#Love that his grace was slightly hyped up to be some big reveal and then it was like 'lol he can give good dreams'

[camelspit]

I heard you’re reading the graceling series? Which one are you on and do you like them? I’m on winterkeep (when I eventually get to it)

Im on winterkeep as well! Tbh im not entirely sure how I feel. They just seem really... long? For not much happening. Bitterblues def been my favorite so far! :)

[yeoobiii]

⋆｡°✩ 𝙢𝙖𝙩𝙘𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜

꩜ boyfriend!changmin x gn!reader

꩜ established relationship

꩜ you receive a package of clothes you ordered the other day and Changmin insists you show him everything you got. Little did he know you had a little surprise for him as well

or: You ask your boyfriend to try on a mini skirt for you because you love his thighs

wc: 2.6k

warnings: slightly suggestive

a/n: there's not much to say, I think Changmin would look irrisitable in a mini skirt and that's it, that's the plot.

It was Saturday morning. Or was it Friday? Your mind felt groggy as you opened your eyes, your room flooded by the golden rays of the morning hour. Still half asleep, you reached across the bed with your arm, a bit confused when you’re greeted with nothing but wrinkly sheets and an unoccupied pillow.

You groaned to yourself, it’s probably not even 10am and all your sleepy mind was craving were some cuddles and kisses but your boyfriend seemed to have dissolved himself into thin air.

Not ready to get up and go look for him, you tossed and turned a few more times in your bed until you faintly registered people talking outside of your room. You perked up slightly, squinting at your door as you heard your front door shut; next thing you heard were footsteps and they were getting closer and closer until eventually the door to your bedroom opened.

Changmin revealed himself to you, his black hair still disheveled from sleep, his oversized sleep shirt slipping down on one of his shoulders. You had to hold back the urge to coo at how cozy he looked. Eventually, you noticed the big cardboard boy he carried.

“The clothes you ordered a few days ago just arrived.” He explained, voice still a bit horse from sleep.

You sat up, your mind more and more present as the seconds go by, the fogginess of dreamland slowly fading.

“You went to go get it?”

“You didn’t wake up from the doorbell ringing so I went to check.”

Changmin moved over to sit down beside you after he placed the box at the foot of the bed.

“Thanks, baby” you give him a soft kiss to the cheek as a token of your appreciation and you both eye the package together.

“Are you gonna show me what you got, or what?” Changmin requested as he smiled at you excitedly. His favorite part about you getting new clothes is when you’d try them all on for him and you’d decide together which pieces to keep and which ones to send back. There was just something about being the sole audience member to your very own little fashion show that he enjoyed a lot.

“Let’s have breakfast first.” You suggested as you comb your hand through his hair lazily and even though Changmin seems to be a bit impatient, judging by the slight pout that’s gracing his features, he eventually agreed and followed you out into the kitchen.

30 minutes later he was sitting on the couch in the living room, a fresh, steaming hot coffee sitting in front of him on the coffee table. He hasn’t changed out of his pajamas yet, the only thing added to his look of an oversized shirt and gray sweatpants were a pair of black rectangular glasses placed on the bridge of his nose.

As he made himself comfortable on the couch, you went back into your room, going through the box of clothes and deciding which items to try on first.

Whenever you do these kinds of things, you make sure to take your time to actually put together an outfit, not only to see if the clothes fit into your already existing wardrobe but also because it was always really endearing how Changmin would hype you up and point out all the things he loved about your outfit or give you suggestions on how you could elevate your fit even further.

After you decided on a pair of washed out, gray-blue denim jeans, which accentuate your ass perfectly, if you might say so yourself, you found a vest in the same order that fit the jeans perfectly. You rounded up the outfit with a white shirt to wear under the woven orange brown vest, added some jewelry as well and didn’t waste any time to show it all off to your boyfriend.

Changmin heard the door to your bedroom open and his head instantly snapped into your direction. His eyes were already on you, having scanned your body up and down multiple times by the time you walked down the corridor and were standing in front of him.

You do a little spin for him, the vest flowing in the air as it is a bit oversized on you. You also hit a few poses in order to show him all the angles.

“Woah” his mouth was slightly agape, his eyes shimmering. The jewelry you picked accentuated the whole outfit perfectly and he’d have loved to take you out then and there, showing you off to everyone who may lay their eyes on the both of you.

“The color suits you so well, baby!” He complimented, eyes big as he’s still taking in your look “I’ve been telling you, you should wear more colors in general, it kind of makes you look more vibrant over all.”

And that’s precisely why you enjoyed doing these things with Changmin so much. Your boyfriend was really into fashion in general and you never questioned his taste in clothes before, that’s how well dressed he usually is. Automatically, you value his opinion a lot when it comes to the clothes you picked out for yourself and getting praise like that from him makes you flustered in all the best ways possible.

“Also, your ass in these jeans looks phenomenal” he added, gaze lingering on the way the jeans hugged your waist and hips.

“I know, right?” You joined in on his enthusiasm.

“I actually think I’m gonna keep both of the items, what do you think?”

Your boyfriend checks you out one last time in the current fit before giving his approval; not that you’d need him to approve your choice in clothes, he knows that.

“Definitely, the whole look is one big yay if you ask me.”

Before you go and change into the next outfit, you take a few steps towards Changmin, grab his jaw and give him a quick, lighthearted kiss, to which he smiles at you satisfied.

As you decide which items to try on next, your eyes land on a specific piece of clothing and instantly you were reminded of the idea you had in mind when you first decided to order the item.

In your hand you were holding not only one but two mini skirts, one of them gray and the other one black. As you browse further through your box of goodies, you find the black waist corset that was originally part of the vision and you smile to yourself excitedly.

You put on the gray skirt combined with a white, flowy dress shirt and a fitting waist chain that you found in your jewelry collection. The matching black skirt you clasp in one hand behind your back as you step out of your room again.

Changmin didn’t waste a single second to admire your second outfit.

“Oh, a mini skirt? I love it. And the dress shirt is so dreamy.” He gushes over you the instant he laid eyes on you. You didn’t miss how his gaze lingered for a moment on your exposed thighs.

And you had to admit to yourself, you were in love with the whole outfit and how it looked on you; your vision basically coming to life. But there was a second part to the whole idea you’d hoped would be a beautiful addition to your already stunning look.

“Thank you, Minnie” You beamed at him. There was something so intoxicating about how dedicated Changmin was to these little fashion shows; having all his undivided attention on you made your insides do a flip.

“Okay so, I had this idea…” you started to explain, while heat rose to your cheeks.

“Oh, yeah? What did you have in mind?” Changmin seemed instantly intrigued by your teasing, curious what was on your mind.

“Okay so, when I was ordering this” you pointed towards the skirt you were wearing “I couldn’t help but imagine how it would look if we’d be matching.”

From behind your back, you reveal the black skirt to him.

“And I was wondering if you’d be down to try this on with me?” You ask shyly.

It’s not like Changmin has never worn a skirt before, but from what you’ve seen they are usually on the longer side, never shorter than knee length and while the looks Changmin created with these skirts where immaculate, you couldn’t help but wondering what he’d look like in a mini skirt, with his lean muscular dancer thighs exposed. The image hasn’t left your head since it first occurred to you, so you figured you had to shoot your shot.

“You want us to wear matching mini skirts?” Changmin inquired about the obvious, raising an intrigued eyebrow at you.

There was a cocky smirk starting to form on his lips as he watched how you got progressively more flustered at the idea of him wearing the skirt. He could see it was something you’d really like him to try. Even though he has never been opposed to the idea of wearing mini skirts in the first place, he could never possibly deny you a request like that.

“I just think it’d look really good on you– on us both, I mean!” You went to explain yourself as Changmin slowly got up from the couch, stepping closer to you and eventually taking the skirt from your hands.

“It is a really cute skirt” he agreed as he looked at the piece of clothing properly, his tone teasing.

He is a bit surprised to see how the thought of all of this was affecting you, though. If he’d have known that him wearing a mini skirt would leave you this flustered, he’d have done so ages ago.

“So, you’ll wear it? For me?” You request, eyes big as you wait for his answer.

“How could I possibly say no, if you ask me like that, darling” he smirks at you, placing a kiss on your forehead before making his way to your bedroom to change. It’s not like he wouldn’t change right then and there in front of you, but something within him wanted to show off the same way you did with your outfits earlier, make himself look presentable and see what he can find to combine with the skirt to see your reaction.

“Changmin!” You call out to him before he steps into your bedroom.

“Hmm?” He perks up

“I’ve got something else you might want to wear with the skirt, I laid it out on the bed for you. Only if you feel like it of course.”

“Look at you spoiling me today. I’ll check it out, thank you, baby” and with that he disappeared from your sight.

This time it was your turn to sit on the couch, your fingers fidgeting as you were waiting for your boyfriend to finish changing.

About five minutes later you heard the door opening and out stepped Changmin, wearing the black mini skirt combined with the black waist corset you’ve laid out for him earlier, a knitted white vest tucked loosely into the corset, also leaving his arms and parts of his shoulders exposed. You didn’t fail to notice how he had put on a pair of dangling earrings as well to complete the look.

As he stood in front of you, your mouth went dry. You scanned his body up and down, starting at the knee high socks he has put on, traveling further up to his thighs where your eyes got stuck for a moment. You loved his thighs so much, the skin tan and the outlines of his lean muscles visibly even when he was not flexing them. Next thing your eyes catched was how perfectly the corset seemed to hug his waist, leaving nothing to the imagination. 

As you travel further up, your eyes fixate on the V-cut of the vest and his partially exposed, delicate and sensitive collarbones.

This outfit seemed to highlight all your favorite parts about your boyfriend’s physique in a manner that made him look like a tall tease on two legs.

Your gaze traveled all the way up until you reached the smug smile he was wearing at leaving you speechless like that.

“You like it?” He asked as if it couldn’t be any more obvious by the way you were drooling over him.

“Yes, very much so. Babe, you look– just everything about this look, I’m–“

The self satisfaction at seeing you so flustered and all of that just because he put on a mini skirt and dressed up for you was evident on his face.

Slowly, he takes a step towards where you were sitting on the couch.

“You know, you seem quite affected. Do you need me to get you a glass of water?” He teased, chuckling at his own remark. He knew he was hot.

There have been countless times where Changmin looked at his lover and was left speechless at their beauty and frankly also at how irresistible they looked whenever the both of you dressed up. Something he appreciated a lot about the relationship the two of you shared though was that you never failed to make him feel the same way. The way you were looking at him right now, he felt beautiful, he felt desired, he felt loved. It was an unmeasurable ego boost and he was surprised again and again how good you made him feel about himself.

He took another few steps towards you, until your knees bumped together.

“You just look… really good. You look pretty, Minnie” you compliment him, knowing the effect it has on him.

It didn’t take Changmin two seconds and he was straddling your lap. As if on instinct, your hands found purchase on his thighs as he was crossing his arms behind your neck.

“I have a feeling, I should wear mini skirts more often, yeah?” He whispers against your cheek in-between soft kisses he places along your cheekbone.

“I’m serious, you look so pretty like this, baby” you keep telling him as you were truly obsessed with everything about this.

Your hands slowly traveled up his thighs, centimeter by centimeter sneaking their way under his skirt, making Changmin hiss under his breath in the process.

He could drown in the attention you were giving him; in the way your touch was so soft yet so wicked, the thought unable to leave his mind that it was him that made you feel this way, made you want to touch him, made you want to caress him, made you desire him.

“And you like it when I look pretty, don’t you?” He said before his kisses travel down to your jaw and neck. One kiss at the time the tension in the air rises and your skin starts to itch, yearning for his touches, for the soft grace of his lips all over your body.

“Yes, so pretty, just for me.” You validate him, slightly tilting your head to give him better access, while your hands were still busy exploring your boyfriend’s thighs.

And you were taking your time with them. Making sure to pay attention to every little curve of muscle you could get our fingers on, feeling the warmth radiate from his skin.

If you’d have known your silly little idea would have let to this, you’d have begged your boyfriend to wear matching mini skirts way sooner.

I'm actually thinking of continuing this and making a slightly longer explicit version, but idk yet.

I hope you enjoyed nonetheless! ˚ʚ♡ɞ˚

[prettytoxicrevolver]

Dance Party | Dream SMP

Requested? No but I did 

Warnings? None? It’s long as hell 

Summary: You have a dance party with your best friends in the dream smp, with a little bit of revealed feelings at the end 

Word Count: 2,773 (It’s so long but so worth it i promise) 

Spring break was finally here and you and the boys had something big planned. It was your first meet-up with most of them and you were beyond excited. You, Quackity, Karl, Tubbo, Tommy, Wilbur, Dream, George, Bad, Ranboo, and Sapnap were all renting a place out for the week in California.

You had been planning it for months, rounding up the money, getting the details set, and now finally traveling to Cali. You guys didn’t have any specific plans for the week, just wanting to spend quality time together but you were excited nonetheless. 

Your dad offers to drive you to the airport, still weary that you were spending your spring break, hundreds of miles from home with boys you had never really met before. You promised him it’d be fine though, you had already met up with Ranboo, Dream, Sap, and Karl which gave your dad enough to let you go. 

The plane ride thankfully wasn’t super long, and it was a straight flight to California. You also had a plan to meet up with some of the boys at the airport so you could head over to the Airbnb together. Your nerves were beyond anything you had felt before, a mix between excitement, anxiety, and content. You just wanted to finally be with your friends. 

“Dream!!” you yell over facetime when you land. “Please tell me you’re in LAX right now.” 

You had just landed, turning your phone off airplane mode to see that Karl, Ranboo, Sap, and Dream had landed in LA. You grabbed all of your stuff, instantly pulling up Dream’s number and facetiming him as you made your way off the plane. 

“We all are!” Dream exclaims panning the camera around to show the rest of the boys. “Hurry up you’re late!” 

You giggle loudly as you make your way to baggage claim and where the rest of the boys are. When you get there and see the boys, there’s so much excitement coursing through you, you can’t even contain it anymore. 

“(y/n)!!” Karl yells seeing your first. 

He books it in your direction, and you start to run towards him as well. You both collide halfway to each other, falling to the ground in a mess of limbs and loud laughs. You’re definite the rest of the airport goers are staring at you like you’re crazy but you couldn’t care less. You finally stand up, Karl pulling you into a bone-crushing hug and you’re smiling so wide your face is going to break. 

“I want one!” Dream whines and you turn in Karl’s arms. 

You squeal loudly, moving from Karl to rush into Dream’s arms. The tall boy wraps you up in his arms, lifting you off the ground ever so slightly. 

You then turn to Sap, your heart racing erratically. You had only met him once or twice but over a million facetime calls, late-night text conversations, and those two meetings, your heart had settled on him. 

His smile is wide and bright when you face him and you rush into his arms, wondering in the back of your mind if he can feel your heart beating out of your chest. You tuck your head under his chin as he squeezes you tight and your smile is radiating. 

You then greet Ranboo in a similar fashion, the tall giant giving you the best hugs you’ve had in years, practically lifting you off the ground and spinning you around. You couldn’t help but feel the best you had in years though. You were so grateful to be around your found family again. 

After exchanging long-awaited greetings, you grab your luggage and the five of you head out to the Airbnb. The entire time you five catch up on life, upcoming projects, what you wanted to do while you were in LA everything. 

“When is the British Dream Team and everyone else getting here?” you ask as you pull up to the Airbnb. 

“I think Bad and Quackity are already here?” Karl says. 

“The rest of the boys should be here tonight,” Dream chimes in. 

Your heart is racing once more as you all climb out of the car and make your way inside of your home for the next week. As promised, Bad and Alex are inside, and you can hear them the minutes you step through the door. 

“Language!” Bad yells out and Alex’s signature laugh can be heard throughout the place. 

“We’re here!” Ranboo calls and the two emerge from the living room. 

“Guys!!” Alex greets. 

You make your way to him first, squeezing him tight and stepping back, in shock that you had never met him before. You head for Bad next, the older boy offering a quick hug and a shy smile. It was the first time you had ever met the two but you felt right at home anyway. 

As everyone gets settled, rooms are arranged, and dinner gets decided you suddenly get a phone call from Tommy. 

“Mister Tommyinnit!!” you greet and Tommy rolls his eyes but smiles. 

“Hey bitch! We’re headed to the hotel!!” Before you can respond, the phone is pulled out of Tommy’s hands and you’re faced with a smiling Tubbo. 

“Hi (y/n)!! I can’t wait to see you!!” you giggle at the younger boy, Tubbo always acting as a younger brother to you. 

“Get here soon! Dinner will be ready!!” 

As the seven of you wait for your British companions, you relax in the living room, getting to know Alex and Bad more and getting reacquainted in person with the rest of your best friends. Just as food arrives, you’re all swarming the kitchen, grabbing plates, silverware, food, the works when you hear the doorbell ring. 

“Got it!” you call dropping your stuff to head to the door. 

When you swing it open you can’t help the excited scream that leaves your lips. There in front of you was the British dream team, the boys you were beyond excited to meet for the very first time. Wilbur stands at the front, an excited smile wide across his lips and you tackle him in a hug. He catches you with ease, lifting you up into the air as you squeal loudly. 

You break away from Wilbur just as the rest of the boys have come to see what all the commotion was about. Wilbur walks through the door first, considering you were now pulling George into a tight hug, pushing your face into the taller boy’s chest. 

Everyone finally makes it inside, and before you know it you’re being tackled by Tommy, a loud laugh bursting from the two of you. You hug the younger boy tightly, love filling your heart for the kid who was like a younger brother to you. You look up during the hug to see Tubbo pouting, making you pull him in too, now hugging both boys who were hilariously taller than you. 

Sap stands at the kitchen doorway, a soft smile gracing his lips as he watches you finally meet Tommy and Tubbo. You had been talking about meeting the younger boys for ages, the two kids stealing their way into your heart and you had talked endlessly about how you had always wanted little brothers and how you’d do anything for the pair. 

Sap’s heart does a backflip as you look up at him, beaming wide as you’re finally able to meet all of your best friends. He knows how much this means to you, making his heartbeat fast at the mere thought of your happiness. 

As you pull away, your heart is soaring being around your best friends. Your little found family meant everything to you and to have them all in one place with you meant the world. For a moment you think about how in a week it would all end but you pushed the thought away quickly, knowing you had plenty of time to enjoy. 

The just-arrived boys throw their stuff in their assigned rooms, and finally, you all start to grab dinner. You had practically ordered enough to feed an army but once the boys grabbed their portions you realized it was the smart move. 

As you sit and eat, surrounded by your best friends the vibe was beyond immaculate. You had great food, your best friends, and this was going to last a week? Nothing could get better. 

It had been 2 days of adventures, memories, and storytelling between you and the boys. You guys had been going nonstop since you had gotten to California and while you loved every second you needed a slight break. 

On day 3, most of the boys were still out, some were relaxing in their shared rooms, and some went back and forth. You had decided to sleep in before relaxing in the living room for a bit. Your music played on shuffle through speakers set up in the room. 

You had skipped through a million songs, unable to settle on anything specific when it hits you. You head straight for your throwback playlist, hitting shuffle on the almost 200 songs. 

The first song pops up and you gasp in excitement. About You Now by Miranda Cosgrove starts blasting through the speakers and you can’t help but get up and start to dance. 

“There’s a mountain between us! But there's one thing I'm sure of!” you scream sing dancing around the room. 

“That I know how I feel about you!” 

You whip around to see Karl standing in the doorway of the living room, big smiles and wild eyes directed towards you. You giggle as he runs into the room and the two of you start to dance and sing along to the iconic Miranda Cosgrove song. 

“What the-, “ Wilbur asks emerging from his room. 

He spots you and Karl dancing around the room and you beckon him to come join you. The second the song hits his ears, Wilbur’s grinning and joining you and Karl in your obnoxious activity. 

As the song ends, Karl is immediate to want to continue your fun. 

“Dance party!” he declares. 

Quackity, Bad, Sap, and Dream book it out of their rooms excited to join the chaos, and you instantly grab Sap, a strange confidence coming over you, pulling him towards you so you can dance together. 

The next song comes on and all of you start to get hyped all over again, the throwback playlist working its magic once again.

Your head becomes dizzy as the proximity of you and Sap hits you like a train. His hands trail your waist, his eyes making their way over you before landing on your eyes. You slip your hands around his neck, trying to find that first boost of confidence again as he starts to sing the words. 

“You spin my head right round, right round!” Sap yells pulling you close and swaying with you. 

Sap didn’t know how either of you got into this situation but he’d keep you in his arms for the rest of the night if he could. He pulls you even closer, as you sing the next lyrics, your eyes trained on each other’s.

“When you go down, when you go down down!” you echo the next lyric back to him and Sap smirks at you as you dance with him. 

“Language!!” Bad yells as the lyrics dawn on him and you’re all left laughing. 

You turn back to Sap, your breath stolen the minute your eyes land on his beautiful green ones and you wish you could close the distance between you two. 

“(y/n)!” Dream calls as the song launches into its second verse. You turn towards him and he holds his hand out to you. 

You giggle, extending a hand and Dream pulls you towards him as you two start to dance together. You two make your way around the room, your dancing massively exaggerated but out of the corner of your eye you see Sap glaring at the older boy. 

The song keeps going, the seven of you officially popping off together. Just as the song is reaching its end, Tubbo, Tommy, Ranboo, and George finally emerge. 

“Were we all poppin off?” George asks and Dream nods. 

Your music keeps playing, another excellent throwback starts up and this time you and Ranboo are the ones screaming in excitement. 

“Guys, you are about to watch me embarrass myself.” 

The boys tilt their heads to the side in clear confusion but you don’t give them time as Can’t Hold Us by Macklemore is blaring through the speakers and the rap begins to play. 

“Get 'em, what it is, what it does, what it is, what it isn't, Looking for a better way to get up out of bed, Instead of getting on the Internet, And checking a new hit me, get up,” You rap the words flawlessly, a result of too much time in 2012. 

The boys hype you up as you continue to sing, Ranboo coming over to dance next to you. When the chorus hits you all jump around, screaming out the words. 

“Okay, my turn,” Ranboo says as the second verse starts. 

“Now, can I kick it? Thank you, Yeah, I'm so damn grateful, I grew up really wanting gold fronts,” He starts to rap with ease and your jaw drops looking at the younger boy. 

“Pop off!!!” Dream and George yell in unison and you laugh loudly before joining Ranboo. 

The two of you scream the verse together, pointing and dancing together as you do so. As you hit the peak of the bridge, you and Ranboo are practically screaming the lyrics, dancing around like idiots in the living room but you had never felt better in your life. 

The music and dancing continue, Wilbur requesting Love Story by Taylor Swift kicking off another round of giggles and loud singing especially from him, Karl, and Alex. 

Just as Hey There Delilah starts to play and the boys have another round of energy you can’t handle, you slip into the kitchen for half a second to grab something to drink. However, what you don’t notice is someone following behind. 

“They’re crazy,” Sap says from behind you, startling you slightly. 

“They’re the best though,” you tell him an unbelievably wide grin set on your lips. “I don’t know what I’d do without them.” 

“Without you,” you continue carefully and Sap’s eyes snap to yours. 

You look up at him, peering through your eyelashes and Sap keeps your stare. Something quiet passes between you two, and before either of you can say anything, Tommy comes bursting into the room. 

“(y/n)!! Come on I wanna sing with you!!” 

Tommy runs into the kitchen, grabbing your hand and pulling you out with him. You cast a quick glance back at Sap, an apologetic look on your face before turning and joining the rest of the boys once more. 

Sap’s head drops the minute you leave the room, wishing he had just admitted his feelings and gotten it over with. As he sits in the kitchen, kicking himself for not making a move, his mind races with an idea and suddenly he’s propelled out of the kitchen. 

“Can I see your phone?” Sap asks when the song ends and you break away from Tommy. 

You hand over your phone, watching as he scrolls through your playlist before deciding on a song. His smile widens when he hits play before handing your phone back to you. 

“Oh, her eyes, her eyes, Make the stars look like they're not shinin',” Sap begins and he takes your hand making you look at him. 

You smile watching one of your best friends singing, dancing around the room with him. But, as he continues your heart stops realizing what he’s saying. 

“And when you smile, The whole world stops and stares for a while, 'Cause girl, you're amazing, Just the way you are.” 

Sap pulls you close, wrapping an arm around your waist and you stare up at him in shock. He smiles wide at you and your heart has definitely stopped beating at this point. 

The song ends, and you’re breathless looking up at Sap. He smiles wides at you and you’re certain you’re reflecting it. 

His other arm wraps around your waist, dipping you back and before you know it his lips are on yours in a show-stopping kiss. You wrap your arms around his neck, pulling him even closer and when you break away, the boys cheer, making you laugh and push your face into his chest. 

“Finally,” Sap whispers and you giggle, unbelievable happiness radiating through you. 

[heynikkiyousofine]

A new wip because I don't have enough of them already😅 Inspired by @neutronstarchild​ fic “The Last Unclaimed Soul” and @lemonlushff​ fic ‘A Worthy Sacrifice” because y’all are goddesses at writing InuKag and I love your work.💕

Also, a big shoutout to @enchantedink-ag​ for always keeping me hyped up on my work, your kind words keep me going. 😊

Inuyasha stumbles across a goddess while he’s hunting a deer. A quick decision ends up turning his whole life around, is he prepared for his own red string of fate?

Let me know if you want to be added to the tag list for this fic and let me know what y’all think!

The Red Strings of Fate

Inuyasha jumped from one tree branch to the next, a determined look on his hard features. His jaw clenched as he paced himself to stay next to the deer running below. If he could catch this one, he would have food for a few days, plus a new skin to keep warm at night. The fall nights had been gradually getting colder and his cave was getting harder to keep warm throughout the night. Seeing the chestnut furred animal dart to the left, he cursed himself for not focusing better and leaped, landing right on top of the running mammal. Feeling it struggle beneath his sharp claws, he quickly snapped its neck and tumbled the forest floor, gripping its now lifeless body tightly against him as he rolled to a stop. Sighing to himself, he closed his eyes and said a silent thank you to the gods above for providing for him.

Opening his eyes, he saw the glimpse of light blue silk hanging from a tree nearby. Bracing himself for an attack, he quickly scooped up the deer and draped it over his shoulders, taking a silent step backwards. Hearing a heavenly giggle from somewhere up above, he stopped moving, his ears twitching rapidly on his head.

Curious about the sound, he silently jumped up in a large tree and set the mammal’s body down, hidden away from anyone passing by. Hearing the soft giggle once again, he slowly crept along his branch, keeping an eye on the soft blue silk. Hearing a slight rustle in the trees, he heard voices below as he crept further along as silently as possible.

“Monk, keep your hands to yourself!” an agitated feminine voice called through the trees.

“My dear Sango, I cannot resist. A body as beautiful as yours should always be worshipped.” A deep voice responded, causing Inuyasha to freeze in place. He held his breath, his golden eyes searching ahead for the blue silk or anything else to give him a clue as to who they were. The soft giggle he so desperately wanted to hear again lightly flitted across his ears, coming from above him this time. Glancing up, he saw a young woman with hair as black as night falling down her back, blue silk sashes flowing beneath her in the slight breeze, and pale legs with barefoot feet, hanging from the thick branch she currently resided on.

“We must get back Miroku. Kohaku will get suspicious if we’re gone too long.” the woman’s voice called softer this time, assuming her name was Sango based on the not so quiet conversation below.

“If we must my dear.” Miroku replied. Inuyasha stayed hidden behind the red and yellow leaves as the two humans headed towards a village up ahead, their footsteps fading in the afternoon. He glanced up at the figure still sitting on the tree, who sighed as she watched the couple leave. Jumping once more to a branch nearby the woman, Inuyasha landed on his toes, his clawed hands gripping the tree trunk for support. He heard a soft gasp and locked eyes with startled grey ones.

Inuyasha tried to ask who she was, but couldn’t seem to get a word out, his throat closing tight. Swallowing quickly, he didn’t dare to move closer as the woman stayed still as stone, staring back at him in shock. After a few moments, she let out a deep breath, her shoulders relaxing a bit and a sweet smile gracing her lips. Her grey eyes sparkled, a striking contrast to her wavy midnight hair as it flowed around her shoulders.

“You can see me.” She simply stated. Inuyasha just nodded, still unsure of what to say or do. Gripping the branch beneath his feet tightly, he still didn’t move as she turn and draped one leg over the branch, so she was straddling as she faced him. “What’s your name?”

Giving her a skeptical look, she merely laughed, her melodic voice filling the air around him. Feeling as if the world was being lifted from his shoulders, he gaped at her in shock while she continued to laugh. As she began to relax, he did too and mirrored her position on his own branch.

“Inuyasha.” He whispered, afraid to speak louder, thinking he would break whatever spell this was. This woman, this goddess, was something he couldn’t put his finger on, but he knew he would never be able to forget this encounter for the rest of his long, lonely life.

“Inuyasha.” She repeated. The way his name sounds on her lips, he could die a happy man if that was the only thing she ever said to him again. Aching to hear it again, his ears wiggled in anticipation as she continued to speak. :The name is fitting for a handsome man like you. I like it, Inuyasha.”

At her compliment, he blushed, casting his eyes downward. He wasn’t used to such nice words, especially from a stranger. Most humans and demons only ever called him degrading names, hurling insults his way as he passed by villages looking for food. Hearing her call his name again questionably, he looked up.

“Do you not receive such praise?” She asked, sadness clear in her stormy eyes. Why did it make her sad? He wondered, as he shook his head. “Well, I hope I can make up for that. You know, most can’t see me, unless a god has decided it to be in their destiny.”

Inuyasha wasn’t sure to make of this woman, her last sentence confusing him completely. Was she not human? A ghost perhaps? Or a demon who was able to hide herself? Sniffing discreetly, he could only smell the soft scent of jasmine from her, her words speaking truth. Seeing the confused look on his face, she laughed once again, his ears twitching rapidly on his head.

“I am the Goddess of Fate.” She leaned in close and whispered, her eyes bright with mirth. “But you, Inuyasha, can call me Kagome.”

“The Goddess of what?” He sputtered at Kagome, staring at her in complete shock.

“Fate.” She giggled again, her perfectly manicured hand coming up to cover her mouth and his ears once again twitched madly at the sound. God, he was already in deep. “I’d rather you call me Kagome though. My mother, Themis, gave me the nickname when I was but a child. Legends have different names for me, most call me Moira or Fatum,” she shrugged, “depending on whatever religion they came from.”

“So, uh, what were you laughing at earlier?” Inuyasha asked, unsure of where to go from there, overwhelmed with the information, scratching his head as he continued to listen.

“Oh! I was pulling fate strings. My sister Aphrodite likes to have fun with human men and their love interests, so I was playing my hand at a couple who have been dancing around their feelings for each other. The woman though she is a feisty one, a bit of a warrior, so she won’t give into him easily.” Kagome exclaimed, her smile growing wider as she talked about the couple Inuyasha overheard earlier.

“Wait. You mean, you make them fall in love? Isn’t that like messing with destiny or some shit like that?” Inuyasha just stared at her, waiting for an explanation. This woman was clearly delusional.

“Inuaysha,” Kagome rolled her eyes and smiled softly at him, causing his heart to skip a beat at his name, “I am the Goddess of Fate! It is my job to intertwine earthly lives and such. I can’t make people fall in love, but I can set them, guide them, direct them along a path where they will be together with one who worships them. I use what many legends call the red string of fate to encourage them.” She held up a dainty hand, each finger with multiple thin red strings falling from her fingertips. Each strand went a different way, disappearing into the forest around them. When she lowered her hand, the strings disappear and she waited for his next question.

“You can do that with anyone?” He asked after a moment, his ears quivering in anticipation for her answer. Maybe she could help him, he suddenly realized, and that maybe he wouldn’t have to be alone. Nodding at him, she watched as he grew excited, her gaze rising to set upon his fluffy ears. He watched as she stared and twitched his right ear, watching her mouth open slightly, gaping at him. Preparing for the slur to fall from her lips, he cringed when she asked him a question.

“Can I touch your ears?” She whispered, so quietly, he wasn’t sure he had heard her right. She wanted to touch his ears? Who was she? He simply nodded and blinked at her with uncertainty as she brought herself closer, to the edge of her branch and reacher her slender arm out. Seeing that she was still a bit too far, he lowered his head and waited, closing his eyes in anticipation. No had touched his ears since his mother.

His ear twitched as soft fingers grazed over it, before stopping and rubbing the felt tip. Hearing her soft giggle once again, he flicked his ears and raised his head, waiting for her response. What he didn’t expect was her to be even closer, her wide grey eyes staring deep into his. Swallowing, he froze in terror, waiting for the disgusting remark about his demon heritage to come tumbling from her mouth and being completely shocked when she just smiled at him, not speaking. Her pink lips opened slightly as she smiled wider, revealing perfectly white, straight teeth and he was close enough, he could see the few light freckles that danced across her small nose. Taking a deep breath, unable to speak himself, he inhaled, his lungs filling with the overwhelming scent of jasmine. Her grey eyes watched his gold ones, an unknown emotion and longing filling both, Inuyasha felt like he suddenly couldn’t breathe. All he could see was her, a glimpse of a future with her, her scent intertwining with his own, her body beneath his as he devoured her. Feeling his gut churning in his stomach, he blinked, breaking himself free from her trance, knowing he couldn’t ever have a life like that.

Coughing and lowering his gaze, he fiddled with his robe sleeve as he heard Kagome get to feet. Looking up at her in question and a little bit of sadness, thinking she was already leaving him, Kagome held her hand out to him expectantly.

“Inuyasha,” she breathed, her grey eyes filled with excitement, “Would you like me to show you?”Deciding he could always come back for the deer carcass, his clawed hand gripped hers tightly as he stood on his feet.

[manggaetteokkie]

Why 2HA adaptation might not be as bad as we think...

Okay so BL novel “The Husky and His White Cat Shizun” (chinese title: “二哈和他的白猫师尊”) aka 2HA is getting a live adaption which will be called “Immortality” (“皓衣行”). I know that usually, fans of original works are less than excited about this kinds of news and with good reasons. The issue is that those who buy the IP rights to a novel simply see its popularity and think that they can profit off of it without actually trying to understand the reason behind its popularity. Too often, BL fans see themselves forced to endure any of the following: 1) sex change of one of the male leads, 2) creation of a random female love interest, 3) turning a happy end into a bad end, 4) adding a bunch of scenes unrelated to our main pair that ends up dragging the series, 5) turning romance into brotherly affection... the list goes on and on. Sometimes, companies think that as long as they film any two guys together and sell a bit of physical touching here and there, fans will jump on it like rabid dogs which... is kinda stupid because, y’know, we have eyes (and standards) too.

So obviously, with the unprecedented popularity that came with the release of The Untamed, even more producers are starting to see the potential of danmei (BL) novels and with it came an onslaught of IP rights being bought and adapted. The list is pretty extensive, with some big names that I’m sure anyone who’s even slightly in the Chinese BL novel community has heard of before. Of course, included in that list, with the casting for the leads done and filming underway, is 2HA.

Quick overview of the story for those of you that don’t know: the story is set in the POV of the “gong” (top), a character named Mo Ran (also known as Mo Weiyu) who is the disciple of Chu Wanning, the “shou” (bottom) of our story. In his original life, Mo Ran had become the Emperor of the cultivation world through slaughter and tyranny, with the only one ever coming close to stopping him being his shizun, Chu Wanning, who eventually lost his life trying to stop him. After achieving the top by committing pretty much all crimes and sins known to men, weary and tired, Mo Ran decides to take his own life and ends it all. Unexpectedly, instead of dying and going to Hell, he transmigrated to the first year he became a disciple. As a thirty-something man in the body of a teen, he decides to do things right this time around and save the one he couldn’t save the first time around. As he goes through life a second time, truth after truths reveal themselves, with the biggest surprise being that the Shizun he hated so much in his previous life, and who Mo Ran thought hated/scorned him, actually turned out to be protecting him the entire time. 

Mo Ran, in his past life, was powerful, cruel, merciless and arrogant. There was nothing he could not obtain and he knew it. He was cynical, had a very jaded view of the world and was kind of unstable (lots of mood swings and temper tantrums). After his rebirth, he still maintained some of the arrogance and cynicism, but is more mischievous, confident and cheeky. He is very much like a husky, looks kind of scary and big, but can be extremely loyal to the ones he recognizes and can be a bit dumb sometimes. Chu Wanning on the other hand, is an unflappable person with a frost-like exterior, but a heart of gold. Basically, he cares a lot but it’s easier for him to look like he doesn’t than to voice his feelings. He gets embarrassed easily and covers his embarrassment using anger. He is extremely strong, likes peace and quiet, and always abides by the rules. 

Their relationship is kind of complicated. Initially, Mo Ran was in love with a fellow disciple called Shi Mei (despite the word meaning junior female disciple in Chinese, it’s actually the name of a male character). In the original timeline, Shi Mei died and that was the start of Mo Ran’s decline. After his rebirth, Mo Ran decides that he will do everything in his power to prevent Shi Mei from dying again. Don’t be mistaken though, Shi Mei is NOT the male lead. You’ll see as you read more that despite being in love with Shi Mei, Mo Ran is pretty obsessed with Chu Wanning because their relationship was kind of... complicated in the original timeline.

This is pretty much the premise for the story, but do be warned that it goes much deeper and darker than what you might expect (it’s rated R-18 for a reason). So why exactly am I writing all of this? To put it simply, I just kind of want to hype up the series and its adaptation a little, or at least, pique enough interest to give the live action adaptation a chance. Not gonna lie, when I heard 2HA was getting adapted, I was pretty skeptical because how. Mo Ran and Chu Wanning had a pretty physical relationship in the pre-rebirth timeline and that’s partially where the obsession that Mo Ran feels towards Chu Wanning stems from. There’s just basically a lot of unresolved sexual tension between them throughout the novel that I simply couldn’t see getting adapted. However, after thinking about it and reevaluating things from a low-expectations-standpoint, I think it might actually be possible to film something close enough to the original work. Here are some of the factors that influenced my opinion:

First, the series is set to air for 50 episodes (just like The Untamed). Why is the number of episodes important? Because it will determine how closely the adaptation will follow the original story and how much random stuff they can fit into it. Let’s take a step back and evaluate: 2HA’s novel has 311 chapters + extras while MDZS has 113 + extras. Obviously, people might have an issue with the number of episodes (”How are you going to air the same amount of episodes for a series that’s thrice as long??”) but I think it’s a good amount. Why? Because it pretty much guarantees a solid pacing that’ll keep the story moving forward without stagnating. I don’t think there is too much to worry in terms of too much source material being cut because quite a few chapters are R-18/romantic lining scenes that would not have gotten adapted anyways. Once those get deleted, I think 50 episodes is an acceptable amount.

Second, the entire production seems to be solid. The rights were actually bought by Tencent who, if you forgot, was also responsible for The Untamed. With prior success, I believe that they now have a pretty solid idea of how things should be run. Also, the CGI and world-design team is the same one as for Ashes of Love, which has me pretty stoked because while CG in chinese dramas has always been a hit or miss, Ashes of Love is definitely amongst some of the best I’ve seen (see below for examples). (P.S. there are also rumours that Lin Hai, the one responsible for The Untamed’s OST, might be working on 2HA but this is mere speculation at this point.) Overall, 2HA is looking to be like the most high-profile and expensive BL adaption yet.

Third and finally, the casting.

Holy.

Okay.

This is what has me the most hyped. 

Let’s start with Shi Mei, who will be portrayed by actress Chen Yao (or Sebrina Chen).

I know I’ve said that despite the name, Shi Mei is a male. As it turns out, likely for censorship reasons, “Immortality” could not escape from the clutches of the dreaded sex change so they went ahead and turned him into a girl. While not ideal, in my opinion, it actually works out pretty nicely here. In this case, it means that Mo Ran is in love with a female character which would further draw censorship’s attention away from the fact that Mo Ran really has a thing for his beautiful shizun. While it would have been perfect if everything could go according to source material, the fact that it’s Shi Mei that went through a sex change actually works pretty favourably in the grand scheme of things. Not to mention the actress set to play Shi Mei has some good experience acting similar roles so overall, I say that I trust her.

Next, we have Chu Wanning who will be played by Luo Yunxi (or Leo Luo).

For this character, I have no worries whatsoever. If you’re unfamiliar with this actor, I highly recommend you give Ashes of Love a try. He played the 2nd lead and ugh. He’s so good at playing beautiful and elegant characters that are forced to undergo a ton of suffering and pain. Luo Yunxi used to be a professional ballet dancer so he moves with grace and his fight scenes are amazing to watch. Also, he has great control over his facial expressions. He’s able to act out characters that suffer a lot without making them seem weak or powerless. Even the way he cries can be considered both beautiful and heartbreaking.

Finally, we have Mo Ran who will be portrayed by Chen Feiyu (or Arthur Chen).

Mo Ran is an extremely complex character. From pre-rebirth’s insanity and arrogance, to post-rebirth’s hope and reservation, to post-revelation’s love and devotion, the actor’s going to have a lot on his plate. Originally, when I first googled him, I thought that while he’d manage to pull off post-rebirth teen!Mo Ran fairly well given how clean and refreshing his face looks, he’d have a harder time pulling off pre-rebirth’s arrogance, craziness and general “hardness”. However, after seeing some costume designs and makeup edits, I think that the boy might just pull it off. Also, while the actor is nowhere near as solid as Luo Yunxi is, it seems that he’s willing to put in extra time and effort (as seen by his Weibo post about how he’d been studying the source material) to make up for it. I think that with enough dedication, he might just be able to pull it off.

(Psssst! By the way, keeping this strictly between you and me, another reason why I’m such a fan of this pair is because of the height difference. I mean just look at this?? Their height difference is pretty much bang on with the novel height difference after Mo Ran grew past Chu Wanning’s height. Not to mention, don’t tell me you see this and don’t automatically picture a the big dorky puppy following his reserved and cool master around?)

So yeah, all of this just to say that it might be okay to kind of have some expectations for 2HA. I really want to keep my own expectations down as low as possible given the amount of times we’ve been burned but I want to remain hopeful that, with the success of The Untamed, it can pave the way for better and more faithful danmei adaptations, with 2HA being one of them.

[shyvioletcat]

Rowaelin fluff! Rowaelin fluff!! Please? 💜💛

I think this counts as Fluff? It’s another part to the EMT/farm boy AU. If anyone has any thoughts on a name for it I’d be very grateful... PART 1 // PART 2

~~~~~

Aelin walked down the main street of Mistward wearing workout leggings and a matching crop, with a loose grey singlet over the top for a little semblance of modesty. In Rifthold she probably would have forgone the singlet, but here the eyes were a little too familiar. She had just Gone for a through the forest near the edge of town with Fleetfoot to help the dog burn off some pent up energy. It seemed to not have helped in the slightest as the big golden dog practically bounded down the street on their “cool down”.

Aelin kept the Fleetfoot on a short leash as she passed people, mostly locals getting their morning coffees or meeting up for breakfast. Aelin considered getting something herself but with how hyped up Fleetfoot was right now she might break or runaway with whatever Aelin tied her to. So instead she walked, smiling and nodding to some of the patients she recognised if they did so first. Living in a small town cost her some anonymity.

They were almost to the car, and Fleetfoot must have known it, because she suddenly turned around pulling Aelin with her.

“Fleet— oof.”

Aelin hit something solid, a someone it turned out, who was carrying a large bag of animal feed on their shoulder. She practically bounced off him but then a tattooed hand grabbed her by the elbow to steady her. She knew that hand.

Rowan turned a little, revealing his face behind the bag of feed. “Are you alright? Oh, Dr Galathynius.”

Rowan was smiling once he realised who he had just saved from falling on their ass.

“Mr Whitethorn, it’s nice to see you out of the emergency room for once,” Aelin said, then she was tugging Fleetfoot’s lead to stop her from tangling around Rowan’s legs. “Fleetfoot, heel.”

She did no such thing, she nosed at Rowan’s hands eagerly waiting to be pet. Rowan knelt, dropping the bag of animal feed beside him and cupped the dogs face in his hands. Fleetfoot loved the attention and practically tried to climb into Rowan’s lap while licking his face.

“I’m so sorry,” Aelin said as she finally managed to pull her off him. “She’s very friendly and has been missing company I think.”

“She’s fine,” Rowan said as he stood. “I was serious about bringing her out to the farm.” Then Rowan literally slapped his forehead. “I didn’t give you my address.”

“I know it.” The words were out of Aelin’s mouth before she could stop them. When Rowan had driven off the other night she had gone to his file an looked it up. It was most likely a breach of practice but they were friends... kind of. Rowan gave her an amused look, raising an eyebrow in question. Then Aelin admitted quietly, “I may have gotten in from your file.”

“That’s not creepy at all,” Rowan said.

Aelin tried to defend herself, “You invited me.”

“I’m starting to rethink that decision,” Rowan said as he fought a full blown grin.

Aelin felt her cheeks heat and she couldn’t look at him as she shook her head. He was teasing her, she was the one usually doing the teasing, this was leaving her at a loss for words.

“How does Saturday sound?” Rowan said.

Aelin looked up again, Rowan was still grinning. By some grace of the gods she did in fact have Saturday off. “That sounds great.”

“I’ll be home all day, so come at whatever time. You know where,” Rowan added with a wink.

That made Aelin laugh, she had regained her composure and was about to bite back when a sweet, female voice called his name. A woman with pale blond hair and bright blue eyes was approaching them, paying Aelin absolutely no mind. Rowan gave her a small smile which had Aelin feeling slightly disappointed.

“Hello, Remelle,” Rowan said.

Aelin waited for a glance, some kind of acknowledgement but Remelle ignored her still.

“How’s Pearl doing?” She asked Rowan.

“She’s doing really well,” then Rowan indicated to Aelin. “This is Aelin, she was the doctor who helped me out. Aelin, this is Remelle, one of the vets in town.”

Finally Remelle looked at her, disdain written on her face. Aelin levelled her with a look of her own.

“Remelle said you did a pretty good job,” Rowan supplied, seeming oblivious to the ridiculousness going on before him.

“An okay job,” Remelle said with a dismissing shrug.

“No I remember you specifically saying that it was the best that could have been done for Pearl in the situation, especially as she wasn’t treated by a vet. You said the use of those clips was a genius move,” Rowan explained as he absentmindedly patted Fleetfoot’s head, having worked her way over to him again.

Aelin tried, and failed, to hide her smile as Remelle practically bristled with irritation. She took that as her cue to go.

“I should go, come on Fleetfoot, good girl,” Aelin said to the dog as she obliged, although begrudgingly. “See you Saturday?” She added just to see Remelle’s ire increase.

Rowan nodded, gave her a small smile. “See you Saturday.”

Aelin left without another word, Remelle’s burning gaze no doubt shooting daggers at her back.

~~~~~

Tags:

@fucking-winchester-trash // @literary-licorice // @galyxsy // @tangledraysofsunshine // @highqueenofelfhame // @3am-reading// @soup-that-is-too-hawt // @aelinfire-bringer // @nalgenewhore // @highladyofthesith // @http-itsrebecca // @sleep-and-books // @average-girl-at-best // @alifletcher2012 // @westofmoon // @sleeping-and-books // @ttakeitbacknoww // @armixers-unite // @mariamuses // @chocolate-eating-bitch-queen // @velarian-trash// @queenofxhearts // @heroesofterrasen // @ladyofstoriesandmusic// @empire-of-wildfire // @camerooonchiu // @crackedship // @lowhangingtreebranches // @over300books // @yourwhisperingshadows // @thesirenwashere // @tswaney17 // @impossiblescissorspeachpaper // @cat5313 // @judelovescardan // @flowerspringsea // @chaoticskyy // @the-regal-warrior // @fanfictrash3000 // @blueeyes425 // @starseternalnighttriumphant// @bamchickawowow // @thehuntressofmoon // @giorgia-the-trashpanda // @flora-and-fae // @thereaderandfangirl// @illyrian-bookworm // @chemicha // @meltalgel-ig // @gay-book-nerd // @booksstorm // @bat-wing-rhys // @thesurielships // @clockworkgraystairs

[todorokiaimee]

Blues In The Night

This is the first chapter of my Todoroki x OC book. All characters are aged up. (This will be a mature story down the line.) This is my first attempt at really writing so I really hope you guys like it! 

SUMMARY: Adult pro hero Todoroki falls in love with an African-American plus size woman he’s met in his favorite coffee shop. However, this Cajun Army-brat is difficult to win over but he refuses to give up on her as he helps to break down her walls. Little does he know, she’s put these walls up for a reason.

CHAPTER 1. Everything Happens to Me | Chapter Song

“Yes Father, the threat has been dealt with,” the red and white-haired man said into his cell phone as he sauntered down the busy streets of Tokyo. He had just taken out a troublesome gang with the intent to sell stolen goods. Subduing them was easy enough, but he was annoyed he had to do it in the first place. During the fall months, crime usually slows down. Unfortunately, these villains did not have the same sentiment. “You really should learn how to delegate. There are plenty of capable sidekicks at our agency. There really was no need to call me in on my day off,” he huffed. 

“I am delegating. I delegated this job to you didn’t I?” Endeavor barked through the phone. 

Shoto rolled his eyes and proceeded to enter his favorite coffee shop, giving a polite nod to the cashier as she looked him up and down in his hero costume.  He didn’t normally like to be seen in it outside of patrols but a trip home just to change seemed inefficient. He’d just have to endure the extra stares. “I suppose. I’ll email you the full incident report tonight. Goodbye.” 

“Shoto wait-.” 

He hung up before his father could have a chance to finish, not wanting to spoil what he had left of his day off. A small smile graced his lips as he addressed the cashier. “My apologies. May I please have a small black coffee.” 

She nodded and got to work on his coffee while he scanned the cafe. He enjoyed this particular cafe because of their open mic nights. He liked the relaxed atmosphere and also not being the center of attention for a while. Hero work had its perks, but the pitfall was always feeling like he had to maintain his hero image. Shoto was a civil servant after all. He was not only representing himself but his father by extension. Even though he and Endeavor had their issues, he was still going to be respectful if even just for the agency’s sake. 

After receiving and paying for his coffee, he eyed a free booth with a good view of the stage. In the booth in front sat another cafe regular that he had seen many times before, her long black curls and rich chocolate skin catching his eye more than once. She often sat alone with a book in hand and he wondered why a woman so beautifully unique as her would be unaccompanied. Even as he wondered and walked over to his empty booth behind her, he decided not to bother her. Perhaps like him, she enjoyed the peace and quiet atmosphere alone.

As Shoto took his seat, two women unceremoniously walked into the shop, ruining any semblance of the tranquility he so craved. “Omg, you will not believe the night I had last night. Kaneki took me dancing and we like, danced and stuff. But I got soooo drunk that I kept like singing all the music at the top of my lungs! It was so hilarious!” Her nasally voice boomed through the once quiet cafe. Shoto sighed and sipped his coffee, hoping she would just settle down and find a seat, his ears perking up as he heard a soft sigh from the booth behind him. 

“I love hearing you sing, girl! What are you going to sing for the open mic tonight?” The annoying mystery woman's friend inquired. 

“Oh, nothing today. My vocal coach said I need to be on vocal rest since I overdid it last night. Such a shame too. I would have totally dominated,” She cackled like a witch as they both took a seat and continued their conversation.  

“You’re doing it wrong,” a small voice came from behind him. In surprise, he let out a rare but small chuckle.

Aimee blushed, not realizing she said her snide comment loud enough that the man behind her could hear. She bit her plump bottom lip gently, as she tried not to break into giggles. She didn’t intend to be rude, but she just couldn’t help herself. Those two probable trust fund bimbos were talking loud enough for the whole cafe to hear their conversation. If that woman was really supposed to be on ���vocal rest”, she is not going to see good results and honestly, she found that hilarious. Internally, however, she knew it was bad gris-gris to tease people, no matter how justified. She resigned to quietly sip her iced coffee in peace (or what’s left of it) because as the kids would say, “that’s none of my business.” 

Just as she was about to finish her drink, she heard a low voice from behind her, “If her singing voice is anything like her speaking voice, she is perhaps doing us a kindness.” Startled and pleasantly surprised, Aimee choked on her last bit of coffee. The two loud women suddenly looking back at her “causing a scene” only made her cough and laugh more. Todoroki immediately stood from his seat and went to the ravenette’s aid, apologizing profusely. “My apologies, that was terribly rude of me. Are you alright? May I get you some water?” 

Aimee shook her head, giggling through her tears as her eyes watered from the short lack of oxygen. “No, no! I’m fine. It was actually pretty funny. You just caught me off guard is all.” 

Todoroki paused and took in her face as she wiped her eyes. To put it simply, she was exquisite.  Her large brown almond eyes looked into his as a playful smile tugged at the corners of her full lips. Her womanly body jiggled and bounced as she laughed, a sound he wanted to never end. Looking down at her from where he stood, he noticed how her bright yellow shirt complimented her smooth dark skin and how the modest V neckline revealed her abundance of cleavage. He couldn’t help but feel a slight warmth fill his cheeks as he stared down at her. “You must have either a really good, or a really poor sense of humor to find me funny.”

As Aimee caught her breath she took a moment to really look at the duel-quirk hero. She had seen him several times before in the cafe, but never up close. He was quite tall, with lean muscle pulling against the blue fabric of his hero costume. His peppermint hair dangled in front of his eyes until he nervously brushed them aside, revealing her favorite trait. His eyes. One cool grey, one turquoise blue. The rumors were true. You could get lost in those heterochromatic orbs. He definitely lived up to the hype. Aimee was pulled out of her thoughts as Todoroki cleared his throat, awkwardly shifting his weight. “May I… join you?”

Aimee unconsciously quirked an eyebrow at him. Join me? What would a super hot (and cool) pro hero want with me? Not to be rude, she of course nodded and he slipped into the booth opposite of her after retrieving his coffee. He’s just trying to get to know his constituents, she thought. No big deal.

“I’ve seen you here a lot,” Todoroki said softly as he sipped his coffee. Aimee paused for a moment, thinking he had something to add to it. Apparently, the rumors that he was a man of few words was true as well. 

“Yes…” she nodded slowly.  “I have seen you as well,” she said slightly sarcastically with a small smirk tugging at her lips. “This place reminds me of back home. The live music, coffee, and sweet treats. They also have the best apple pie around, so there’s that.” 

She giggled and Shoto thought it was the sweetest sound in the world. He nodded as his cool eyes locked onto hers, suddenly feeling bold. “I assumed you weren’t from here. There are not many women in Japan like you.” 

“What, you mean Black?” She quirked her head to the side with wide eyes.

Shit! Todoroki’s left side abruptly erupted into flames. FUCK! Although it only lasted for a second, Shoto was so embarrassed. First, he made this gorgeous woman choke on her coffee, then he insults her, and to top it off he almost burns the poor woman! All in his sad attempt to flirt. 

“Whoa! Oh my God!” Aimee shouted in shock as she instinctively pulled away. 

His normally pale face flushed a deep red all the way to the tips of his ears. He hadn’t lost control of his quirk since he was a teenager. He was a goddamn adult! Scrambling to his feet he bowed deeply, spewing a plethora of hushed apologies.

Aimee blinked in surprise at the sight before her, instantly regretting her decision to tease the poor man. She never dreamed she could pull such an extreme reaction out of the usually stoic hero. Being snarky was just one of her many defense mechanisms when she felt exposed and vulnerable. And boy did the way Todoroki looked her make her feel exposed and vulnerable. In fact, she was still surprised one of the best (and hottest) pro heroes was even talking to her. 

“Hey…” she reached out for his (hopefully safe) right hand. She noted it was significantly cool to the touch. “At ease soldier. I’m the one who should apologize. I was just messing with you.” 

Todoroki looked down at her small soft hand, observing the contrast to his large and calloused own. He pensively looked up at her from under his bangs, only to catch her large brown orbs staring into his with an apologetic smile. 

“That was a pretty impressive display of power though.” She giggled and squeezed his hand gently, encouraging him to sit back down. Todoroki nodded and took his seat sat back across from her as Aimee cleared her throat, giving everyone else in the cafe the evil eye for staring. Somehow, although she barely knows this man, she already felt the need to protect the sweet lamb from unwanted attention.  

“Anyway, your assumption is right. I’m American, from New Orleans, LA specifically. I moved here when I was 13 with my Dad. He’s a Colonel in the Marines and was stationed at Camp Kinser.” 

Todoroki nodded and took another sip of his coffee. “That’s a noble profession.” Aimee sighed and played with a few of her dark curls. 

“It is. But as a child, I used to hate it. Having to pick up and leave everything I ever knew behind. Being thrust into a new culture. It was hard at first and I felt like my Dad didn’t understand it, or just didn’t care.” 

The hero hummed in response. “I do have experience with difficult fathers.” 

The look on Todoroki’s face gave her the feeling that there was a lot to unpack there but she decided not to ask. He’s been through enough for one talk anyway. “Welp, it’s pretty much all good now. We’re still not super close but I don’t get to see him often. He’s a very busy man, keeping the world safe in his own way. But you, you’re right on the front lines. What’s that like?” 

Todoroki blinked rapidly, surprised to have the topic of conversation turned to him. He was hoping he could learn more about the captivating woman in front of him. “I… just do my best to help those in need.” 

“You know, this is a little embarrassing, but you’re my favorite hero to watch in a fight.” Todoroki slowly set down his coffee with a confused look, sure he misheard her. “The way you move and use your quirk in a fight… even though you obviously have great power, your moments are so fluid and somehow even gentle. I mean, you rarely fight with a closed fist. You make battle look so effortless and easy. Like a dance almost.” 

She likes my fighting? Who is this angel? Todoroki stared her in disbelief. He had never heard his fighting described in such a way. After years of struggling with accepting his quirk, and being called cold and distant in the tabloids, this woman called him gentle of all things. A familiar heat rose to his cheeks for the third time today and this time he didn’t really care. He looked up at her to find a similar but faint rosy color upon her cheeks. “Thank you.”

Aimee looked at her watch hummed. “Oh 20:00 already. I really should get going, my cat gets cranky when he’s hungry. As do I.” She laughed lightly and she stood up from the booth, putting on her coat. Shoto watched helplessly as she gathered her things. He didn’t want the conversation to end, but he also couldn’t be selfish and keep her there. “Well. Thank you for your service, Mr. Todoroki. And thanks for the… colorful conversation,” she said with a small smirk, turning on her heel to leave. 

“Wait.” He cautiously took her hand. “You know my name, but I don’t know yours.” 

The smallest of twinkles flashed across her eyes, and it certainly didn’t go unnoticed by Shoto. “Aimee. Aimee Faurie.” 

“That’s a beautiful name.” 

She cheekily bit her bottom lip trying to suppress a wide smile. Aimee had already promised not to tease the man anymore, but she just couldn’t help herself. “Thank you. I got it for my birthday.” 

And with that, she turned and walked away towards the cafe exit. Todoroki sat stunned for a moment, mulling over her last statement before finally letting out another rare chuckle. Although the moment his eyes locked onto her hips as she glided out the door (and shamelessly all the way down the street) he found himself stunned for an entirely different reason. “Aimee. Until we meet again.”

Chapter 2

[ilovejacksonswang]

Two Types of Forever

A/n (PLEASE READ) My first fic! And it’s a vampire!BamBam fic but really him being a vampire isn’t apparent until the very end. I know my writing is a bit suck-ish now but I’m working on it like it’s a muscle that’ll get stronger with more exercise :) please support it and I hope you actually enjoy it! Hopefully, this will be a chapter fic as long as I keep up the motivation I have for writing it. Also! I’ll be posting this on a writing blog that me and a friend Admin for called “write-the-sun” by tomorrow, so if you like what you read you’ll be able to see more of my work on this account (my personal account) and on that one! Thank you for reading and I hope you have a lovely day <3

Rated: M for smut and graphic depictions of sex

Word Count: 12,080

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I was on my fifth glass of water and I couldn’t tell if the tugging in my stomach was from the nerves wreaking havoc on my body or if the last glass had gone straight through me and to my bladder.

“I’m going to throw up as soon as I get up there, Nadine,” I groan, throwing a look to my best friend that I’m hoping will accurately depict my distress and horror. She scoffs and reaches her hand across the table between us, placing it on top of mine and rubbing attempting to comfort me.

“You’ll be fine, hun, trust me the only thing you’ll do up there is blow us all away. I promise,” she says in response to my fretting.

“I don’t know what made me think I could just walk in here and enter a poetry slam, I’ve never even performed here before! What if they hate me? Only I would come to New York for the first time to watch an open mic and then end up accidentally joining a poetry slam. I haven’t practiced my stuff in weeks!” I whine at her and she huffs while rolling her eyes.

“You’re good honestly, everyone here will be blessed to have seen you perform,” she counters and I just huff, picking up my water and sipping at it nervously again.

“Zara, don’t look now but the hottest guy I’ve ever seen in my life just walked in and I think he’s signing up for the slam,” Nadine whispers at me and, before she’s even finished, my head is turned to the door, a loud groan emitting from my friend.

“I said don’t look,” she sasses as I analyze my competition. His lip stays stuck between his teeth as he focuses on the signup sheet. His legs, snugly hugged by the tightest pair of black ripped skinny jeans I had seen that day, went on for miles. His silver dyed hair was styled to show off his forehead and the dangly ear rings hanging off of his many ear piercings, a black v neck silk shirt hanging off his body and revealing his collar bones. His skin looked like the sun had kissed it, slightly tan and incredibly kissable. He’s slender and tall and emanates grace and elegance. The slam MC sees him from his table amongst the judges and immediately shoots up, heading towards him with a smile and arms wide open.

“You made it bro! I haven’t seen you in so long I thought you quit the scene, you gonna spit some fire tonight?” I catch him saying to the silver haired boy and immediately wish for death as the silver haired boys’ gaze catches mine in search for the speaker. He smirks at me as my face heats, his shoulders shaking in silent laughter before he trains his gaze on the slam MC, dapping him up before he responds. I turn around, face red from being caught staring and not wanting to risk getting caught eavesdropping either.

“When are they going to start? You need to go up there and kill it quick because the last train back is at 11, honey. If we get stuck in New York at night with no more cash, barely enough money in our bank accounts, and no transportation, we’re going to have to scope out a bench and take turns sleeping on it,” she mutters, only half joking considering that really will be our reality if we miss our train.

“See? The universe is just telling me that I shouldn’t perform at this slam! We could just-”

“No, we’re not going to leave until you go up there,” she asserts, interrupting me as she checks her phone for the time. I peek at it and bite my lip in anxiety, seeing it’s already nine o’clock and there’s no way this thing will end before 11 p.m. with five competitors and three rounds.

I sigh, trying to collect my wits as I survey the room, the poets and audience. The room is large with a bar on one side where two girls sit making conversation with the bartender. There are large tables surrounding the stage that is lit with a spotlight on a single mic in the middle of the stage. There are renaissance style paintings covering the walls, dimly lit by sparsely placed sconces and the candles that sit in the middle of every table.

“He’s coming here,” Nadine whispers to me, her wide eyes no doubt trained over my shoulder and on silver hair. I grimace and go back to nervously sipping at my water as loud music shakes the room and the slam MC struts up the stairs onto the stage. Silver hair passes by our table leisurely saying his hellos to people here and there in the crowd, leaving behind trails of expensive spicy cologne and I can basically see Nadine’s mouth water.

           “I’m about to throw up the fried tofu we had for lunch and you’re here ogling,” I pout at her as I can’t help but ogling at silver hair either. He walks as if he commands the attention of everyone in the room and I can’t help but to feel even more insecure as I see the judges’ eyes follow him about the room, too.

           “That’s because there are three things I know right now. I know that roses are red, I know that guy over there is so hot I’m ready to drop my panties, and I know that no matter how anxious you are right now, you’re going to go up there and murder the mic,” she winks at me as I narrow my eyes at her.

           “Ok! Is everybody ready? Because I’m ready! I want to hear how ready you guys are!” the MC booms into the mic, adjusting it to his tall height as the room breaks out in cheers and claps. Silver hair takes a seat, leans back, and kicks up his feet onto another chair as if he owns the room and I grimace as he raises his eyebrows at the judges and they smile back in recognition.

           “Is that BamBam? Oh my gosh no way, I’ve seen his spoken word videos on YouTube! His hair looks so much better in person, you think he’ll let me touch it if I hype up his poetry enough?” one of the girls from the bar whispers to the other as they pass by our table to take their seats, and I frown. My competitive spirit wakes up and burns in me, pushing my anxiety into a box, taping it shut, and sitting on top of it.

           “That was weak guys, we’re at a poetry slam, not a senior home, I want to hear you!” the MC goads into the mic, the audience responding by raising their cheers by a decibel or two. The MC looks extremely pleased with himself as he looks around the room and opens his mouth to speak again.

           “Here are the rules of the slam! We have 5 competitors that are going to come out here and speak their truth. If you’re feeling what they’re spitting, you’re going to snap it up like this-” he demonstrates snapping along with the judges as some giggles are heard around the crowd, “and when they walk off you’re going to clap it up. The more you snap and clap, the better these 5 lovely beautiful judges will know what score to give them on a scale of one to ten, decimals are allowed up to only the tenths and no smaller. The highest and lowest score will be dropped and the middle three will be added with ½ a point being deducted from this cumulative score for every 10 seconds the poet goes over their time limit. Final scores will determine the order for the next round with the highest score performing first and the lowest score performing last. All five competitors will perform in the first two rounds but only the top three performers will perform in an epic third round that will burn this house down! Remember, we clap for the people, not the scores. First place will get a spot on the slam team and will advance on to regional competitions in Orlando, Florida. Second place will get a free drink at the bar,” He finishes, joking as the crowd laughs and the bartender shakes her head in disapproval.

           “But, before we can get to the main course, we need an appetizer. Let’s have the sacrificial poet come up here and perform a piece to get you all and the judges warmed up. Give it up for our sacrificial poet, Amber Lee,” the MC surveys the crowd as a small girl gets up from her table with a notebook in hand, wading her way between the crowd and I size her up. She wears her blonde hair up in a tight bun and large round glasses hug the bridge of her nose. She climbs up the stairs and surveys the crowd, adjusting the mic to her size before she steps back and looks down. The silence suffocates the room as even the candle flames dare not flicker before she takes a breath and steps up to the mic, her melodious voice trembling as she begins her poem with a story about an absent father and an alcoholic mother.

           Silver hair keeps his eyes trained on her, eyebrows wrinkled in concentration as his fingers drum along on this thighs. She’s painfully good and her emotion cuts through the air and straight into my heart, sounds of appreciation and approval emanate from the crowd as well as choruses of snaps at the ends of her elaborate similes and metaphors. My competitive spirit flares, my heart beating faster as she ends her performance to whoops and hollers, the MC heading back on the stage clapping his hands as the judges furiously scribble their scores on their white boards.

           They reveal their scores, even though they won’t count since she’s not a real competitor and the atmosphere immediately changes. Tension permeates the room as we wait to see which competitor will start the slam.

           “Let’s get this thing rolling then, please welcome the first competitor to our stage, give a big hand for Adrian Sean,” the MC announces as a tall white boy stands up from the same table as silver hair. Silver hair looks up at Adrian, sizing up the boy wearing suspenders, khaki shorts, and a pink button down with gigantic glasses hanging off his nose. He swaggers up to the stage in typical entitled boy fashion and grabs the mic off the stand, thanking the MC before he starts his poem about feminism in complete mansplaining style. I grimace and see silver hair’s shoulders shaking in mirth as he tries his best to cover the smirk overcoming his plush lips.

The judges are not amused as Adrian finishes his poem with a line that portrays him as a savior for all female kind, bows, and sashays off the stage. Awkward clapping fills the room as the MC takes the stage again, rubbing his neck with a wary smile on his lips.

“Wow, so how do we feel about that?” The MC stalls as the judges whisper back in forth before scribbling one their boards. Adrian himself whoops and hollers as another round of awkward clapping ensues, the judges holding up their boards to reveal an overall score of 15.

“You already know they gave him that score out of pity, you have this in the bag, Zara,” Nadine scoffs from behind me, eyes flickering to silver hair. I roll my eyes as the MC announces the next competitor, a tall and beautiful colored girl by the name of Crystal.

“I’m going to go pee before they call me up there,” I inform Nadine and she nods before I get up and head down the back wall and into a long hallway. A bathroom sign points me towards a single, unisex bathroom that I enter and lock behind me, immediately heading to the sink and splashing cold water on my face. I focus on myself in the mirror, looking myself in the eyes to the sound of muted snaps and hollers.

“You can do this. This isn’t even your first slam. You’re going to serve them a 4 course meal in the form of a poem and Adrian, Silver hair, and everyone in that room are going to eat it,” I assert at my reflection. Wiping my face clean on a paper towel I practice some breathing exercises before opening the door, letting out a surprised yelp as I collide into someone.

“Whoa there, is there something in there I should be running away from, too?” A deep and playful voice teases me. I close my eyes to collect my wits before looking up and meeting silver hair’s eyes.

“I thought I saw Bloody Mary,” I blurt out lamely, in attempt at making banter and his voluptuous lips quirk in response to my horrifying attempt at making a joke. I immediately wish for a bolt of lightning to strike me on the spot, a blush making its way to my face that I hope he can’t see in the dim lighting.

“Hmm, maybe she can teach you that it’s not very polite to stare. Of course, I don’t mind but let the wrong person catch you and I’m sure you won’t be so lucky,” he retorts, looking immensely pleased with himself and I feel my jaw hit the floor.

“You look cute when you’re dumbstruck. It’s ok, you can show me what you got once you get up on that stage, Kitten. And by the way, I just love your shoes,” he taunts while moving past me and into the bathroom before closing and locking the door. I stand absolutely astounded for a moment trying to process what happened before rage and my competitive spirit take over and I almost break down the door to the bathroom to tell him just where he can shove my shoes if he likes them so much. Looking down to check what shoes I had actually worn that day, I instantly wish for death again for the umpteenth time that day as I notice a trail of toilet paper sticking to one of my sneakers. So that’s why he “loved” my shoes. I fume internally as I rip the toilet paper off my shoe, ball it up angrily, and pelt it at the bathroom door before marching back to my table just as the judges reveal Crystal’s score. She totals a score of 24.7 and out of the corner of my eye I can see Adrian scowling at her no doubt for blowing his score out of the water. As the next competitor by the stage name Zipper takes the stage, silver hair passes by our table on his way back to his own and has the gall to look at me over his shoulder. He throws a pointed look towards my shoes and I have to hold myself back from chucking my glass of water at him.

Zipper’s poem sounds more like a rap, the ends of his lines rhyming perfectly as his poem literally flows through the air and into our ears. His analogies are only strengthened by the power of his voice as he performs his poem about his experience with drug addiction, moving the entire audience into a cacophony of ooh’s, ah’s, snaps, and even the stray “fuck”. The entire audience is moved to silence as he finishes his poem and walks off the stage, before they erupt into claps and cheers. The MC struts onto the stage clapping taking the mic in his hand and howling into it.

“Now that’s what I’m talking about!” the MC bellows into the mic as the judge’s score shoot up into the air, totaling a solid 26.3 and my heart sinks as I realize the competition is getting stiffer.

“Now, next up we have a reigning legend and badass coming up to bless this stage and your ears, I want you all to give it up for BamBam!” the MC hypes as silver hair indulges in the cheers from the audience. He stands as if he already knows he’s won and strides up to the stage, taking the stairs two at a time. The spotlight catches on his silk shirt and it’s as if the entire room waits in baited breath before he opens his mouth and starts his poem.

He doesn’t just speak his truth, he performs it. His facial expressions match his grief and his voice oozes pain as he talks about a lover lost. His hands caress the mic stand as he speaks about her, gripping it until his knuckles turn white as he talks about her loss and the heartbreak that ensues. There’s alliteration and repetition, internal rhymes and everything that drives an English major, like myself, into a frenzy of excitement. His eyes survey the crowd, locking with mine as he delivers perfectly executed analogy after analogy, his voice raising in volume as his poem reaches a climax. He leaves the poem without resolution, a decision that leaves me feeling as if I’ve been punched in the gut, gasping for air. His lithe legs carry him off the stage as chaos breaks in the crowd and people stand giving him a standing ovation. He just smirks and plops back down on his chair, nodding in recognition to their recognition of him. Yet, while his poem leaves me hurting after a love I’ve never even had, I can’t help but to feel an urge to get up there and show him the magic I could also weave in front of a mic. The judges reveal his score and I bristle internally as I see he’s scored a 28.4. The window gets tighter and tighter, but I don’t feel any of that pressure as I walk up to the stage to the sound of the MC calling my name.

I take a moment to survey the crowd and smile at Nadine as she sends me a little thumbs up before taking a deep breath. I grip the mic in my hands before baring my soul to this crowd of people I’ve never seen before, telling them about my relationship to my depression and meds. The road I took to finally being “ok” spills out from between my lips. I cast my spell over the audience and watch it take its form as they snap and nod, leaning towards my words like Icarus to the sun. Glancing over at BamBam I see that even his eyebrows are raised in shock and I take a brief moment to revel in the effect I have before I deliver the end of my poem.

“Thank you,” I breathe out and into the mic, as almost half the audience stands and shouts while I make my way off stage. The MC shakes my hand as I get to the bottom of the stairs.

“You killed it sweetheart, this your first time?” He asks quickly, only catching me shake my head no as he jumps back onto the stage to do his job. Passing by BamBam, it’s my turn to smirk at him and he raises his hands in a sign of acknowledgment, giving me a quick once over that puts an extra spring in my step. Nadine greets me with a hug as I get back to my table and we quickly take our seats.

“See! I told you that you wouldn’t choke up there,” she comments before eagerly looking towards the judge’s scores, a total of 28.2. I gawk, my ego taking a slight bruising as I notice the .2 difference between my score and BamBam’s. I sigh, even if I didn’t get first place, I could’ve done a lot worse. My score is still pretty solid considering there’s another round to qualify for the final.

“Zara, it’s 10:30 and if we don’t leave now, we’re gonna miss the last train but you still have like 2 more rounds to go,” Nadine informs me, her forehead crinkled in worry.

“Shit. I can’t just leave, my name’s officially in and I’ve already started,” I mutter back to her.

“My mom’s actually going to kill me if I don’t get back on time, dude,” she responds, rolling her eyes.

“Yeah no, definitely. My parents’ are out for the week so it’s not like they’ll know that I’m not home but like, I have nowhere to stay tonight if I stay and finish this thing,” I groan, “but you should go. I don’t want to make you stay and have to deal with the wrath of your mom. I’ll figure something out.”

“Are you sure? Damnit I don’t want to leave you here alone, but I need to go, too. Keep me updated babe, let me know if you find somewhere to stay and if you’re safe,” she rushes as she gathers her things and stands. She rounds the table and gives me a quick peck on the cheek before she heads towards the exit. I wrack my brain trying to think of where I could stay for the night as the MC takes the stage again and the room quiets down as he starts speaking, banishing any further thoughts on the subject to be dealt with by future me.

“So! That concludes the first round and we have the lineup for the second one set up! Are you all as pumped as me to welcome these fire ass poets back up to the stage?” he exclaims as BamBam retakes the stage to wow the crowd. His poem, my own performance, and the entire second round pass by in a haze as BamBam and I take the highest scores again. I’m silently fuming as my score takes its place .5 below BamBam’s score. The MC announces a 10 minute intermission before the third round to give the audience a time to mingle with each other as well as with tonight’s performers. Several people approach me, praising my poems and I smile and laugh making conversation with them and even adding a few as friends on social media. From the corner of my eye, I see silver hair approach me and brace myself for whatever is about to fall out of his perfectly pink and absolutely kissable lips.

“I’m glad your ability to write poems is better than your ability to make jokes. Looks like you’re at the right open mic,” he teases as he saunters up to me.

“I’d say you could write poems pretty well too, but it seems like your ability to give compliments needs some work so…” I trail, crossing my arm over my chest saucily and trying not to blush as his gaze flickers and rests on my chest before trailing back up.

“Touché, kitten, looks like we both have something to teach the other,” he smiles as he leans his hip on my table, “did your friend leave?”

I nod and reach for my water, noting how his eyes linger on my lips as I take a sip. My core clenches in need as his gaze heats up, but my head tells me to take a step back and be wary. Who knows what kind of psychological game he’s playing, but I’ve never been one to back down from a challenge.

“We had a train to catch but I have a slam to win so she left before she was stuck in the city overnight with nowhere to stay,” I respond haughtily and he chuckles. A shiver runs across my skin at the sound, my pussy waking up from her hibernation and sending me all kinds of desperate messages. I almost curse out loud as my nipples tighten, and his eyes flicker over me as if he knows.

“So where are you going to go after you win this slam, kitten?” he muses, quirking a teasing brow and I want to kiss him just as badly as I want to wipe that look off his face.

“That is to be determined,” I mumble as I catch the MC making his way back to the stage. I quickly find my way back to my seat along with the rest of the audience, begrudgingly noticing BamBam take Nadine’s seat.

“The final line-up for the last round this slam is in this order: BamBam, Zara, and Crystal. For the final round, the judges will not reveal their scores until the end of the round to keep an element of surprise. Before we start though, let’s give it up for Zipper and Adrian, let them feel some love too,” the MC announces as BamBam throws a confident look towards me, bringing his hands together to join the cacophony of claps. I roll my eyes, lips thinning as the MC starts the last round by welcoming BamBam back to the stage.

He performs his final piece, moving half the judges to tears and I scowl because his poem is so good it angers me. He doesn’t just have everyone’s attention, he commands it, playing at everyone’s heartstrings like a master violinist. His hands glide through the air like an orchestra conductor and the audience obeys with a symphony of snaps and moans. It’s as if he completely changes up there, his normal air of elegance and playfulness transforming into an air of power and dominance. His mastery of words and rhyme has me reeling and I’m surprised by just how much it turns me on. Biting my lip, I try to get myself together as he saunters off the stage to a completely chaotic audience. The MC retakes the stage, a look of complete awe on his face and I almost feel a vein burst when BamBam takes Nadine’s seat, reaches across the table to grab my glass of water, and sips from it with his lidded eyes trained on mine. There’s challenge and desire written on his face and I don’t know if the urge I have to jump at him across the table is so that I can throttle him or undress him.

           “Good luck,” he sighs at me as the MC beckons me to the stage and it only fuels my desire to put him in his place, 2nd place to be exact.

           I storm up the stairs and to the stage, the heat of the spotlight on me only fueling the fire that rages inside me. I hear my voice charge the room as my poem comes alive, feeling every eye in the room glued on me. Sounds of awe and grunts of surprise break out at the end of every line I deliver and I revel in it, revel in their attention and let it empower my voice further. I hear gasps from the judges after I deliver a metaphor I’m particularly proud of. A stray “Wow, she did that” reaches my ears as I wrap up my poem, almost breathless from the amount of passion I poured straight from my soul and into this room. Getting off the stage, I smile at the MC who just sits in his seat, absolutely dumbfounded. BamBam’s taken the seat right next to mine and he leans towards me as I take my seat, his lips so close to my ears causing an almost violent shiver to pass through me.

           “That was quite fiery, Kitten, and I love playing with fire” he breathes into my ear, his voice lowering into a husky drawl that almost has me panting. My eyes meet his and they’re filled with lust, the pupils blown up until there’s almost no iris and he grins as I’m sure his hunger is reflected on my face too. Crystal’s voice cuts straight through the tension and I refocus on the stage to stop myself from publicly accosting a man. I startle as I feel BamBam’s warm hand flit over my thigh, possessively taking a place just under the skirt of my dress. The contact sends a dizzying sensation through my body and I bite my lip to keep any sounds in while his fingers press tantalizingly into my inner thigh. He’s cautious, his shoulders stiff wondering if I’ll reject him and while I know I should slap him and change tables, I only widen my thighs. His questioning gaze finds mine and retrains on my lips as I lick them.

           “Don’t... don’t do that, baby. My control is wearing thin and I don’t think it’ll give either of us a higher score if I take you on this table,” he warns through clenched teeth, his hand sliding higher on my thigh. His pinky tentatively flicks across my clothed core and I feel my entire body go languid, a look of surprise taking his face no doubt at how wet I am for him.

           “Oh baby, I’ve barely touched you,” he mumbles, his fingers sweeping over my clothed slit and I grasp the table for dear life.

           “If you keep touching me, these wonderful people are going to get more of a show than the one they came here to see,” I huff back and his shoulders shake in silent laughter, his fingers wreaking havoc under my skirt but never applying enough pressure to get me to where I need.

           His hand leaves from under my skirt and my head snaps towards him, almost taking back everything I just said and he just looks at me amused. I wonder why he’s clapping considering there’s better things that he could be doing with his hands, until I realize Crystal is getting off the stage after ending her poem and I rush to clap too. My cheeks redden as I can feel BamBam snickering at how needy he made me with just a brush of his fingers and I almost slap myself for getting so carried away. Crystal throws a disapproving look my way and I want to bury myself on the spot as the MC retakes the stage.

           “Wow. Just wow, let’s give it up for those last three performers that literally lit this place up. We had some legendary performances tonight, all of them are winners in that aspect. But we can only have one advance tonight, so with that, let’s see who will be the winner of this slam,” the MC prepares the audience as one of the judges rushes up and onto the stage, handing him a folded piece of paper. He makes a big show of unfolding the paper and reading off of it, a smile spreading his lips as the anticipation builds.

           “In third place, with a score of 27.4 after a 1.5 point time deduction, is…” He pauses for effect, “Crystal!”

           Crystal shoots up from her seat and rushes towards the bathroom, tears streaming down her face as the crowd claps for her. I feel a tug in my heart for the girl, remembering crying after losing my own first slam but the MC continues, affectively diverting my thoughts.

           “In second place, with a score of 29.7, we have Zara!” he announces and I smile warily as the audience claps for me, wondering how in the world BamBam could’ve topped an almost perfect score and sighing as I remember just how good his poem was.

           “And with a perfect score of 30, please give it up for BamBam!” the MC exclaims with flourish and the crowd is deafening in their cheers for him. I have to give it to him, he blew us all out of the water and so even I clap for him. The judges stand and one makes his way towards Zipper, no doubt to mingle and talk about his poems. Two judges head towards me and BamBam and I make polite conversation with one who informs me how my poem had personally touched her. The crowd disperses, some heading towards the bar, others heading towards the exit, and still some others milling around and talking to the competitors, judges, and MC. I grab my purse and pull out my phone, noting how close it is to midnight and sigh, drawing up a blank on where I could possibly stay until the trains start running again at 5 a.m. I make conversation with a few other people before Zipper himself makes his way to me and asks to add me on social media. I happily exchange information with him before heading towards the exit myself, making up my mind that it’s probably safest to mill around Penn Station until the trains start working again. I pause as I get out of the building and stand under the awning frowning as rain crashes towards the ground. I remember to call Nadine and quickly dial her number, leaning up on the wall next to the building’s exit as the dial tone rings.

           “Hello? Zara?” Nadine’s worried but groggy voice answers and I smile.

           “Hey. Did you get home safe?” I ask and I hear shuffling from her end.

           “Yeah, but what about you? How’d you do?” she asks, curiosity filling her sleep tinged voice.

           “Ah. Yeah, I got into the third round but placed 2nd overall. Tell me how I lost by .3 points,” I roll my eyes even though she can’t see and she lets out a sound of indignation as well.

           “.3 points!” she screeches, “that’s fucked.”

           “Yeah well, it’s ok. At least I have more experience now. And I even made some friends,” I chuckle into the phone, watching the rain fall towards the earth. It looks like ink in the dark, puddles of the dark liquid sloshing around as taxis zoom by.

           “Aww cute. What are you planning on doing over the night though? It’s dangerous there Zara, if you go missing I’m going to find you just to kill you myself for being so dumb,” she jokes, trying to hide the worry in her voice.

           “I think I’m just going to head to the train station, honestly, and wait around. I’ll try not to sleep but I’m a little worried because my battery is dying and I have no idea how to get to the station without GPS,” I mumble, the seriousness of the situation just setting in.

           “You’re kidding me right? You’re staying at a train station overnight, in New York City, when your phone is dying so even in case something happens, you can’t call anyone for help? Do you have a death wish, Kitten?” I startle, my head whipping towards the source of the voice because it was definitely not Nadine.

           “Who’s that? They’re right, Zara,” Nadine adds from over the phone. I stare at BamBam, a scowl on his face as he regards me, the door to the building that he just emerged from falling shut behind him.

           “I’ll call you back.”

           “But you’re phone is dyin-” I end the phone call before hearing exactly what she says and stuff my phone into my purse, looking at BamBam from under my lashes. He runs his hand through his hair in what seems as frustration and he looks so sexy I have to shake my head to focus on what he said.

           “You can’t do that,” he commands, a frown on his face and I scowl back. Who is he, telling me what I can and can’t do?

           “Uhm, yes I can. Just watch, first I walk away from you and towards the station,” I sass, turning away from him and starting to walk towards where I think I came from, but before I can get away, his hand catches my elbow and pulls my back. He pushes me back up against the wall, his hands on either side of my face as he leans down, his hair tickling my forehead. He looks into my eyes and I gasp as his fingers find my jaw, angling my face towards him. I squeeze my eyes shut as his other hand snakes around my waist and pulls me towards him, our bodies pressing together just as his lips brush teasingly over my own. My breath leaves me in a rush and he uses the opportunity to press his lips to mine in a dizzying kiss.

           His kiss is like the rain hitting the ground, relentless and forceful. I feel as if the earth is shaking from under me as he steadies me with his arm around my waist, his lips engaging mine in a sensual dance. They mesh perfectly, his tongue tracing the outline of my lips and I gasp for air before his tongue enters my mouth and I grasp onto his shoulders, kissing him back with just as much fervor. He tastes like chocolate and something spicy like cinnamon. A low groan slips from him and I feel on top of the world knowing I can affect him just as much as he’s affecting me.

           Just as fast as his lips are there, they’re gone and I lose all ability to stand on my feet. Leaning against the wall panting, I look up at him and he looks like he’s fighting to hold himself back. He licks his lips slowly and the action goes straight to my clit, making me wetter than I was before and I almost let out an embarrassing whimper.

           “Go ahead, Kitten, walk. I’m waiting,” he challenges, crossing his arms over his chest. I ogle at his biceps as the flex before snapping myself out of it and glowering at him. He knows damn well that his kiss made my knees go all funky and I’m sure I want to throttle him now, standing there with a smug look on his face.

           “You’re a little shit, you know,” I bite back at him, still grasping the wall for support. He chuckles and reaches for me, but this time I slap his hands away.

           “Put away the claws, Kitten. You can come back to my place with me. Spend the night with me,” he offers, his voice lowering and going husky with lust and I flush, suddenly feeling shy.

           “But, but stranger danger,” I squeak. BamBam doubles over in laughter and I feel myself turn an even brighter shade of red.

           “You’re quite a piece of work, Kitten. Willing to spend a night at a train station alone with no phone or direction as to how to even get there, but not with the guy who had his hand under your skirt not even an hour ago. Sweetheart, you’re really something,” he chuckles, swiping a tear away from his eye. I grimace while weighing my options. I look at BamBam, really look at him. He’s dangerously attractive, but he doesn’t look dangerous. If I send a text to Nadine with his address, I should be fine, right? There’s nowhere else to go, I remind myself, and I bristle as I realize I’m about to go home with the boy who beat me in a poetry slam by .3 points.

           “Take me,” I breathe out, any hold I had on resistance withers away as he gives me the most heated look I’ve ever seen in my life.

           “I’d love to,” he almost growls, his hand possessively reclaiming my waist, his lips seizing my own and I melt into him. His hands grip my hips, pulling me impossibly closer and I slip my hands over his shoulders, trailing my nails down his back. He makes a guttural noise deep in his throat that travels straight to my core. I gasp as his lips pull away from mine, his hands the only things keeping me up as his lips feverishly wander over my jaw and neck. In a matter of seconds his lips are locked on my most sensitive spot at the base of my neck and I whimper as he sucks hard, not showing any mercy. Biting the inside of my cheek, I try desperately to keep my noises to myself and that only seems to make him work harder, his teeth teasingly scraping my soft skin before his tongue sweeps over it coquettishly.

           “As much as I’d love to ravish you up against this wall right here right now, that brick is going to leave wicked scratches on your back and the only marks I want to see on you right now are the ones I give you,” he grunts, pulling away from me and adjusting himself in his pants. My eyes follow his every movement and he smirks, his fingers brushing a loch of my hair behind my ear so softy it feels like a flower petal trailing down my neck and tracing my clavicle. He grabs onto my hand and pulls me to the curb of the road, quickly hailing a cab and letting me go in first to escape the rain. He follows closely after, raindrops dripping down his cheeks and he looks like art with his silver hair dampened and dangling over his dark eyes. His lips quirk up at my obvious admiring.

           “Hasn’t anyone taught you it’s not polite to stare?” he cocks his head to the side before leaning forward and telling the driver his address. I listen keenly and discreetly pull out my phone to text his address to Nadine and briefly explain what’s going on, letting her know that if she doesn’t hear from me in 24 hours to raise hell, before turning my phone completely off to save whatever I have left of my quickly depleting battery. BamBam leans back in his seat and just studies me, his eyes trained on mine before roving over the rest of me as the taxi driver turns on the radio at BamBam’s request.

           “Hasn’t anyone taught you it’s not polite to stare?” I return one of his lines, but there’s no conviction in my voice and I’m surprised by the low, husky way my voice sounds. His eyebrow quirks up in amusement and his hand comes up to caress my jaw, his thumb swiping over my bottom lip.

           “I’d love to see what smart things you have to say when I’m done with you,” he mumbles low enough for just me to hear and I feel my face light up. He chuckles at my reaction and I want to punch him for being so smug, it’s as attractive to me as it is maddening and I have the irresistible urge to shut him up. My eyes flicker over the taxi driver, seeing his eyes trained solely on navigating the late night weekend city traffic before I muster up the courage to spread my hand over BamBam’s thigh. From the corner of my eye, I see his head snap to mine, his eyes wide as I slide my hand over his bulge which has calmed since we got into the car. I bite my lip, only looking ahead at the city passing us by as I tease BamBam the way he teased me under the table. I quickly undo his zipper and slide my hand inside, reveling in the breath that hisses through his teeth as my hand finally makes contact with his cock. Grasping him in my hand, I swirl my fingers over him and his hand catches my wrist, stilling my movements.

           “What are you doing?” he huffs, his voice strained and I throw him an innocent look.

           “What do you mean?” I play dumb, twisting my wrist and swiping my thumb over the head of his cock. His head drops to the back of the seat and I see the veins straining on his neck, his hands bunching into fists. The taxi driver takes a particularly hard turn and I fall into him, my body pressed against his as I tease him. Collecting his pre-cum on my thumb, I pull my hand out of his pants, looking him in the eye as I open my lips and wrap my them around my thumb, making a big show of sucking and licking it. His eyes widen and his jaw clenches before his eyes narrow. He pulls my hand out of my mouth and wraps his hand around my neck, tugging me to him as his lips capture mine. All notions of subtlety fly out the window as he pulls my leg over both his thighs so I’m straddling him. His hands pull my hips so that my clothed pussy is right above his bulge and the friction has me reeling, my clit throbbing for attention.

           “Driving safety would technically require us to have seatbelts on right now,” my voice is breathy and lacks all the sarcasm I tried for it to have.

           “If I had a dime for every time you’ve surprised me tonight,” BamBam chuckles under his breath as he presses open-mouthed kisses down my neck. I twist my fingers through his hair and pull him to where I want him and he chuckles, his breath tickling my collarbone as his tongue swipes over it and my nipples harden at the sensation. He’s lighting fire to so many of my nerve endings, I’m surprised we’re still clothed. The driver pulls up to the front of lavish apartment building and BamBam groans, pulling a wad of bills out of his back pocket and throwing it towards the front, eagerly pulling me out of the cab before I even know what’s happening. The doorman holds the door open for us and nods at BamBam as he pulls me along with him.

           “What the… you live here?” I question, surprise coloring my voice and BamBam throws a bashful look over his shoulder as we both wait for an elevator. I look around, taking in the fairly upscale surroundings. I look at him with a renewed curiosity, afraid to pry because of how wary he looks.

           “Curiosity killed the cat, you know?” he murmurs, pulling me towards him and softly running his fingers over my cheek. His fingers lightly massage over a spot on my neck where I assume he’s left a hickey, but I don’t have it in me to fight him. The gentle pressure of his arm around my waist warms me and my pulse speeds up.

           “It’s a good thing they have 8 lives then, don’t you think?” I rasp back to him, and his lips twitch. The elevator doors open with a ding and I jump, causing BamBam to break into laughter as he ushers me into the elevator and pushes me up against the back wall, the doors closing us in within seconds. His eyes are glued to my lips and I subconsciously lick them, his head tilts to the side in thought.

           “Your lips look good swollen like this,” he hums, bringing his fingers up to my lips again and I pucker them, softly kissing the pad his finger and he groans. The elevator interrupts our moment as it dings again, opening to what seems to be the penthouse suite of this apartment building and I almost believe we’re in the wrong place until BamBam pulls me after him and into a sleek decorated living rooms. BamBam’s living room is like him, minimalist to the point of elegance, dark woods that contrast with white walls that have fun painting hanging from them. He’s a complete enigma and I can’t even begin to process this in relation to the day I was having. A fun trip to NYC with a friend ending in signing up for a poetry slam that lead me to a stranger who just keeps getting stranger. A stranger who oozes sex appeal like it’s his job and works words like he’s a CEO and they’re his employees.

           “And you said I was full of surprises,” I scoff, looking at him questioningly. He looks slightly sheepish as he shrugs, turns and walks towards his kitchen. I follow him but stop at the dark marble kitchen island as he pulls two glasses out from his cupboard.

           “Are you thirsty?” he asks, trying to play host, but I scowl. Does he have some identity crisis going on? Five minutes ago I had my hand down his pants and now he’s asking if I want coffee or tea? He sees the disapproving look on my face and chuckles, walking towards me and placing a chaste kiss over my lips.

           “Patience, kitten, is a virtue. And besides, the anticipation makes it that much better,” he explains, his voice raspy and so sexy I want to throw him against the island counter. He reads me like an open book and smirks.

           “Humor me, Kitten, are you thirsty? Are you hungry?” he prompts me again, his hands resting on my hips.

           “Not for food…” I mumble petulantly, and his grip on my hips tightens, the look on his face turning more devilish as his tsks.

           “Oh sweetheart,” he pauses while his hands snake under my thighs. He lifts and I’m so startled I almost twist out of his hold but he’s surprisingly strong and I have no idea where it comes from. I wrap my thighs around him with a squeal and he holds me to him with his hands on my ass.

           “When you’re all sore and can’t move in the morning, remember you asked for it,” he warns, his eyes glued to mine and they’re so intense I want to hide. He carries me towards where I believe his room is and I wrap my arms around his neck, steadying myself while also pressing my body flush against his.

           “I hope you’re not all bark and no bite,” I retort as he walks me into his bedroom.

           “Kitten, you really have no idea,” he smirks, his eyes alight in some hidden humor before he deposits me on his bed, immediately climbing over me and attacking my lips in a sizzling kiss that awakens every one of my nerve endings. I notice fleetingly that the mattress under me isn’t your standard run of the mill mattress, it’s like laying in cotton candy and I really think I must have stumbled into some odd dream. If it weren’t for BamBam’s sharp nip on my lip, I really would’ve believed I was in some time of daydream, that something like this could never actually be happening.

           “Focus on me, baby girl, or I’ll have to put you over my knee,” BamBam grunts, his lips attacking my neck. The warning in his voice shoots straight to my core that tightens deliciously at his command. It’s like he has a spell on me, I follow him like he’s religion blurring the line between what’s sin and what’s sacred. His fingers find their way under my dress and my breath hitches in my throat. I grip his shoulders and he chuckles under his breathe causing me to shiver at the sensation of his breath ghosting over my skin.

           “Please,” I whine and I surprise myself by the need in my voice as I raise my hips so his fingers brush over my clothed slit. He moans in approval, his fingers finally putting pressure where I need it and I buck my hips closer in response.

           “Not so fast, sweetheart, we’re just getting started,” he grins maniacally at me as he sits up, his fingers hooking the sides of my panties as he languidly pulls them down my legs. His fingers trail down the sides of my thighs and I shiver, embarrassed by the heat collecting between my thighs making me so slippery wet for him. He hums in approval as he inspects the lace that’s more than just damp in the middle and I don’t know if I want to crawl under the bed or defile it. I settle for the latter as I lift off the bed, BamBam’s mischievous and lusty eyes meeting my own as I reach for his shirt and pull it over his head not wanting to waste time. He’s all beautiful tans and taut muscles and I get to work laying open mouthed kisses on his collar bones to the baritone of his moans. His hands grip the hem of my dress and leisurely lift, exposing inch after inch of my skin to the brisk air and his heated touch. He lifts my dress over my head and I have the irresistible urge to cover myself but he throws the cloth to the side and immediately catches my wrists in one of his hands, pinning me back onto his bed with my wrists above my head.      

           “Fucking gorgeous, you’re as pretty as poem Kitten, and fuck if I don’t want to read you,” he growls and I want to laugh but it’s stuck in my throat along with my breath. His fingers brush from between my collar bones down between my bra clad breasts that rise and fall with my heavy breathing all the way down my stomach, circling around my belly button and right when I think he’s  going to touch my where I want him to, he’s gone from above me.

           “What the fuck!” I exclaim, my eyes flying open to see BamBam rummaging through his drawer. He looks back at me, a sly look in his eyes as he runs them over my body. He finds a foil packet and crawls back over me, his hair hanging over his beautiful face, his lips quirked into a smirk as he grabs my thigh and opens my legs. I swallow thickly as his eyes train over my pussy that responds with fresh wetness and his gaze makes me redden, my nipples hardening. I reach back to unclasp my bra, throwing it over the bed in annoyance.

           “Oh sweetheart, you’re fucking soaking,” BamBam looks back up at me and I think his eyes have stolen all the fire from the stars. I look away, trying to hide my face, unable to take the intensity in his gaze but he just pulls me back, his hand anchoring my hip to the mattress as his lips sweep over mine.      

           “Touch yourself baby, touch yourself for me I want to watch you,” he commands and I want to bristle, to scream in frustration, to tell him what I want but something in me wants to please him more than anything. So when he sits back, his fierce stare secured on my body, I start teasing my nipples. I can’t recognize the mewls and sounds I make as my own as I pull my nipples, rubbing my thighs together with almost not friction between them because of my slippery wetness. BamBam’s groans of approval reach my ears and I find him with his pants chucked off, his hands wrapped around his length lazily jerking to the image of my fingers slipping between my thighs and teasing my wetness over my entrance and engorged clit.

           “BamBam…” I sigh his name as I slip a single finger inside myself and I see something in him snap. I can practically see his carefully retained patience shoot out the window as he pushes my body higher up the bed and anchors himself between my legs. His fingers find my clit and swirl with punishing force, wrenching a sob-like moan from between my lips.

           “Let me hear you, baby girl, I’m going to make you scream,” the promise in his voice scares me just as much as it turns me on. His lips lick tantalizingly over my collarbone and lower still until he’s swirling his tongue around my nipple and lapping at it. His lips lock around my nipple just as his finger finds its way inside, massaging my slick walls and it’s so good I want to cry, my hands fisting his sheets as he wreaks havoc on me.

           “I’m going to kill you if you stop again,” I threaten, my voice breathy and so much higher than usual and he only chuckles in response, slipping a second finger inside me while making a come hither motion that drives me absolutely insane.

           “I’m- I’m going to come,” I manage to stutter out just before my body seizes, a rush of warmth drenching his wrist as he pumps his fingers harder into me and bites the sensitive skin of my neck. His thumb rubs circles into my clit and a scream rips from my throat at how intense it is and how sensitive it makes me. I can’t help clamping my hand over his wrist and pulling his hand away from my core to let me ride out my high in peace.

           “You look absolutely divine when you cum, sweetheart,” he rasps, his eyes roving over my body as I seize every now and then from aftershocks. As soon as the strength returns to my limp limbs, I push him off me and onto his back, his eyes flashing dangerously as I straddle him.

           “I think you need a taste of your own medicine, sweetheart,” I grumble back, taking his cock in my hand and spreading his pre-cum over the head, lowering my mouth to his cock and spitting. I meet his eyes and there’s surprise and hunger and I can’t help but to tease him back. Kissing the head of his cock, I lick down the base all the way to his balls, tracing veins along the way to the soundtrack of his groans. His hands grip the sheets in restraint and I know I’m killing him as much as he was killing me. I want to cackle at the heady feeling dominance gives me and I take him in my mouth, eagerly taking him deeper and dousing him with warm wetness. His hands find my head and tangle in my hair, guiding me and I whine onto his cock, feeling on top of the world as I see his jaw clench, his breath hiss out of him.

           “If you don’t slow down baby, this is going to end a lot sooner than both of us want it to,” his voice is threatening and it makes my pussy clench deliciously to know I can affect him. He pulls me off his length and pulls me up to him, swallowing the yelp that escapes my mouth in a punishing kiss.

           “Hands and knees, Zara,” he orders and I’m taken aback. Is that the first time he’s said my name? I don’t have time to ponder it because he’s pushed me off of him and impatiently slaps my ass. I huff in indignation, surprised by how much I like him man-handling me and I immediately position myself, my back arching my ass in the air towards him as he settles behind me, his hard on poking me in the thigh. A frisson of panic runs through me, will he even fit? I can’t even remember the last time I’ve had sex, remembering the last, first, and only time I’d ever had sex being losing my virginity in early high school. As if sensing my panic, BamBam runs a reassuring hand down my back.

           “Relax, sweetheart, I won’t hurt you,” he hums under his breath, slipping two fingers back into me. I whine as he stretches me patiently, my head buried in the sheets, gasping from the left-over sensitivity from my first orgasm.

           “You’re so fucking sexy, you make a man want to get down on his knees,” BamBam groans and I whine in response, spreading my legs slightly to give him access. He pulls his fingers out of me and when I look over my shoulders, he’s licking my essence off them. The sight is so carnal I want to do something, I want him to fuck me, I want to scream, I want to beg, I’m a mess of wants and desire, a fire so visceral and twisted but instead of being put out, BamBam strokes me to life like’s gasoline and I’m a lighter. His cock slides up and down my slit and I mewl, his head resting in the divot of my opening. The air is a symphony of heavy breathing, mine and his, his bed creaking along to our movements and somewhere in the distance I hear an owl hooting to my amusement, before BamBam thrusts in sharply. A sob-like moan rips from my throat as I feel myself gripping him, his entrance made easy by the copious arousal leaking from me and I swoon when I feel strong fingers playing with my clit.

           “So fucking tight sweetheart, you’re like liquid fire and I want you to burn me, give me your all Kitten,” BamBam emboldens me and his voice is dark, guttural and it goes straight to my core. I can’t help but to throb around him before I feel myself stretching to accommodate the rest of his length, biting onto his sheets because it’s too good, and too much, and too intense but it feels so right when he bottoms out in me and I know my palms will have bruises from where my nails are biting into them. BamBam grabs my hips and positions them higher and I comply as he rocks back slowly, teasingly all the way out and I whine at the feeling of being so empty. He tsks at my need before slipping back inside me, faster than he did before and the friction sends me off. My head is a mess of dizziness and BamBam doesn’t hold back, my moans only encouraging him to pound back into me. His breathe is labored behind me and his hands roam over my ass, my back, to my clit and it makes me go absolutely crazy. The knot in my stomach tightens almost painfully and I’m cursing, strings of unintelligible nonsense dripping from my mouth as BamBam’s punishing rhythm sends me closer and closer to a peak I’m not sure I can cross.

           “BamBam, please, I- I don’t know if I can take it…”

           “Yes you can, and you will sweetheart, let me feel that tight little cunt squeeze around my cock, Kitten, I want you to fucking come, and come hard, my name baby, scream my name,” his words are growls spoken from in between gasp and pants. It’s so good, it hurts… and then his fingers are pinching my clit and I’m screaming and shaking and I can’t tell where I end and he starts, and everything goes black and there are stars swirling in front of my eyes.

           “Zara!” my name a litany off his tongue as he swells in me with a series of pointed thrusts that have me screaming until I’m sure my pussy won’t be the only thing out of commission in the morning.

           And like a house that’s stood for centuries, we collapse in a mess of limp limbs and sweaty skin and satisfaction, his warmth seeping into me and mine into his and I can’t remember the last time things felt so right, so perfect even. His fingers lazily draw patterns into my spine as he readjusts himself beside me.

           “So. Now that that’s out of the way, are you thirsty, Kitten? Hungry?” his voice breaks into my afterglow and I laugh like it’s the most natural thing to do, like I was made to laugh and he kisses my shoulder on his way off the bed. I watch as he pulls off the condom I didn’t even notice him put on and shimmies into a pair of boxers, his devilish gaze catching mine as I watch.

           “Sweetheart, your staring is what got you into this problem in the first place, don’t let it get you into another one. I’m known to have a heavy hand,” he punctuates his statement with a slap to my ass that has me squealing and giggling like a school girl. I wonder where this new girl came from, if getting good dick can really have me switching from hum drum old me to giggles and flirting like I wasn’t made with 2 parts anxiety for every 1 part human. He leaves the room to go get whatever tea or coffee he’s been promising me and I summon the strength in my limbs to limp to his en suite bathroom. I don’t have time to ogle his luxurious bathroom as I clean myself up. But as soon as I start thinking about it, thinking about how little I know the stranger I just slept with, thinking about how I shamelessly threw myself at him, thinking about how I practically slept with a man for a place to stay, I can’t help but to feel the guilt seep in along with the doubts, I can’t help but feel like a whore.  

           “I brought some iced tea, I hope you’re ok with- Zara?” I hear BamBam’s confused voice taper off before hearing footsteps approaching my escape.

           “Kitten? What’s wrong? Why are you crying? Did I hurt you, fuck,” I hear BamBam’s panicked voice as he puts the bottle of iced tea down on the sink counter before rushing to me. I didn’t even know I was crying until I felt BamBam’s frantic fingers desperately wiping away my tears, pulling my face up to look into my eyes with worry evident in his.

           “What’s wrong, Zara? Did I hurt you, sweetheart?” he implores and I hiccup, shaking my head no.

           “I don’t know, it’s silly, don’t mind me, I’m not hurt or anything. It’s just, I started thinking and I can’t help but to feel like I paid you off to let me stay here for the night with sex and-”

           “Are you kidding me? Why are you thinking like that, Kitten, I wanted to sleep with you since the second I saw you looking at me all doe-eyed and pretty when I was signing up to beat you in that poetry slam,” he winks and I actually allow a watery chuckle, wiping my own tears away, “and if you thought I was going to let you stay at a train station overnight alone with no phone, you’re crazier than I thought. Point is, whether or not you slept with me or not, I would’ve let you stay here. It just so happens that I’m irresistibly sexy and you’re attracted to me like a magnet.”

           “You’re really a cuntmuffin, BamBam,” I glower at him and he has the gall to laugh, and even I can’t keep a straight face. Before I know it, he’s leaning down and throwing me over his shoulder, carrying my back to his room as I slap his ass demanding to be let down.

           “Ok, your wish is my command,” he shrugs, throwing my down onto his bed. He tucks me into his blanket, and I just ogle him, sun kissed skin, silver hair, and spellbinding brown eyes. He climbs in next to me, throwing an arm over my waist and pulling me close, fingers tucking hair behind my ears and I’m suddenly so tired, my eyes so heavy they feel like lead.

           “Goodnight, Kitten,” I hear BamBam’s voice rasp to me and before I know it, I’m falling asleep to images of spotlights, rain, and silver hair.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

           Waking up is nothing like what the movies make it out like, with the sun shining on a perfectly groomed beauty whose eyes flutter open before she jumps out of bed and into a morning montage. I’m woken up by a desperate need to pee and a thirst so strong I’d drink milk -and I hate milk. I slip out of BamBam’s grasp to rush to the bathroom, or rush as fast I can feeling like a monster truck ran over my uterus.

           After taking care of myself in the bathroom, I set about looking for something to drink. I cringe at the thought of wearing the same underwear as last night so I just rummage around until I find a pair of BamBam’s boxers and a large, worn shirt that I throw over my head. I’m at a complete loss on what to do. Does he want me to be gone when he wakes up? Isn’t that what people usually do after one night stands? Do I risk the rejection and leave my number? Should I make him breakfast? The thought of breakfast has my stomach grumbling loudly and I curse myself for not taking him up on eating something before bed. I sigh, putting my fretting mind to the side as I decide to just stick around and see what happens, right after I raid his fridge. I mean, I sucked his dick last night so I’m sure he won’t mind me knocking back an egg, some bread, and orange juice, right?

           I close the door behind me, letting sleeping beauty get his rest as I make my way around, lazily taking in all the colorful art on his walls. His penthouse reeks money and I’m taken aback once again by how little I know about the stranger I spent a night with. I find my way into the kitchen, the tiled floor cool under my bare feet and I pull a glass out from the same cabinet I saw BamBam get one from last night. Placing it on the counter, I rummage around for a pan or skillet to scramble some eggs on, glowering as I spend an entire 10 minutes searching but still coming up with nothing. Does this boy never cook?

           I make my way over to the fridge, grumbling, as I open the door. Instead of finding the usual eggs, bread, veggies, and milk you would expect someone to find in a fridge, fear grips me as I take in the neatly stacked packets of red substance that lines the entire fridge.

           What. The. Fuck.

           I tentatively reach in, my brain working miles a minute to come up with an explanation as to why there’s a packet labeled “O-, Donor; Sandra Garret” that looks like blood in the fridge. Maybe he’s a surgeon, and that’s why there’s another bag marked “AB, Donor; Michael Orten” in the fridge. I feel bile rising in my throat, why the fuck is there blood in the fridge?

           “Ahhh, you weren’t supposed to see those, sweetheart. You really have a knack for getting yourself into trouble, don’t you? Now, I really will have to punish you,” I hear a gruff voice answer from near me and I startle, dropping the bag of blood onto the floor and a scream tears from my throat.

           “You’re lucky that bag didn’t rip, Kitten,” BamBam sighs, there’s no menace in his voice, just frustration but that doesn’t stop me from being absolutely terrified of him. Suddenly, it’s like the world has tilted on its axis and I feel blood rush up to my head, a wave of dizziness grasps me as my limbs go dead. BamBam’s eyes widen and the last thing I hear before I hit the floor is a string of curses and a rush of silver hair.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

       This time, when I come to, it is a lot like a movie. I find myself under the covers of BamBam’s bed, the birds chirping outside, and a glass of orange juice and an aspirin on the bedside table. It’s so good, I almost believe it’s all a dream, that my brain had just made up the bloody scene in the kitchen and I almost believe that everything is ok.

     Until I remember that I haven’t remembered a single dream since I was eleven years old. And that’s when the panic grips me.

     “Rise and shine Kitten, it’s good to see those pretty eyes again. And before you scream bloody murder – haha, get it? bloody murder – remember that if I had wanted to hurt you, I would’ve had 2 instances when you were knocked out and a handful of others as well considering, you know, vampires being lurking and powerful creatures of the night in comparison to humans. Speaking of you being knocked out though, don’t you think it was a bit dramatic to pass out? I mean, you could’ve gotten a cut or a bruise and then it would be a lot harder for me to hold myself back.”

           His voice drifts off but my mind stays stuck on one word. Vampire? Vampire? All the moments drift through my head like puzzle pieces finally clicking into place, his strength carrying me to his room, me asking him if he’s all bark and no bite.

           “Kitten, you really have no idea,” he had said. And I didn’t.

           What the fuck kind of trouble did I get into?

[never-shuts-up]

RAW 4/10 Adventure: Getting All Shook Up

So I got a message around 8 AM Monday that a friend of a friend had some openings for seat fillers for RAW at Nassau Coliseum that night. So the adventure began!

 I immediately texted D and by 10 AM we had both made plans to leave work early, and I was working on my second dose of kava and third or so near anxiety attack.

Left work at quarter to three, on the road by four… and promptly got stuck in traffic. Accidents kept popping up on the map and there were moments when we were certain we would never get there before the call time, and even contemplated turning around, but we were already on the GWB and I was still determined to try. 

When it was starting to look impossible, this exchange happened:

Me: I guess anything worth doing in life leads to either a scar or a story.

D: If you can call sitting in traffic “a story.” Unless it ends in “And that’s where you came from!”

Me: I think that would lead to a very specific selection of baby names.

Two hours later we rolled up to the Coliseum with less than a gallon of gas in the tank, no idea where the nearest gas station was, and no clue where to find our contact.

The particulars of us actually getting in aren’t important, but we found our guy and made it. We were given the rundown of how seat-filling works and shown to some really good seats where we would wait for a wrangler to come move us to empty seats on camera if and when we were needed. From there we got to see the first few matches, and then our wrangler found us and waved us down to even better seats, low in the bleachers on the other side of the ring. We were slightly above eye level with the wrestlers in the ring and right in front of the cameras, but any time they played toward the main cameras, we were watching them from behind. With some of the talent, this is a really good problem to have (insert a bunch of “peach” emojis here), and with some it’s not a problem at all because they are able to play to all sides.

The Highlights:

- Enzo and Cass opening things up in a taping for Main Event. They were super extra hyped up because it’s basically a hometown show, so much “how you doin’?” With which I just wanted to respond “stuck in traffic” as Enzo detailed the drive there from Jersey. Cass vs. Titus O'Neil while Enzo worked the crowd.

- Lucha cruiserweight tag team with Gran Metallik! This was the point when D and I both well and truly lost our shit. Luchadors at any non-lucha show are just so extra that you can’t not love them, and I want to give them the Best Dressed award for the night. Sparkle capes!!!!!

- Miz and Maryse opening the show with their John Cena & Nikki Bella bit. I was in stitches, because I thought they were done with that and certainly didn’t expect to see them coming to RAW with it. And then who shows up? As you know, it was Dean Fucking Ambrose! And meanwhile I’m thinking “shit. If Dean’s coming here, then Seth Rollins must be leaving because they would never tease us with the idea of a Shield reunion (or even messing with the leftover threads of that plot) without putting a giant wrench in it somehow.” This only dampened our spirits until the setup for the Sami Zayn vs. Miz match, which had me jumping out of my seat. Hell fucking yes! Sami in a singles match!

- Cruiserweights were an absolute treat because Austin Aries is hilarious, and Neville just sat next to the announcers’ table looking pissed. I don’t quite buy TJP as a heel, maybe I’m just not up on the history here, but I’ll gladly keep watching.

 - We moved seats before Seth’s “Fate” appearance, so we were watching it from behind, and that was a smidge disappointing but I know my face was in the background doing… I don’t know what. Emoting like a motherfucker. Cheering, crumpling, cheering again. I think D was sitting in the row in front at the time so he didn’t see my face, but I bet he could hear it. Watching Kurt Angle’s entrance, the entire exchange, and Samoa Joe getting shut. the. fuck. down. was magnificent.

- Finn Balor vs. Jinder Mahal: OMG. Finn did his infamous entrance crotch pose on our side of the ring, almost directly in front of us, and I died a little. Aside from a messy forearm, Jinder did make Finn look good, but then again Finn always looks good, and even though he doesn’t really work the crowd as much as others, his grace and intensity always impress, and the crowd was With Him 100%.  (Before and after this match was when my phone started blowing up with messages from friends who saw us on TV, and the timing could not have been better to capture us at peak enthusiasm.) Of course, I’m pissed that Finn got concussed, but so grateful that I was able to see him wrestle just once.

- Sami vs. Miz was everything. I danced like a lunatic to Sami’s music, and we had several “ole ole” chants going. We booed the Miz so hard he turned around and full-on glared at our entire section a few times, which just made us boo louder. The energy we built up for Sami felt great, and he was definitely taking and appreciating it, and effing killed it. And of course we all freaked out again when he won; I was doing the Running Man at my seat and giving zero fucks what that looked like.

- 8 Man Tag Team Match - so many highlights. Too-sweeting Gallows & Anderson, who finally ditched the dopey shoulder pads they wore last week. The Hardys being the Hardys and so so so many “Delete” and “Brother Nero” chants. They may not be broken, but I think we might be. Sheamus and Cesaro doing their James Bond meets Magic Mike entrance in the kilts. Watching Cesaro take a beating from G&A and the Shining Stars at the same time, for a long fucking time, was punishing, but the ups outnumbered the downs. The guys in the row behind us had a gigantic Irish flag, so Sheamus gestured right at us to acknowledge it during their exit, and D had a whole “Immortan Joe looked at me! I am awaited in Valhalla!” moment.

- The end of Ambrose vs. Owens, which in general was more satisfying than a lot of the Ambrose matches in recent memory, he actually seemed to flip the switch in a more believable and useful way. By this point we were really getting tired, and thinking about the logistics of leaving… and then Chris Jericho showed up to deliver a “bye, bitch” Codebreaker at his former bestie, the televised part of things ended, and shit got interesting. How interesting? Samoa Joe interesting. 

Then more interesting.

Seth Freakin’ Rollins interesting.

I made a sound that I’m pretty sure only dogs and bats can hear.

 So the match that was supposed to happen last week went forward as a dark match. I was marking out for all of it. There were “Stupid Idiots” chants, which were everything. I think D didn’t have the heart to make fun of me for freaking out when Seth sold the knee thing, because I always die a little when that happens. But everyone’s favorite shiny pants goofballs triumphed, of course, and Jericho got to work the crowd and tell Long Island we made the list. (After our ordeal getting there, if I had the List I would have put Long Island on it for sure. I would have put Long Island at the TOP of the fucking List and everyone who drives in the greater NY area as well, because fuck it all.) During this part, he was playing toward the crowd on the camera side, and Seth was standing in the opposite corner working our side, including some great drumroll-spirit-fingers when Jericho built up to his signature line. Couldn’t have asked for a better ending. I wanted to go down to the floor to try and catch a closer glimpse or a high-five or something on their way out, but decided that kind of access should be saved for the people who paid a shit-ton of money to be there, not our freeloading asses.

The Low Points

- Mixed feelings about Nia vs. Charlotte. It looked like Nia was finally getting her due and getting to be the monster we all know she can be, but even though I couldn’t tell from where we were sitting, I heard later that it looked wildly unsafe on camera. Charlotte looked pretty wrecked at the end, but I couldn’t tell if it was just her selling it really well.  Later, Alexa and Mickie’s big reveal built Monster!Nia up further, and I freaked the hell out at seeing Alexa. The only problem is, Nia gets way too close to being too real, to an extent that gets scary - and even if you don’t know much and don’t know what you’re looking for, you can feel something is out of place.

- The Wyatt teaser. I don’t really understand the logic of trading him. Eater of Worlds vs. Demon King has the potential to be pretty badass, but it kicks the whole Wyatt Family narrative right in the balls.

 -  Slut-shaming chants aimed at Maryse, who was leaning on the apron right in front of us during the Sami/Miz match, with her butt sticking out in some very accentuating black and rhinestone shorts. I think I yelled “I don’t agree with your decisions, Maryse, but I respect them!”

- The Roman backstage beatdown I have a lot of mixed feelings about. I’m not a fan of backstage beatings after a certain point - a few blows or throws to build up a plot are fine, but watching someone get full-on wrecked never sits well with me. Sometimes it just feels cheap. And this definitely did not sit well. As seat fillers, we were told that we should cheer or boo with the people around us, but I really couldn’t. I could not get down with it for a LOT of reasons, and was really glad not to be on camera. I know there were good plot reasons for it to happen this way, but I couldn’t really get into the tidal wave of emotion the rest of the audience was riding. If anything, it made me feel seasick. Especially when they started replaying it. Repeatedly.

Overall? Amazing night. Worthwhile experience. Some of the trades seemed to be set up well, some didn’t seem all that necessary, but it kind of has to be considered as a whole with Tuesday’s Smackdown. As the FIRST live WWE event that D and I have been to, it was really one for the books, and I would not trade it for anything. Even though it had its flaws, I was thrilled to death to be there, and grateful for every moment. Also, if you watch this and see some goofy platinum-blonde in a yellow scarf cheering and hollering her heart out next to a tall, long-haired ginger dude, let me know. I was flailing extra just for you.

[spiceukonline]

Stormzy Gang Signs & Prayer Track by Track Review

Stormzy Gang Signs & Prayer Track by Track Review

Originality

Production

Tracks

Lyrics

Impact

2017-02-24

4.2/FIVE

So the time has come, Stormzy aka WickedSkengMan has finally dropped his long awaited album “Gang Signs & Prayer” on his own independent label #Merky Records.

Following subtle hints via billboards, a triumphant return to social media, a new single and a sold out tour the music that finally matters is now here and Grime fans are eager to know whether or not Stormzy has delivered on the hype. The answer to this question will obviously be unique to each listener but here I’ve written down my thoughts on each individual track, enjoy!

Stormzy Gang Signs & Prayer Track by Track Review

First Things First

The album opens fittingly with a backdrop of rain and thunder until the song drops into a twinkling melody, with minimalist percussion, and occasional bleeps, clicks and echoes. His flow starts off slow and deliberate; addressing issues such as his absence from the Grime scene, personal issues and social media drama and his newfound fame. I got the impression on this track Stormzy is holding back slightly, taking things at his own pace and easing the listener into the album on his own terms.

Cold

Originally revealed at live shows last year,and in contrast to what it’s title may suggest, “Cold” is an upbeat and celebratory tune. Complete with brass instrumentation and a bright synth melody this track immediately hits you in the face with just how happy and positive it sounds, and were it not for the MC’s trademark vocals you’d never imagine that this would be a Stormzy song. Impressively however this track does not make the jump to full on pop song in my opinion but it’s clear that this isn’t a traditional Grime song. The lyrics themselves are positive and uplifting with Stormzy referencing his previous achievements “I just went to the park with my friends and I charted (Wow)” and encouraging others to do the same“All my young black kings rise up/ Man this is our year/ And my young black queens right there/ It’s been a long time coming I swear.”.

Bad Boys (featuring Ghetts & J Hus)

And after the lightness normal service resumes with “Bad Boys”. A quick glance at the tracklist and this track is definitely one that jumps out, featuring grime legend Ghetts and rising star J Hus. Now I’m going to say it, for me personally, J Hus steals the show on this track.  The two verses contrast well with Stormzy’s slower, heavier delivery in the first verse met by Ghetts’ razor sharp bars and rapid flow in the second verse. But it’s J Hus’ melodic yet deadpan chorus which takes this track to the next level differing from his usual tongue-in-cheek afrobeat-tinged rapping but he pulls this off spectacularly.

Blinded By Your Grace Pt. 1

After the initial flurry of heavy tunes “Blinded By Your Grace Pt. 1” offers the listener their first chance to breathe. The track has a soulful and gospel-like sound to it, Stormzys’ smooth vocals are set against a simple piano melody. Now personally I can appreciate the talent that Stormzy is displaying on this track but for me it seems a little out of place here in the tracklist and kind of takes the energy out of the listening experience. I found myself kind of drifting this song waiting for the next heavy song to drop.

Big for Your Boots

I really didn’t have to wait long! The lead single off the album is Stormzy at his best, doing what he is known for. I love the beat on this track, in my opinion it brings the elements that I love from classic Grime along with those that have come to define the genre in its current phase. The pitched up samples and strings evoke memories of noughties grime tracks but the intensity and richness of the sound show how Grime has evolved. In terms of bars Stormzy doesn’t hold back, his delivery is rapid and his flow aggressive. Lyrics wise it has been suggested that some of the bars on this track are indirect shots at other MCs but this has not been confirmed by the man himself. What is clear on this track though is that Stormzy is laying down a benchmark for other MC’s in 2017.

Velvet / Jenny Francis (Interlude)

The first interlude on the album features high-pitched “chipmunk” vocals sampled from singer NAO’s “Intro (Like Velvet) and tinny hi-hats with smooth vocals. This is an R&B song, adding even more to the different genres and sounds present on the album. The last verse on the track begins with the tongue in cheek lines “Yeah, alright alright alright, okay okay okay / Man thought that Stormzy’s good at singing *laughs*” and features Stormzy singing almost acapella before leading into a skit from radio host Jenny Francis announcing the track as being on “#MERKY fm”. The last part of the song shows Stormzys’ playful side and the track as a whole shows he’s not afraid to do what he wants and write an R&B song.

Mr Skeng

Heavy string chords and military-esque drums announce “Mr Skeng” a dark, heavy track. The thing that struck me with this track is that it again reminds me of noughties grime tracks, but things are different. The strings on this track in particular are a feature I remember heavily from the grime i used to listen to in my teenage years; compared to those songs however everything sounds richer, more polished and more organic. It sounds like this track actually uses real instruments as opposed to samples and I can almost imagine it being performed with a live string section.

Cigarettes & Cush (featuring Kehlani)

American R&B singer Kehlani is one of my favourite R&B singers of the moment and a song featuring Stormzy and her sounds like a dream collaboration, but not one I honestly ever expected to see. In addition to Kehlani, the track also features Lily Allen who is uncredited in the Album’s tracklisting. The piano-led beat is definitely contemporary R&B and is relaxing and dreamlike, the chorus features Kehlani, Lily Allen and Stormzy all singing. This track is a classic R&B slow jam, a track meant for chilling out to.

Kehlani

Wretch 32

Raleigh Ritchie

21 Gun Salute (Interlude) (featuring Wretch 32)

The lyrics on this track read like a prayer, opening with a gentle hook from Wretch 32 that flows like poetry. Stormzy once again shows the versatility of his delivery, and you really get the sense of emotion in his voice as he opens up. All of this is set over a gentle melody but this serves only to be in the background, it’s the vocals that steal the show on this track.

Blinded By Your Grace Pt. 2 (featuring MNEK)

The same hook from Blinded By Your Grace Pt. 1 plays and is immediately followed choral vocals. When the track drops electric guitars, choral vocals and the organ in the background really take this track far out of the realms of what you expect from Stormzy. This song reminded me of Chance the Rapper’s recent output, his latest album “Colouring Book” heavily features religious influences and gospel music blended with hip-hop. In the past Stormzys’ music has not featured much in the way of religion but, after listening to the album properly, the title “Gang Signs & Prayer” begins to make sense and highlight this aspect of Stormzys’ life.

Return of the Rucksack

After a trio of light songs you’d be forgiven to forget that this was a Grime album, “Return of the Rucksack” is another heavy, Grime banger in the same vein as “Big For Your Boots”. The beat is frenetic with rumbling bass, pining strings and  hard-hitting drums. The track starts and ends with a segment that sounds like a declaration of war from Stormzy “I don’t wanna be on Lord of the Mics with shit MC’s, na bro, I’m above that / Using my name for a dead bit of fame, tryna get up in the game, yeah right nigga, fuck that / Stormz’ ain’t grime and Stormz’ ain’t clash, look don’t be fooled ’cause the war ting, I love that / Call this the return of the rucksack, oi Flipz get the four-door truck back”.

100 Bags

100 Bags opens with a recording of Stormzys’ mum, it’s a deeply personal touch and sets the tone for the rest of the song. The song is pure “conscious rap”, dedicated to Stormzys’ mum, throughout which Stormzy thanks his mother for all that she has done for him over the years and apologising for any problems he may have caused her. It’s an intimate moment on the album and one that stands out as being truly personal to Stormzy.

Don’t Cry for Me (featuring Raleigh Ritchie)

Now this track is simply beautiful, Raleigh Ritchies soaring vocals making this one of the most memorable tracks on the album for me. The lyrics on this album are amongst the best on the album in my opinion “Man I was in history class when my bredrin died / So vexed that I cried / But I come from a place where mandem can’t let shit slide / So we rest in pride”, “Can’t chat about pain, just look at my veins / Look brudda, I bleed all that / Damn, I just want all my people back / Yo”. It’s on this track that we see Stormzy at his most vulnerable and his most human.

Crazy Titch (Interlude)

This interlude features a clip of Stormzy in the booth on the phone with fellow MC Crazy Titch. An excellent quote is included “If you put all bias aside, Stormzy has to be Neo, he has to be / So therefore that makes me Morpheus so I’m telling the council right now”. It serves as the perfect intro for the next track.

Shut Up

Now this is a track that requires no introduction! The highest charting freestyle on the UK charts is arguably Stormzys’ best known song. It’s a no-holds-barred thrill ride of a track! On a personal level this track always gets me hyped up and is my go-to song whenever I need motivation.

Lay Me Bare

So here we are, the final track! Dissonant voices float in the background with piano chords sitting over them, occasional pitched up vocals and sparse drums making up the rest of the beat. As the title would expect the track is deep and personal. The chorus is particularly chilling “One more time I’ll make it clear / This some shit I hate to share / Escape this life or pay the fare / Grab this gun and aim it there / Shoot my pain and slay my fear / Before I die, I say my prayer / Don’t worry about the mess just lay me there”. Here we get a sense of the anxiety that Stormzy often faces and the dark thoughts that haunt him “Like man’a get low sometimes, so low sometimes / Airplane mode on my phone sometimes / Sitting in my house with tears in my face / Can’t answer the door to my bro sometimes”. I find it incredible when artists write songs that deal with issues such as mental health as it really helps to normalise these issues and make them easier to talk about. Here we see Stormzy as an ordinary person facing the same issues that will affect his fans, I definitely found that this track resonated with me.