of her back, not daring to touch. Once settled in their seats it doesn't take long for the gentle motion of the car to send Katie to sleep, her head lulling and dropping onto Sam's shoulder.
It takes everything he has for him not to wrap his arms around her, his mind conflicted thinking of the nights events. The incredible connection they shared on the balcony, the fire within him burning hotter and brighter than ever before, his mother's glowing review, hell even his father had been impressed and suggested during their conversation in the bar that Katie’s role within the Dalton empire might be wasted as just a nanny. But none of these thoughts could quite suppress his feelings of guilt at falling for another woman, his responsibility to his sons, the business and their legacies. At least not in his mind.
Back in the penthouse, Sam makes his way into the open plan living area to find, thinking him for his help with the boys. Katie hangs back, not wanting to make small talk in front of Carter, who is incredibly astute and would no doubt piece together that things were not as they seemed.
"Miss Hide, you're a vision!"
Walking towards the elevator, Carter beams at her like a proud dad seeing his daughter on her wedding day.
“I didn't get the chance to see you before you left, my my..."
"Thank you Carter. And thank you for watching the boys, I hope they weren't too much trouble?!"
He taps his nose, keeping secret whatever mischief they got up to that evening. She smiles back at him knowingly as he steps into the elevator and the doors close.
As she turns back towards the living room she is halted by Sam standing right in front of her, so close, she almost crashes into him. Sheepishly she hands him his jacket as he offers a bottle of water in exchange.
‘You should never go to bed dehydrated" he blurts out, trying to fill the gaping silence.
“Sam...."
"Goodnight Katie, thank you for your help this evening, I appreciate you coming."
Unable to muster up enough energy to argue push any further, Katie drops her gaze to the floor as she shakes her head disappointedly. She walks away without a word, her heart aching more than she thought possible.
TAG List: @shewillreadyou @chemist-ana @txemrn @silma-words @thefrenchiemama @secretaryunpaid @sfb123
- Bonus - photo posted by Katie the morning after followed by a conversation with Jenny (before Sam drops the Italy bombshell and she was supposed to have the day off!)
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blackdogdesignuk · 4 years ago
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The Diner Dilemma
Written by Blackdogdesignuk
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https://archiveofourown.org/works/30510615
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Warnings: explicit, smutt, porn without plot, maybe a slight plot. Sub/Dom play, light bdsm, forced orgasms, hand free, sex toys, humiliation, exhibitionism, hint at kink shaming, restraints, Mr. not-much-dialogue Whiskey, no consent, clit slapping, girl on girl. girl on boy.
Summary:
You've never felt such conflicting feelings before, as Poppy meanly flicked your pert nipples you felt the embarrassment creep over your face but deep down a small stab of shameless pleasure inside was eating away at you. Neither of you were trained for this sort of torture.
Notes:
Self insert warnings: It's a female self insert, I think, she has a vagina anyway and I'm using she/her pronouns ...also she's blushing petal pink which suggests her skin tone as Caucasian, she's based on me, a pale ass white girl. Also she has a name, or a nickname anyhow. I've no idea what I'm doing.
2.4k words I believe of the most self indulgent thing I've ever written. To be honest it's the only thing I'd class as a fanfiction I've written. I write short poems not porn but this whole scene came to me whilst participating in the (solo) business of pleasure. That's when I thought, Jesus there is something wrong with me... Maybe other people will like this too? 😳😂
Also do I know how to use page breaks? .. 😒 no.
(See the end of the work for more notes.)
"Well if this isn't the most interesting situation we've found ourselves In!"
Poppy exclaimed playfully. The setting sun was blinding you slightly through the big diner windows, bathing the whole bar area in a warm orange glow. Poppy Adams was pacing the retro diner floor in front of the table you were currently tied to. Shivering with adrenaline and maybe cold because you had been embarrassingly stripped down to your knickers and the very thin, very see through strappy top you wore under your work clothes. The ropes rubbing against your wrists behind your back were burning into you as you slienty struggled against your restraints.
"Now see here Miss" exclaimed Agent Whiskey "Your boarish robot hounds almost ripped my good hand clean off!"
"Quiet down please Jack" Miss Adams' sickly sweet baby voice disgusted you "I set a very clever honeytrap for one of those sneaky undercover agents who were following me and well.. here you are! Agent... Babydoll is it?" She nodded at you "yes you look like a Babydoll... Poor sweet girl fell for it hook, line and sinker... I didn't expect you to be with her" Poppy kicked Whiskey's boots "Intel suggested you were undercover in London with Kingsman. How wrong we were and I've managed catch not one but TWO Statesman agents in my sticky web! What a bounty eh?" Poppy Adams smiled whilst seating herself at the bar, swinging her legs playfully.
You glanced over at your partner hoping he had been formulating a plan to get you both out of this mess, however he looked just as confused as you were with his hands tied to the table legs behind his head and they had even secured him around his broad middle. Like a trussed up pig ready for slaughter, least he’d kept his jeans on you though jealously.
Poppy cleared her throat "Now we are going to play a little game my dears, we've all the time in the world whilst I wait from your bosses about my demands and I'm bored and feeling a little evil this morning"
Your heartbeat kicked up a notch as she clicks her fingers and one of her minions barged through the kitchen double doors, dragging some sort of dentist/barbers chair. He heaved it loudly across the floor until it was positioned in front of you.
As Poppy opened a box she'd pulled out from behind the bar, her henchman was busying himself with untying you from the table and man handling you into this very hard and very uncomfortable chair. It was as dated as the rest of this joint you thought, like something you'd find in a 1920's barbers, however this one had been modified clearly as it had big buckle straps on the arms where your wrists would go, metal stirrups and more straps where your legs would be resting on the small platform.
You watch confused as he quickly made himself scarce and you see Poppy had now armed herself a black leather handled flogger, it had gunmetal grey chains hanging down delicately from where she'd wrapped it around her wrist.
Oh shit.
Poppy Adams pushed you back forcefully into the chair until every soft part of you was exposed. You wouldn't be that embarrassed, it was an empty room, however you were hyper aware of the fact Agent Whiskey was tied up and eye level with your crotch a literal stone's throw away from you.
Smiling as she stung your thigh with a sharp bite of her cat o' nine tails Poppy then almost lovingly parted your legs and placed your feet into into the stirrups of the medical contraption. Completely.. completely vulnerable you thought as she buckled your wrists tight and pulled a small lever on the chair which made the metal stirrups spread your legs wide to keep you in place and exposed fully.
Sheepishy you glanced up to make eye contact with Agent Whiskey, trying to give him an apologetic look but to your suprise you found he was blushing severely and his eyes were darting around, looking at everything but you. Even his ears were slowly turning pinker by the second and you swear he had a small bead of sweat making its way down his temple.
You've never felt such conflicting feelings before, as Poppy meanly flicked your pert nipples you felt the embarrassment creep over your face but deep down a small stab of shameless pleasure inside was eating away at you. Neither of you were trained for this sort of torture.
What a bitch you thought.
"No Agent Whiskey" Poppy snapped as she walked over to him "give your colleague your full attention, she obviously wants it, the least you can do is look whilst I torture her in front of you"
Poppy grabbed Jack's face with it hand and directed it at you. "I think you'll like the show I'm going to give you? You may try look away in some sort of twisted respect agent but the tight bluge in your jeans is a dead give away that your enjoying this as much as I am."
"This is not right Ma'am....I can't.. p-pleeeasagggh" stuttered Whiskey helplessly as Poppy Adam's jumped off his lap and slapped your partner across the face, cutting short his pleas. Turning quickly around she walked to grab a big pink dildo from the case on the bar, it was about 10 inches long and the tasteful thickness of it suprised you. You felt sure you had the same one in your bedside drawer at home..
Walking up behind you Poppy leant over your shoulder, making bedroom eyes at Jack whilst the she nibbled your ear and slowly dragged the sex toy down your body, teasing your skin.. slowly...slowly.. until she came to the outside of your lacy knickers. Pressing a button on the side, it started vibrating at the tip which caused you to jump unexpectedly as the vibrations tickled your clit through the fabric of your underwear. She worked at you for a good few minutes. Pulling hot pants from your lips and giving you cold sweats whilst you tried to stop your eyes rolling in to the back of your head.
"Oh Honeybee, I'm going to make you cum for me now, right here in front of your colleagues and there isn't a thing you can do about it. I'm in control.." she whispered into your ear whilst squeezing your nipple with her other free hand. "..and there is nothing you can do about it, your body will betray you and I will get what I want" a sharp jolt of pleasure shot through your crotch as she caught your clit in just the perfect spot. You gasped surprising even your self at how thicky sexual it sounded.
Deciding the fabric was hindering her efforts, Poppy swiftly tugged them off and dragged them down your legs, catching them slightly on the metal parts of the chair. Abandoning you a moment she spat on her hand and slapped your clit which was now becoming more swollen by the minute, you mewled at the shock of the sting. Your nipples hard as bullets now as she slid the whole length slowly in to your aching pussy. The sound of it sliding in to your wet cunt was so obscene and Jack was just staring now, mouth slighty parted, the buttons on his jeans threatening to pop at any moment. This did nothing but spur you on despite the degrading act being forced upon you, deep down being the submissive was always a fantasy of yours. Did Poppy know this? Or did she not expect you to like this sort of kink torture? Maybe you were more fucked up than you originally thought.
Your face prickled with shame as a pink glow crept over your cheeks. Concious of your nose and chin as it always threatened to betray you when you were very aroused turning a rosy pink petal colour. Thinking back to the many nights you'd spent in hotel rooms during undercover missions with your partner. Thinking about when you came hard but silently, stifling a fist into your mouth, knowing Agent Whiskey was in the next room and secret wishing it was him who'd given you such a long, wet, sticky orgasm. Your face sold you out though, it was a dead give away when you answered the door to his frantic knocks and requests to get dressed, informing you about the change of plans from HQ. You suspected he did know...he's not dumb. Jack's eyes had shot from your crumpled up bed sheets back to your flushed cheeks and chin, lingering on your face a little longer than you'd expect..
That same flushed look you had then was painted over your face now and he knew it too as he seemingly couldn't now break eye contact with you.
As Poppy fucked you messily with the dildo, your body abandoned you getting more juicy and slippery by the minute. The tension in the room could have been cut with a knife, and was only penetrated by the obscene sound of your gushing pussy and your uneven pants, trying to catch your breath and fight against the unwanted pleasure rocking thorough your body. Miss Adam's slowly removed the plastic member that she was fucking your cunt with and dipped two fingers deep into you, coating them in your slick.
Thankful for the breather you closed your eyes for a moment but when you opened them you watched horrified as she'd wandered over to Whiskey and smeared your creamy mess all over Jack's face, forcefully slipping a finger into his mouth so he could taste that sweet nectar. You bit your lip as Jack was clearly struggling against wanting to take control of the situation and enjoying this too much.
Did he like it? What is she doing now? She's touching his jeans.. oh Jesus, please... Don't...
Jealousy panged deep in your stomach. Poppy was now sliding his zipper down but she didn't really need to help him much more as the button popped it's self open. Quickly realising why as it was absolutely magnificent. Looking into his big brown eyes you couldn't tell if he was enjoying your pain or sympathising with it, but his now thick, beautiful, coffee coloured cock was standing to attention and jerking with each grunt he made in an attempt to clean his new creamy moustache off with his tounge.
Poppy just laughed staring at the sorry sight she'd created. "I've heard of men cumming hands free before but I've never witnessed it, let's see Babydoll do you think we could make it happen for him? It would be humiliating right? ESPECIALLY as I’d forgot to mention the live feed you have in that fancy cowboy hat you're wearing Whiskey, it's playing all this fun back to your HQ right?"
Fuck!
You gasped, hoping Ginger had enough respect for you both to turn off the audio and video feed but leaving the GPS tracking active so we could at least be rescued.
"Yes, yes, I know they can track you, in all honesty I wasn't expecting any ransom I just wanted to fuck with you both for shits and giggles to be honest" Poppy smirked.
You blinked, looking back at Jack for some sort of reaction to this horrifying news but he just had his eyes closed and was thrusting his hips into nothingness, beads of sticky precum were dripping from the tip of his dick on to his jeans. That big beautiful dick swaying and twitching in the air, it was mesmerising. Clearly Poppy was paying attention too as she drapped the chains of the whip over his throbbing cock causing Whiskey to cry out and jump in anticipation.
"You dirty boy Jack Daniels" she scoffed and pulled her flail back so fast it caught the tip of his penis sharply making him whimper in pain.
Paying her attention back to you, she took the vibrating member in her perfectly manicured hands and held it on your clit. It was too painfully long, stoking your fire relentlessly, not letting you have even a second to compose your self as you struggled to fight down the familiar sensation quite literally buzzing in your nerve endings.
For fuck sake, I don't want this! I can't give her the satisfaction of the screaming orgasm she's forcing out of me.
You writhed, swinging between pleasure and pain, it was too intense. Too sensitive. Your thighs were shaking with anticipation as you edged closer and closer to your climax. Agent Whiskey stared intensely at your body, his chest rising fast now, he looked like a man possessed. He was close, you could tell. His face contorted in to an almost painful state of bliss.
Glassy eyed, his rhythm faultered and his hips tensed as thick ropes of cum shot out of his spent cock and splattered on to his heaving stomach. Once, twice, three times he twitched releasing more and more hot creamy fluid. Jack gasped for air as his orgasm dribbled down slowly over his beautiful tanned skin making quite a mess of his public hair. His face shined with sweat whilst he stared at you, beautiful brown eyes apologising, shame painted across his expression.
"Oh d-darlin.." he managed to stutter.
Well, that was the final nail in your coffin. Tipping you over the edge, you let out the filthiest moan you had ever given anyone, inspired out of darkest depths of your depraved mind. Your orgasm gushed out of your swollen slippery pussy and slid down the shaft of the dildo she was using to finish you off. It pooled satisfyingly in a creamy mess just above your asshole, threatening to spoilt the leather chair you were strapped to.
''There you go Babydoll, we got there in the end didn't we... You both must have been sooo tightly wound. What... Was that a record 4 minutes until Whisky shot his load hmm?" She sneered with that stupid baby voice and then leaned in close to your face "..and you clearly have had a lot of practice havn't you? Look at that pretty pussy all messed up. I might even get him to crawl over here and clean you up huh? But that would be just what you want I now suspect..."
BOOM..
Poppy's sentence was interrupted by a huge explosion from the back of the Diner, as a dozen men ran in to the room.
You closed your eyes in relief. God damn it, Ginger. Took your time honey...
Notes:
I don't think forced orgasm and light bondage will have a huge audience but I would never forgive myself if I didn't make this into at least a paragraph or more.
I have also created a piece of art to go along side this story see my socials here to find it -https://linktr.ee/blackdogdesignuk also a video showing the 'making of' the sketch my tiktok - search Bettyblushes
Please excuse any grammatical errors mistakes, I truly tried to catch them all but it's been a hot decade since I studied at school. 😬
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katsukisbeatingheart · 6 years ago
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if you want
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he has a bit of a difficult time being patient.
word count: 2143
a03
pt. 2
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It was a little untoward but did as good a job as any.
A blush burst like confetti in a rage rash across his cheeks; and if you didn't know any better, you'd think the mighty Katsuki was actually maybe a little embarrassed.
"Well?"
He shifted in his place, trying—and failing—to maintain a façade of a complacent blasé boy just casually asking out a close friend.
"Close" was a bit of a stretch for you. Yes, you found him quite brash and obnoxious and a little insensitive; but you couldn't deny what he meant to you. At least, you thought highly of him, and you were sure you could tell him anything—but you weren't positive that was reciprocated.
Was he one of your best friends? Yes.
Would you even dare to ask him how he felt about you? No.
You! Didn't! Want! To! Ruin! What! You! Had! It had taken what seemed like ages for him to finally warm up to you, without, like, actually exploding—and if you think you'd run the risk of watching that go down in flames? You considered yourself an idiot.
However, unbeknownst to you—Katsuki thought you were the world. If he could put it to words and send them out through that angry trap cursing everything to hell—he'd say you were a force of nature. A worthy rival, a trusted partner, and a kind and wonderful friend.
Except all he's got are angry bees and a tornado in his brain, at all times. As such, anyone he admired, he felt the need to challenge. On all levels physical, he planned to annihilate them. Which wasn't necessarily the case, well, in your case.
Although, there were—a few physical levels— He shook that thought away. That's an idea for a later date. The blush flared. 'Much later.'
But really, he loved provoking you. Only because you're so cute and intelligent and warm and messy—so, so messy—and he got a serious kick out of that. You're complex and human and alive. Despite your faults, you refused to let anything stop you in the end game—you refused to let that keep you from what you wanted. He watched you grow, and evolve and adapt to those weaknesses, and suddenly the line between strengths and not began to blur. He even dared to call you one of his personal heroes.
Thankfully for him, no one in the class noticed for the longest time.
Unsurprisingly, Kirishima was the first.
Bakugo would casually watch you walk into the room, head in his hand, eyes trailing each step you took. A silent Ejirou, sitting beside his best friend minding his own business, would look up startled—at the now fuming boy with a hand to his temple, or rubbing the back of his neck.
"You alright there, man?"
"Stomachache."
The dear boy would stare on in confusion, but keep to himself—a man's business was his business. Puzzled, he witnessed Katsuki all but sprint out the door, noticeably more red than his usual complexion. Then, minutes later, Katsuki would return, smelling notably more of burning sugar, and looking like he'd run maybe half a mile. Kiri wouldn't question it. Until, after that, across the room you'd laugh at something Denki or Ochacko had said, and Bakugo would stand right back up again.
"What's wrong?"
"It's back again." And that'd be the end of that.
It became a reoccurring thing throughout the weeks, when finally—bewilderdly—Kirishima would come to the conclusion Katsuki had been stubbornly avoiding. He popped the question a few weeks later.
"You like someone, don't you."
Class had taken a recess, and his best friend took the liberty to gravitate toward him with a pencil and notebook in hand to work on an upcoming assignment—hopefully without being disturbed, which already wasn't happening.
Bakugo's whole body twitched. "I– you– what– you weirdo what is that supposed to mean?"
Kirishima blinked owlishly at his friend. He wasn't sure what to say next, as he honestly didn't think he'd get this far.
"Well... you've been acting kinda strange lately... around someone in particular..."
Bakugo raised his eyebrows defensively. He hoped that did a good job of masking his expression, because he suddenly had a pretty good idea as to where this was going.
"Well, I mean..." Kirishima dragged a path along with his eyes, coming to a stop at an angle, gazing at you covertly through his lashes. Katsuki rolled his eyes, trying really hard to keep his heart from racing anymore than it already was. He pointedly looked back down at his paper, a tighter grip on his pencil.
"I don't know what the fuck you're talking about."
Eijiro couldn't keep a grin from crawling across his smug face.
"Oh, but I think you do."
After that, the secret couldn't keep to itself and the rest of the class began to trickle into the loop. Much to the surprise of everyone, they weren't all that surprised because they thought you're quite wonderful. But Katsuki? And a crush?
He couldn't help it; the guy seriously respected you.
With all of the determination rivalling theirs to become professional heroes, the class set to work on making this happen. They split up and rearranged classroom chores, made up excuses as to why they couldn't make it to study sessions where you and Bakugo attended, and shut out any outside obstacles—curfews, misplaced lunch seatings, Mineta.
"Oh, no, it's okay! You go ahead, I've got this," you chirped, in a positively upbeat mood. It was so absurdly warm, Kaminari felt guilty about moping the entire day to get out of his after school tasks. He'd managed to convince you he had a sick baby bird at home to tend to, before having to return to the dorms later tonight. Of course, that was a lie.
'It's for a good cause. It's for a good cause. It's for a good cause. It's for a good cause.' Denki knew he was a simpleton; but he'd be damned if he didn't have his moments.
"Are you sure? I'd really hate to trouble you, ya know," he offered, conjuring his best solicitous veneer, silently hoping he wasn't overdoing it now.
"No, yeah! Go on ahead; I heard you mention you had some personal things to take care of—you sounded really stressed about it." Denki had to will himself from openly clutching his chest and bursting into tears.
'Attentive and kind as always! I would expect nothing less of you.'
He opened his mouth to reply with something a little more heartfelt, but the burning gaze of Mina—probably stealthily situated peering through the windows facing the hall—stared holes into the back of his head. Kaminari's mouth snapped shut, and he took that as his cue to bounce. "Great! Awesome. Noice, thank you—" he rambled in an absolutely-not-guilty-at-all lilt. At the door though, he paused, throwing a suggestive smile over his shoulder, "—you kids have fun."
You wrinkled your eyebrows, not yet having received the eight new text messages from your other friends, conveniently busy with their own matters, as well.
After a while, Katsuki came to realize that this dancing around his feelings business was getting to be a little old. He felt pathetic, ordinarily used to tackling things head on. It took some serious convincing, on his part—but he knew what he wanted.
He tried small things, at first—microscopic, all considered, but this was Bakugo. Katsuki began propping doors open for you to pass by if you were walking together, like a real gentleman would.
He dropped snacks by your desk;"You forgot your money again, didn't you, dumbass?"
Always kept an extra water bottle on hand with your name on it; "Don't need you passing out during class, idiot."
He even gave you a little star sticker he had "found" on his way back from an orthodontist appointment; "It was stuck to the bottom of my shoe. I don't want it, you take it." It was in too perfect condition for that to be true.
By then he felt silly, recognizing that this probably wasn't going to be enough to get his point across; even if his friends, at least, noticed the small attempts (trying very hard to keep their mouths shut, all the while).
Katsuki didn't know where the fire was, but eventually he'd had enough of himself. This was going to happen, and it was going to happen today.
After an afternoon of mulling and seriously suppressed grins, Bakugo approached you with an imperceptibly wavering stride. He could launch himself into the heat of a fight no problem, but Katsuki Bakugo was not perfect—no matter how arrogant and prideful he was to admit that.
"Hey. Come practice with me."
You blinked in surprise, running your fingers along the hem of your uniform almost self consciously. It was nearing the evening, and you'd figured he would've joined everyone in studying back at the dorms.
'Although, I suppose sparring is a form of studying,' you reasoned with yourself.
'But... why me?'
He brought you to a secluded clearing, amongst the woodlands surrounding the campus. It wasn't so deep in as to hide evidence, but it was free enough from prying eyes and ears—he made sure of that, with a totally justified menacing promise on his classmates' lives. The overhang of leaves, swooping branches, and glistening waters—complete with lil frogs leaping amongst the moss—made this probably one of the best places he could think of for this exact situation. It was definitely the most fairy tale thing he had ever seen, which said a lot—his mother had dragged him and his father to TDL on many an occasion when he was a child.
Of course, he supposed it was just his stupid, newly developed romantic bastard brain romanticizing everything.
Setting the scene was the trick—because if that had gone wrong, then this would've been glossing near "patronizing", and would probably be much closer to a threat. In a way, you wryly wondered if it really was.
"Hey," he nearly barked. "Anyone home?"
You'd been standing in a silent stupor long enough for Katsuki to grow nervous-impatient. He'd put his hands in his pockets and kicked a little bit at the ground beneath him, trying to maintain some sense of calm. The glower in his eyes gave him away.
Your lips popped open in a fish face motion as you grappled for your words. "I–I– I'm really– I–" Your tongue stumbled over itself. Katsuki gave you an expectant look and you felt your cheeks turn a brand new shade of red.
"I just– I can't– I don't–"
You tried so hard, trying to find the right words. They stubbornly refused to appear, wrestling with each other in the deepest part of your gradually dizzying consciousness. Your hands trembled, waving around aimlessly, making a point you hadn't even begun to form yet.
Bakugo suddenly felt as though he had hit a wall. An invisible one, because this was exactly the thing he was trying to avoid. It grated at his ego and he was slowly getting more and more agitated, his deepest insecurities writhing under his skin. You stuttered and gestured, wringing your slicked palms on your clothes.
After a long, silent moment, his face fell into a stone cold stare you'd never seen directed at you before. It morphed from uncertainty, to a grimace you associated with catching a bad smell, and into an equable scowl. Your heart thumped to the pit of your stomach.
A forcibly steady breath through the nose. "Fine."
He straightened his posture.
"I get it."
The dark look stared down at you, something you were sure was one of his special moves. "It's whatever. It doesn't matter, anyway." Except it did.
Your eyebrows knitted, your pulse quickening. "Katsuki, I– that's not–"
Biting back a sneer, Bakugo seethed through his teeth. "Save it," he hissed. "I don't want to fucking do this if I'm the only one giving my all."
The shock that came to you is what you assumed being struck by lightning felt like. You wanted to laugh, and tell him that was such a Katsuki thing to say in a situation like this; but he was already stomping away, taking strides to double yours.
"Katsuki, wait!" You called out, feeling coming back to your legs, and made to move in after him. "Katsuki!"
His silhouette gradually disappeared into the leaves that had initially felt so welcoming, like they promised something.
You went as quick as you could, mindful of the roots and pockets of earth at your feet.
As Bakugo slid out of reach, his words were a deafening whisper in the hushed world around you.
"Just—leave me alone."
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{a/n: hello!! i have this split up bc i wanted to write a few more scenes under the same premise... plus!! having something extra to do gives me a little more motivation & inspiration to make new things; thanks for reading<3}
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managedmischiefs · 5 years ago
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told you so//tom holland
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warnings: fainting, hospitals, IV, malnourishment, talk of Heath Ledger and his death, sad boi Tom
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inspired by tom's insta story where he thanked fans for his teen choice award win
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Tom is always dedicated to his work and will do whatever he can to make the audience believe his character. He works endless hours on his lines, on understanding his character, and getting into the mindset of his role. But something he always dedicated a large amount of time to is his weight.
Spider-Man is an incredibly physical role. Tom was on set and doing stunts every day. He needed the muscle to support that, and he had to keep his weight constant so that his suit fit him and he didn't cause a giant problem for the wardrobe department.
But for Cherry, he's playing a veteran that is riddled with PTSD. He studied up on the disorder and discovered the effect it has on the human body, and decided that he needed to lose some of his muscle and drop some weight.
He didn't tell me this flat out though. I noticed him eating less and less over a week, after a particularly long and in depth production meeting. He decreased breakfast from a full meal to just a protein shake, and refused dinner on most days and replaced it with a workout at the gym. To say this new diet scares me is an understatement.
I'm not an actor. I don't completely understand his world. But I've been dating Tom for a few years, and I know enough to recognize that weight changing is a common practice in Hollywood. But just because it's common doesn't mean that it's right. I've heard horror stories in the media of certain roles burning out actors and ruining their lives, and that is the last thing I want to happen to Tom.
I watch as Tom comes sauntering into the kitchen, passing me with nothing but a kiss to my cheek and a whispered good morning, his voice gravely with sleep. I'm up early to study for an upcoming exam, papers already sprawled out on the island.
I sneakily watch as Tom pulls out ingredients such as protein powder, bananas, and peanut butter, then the blender. "Are you, uh-" I huff out a breath, looking down at my textbook, trying to make the conversation more nonchalant, "gonna have more than just a shake?"
"Don't think so," Tom murmurs as he starts slicing the banana. "I'm on this diet still, you know that." I open my mouth to respond but chose not to say anything, just shaking my head and deciding to drop the subject again. "What?" Tom quips after a moment of silence. "You have something else to say. I know you. Don't lie, you've got something to say."
I drop my highlighter and swing around on my barstool to face him. "Tommy, I'm just nervous about this diet, okay? I know that it's working and you're losing weight and muscle like you want to, but I'm just nervous how this is gonna affect your body and your health in the future. The last thing I want to happen is for this to ruin you."
Tom drops the banana in his hand and rushes over, placing his hands on my cheeks. "This isn't gonna ruin me. I'm okay, yeah? I'm completely fine. I'm just twenty pounds lighter. That's all."
My eyes widen and I grab onto his thinning wrists. "You've lost twenty pounds? Baby, that's too much. That's way too much! You told me ten pounds at first and I said that was too much, but twenty? That's too much!"
"It's not too much. I'm healthy, I promise." Tom swears, leaning his head forward and kissing my forehead. "We're only a week into shooting and the Russo's said everything looks great."
"I don't give a shit what the Russo's think. I care about you and your health-"
Tom huffs out a breath and drops his hands. "I am fine. You don't need to worry about me. My trainer says I'm fine, the medic on set says I'm fine, everyone agrees that I'm fine. I've only got another two months of this diet and then I'll have to bulk up for the next Avengers movie and I'll be back to the way I was before." He turns around and quickly finishes off his protein shake, putting it in a cup and closing the lid. "I'll see you tonight, okay? Good luck on your exam, I know you'll crush it."
He's kissing me and he's out the door before I can say anything else. Okay, so, that conversation didn't go anywhere close to what I had planned.
I pack up my books and head off to class for my exam, which is actually quite difficult. Or maybe I was just too busy thinking (worrying) about Tom to focus on a test. I guess I'll never know.
After my exam, I hurry off to my study of human behaviors class, hoping that today's topic will distract me from worrying about how my boyfriend is doing on set. But, of course, that hope is crushed when my professor pulls up a picture of Heath Ledger.
"Today we're going to be talking about Heath Ledger, and how his preparation for the role of the Joker effected him. Some believe the intense preparation even added to his death." She saunters around the front of the room without a care in the world, babbling on and on about how Ledger got into his character by locking himself in a hotel room and keeping a dark diary, filled with quotes, pictures, and his lines.
"Ledger was so deep into his character that he turned to medication to help him do things as simple as sleeping. Maggie Gyllenhaal even said that she could barely look at him while filming, and the crew was too nervous to be around him between takes because he would still be in character. So I pose this question to you all, did his dedication to his role and the extreme preparation for this role lead to his death?"
Oh god. Please no. This is exactly what I don't need to hear right now. Not today. Not while Tom is filming Cherry and I can't be with him at all times. Not when I get one text a day from him since he's so busy shooting scenes. Not ever.
Multiple hands shoot up to respond to the professors question. She picks a bubbly blonde in the front row. "His preparation definitely led to his death. He pushed himself too far and he couldn't handle the pressure of the movie, the pressure of stardom, the pressure of the Joker being so engrained in his mind. He couldn't shake it when filming ended, and it truly made him become some version of a psychopath."
Another student butts in. "Yeah, it's so obvious. He turned to drugs because he couldn't handle the role."
One other adds his opinion. "It's like Natalie Portman in Black Swan. She had to lose all this weight so she ate almonds and carrots for, like, months on end. And then she was in rehearsals all day and she dislocated a rib, but kept training. She said she thought she was gonna die on most days. It's very possible for actors to get so wrapped up in role that they lose a bit of reality. I totally think Heath Ledger died because of the Joker."
With that last student, I pick up my backpack and laptop and go stomping out of the lecture hall, choking back tears. I dramatically throw my belongings into my car and speed off, wiping my cheeks and trying to keep my emotions together.
I park in the first spot I see and jump out of my car, heading off to Tom's trailer, hoping that he'll be there, although the chances are slim. I've only been to Tom's trailer for Cherry once, and it was the first week of him filming. It's been lived in now, so I'm sure it looks quite different.
I hadn't expected his trailer to be a complete mess. At home, Tom is a little messy but always cleans up after himself. He clearly hasn't cleaned or let anyone clean up after him. There's clothes and shoes all over the floor and furniture, the sheets are messed up on the bed like he's been tossing and turning while sleeping, and the kitchen area is a complete wreck. There's a pile of papers and books on the coffee table that I make the terrible decision to investigate.
Having PTSD just messes up your whole life. I couldn't even get the energy to clean my house, or even my room, or my kitchen, or anything. I would throw things around and I would break things and just leave them. PTSD left me completely unable to function as a human. I couldn't sleep. How would I be expected to clean up after myself when I'm falling asleep standing?
Of course, his trailer like this is to keep himself in the character. I wonder if his costars can stand to look at him between takes.
The trailer door opens a moment later and I'm wishing it's Tom, but it's Harrison coming in, nonchalantly kicking a shoe aside to get to the fridge. "Oh hey, didn't know you were coming by. Tom didn't mention it."
"Is Tom gonna die?" I blurt out, my eyes pooling up with tears. Harrison's eyes widen at the wild question. "I'm scared he's gonna die. He's so into this character and he's gonna die, isn't he?"
"Oh my gosh, breathe, love. Tom isn't gonna die. Where are you getting this from?" Harrison takes a few steps closer to me, but it doesn't comfort me in any way.
"He's not eating, Harrison. I've seen him make food but I haven't seen him actually eat anything in almost a month. He's dealing with this disgusting trailer every day. I barely ever see him because he comes home and either goes straight to sleep or he's out at the gym until I'm asleep."
"Maybe you should talk to him." Harrison suggests. "Honestly, I'm worried about him too and I think you're the only person he'll listen to. You just gotta learn to keep your cool." He places his hands on my shoulders. "Why don't you go home and get some rest? I think you're just as tired as he is because you're stressing about it. I'll make sure that Tom goes straight home instead of going out, okay?"
I throw my arms around Harrison's waist in a much needed hug. "Thank you, Haz. You're the best."
"Yeah, I know I am." Harrison jokes with a shrug, letting me go. "Go, get out."
///
Tom doesn't come home for a while, not until I'm laying in bed, eyelids fluttering, ready to sleep. But the bedroom door creaks open, letting in a little bit of light. I listen as Tom bustles around the room to pull off his clothes, leaving him in just boxers for bed. He climbs into bed beside me, wrapping his arms around my waist. I sigh contently, melting into his embrace.
"How was your day?" I murmur, sleep slurring my words.
"It was fine. Go to sleep, you're exhausted." Tom whispers, placing lazy kisses to the back of my neck. "I love you."
///
The next morning is normal. Tom wakes up before me and takes a shower, leaving me alone in bed. But I get up and throw on a comfy sweater, preparing for my day of classes. Tom is heading downstairs as I'm pulling on my leggings, presumably for breakfast.
But just as I'm finishing brushing out my hair, I hear a relatively loud thump from downstairs. I immediately pause, listening for a yelled sorry from Tom, just anything.
"Tom?" I shout, creeping towards the open bedroom door. When I don't hear anything in response, I panic. I run downstairs and into the kitchen, finding the worst sight I could think of.
Tom is unconscious on the floor, a spot of blood on his forehead, and a whole slew of food on the stove. I drop to my knees, pushing Tom's hair out of his forehead. I reach onto the island and grab Tom's phone, unlocking it and dialing 999. I babble off to the operator that my boyfriend fainted when I was in the other room and I don't know exactly what happened, but that he's unconscious. She promises that an ambulance is two minutes away, that I should keep calm, and not move him.
I put the phone on speaker as I wait, setting it on the floor. And just as I do, Tom starts to stir, his eyebrows scrunching up and his head starting to swivel. I lean over him and place a hand on his cheek, forcing a smile, despite his closed eyes. "Hi, sweetheart. Hi, baby." I coo softly, my thumb rubbing across the skin. "Stay right where you are, okay?"
"What happened?" He murmurs, words slurred.
"I think you fainted. There's an ambulance coming, just don't move, baby boy, you'll be okay." I instruct him.
"Work." He whispers, head falling to the side.
"Don't worry about work. I'll call someone later on and tell them. You don't worry about that right now, okay? Just relax, I've got you."
The paramedics come knocking at the front door a moment later, sending me running over to answer it. I lead the paramedics over to where Tom is still laying in the kitchen, watching the paramedics lift him onto the stretcher and strap him in.
Tom reaches for me, making me rush over to his side. I place a hand on his cheek, moving my thumb against his soft skin, giving him a smile. "I'm right here, Tommy. Do you want me to call Harrison, or your mum or dad? Anyone?" Tom just nods, so I assume he wants someone. "Do you want me to come in the ambulance with you?" He nods again. "Okay, then I'm gonna go get some stuff and get right in there with you." He nods a third time, eyes closing all the way now.
I rush around the house in just a few seconds, pulling on a sweatshirt. I collect a backpack with a sweats for Tom, our wallets, our phones, chargers, money, and whatever I can find that we could need.
Tom is just being loaded into the ambulance when I go to lock the door and jump inside. I'm exiled to the corner while the paramedics start working on Tom, leaving me to send out texts to his family to tell them what's going on.
I'm with him every step of the way. I'm there as he rides to the hospital, I'm there as he gets brought right into a room, and I'm there as a doctor comes in to see him. But I'm pushed out a moment later to fill out paperwork, and I have to be separated from Tom.
I rush my way through the paperwork so I can get back to Tom. He would never leave me alone if I was in this situation, and I don't plan to do that to him. So I return the clipboard to a nurse and she leads me back to a different waiting room.
"You can just stay here until the doctor comes around to get you." I nod but have to hold in my groan. I just want to be with Tom.
I sit down and decide to check my phone, finding a few texts. Nikki and Dom says that the whole family is on their way, and Harrison says him and Tuwaine are leaving their golf outing to get here, but it's going to take a while.
I'm not sure how much time passes from when I get to the waiting room and when a doctor comes. Maybe it was ten minutes, maybe it was an hour. I wouldn't know. But a doctor comes around to get me, thankfully refraining from calling out Tom's name and avoiding any possible fan run-ins.
I jump up and rush toward him, smiling nervously. The doctor asks again if I'm here for Tom, to which I nod, and he leads me away from the waiting room.
"So, it seems that he's very malnourished." The doctor tells me, which is no surprise at all. "He is severely underweight and is also very dehydrated. Do you know why this is happening?"
We stop outside of his room and continue talking. "He's preparing for a movie role. His character has PTSD so he decided to lose a bit of weight. I told him it was too much but he swore he was fine."
"Do you know how much he lost?" I tell him twenty pounds and then a little about Tom's diet, and I can tell but his surprised face that Tom is in for some deep shit. "Wow, that's a lot for someone his age and weight. Basically, his body can't handle the work that he's making it do. If he's working on a film set and he's not eating properly, or at all, his body is going to give out because it can't support him. For now, I've got him on an IV drip to hydrate him and I'll come back in a little while to talk to you two about what to do from here."
"Okay, thank you so much. I can go in now?" The doctor nods and then heads off.
Tom's eyes are closed when I enter the room, but I can't quite tell if he's sleeping. Even still, there's a nurse taking his vitals who smiles at me, quickly finishing up and leaving the room.
Tom stirs when I sit in the chair beside his bed, scrunching up his crooked nose. I grab onto his free hand and move my thumb against his knuckles, taking a deep breath. "I can tell you're awake." I murmur, the tiniest smile on my face. "I know you too well."
The corners of Tom's mouth lift up in the tiniest, his eyes fluttering open slowly. "Hi." He mumbles, the word slurred.
"Hi, sweet boy." I keep my voice sweet and smooth. "How are you feeling?"
"Bad." Tom spits out, sighing. His eyes are squinting and he looks like he's in pain.
"Does your head hurt? The lights hurt?" He nods, so I stand and turn off the light, watching the wrinkles in his forehead smoothen out. "Did the doctor check you for a concussion?"
"I-I don't know."
I let go of Tom's hand again and poke my head out of the hospital room, flagging down a nurse. I tell her my concern and she promises to get a doctor in soon, then goes on her way.
"A doctor is coming, Tom." I take my seat again and lace our fingers.
A silence falls over us for a moment, but the quiet makes me more aware of the way Tom's hands are shaking.
"Are you feeling okay?" I whisper. "You're shaking. I just wanna make sure you're-"
"I'm sorry." And suddenly he's breaking down in tears, sobbing loudly. "You were right, I was wrong."
"Shh, sweetheart." I coo, moving to sit on the side of his bed. "Let's not talk about that right now. Right now, just relax and-"
"I don't wanna be here. I wanna go home." He whines, hand squeezing mine as tight as he can, which isn't much at all. He's far too weak.
"I know you do. But you've gotta be here so the doctors can help you get better so you can get home and get back to work. So let's not cry," I wipe my thumbs over his cheeks, "and just relax as much as you can. You can watch tv, close your eyes, so whatever. A doctor is hopefully coming soon to help you."
Tom looks at me with huge puppy eyes, rimmed red from tears. "You're not gonna leave me, right?"
A smile appears on my cheeks, but it feels forced. "Of course I'm not gonna leave you, pretty boy. I'll be right by your side this whole time and for the rest of your life, you know that."
His lips push out in a pout. "You can still call me pretty boy when I'm like this?"
"You'll always be my pretty boy." I leave forward and press a few kisses to his cheek, hopefully calming him down a bit.
The doctor comes back into the room a few moments later, and Tom forces me to hold his hand while the doctor inspects him again, this time for a concussion.
"Yep, your girlfriend is right, you've got a mild concussion. I'd assume you hit your head on something when you fainted, whether it was a cabinet or the floor. It's not too bad though, you should be fine in two or three weeks. But even still, I wanna keep you for the rest of the day. I know it's early, so we'll see how you're feeling later and see if you need to stay the night or you can go. We've got you on an IV to give you some vitamins and some essential things you've been missing out on over the past few weeks. You know where the nurses button is, if you need anything. I'll see you two later."
///
The rest of the day passes incredibly slowly. Tom's family shows up just a little bit after the doctor leaves. They stay for an hour or two, just to keep Tom entertained, but he's being very quiet and really only wants to talk to me. But his family is babying him and talking to him like a child. And as much as I do that to him when I'm consoling him, he absolutely hates when his family does it.
And then Harrison and Tuwaine show up and wreak havoc. I know it's for entertainment purposes and to make Tom laugh. They show up and throw a backpack onto Tom's bed, what's filled with my laptop, smuggled in fast food, some extra clothes for Tom, and a handful of dvd's. Then they loudly make their way around Tom's room, inspecting every single thing that is on the walls or in the relatively empty cabinets. I'm tempted to kick them out so they don't get in trouble, but Tom is laughing and his spirits are lifted, so I don't bother.
By the time a nurse is coming around with lunch for Tom, he's starving. I can hear his stomach rumbling, but that's a sound I've grown accustomed to.
Tom pushes around his food, not interested in the bland hospital food. "I really want what Haz and Tuwaine brought." He eyes the McDonald's bag on the other side of the room. "I don't want this shit."
"I don't know if your stomach can handle that. You haven't had fast food in months and I don't know if that's good for you-"
"Please, baby, I'm so hungry and this looks terrible." Tom begs, pushing the tray of food away from him.
I easily comply, not wanting to put up a fight with him when he's feeling so tortured at the moment. I open the bag and find a ridiculous amount of food, more than me and Tom could ever eat.
"God, these idiots must have bought the whole store out. What do you want-burger, fries, nuggets?"
"Yes." He responds, making me roll my eyes.
"You're impossible." I pull out a small fry, a cheeseburger, and six piece nugget and hand it over to him, watching him smile happily. "You're nuts. Please eat slowly and drink a lot of water. I don't want you getting sick and throwing up."
"Can we watch a movie too?" He shoves a nugget in his mouth and gestures to my laptop. I agree, pulling up Netflix and starting a random movie, setting my computer on the bed.
Thankfully, Tom doesn't have to stay the night. He's built up enough strength through the IV, food, and relaxation for the doctor to feel good about him going home. So he gets out of his hospital gown and into some sweats, signing discharge papers and wobbling out of the hospital room. And since I rode in the ambulance with Tom, Harrison comes to pick us up and drive us home.
"Looking a bit better, mate." Harrison says, giving Tom a bro hug when we get to the car.
"Thanks for picking us up." Tom mumbles before jumping into the backseat.
"Thank you so much, Haz. You're the best." I give him a tight hug before sitting beside Tom in the backseat and heading home.
///
"Do you wanna go up to bed or stay on the couch?" I ask once we step inside, dropping our bags beside the door. Tessa is off at his parents house, so our house is silent.
"I wanna go shower, and then go to bed." He mumbles, taking the lead upstairs and hobbling into the connected bathroom. I collect him some fresh boxers and a tee shirt, putting them on the counter for him when he's done. I busy myself by changing the sheets and fixing up the bed, distracting myself from the craziness of the day.
"Babe!" Tom starts calling. "Baby!"
I panic, fearing the worst, rushing into the bathroom. "What? What's wrong?"
"Will you come in with me?" He asks like a child, pouting, his curls dripping over his forehead.
"I thought something was wrong." I groan, but begin stripping off my clothes anyways. I step into the warm water and sigh of relief, happy to wash away the stress of the day. I immediately wrap my arms around Tom's skinny waist, burying my face in his neck. "I'm just glad you're okay."
"Yeah, me too." Tom sighs, hand running up and down my back gently. "Thank you for being there for me. You're the best girlfriend ever."
"Thanks." I chuckle with an eye roll. "I'm just glad you're home."
We finish up in the shower not long after, since being exposed to the warm water for too long could make Tom faint again. So we get dressed and crawl into bed, curling up under the cold duvet. I rest my head on Tom's chest and close my eyes, trying to drift off to sleep.
"You can say it now, you know?" Tom murmurs, lips ghosting over my forehead.
I smile softly, letting a beat pass. "I told you so."
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jenna--ortega · 2 years ago
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okay so it’s not my business and i guess i get it for newcomers to this site to see a name and assume it’s the actual celebrity but it always makes me laugh when i see those types of asks 🤣 anyways
hello again winnie! so about universal studios yes it is a theme park but it has backlots and sets where shows are filmed so it has two types of tours. one comes with the park (the studio tour) where it takes you around the backlot and you see different sets where movies were filmed like back to the future and it doubles as two rides with king kong and fast&furious. one of the best things about the park tbh. the one that costs extra is the vip tour and they walk you around the park and take you to warehouses where set pieces are kept and you don’t have to wait in the lines as much. if you ever go i’d recommend going during halloween just because they do extra but either way the food is good and makes it worth the price. i used to work there and i may have access to some leftover tickets if you’re interested!
&yes! it is so good i’m only on s3 but castle and casket have me in a chokehold. though now i wish i had watched aos since you seem to like it more 😅 so please lmk!
well now i’m jealous i wanted to play the violin and yes i play the flute and saxophone. also want to learn how to play the harp. i love the sound, like it seems so calming. so you’ve done recitals? did you enjoy them? sorry to hear that you were forced to play instruments you never wanted to but i have to admit that i laughed at the side comment 😆
i try to listen to a bit of everything but mainly r&b and pop. i like rock music and i’ve been getting into classical too. it makes nice background noise when i’m making edits.
what about sports? and movies? what are your favorite foods and are you looking forward to the upcoming holidays?
-psc secret santa
Hi there 👋 it's funny to see there's actually newcomers and people are trying to figure out how the site works. But actually we don't know how this shit works half the time because it's not actually functioning most of the time 🤣
That sounds amazing 😍 I'll be sure to visit next time I'm in the area. I've always wonder what it's like to work in a theme park, I've seen so many people working over at Disneyland during the summers in uni. But I just didn't think I'm right for the job, can't stand the heat/ sun and generally not a cheery person. But people seems to have lots of fun. Just wondering though, do your tickets have expiry dates 😅
Omg now that you're on s3, can we talk about the s2 finale?!!!!! It always had me in tears 😭😭😭😭 they could've been together right then & there. I mean I get it, they're kinda the main couple, so the writers had to drag out their relationship for multiple seasons to come. But still talk about bad timing 😵‍💫😵‍💫😵‍💫 also, s2 is probably one of my fav, especially the 2 episodes case tick tick tick & boom 😍 there're gonna be some iconic scenes in s3, not gonna spoil it for you.
Do I like aos more than castle?! I don't think so. I just happened to be obsessing with AoS when I started giffing and I guess I got too comfortable, like I know the scenes, which ones work well with each other etc. Castle will always have a special place in my heart, and Kate Beckett is my first on screen idol, like nothing will quite live up to your first love. But aos did come close. Personally I was already really interested in this kind of black ops operation in the marvel movies and wished they had more screen time, and marvel turning it into a TV show is basically a dream come true. I just love Melinda May since ep 1, and has been relating to her since ep 2, and I don't think I've ever related to a character this much. Like female badasses are often written as cold and closed off with the excuse of a traumatic experience, and there's little depths to their characters, either because it's a movie or a series that didn't survive long enough for character devInnelopment. But with May, sure the tropes applied, but even early on you can see that she has a heart and that she cares very deeply. And that she smiles and play jokes secretly. Her whole quiet, stoic personality wasn't necessarily the outcome of the trauma, but more so just who she is, and it just felt very natural and genuine to me and I relate soooo much, and I guess her being Chinese helped with that too. Like it was from that moment I understand how important diversity and representation are to so many people.
This got kinda long, but you got me into talking about castle & aos so it's bound to happen. I would highly recommend aos if you like sci-fi & marvel. They had more tie-ins with the movies in s1-s3, but honestly the show got better when they kinda diverged from it and did their own thing. The writing is pretty mind blowing, and the fight scenes & cgi got better each season. It's ridiculous the amount of stuff they did in the timeframe they had. My personal favs are s1 & s4, s1 mostly for nostalgia and it was the world/ characters building season, s4 (maybe ep 9 forward) was simply phenomenal. S5 was mind blowing you'll probably have to watch it twice to understand everything 😅
Harp is such a beautiful instrument, but it's like huge and expensive. Where I live, very few people's apartments are big enough to store that. So it's a very rich people kind of instrument to us. And I have only listened to it in a handful of occasions. But I know more kids are learning it these days, because apparently piano is too basic 😒 The only recitals I've done are in competitions and exams and idk if it counts, and those are really stressful. But I do enjoy playing the piano in front of (non-judgy) friends & families where we just basically chill, usually people I play in front of know how to play it too so they wouldn't care if there's a slip or it's not perfect etc. It's more so sharing what pieces we were playing at the moment.
I would say violin could be way more complicated, but idk how it compares to playing the flute because I know it is hard to play the flute well too. But I think it wouldn't hurt to take some lessons and see if you like it or not.
I'm not really into sports, but I do like swimming and it's pretty much the only thing I did as a kid. I just love being in the water, it's so calming & cooling. Just the pools though, preferably indoors, the beach really isn't for me. I've always wanted to learn Kung Fu was a kid, like I can feel it in my blood, but my parents only made my younger brother who doesn't want to learn it to go to taekwondo lessons, and don't allow me to go. As a kid, I thought because it's not ladylike, but I found out years and years later it's because my parents saw that I was so good at it and I often fight with my brother (because he's an a**hole as a kid) and there's pretty much no fighting chance for my brother, so my parents wanted to equip him with some fighting skills. But jokes on them, he hates it and drops it after a couple lessons and I kinda resented them for that. It wasn't until in my early 20s that my dad suggested we take some lessons from a Thai boxing coach that his colleagues recommended, because I gained quite some weight after my weight loss rebound. My whole family went for the first couple of lessons, and the coach straight up asked if I have learnt wing chun (another type of Kung Fu) before because I punch like that style, and I said no I've never had any lessons, then I turned to my mum and said now you see how you've wasted a Kung Fu talent (kidding not kidding). I need to work on my cardio but I would say my instincts are pretty good, even more so as a kid, it got "duller" overtime because I often being called "over reactive" to stimuli (like getting hit/ touch accidentally by people/ objects).
I'm more of a TV show kind of person, especially those 20+ eps per season like how it used to be. There's more room for character development and more things for me to obsess over. Good movies are like a nice treat, but I watched it and moved on. Some of my favourite series are hp, Narnia, marvel, basically the ones I grew up with.
Favourite foods: Chinese, Japanese, Thai, Italian, French (mostly pastries & desserts)
We don't do much for Christmas but I've always loved my mum's gingerbreads. I used to look forward to Starbuck's peppermint mocha, but it has kinda been discontinued here for years. I actually went to a Starbucks while travelling in the states just to get peppermint mocha 🤣 I do love peppermint, in tea, sweets, chocolate, etc.
The bigger holiday we celebrate is actually Chinese new year a month later. My mum always makes all these traditional foods and snacks and they're so delicious, store bought ones, even the fanciest ones can't compare (especially the first 2 pics). It's like a lot of work. I'll just put in some pics for you in case you have no idea what I'm talking about 😅
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And then there're ones that we just buy from the store.
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Basically a lot of fried food 😅
I always say I don't talk much, but when asked the right questions I blab on and on about it, hope you don't mind.
Merry Christmas! 🎄
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