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jarofstyles · 9 months ago

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Flower 2

Okay so I really love these babies so I think I'm gonna do 3-5 parts! I'm loving the tension hehe. Let me know your thoughts!

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WC-4.6k

Warnings- mention of age gap romance, mention of bdsm, mention of bad sexual experiences, loads of sexual tension, low-key sugar daddy h, trust me

Sleep didn’t come too easily for her, but she felt absolutely wired when she woke up. Her coffee only made it worse as she wrapped herself up in the dark wash denim jacket she’d borrowed from Harry when he drove her home a few weeks back. His truck pulled into the driveway and she was grabbing her tote bag and phone, making sure to lock up before turning to face him.

There was a weird expression on his face- something she couldn’t place. It wasn’t quite angry or mad, but it was a little darker as his eyes ran over her face and then body. He remained quiet until she got down her porch steps. “S’that… my jacket?” He asked lowly. The tone was strange to her as he stepped closer, tugging on the collar of it.

“Yeah, it’s really cute and I figured I could wear it around today and give it back to you at the end. Is that… is that okay?” She worried her brows. “I can take it off now if you want to wear-“

“No.” He cut her off. “No, it’s totally fine. It just… it looks really good on you, is all.” He mumbled, squeezing her shoulder. “You look beautiful, as always.” His compliment was genuine, feeling his finger tap her nose, making her crinkle it. “Put the shiny stuff on it again? Your fairy sparkle?”

Y/N laughed out loud at his nickname for her highlight on her cheeks and the tip of her nose. “Mhm. I got a new pink one, think it suits me.” And maybe she’d been a lot more meticulous about her makeup now that she had a feeling this may be a more-than-friends situation. “I really like this look.” It was a tease, considering he wore the same thing off duty. Jeans and some sort of tee shirt with a quirky phrase or obscure musician on them. Today’s was relatively tame with a bee surrounded by some words about honey and health. Cute. “I actually like the tee today. A bit muscle-y.” His arms looked real fucking nice in this one. Of course he would have some considering he worked with his hands and was a pretty physical person but… damn. She allowed herself to admire it, respectfully.

It wasn’t something she’d caught before but a slight pink brushed his cheeks at her compliment. “Thanks, petal.” He smiled. “I… I got us some coffee, got your favorite. It’s only half an hour away but I figured….”

“You know I love coffee. You’re the best, as usual.” She sighed, leaning into him to have a hug. It wasn’t usual for her to do it first but he reacted quickly, pulling her close as he rubbed her back, content to keep her there forever. He was never the first to pull back from a hug, but Y/N would happily stay like this for hours if the option was there. He smelled good, was so warm and sturdy and he knew exactly how to play with hair. Unfortunately she did have to pull back, shooting him a shy smile as he took her by the shoulder to the car.

Of course he opened the door for her, made she she was in properly before jogging to his own side. He ever did the whole hand on the back of the seat while backing out move, which… wow. It never missed. The weirdest turn on, but something about it just elevated a man.

His car smelled ridiculously good, and judging by the little clips on his air vents, he had just changed them. He had a few lanyards for access to work yards and membership cards to certain stores, but no fun little fuzzy dice, or a air freshener with a kitty on it like she had. There and then, she took a mental note to get him one. Maybe a puppy one, though. His German shepherd was his best friend.

“Are you getting any books?” She asked him after a little time passed. The chatter had been casual so far, easy. The tension she felt since last night wasn’t bad in the car if she continued topic switching and slight gossip.

“Mm, I dunno. I haven’t done much reading lately. What are you gonna get?” He questioned, sneaking a peek at her as they stopped at a red light.

“Probably romance. I’ve been most interested in that. I’ve seen some good book recommendations online and the girls sent me some, Gia and I wanted to do a book club thing for one of the books by our favorite author. It’s a bad boy romance but it’s called Reaper.” She figured he’d have no idea what that was, but she watched his brow raise as he gave her a look.

“Well… you do have a naughty side, don’t you?” He snickered, watching her eyes widen. “Think m’clueless? Just because I don’t read a lot doesn’t mean my ears don’t work. Tony told me his wife was reading that and it’s full of sex. Basically erotica.” He licked his lip, looking her over.

“Oh- well, yes there’s sex but there’s plot to! Just because a book has sex doesn’t mean it isn’t good!”’she crossed her arms, huffing at him. It was a bit to rile him up a bit considering he was doing it to her and it worked. She watched his mouth open and close before rushing out an explanation.

“No! No, m’not saying that. It’s not bad at all. It’s empowering, but uh, I was just saying I didn’t expect you to read books like that.” He had to pull away as the light turned green but he looked a little stressed that he offended her.

“I’m joking, H. I know you didn’t mean it like that.” She snickered, watching his face turn to a bit to a scowl. “What, you thought I’m a nun or something? Just cause I’m not spilling all my stories at the table doesn’t mean I don’t have them.” She knew a lot of the group was very open about their sexual experience which was more than fine with her. Y/N was nosy and loved knowing other people's business, But in her life she didn’t share sex related things. It was private, for her and her partners. She didn’t want to betray their trust either, regardless of the terms they were on.

“I….” His face was more pink now, hands flexing around the wheel as he cleared his throat. “I just thought maybe you didn’t care as much about it. Which is fine, by the way! It’s cool. I just wasn’t sure you cared too much. You never talk about it when we have our confession nights so I… I was being a bit presumptuous. I’m sorry. It just shocked me a little.”

It was funny to make him squirm a bit but he didn’t need to feel bad. “It’s fine. Promise. No one really asks anyway, so I don’t offer it up first. I’m usually private about it because some of our friends are loud mouths but you can ask me stuff if you want. Maybe after we get our books you can ask me whatever questions come up.” She knew there would be plenty based on his face alone.

“Really?” He seemed surprised. “Yeah, sure. I mean, I’m not trying to be weird or anything but you know about the time I called someone by the wrong name and the girl who put her tongue in my ear so….” He shrugged one shoulder.

“Oh, god.” Her giggle was muffled by her hand. He had shared some of his horror stories and she’d found out he was a bit of a bondage fan and dabbled in kinky stuff but until now that info had been locked away in her brain under padlock and key. Suddenly someone had taken nippers to the lock and it was spilling out again, staining the floor. “Yeah… I suppose that is fair.” Angling her knees towards her, she stirred her coffee with the straw. “I think the worst thing that’s happened to me… hm. Probably the time I went home with a guy after a few dates in college and his place was really gross, but he was even more so. Like…” her nose scrunched. “Took his pants off and there was a smell coming from them. I couldn’t do it.”

“Oh, fuck.” He hissed, wincing at the thought. That was pretty much a nightmare situation. Harry always smelled good and never seemed to be anything but hygienic so she knew he gave a shit about it but still. No one wanted to think of that. “That’s… unfortunate for both of you. Was he embarrassed? How did you get out of it?”

“He wasn’t, is the thing. Said ‘girls should like a natural musk’ and I told him that it wasn’t a musk, it was a stench. He wasn’t happy with that so he didn’t refuse when I left. I had to take a long shower after that.” Shuddering in disgust, she hated recalling that. “At first I felt really guilty too, cause that’s such a hard thing… but he ended up being such a dick. It was surprising considering he had been sweet on the dates but apparently men change a lot in the bedroom.” That was an understatement.

“I can agree with that, but I’d hope it’s a positive change.” He shook his head at the thought. “Like, sweet in the streets and freak in the sheets or whatever the saying is.”

A laugh peeled from her throat, leaning her head against the headrest with her face turned towards him. “Yeah, close enough. But ideally they would be. I dunno, you don’t have to be crazy to be good in the bedroom but I’d hope for the same level of respect. Some men have no idea how to actually handle women so it’s partly why I stopped dating.” And why she had stayed up looking at his Instagram last night and thinking about how she’d look inserted in his life. Harry seemed like a man who could potentially handle her.

“I wish I could disagree but I can’t. I’ve heard many horror stories from girls, way more traumatizing than men. It’s why…” he stopped himself. “Sorry, was gonna overshare. But I can only imagine how it is and if it’s any consolation, I’m sorry for all the men.”

God, he was cute. But… wait.

“No no, you can definitely overshare.” She perked up. “If you want to, anyway. I don’t mind.” Blinking at him, he cut a look at her and let out a laugh as he lifted a hand to run it over his chin, the slight sound of skin scratching stubble audible in the cab of his truck.

“Well, I was gonna say it’s why I try t’be aware of that when I’m with someone that their comfort is first. If there’s anything they don’t like they can say it, that m’not gonna be mad. I don’t want someone to walk away from something with me and feel uncomfortable.” Seeing him a little shy was really fucking adorable. “I don’t really do hookups anymore. They’re not fulfilling, at least not to me. Lost their appeal a few years ago but, the few relationships I’ve been in the whole goal was to make them feel good. I think there’s a lot of selfishness that’s mainly revolved around men and sex, which I noticed a lot. The fact that a lot of women aren’t getting off at all is fucking ridiculous.” He scoffed, looking truly bothered by it.

Another point added to his growing list.

“Yeah, it is. It was rare I could because for me, and I think a good amount of women, there needs to be the foreplay aspect of it. Mentally, I need to be stimulated. Y’know, like teasing or not so clean talking.”

It was her turn to feel a little shy but she powered through. “And men can dive right in. It’s where we differ a lot of the time. I think part of it is biological too, I guess. I tried hooking up for a while but it never did anything for me either. I prefer someone with a connection so it’s easier to get to that point.” Now she was the one oversharing.

“I understand that. I like those things too. A bit of cat and mouse can be fun…” he pushed his hair back before returning his hands to the wheel, squeezing it. “It’s laziness and selfishness. I’d say for me personally, M’more of a giver. Not saying it to praise myself or anything but it’s just… it’s what I like.” There was a pause. “Sorry if that’s a bit much.”

No, it wasn’t enough. She wanted to know more. Her neglected cunt was more than interested in how he was in bed and if he’d like to be a giver for her, but she had to at least try to behave.

“It’s not. We’re just being honest, right?” She placed a hand on his knee, giving a daring squeeze and let it linger for a few moments before peeling it away. Again, testing the waters of initiating touch. Once she’d realized last night that she hadn’t shown her own interest much she had vowed to at least try today to see how he'd respond.

In this instance his smile grew and he couldn’t look right at her, but he nodded at what she’d said. “Yeah. I jus’ don’t want to seem like some creep. But uh, what other sort of books do you like? Romance, yeah, but what sort of tropes?” He did know some of those.

“Oh, I’m pretty adventurous.” A double meaning. “I like the grumpy and sunshine ones, the billionaire romances, mafia is a guilty pleasure. Meet cute is something else I enjoy for a light read. I dunno, I think I mainly go for what the summary calls to me for. I do read some darker stuff but it’s nice to have a little fantasy world to escape to. And the fantasy men know how to find a clit.” Throwing the joke in there was meant to diffuse some of tension but somehow it seemed to make it grow.

Not in a bad way, per say, but he looked at her curiously. “Don’t tell me that all of them couldn’t….”

“No, no. Some of them did, but majority no. They rub the side and think they’re doing something. But I’ve never faked it, I refuse to give a man an ego boost for something he didn’t do.”

“Good on ya, petal. S’bullshit that they get off and you don’t.” He genuinely seemed bothered by it. “Buncha pricks is what they are.”

“They are.” She snickered. “But I’ll let you read some of the blurbs for the books I pick out today, you can get a read on what sorta books I like.” It was yet again, another way to experiment.

“I’m very intrigued to see what you’re into.”

Y/N hopes that held a double meaning too.

—-

Harry was hovering a bit.

Normally that would annoy her. She’d huff and tell him to sit in the cafe, or go look at his own books- but she hoped that it was because he was paying attention to what she picked up.

Plus, he was holding the basket for her.

The store was earthy and rustic, exposed wooden beams running along the ceilings. There was a little cafe that served teas and coffees which she definitely planned on getting after her shopping, and from her nosy look over when Harry greeted the owner she had seen a blueberry scone. That would be coming home with her too.

The shelves were high and they had multiple different sections. It was far bigger than any indie bookstore she had been to in the past , and that lead her to quickly realize quickly she was going to make a monthly trek out here. Maybe Harry would be interested in joining her in them.

Maybe he’d be interested in doing a lot more with her.

“I’m almost done.” She promised, plopping a used copy of a vacation town romance into the basket. It had to be a little heavy but Harry didn’t complain. It didn’t even look like the weight bothered him, the basket hanging off his arm. They’d stuck mostly to the used section considering they were far cheaper, but she was ready to go for the new ones now.

So what if she took a little bit out of her savings for this? She deserved a little treat for once.

“There’s no rush, Flower.” He assured her, following closely behind her as she moved towards the new books. “I was wondering if….” There was a pause as she looked up at him. It seemed to make his brain buffer for a moment, his eyes looking over her face before he blinked out of the stare. “Uh, it you wanted to have lunch or something after?”

Why was he so cute, and why did he look so nervous? Maybe Y/N wasn’t giving the signals she needed to. That would be her own fault, but it was hard to flirt when she was as serious as she was about her books.

“On the condition that the iced mocha with a pump of caramel and the blueberry scone I get for the car ride doesn’t count as lunch, yes. I would very much enjoy that.” She chirped, watching the nerves melt off of his face. It was mind boggling that her of all people could cause him to be nervous in the slightest but you learned something new every day.

“I’ll agree, because that’s more suitable for a dessert.” He drawled. Harry did like to tease her about her sweet tooth which always made her roll her eyes. So what if a girl liked to have a brownie with each meal? Life is nothing but spinning on an orb in space. You may as well enjoy the creature comforts.

“If that’s your dessert I don’t think you’ve had a true one in a while.” The flirtation was light, testing the waters as she looked over the book covers. His eyes could be felt on the side of her face as he was quiet for a moment before letting out a little laugh.

“Suppose I haven’t. You’re right. Maybe I’ll need to try yours and see what you mean.”

And oh. Oh. She did everything in her power not to react besides a little smirk, though she could feel the heat radiating off her cheeks. Harry could most defintely try her dessert whenever the fuck he wanted.

“Should you be so lucky.” Was her slightly snarky reply, but he followed it up quite quickly.

“One could only hope, Petal.”

And yeah, maybe she felt her new heartbeat between her thighs as the newly heavier silence settled on them like oil in water, but it wasn’t necessarily bad. The anticipation was in her stomach as he got a bit closer, looking over her shoulder at the book she had picked up and was currently reading the back of.

“What’s this one?” He asked, so close that she could feel the heat of his body against her back.

“It’s called The Highest Bidder. It’s about… a girl who goes on an auction block at a BDSM club, he is one of the owners? Well he’s one of the richest. Anyways, I saw someone recommend it saying it has sugar daddy vibes and there’s some juicy stuff in it.” Y/N explained, taking the moment to lean back into him as she held the back cover for him to read.

If he was surprised he didn’t show it. Instead, his hand came up to rest on her shoulder, pinky finger nearly grazing the side of her neck as he looked over to read. Such a casual touch of affection, but he seemed to like it. “And you’re gonna get this one?” It was a bit weirdly arousing feeling the vibrations of his words through his chest and onto her back.

“I think so. I haven’t read an age gap for a while. Just hope the sex scenes aren’t shit. It’s hard to tell with books sometimes, even if they’re more kinky oddly enough. I’ve seen books that have the best summaries and seem super steamy have a two pump sex scene- or fade to black. Which, you know, is fine. Not all books need to have that, but what’s the point of making the book seem like it then?” She muttered. Clearly she had been victim to it a time or two. “Then the authors get mad about low goodreads reviews. It’s like, cmon! Don’t mislead the readers about the book then.”

It was something the woman did get passionate about when provoked, but Harry had opened that can of worms in the car when he had given his go ahead that he didn’t mind discussing things like this with her.

“Mm. I see.” He nodded and she swore she could hear the smile in his voice. “Show me the others you want to get.”

Y/N felt increasingly more comfortable as she went through the next five books, letting him read the back covers and giving him the low-down about what she had heard about them. Each time they moved their position would go back to where it was, with his hand on her shoulder and her back leaned into him, only he had gotten a little braver with running his smallest finger back and forth over the side of her neck.

It nearly made her choke when she first felt it. She definitely stuttered when he did it, but she didn’t comment on how the little action felt incredibly intimate and soft, yet charged with an unspoken sexual energy that would probably kill her if she thought about it too long. Harry was being casual about it, but he always had been. He’d been the first to initiate most touches with her that Gia said were abnormal. Of course he didn’t start off their friendship by being super grabby and touchy but it had morphed into that, and it definitely did take him by surprise when she had initiated last night and again today. Kind of like she was reinforcing that it was more than okay to touch.

“Are you sure you’re done?” He asked after placing her final book in the basket. Y/N felt like if she didn’t stop this weird, hot position of him asking questions about the books earnestly and his chaste-yet-sexy touches she may bend over the book table and get inappropriate really fucking fast.

“Mhm.” She assured him. “Please, I’m gonna have to dip into the rainy day fund to afford all the stuff from today but it’ll be so worth it.” The sun shone through the windows and highlighted his features which, god, had her testing her own willpower. Of course she was far too shy to be super direct with him verbally, but she didn’t hide the fact that she was admiring him.

Considering she had already been successful in her little experiments today, she saw the lock of hair that had flopped over his forehead and decided to push it back. Letting her fingers card through his hair, she pushed the strands out of his face and back into place. If she hadn’t been looking so intently she wouldn’t have seen the shiver he had from the action. His hair was so soft and obvious that Harry took care of it, and she had never really touched it all that much but the temptation had been too much. “Sorry, it was bothering me so it must have been bothering you.” She said simply, giving him a small smile. “I’m just gonna run to the restroom quickly and then we can check out. Okay?”

“Course.” He cleared his throat, nodding his head as if the question had taken a moment to load in his head. “I’ll be by the cafe then.”

Y/N really hated that bookstores made her have to go in there but it was a right of passage. Taking care of her business took only a few minutes, but when she came out she didn’t see him at first.

He wouldn’t just leave her, so it took her a second to realize he was leaving the counter, two bags of books hanging off his arms and two coffees in the little tray. A brown paper bag clutched crumbled in the hand he used to balance the drink tray, making her eyes widen.

“Hey! I was gonna pay for our coffees and stuff.” She pouted as he approached. “You’ll have to let me get lunch then.” Her eyes went down to the two tote bags with the store logo on them. “Ooo, that’s so nice that they gave you these to hold them in. Let me just grab my wallet and we can go to the till to-“

“Don’t worry about it.” He cut her off, shrugging a shoulder. There was a pregnant pause, her eyes blinking rapidly before her eyebrows crinkled.

“What do you mean? I have to pay.”

“They’re paid for.” The reply was simple and matter of fact. Again, words escaped her as she looked between him and the books.

“Did you-“

“I paid. It’s fine, Flower.”

“Uh, what?” Her eyebrows shot up as her stomach dropped. It did the weird thing that had her feeling a little lightheaded as he stood there, like he didn’t just spend probably close to two hundred on books. “No way I can accept that.”

“If I told you I got a discount for building this place will it help?”

“Harry.” She said quietly. “You…. Why?”

“Because I’m happy you agreed t’spend the day with me.” The reply was so to the point, not hiding anything at all that it almost felt unreal. Hell, it did feel unreal because who the fuck spent two hundred on books for a friend? Granted, she had a feeling-or a hope- there was a crush in there, but it felt like a huge gesture.

“You already do so much for me.” She swallowed the lump down her throat. “You help me at my place and you drive me home from get togethers and you buy me drinks when we go out and… I feel like it’s a lot. I surely don’t do as much for you.”

“I’d do even more if you let me.” He stared honestly, nothing but truth on his face. “So jus’ let me do this for you. I want to. It makes me happy.”

Y/N didn’t know how to argue with that. Instead, she nodded, and reached to take the bag and coffee tray from him since he had the much heavier books. “Thank you. I could cry, probably.” That wasn’t a joke. Her eyes felt like they were stinging.

“None of that, Petal.” He shook his head. “C’mon. I’ve got plenty of questions and you’ve got answers you promised me on the way here.” Without thinking twice, he grabbed her free hand with his own, tangling their fingers before leading her to the truck.

Y/N had no idea how so much had changed in 24 hours,

But she had a feeling it was about to change a whole lot more.

#flower #flower h #jarofstyles #harry styles fanfiction #harry styles one shot #harry styles fanfic #harry styles smut #harry writing #harry styles imagine #harry drabble #harry styles blurb #harry styles writing #harry styles au #harry styles carpenter #harry styles fluff #harry smut #harry styles fanfics #harry fanfic #friends to lovers

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howlingday · 4 months ago

Note

What Rwby characters do you think would shop at Hot Topic?

Well, let's run down the list, shall we...?

Ruby Rose - 20/10 1000% has a hot topic membership card. Possibly even for life. You're really gonna look me in the eyes and tell me she's not browsing the... aisles? ...of this emo-pop store and NOT wear the merch on the way out? Get outta here!

Weiss Schnee - 4/10 Odds are low, but never zero. Weiss probably indulges Ruby and browses, but it's never something that really screams "I got this at Hot Topic". She'll probably buy a belt, or maybe a keychain, but it's only so she can support the dying industry of her partner's favorite chain. That and the belt's actually match her style.

Blake Belladonna - 6/10 She's kinda grown out of it. Sure, when she was younger, she might have got some edgy, punk garb with Adam, but she's matured since then, and might pop in to see if there's anything new, but there isn't. The faces may change, but the atmosphere stays the same.

Yang Xiao Long - 2/10 Only goes in for business, as in buying Ruby a birthday present. She never really got what was so special about the store and always had a secret fear that it had a seedy, corrupting factor. Honestly, when she learned that it was way more wholesome than the Spencer's next door, which she loves hanging out in WAY more, she realized that Hot Topic's only threat was to her sister's lien.

Jaune Arc - 8/10 If there was a guy more likely to go into Hot Topic, Jaune Arc hasn't met him yet. He really digs the designer tees, all ranging from edgy anime to cartoon nonsense. Every trip to Hot Topic is a chance to get something new and fun to hang around with friends in. Plus, the lady working the register is really nice.

Nora Valkyrie - 5/10 Honestly, with Nora it's a hit or miss. Sometimes she's all about the gloves and stickers and tiny backpacks, then other times she's all meh about being in there at all. If Nora does go in, it's because she wants to go in. If someone else tries to force her, she'll be like a horse to water. Bottom line; Nora will be Nora about it.

Pyrrha Nikos - 7/10 Surprisingly, Pyrrha likes going to Hot Topic with her friends. She's not really in the scene a whole lot, but she's happy to be there, regardless. Plus, the earrings all look like something cute that might get a certain someone's attention~.

Lie Ren - -10/10 Ren doesn't like Hot Topic. At all. Part of the reason is that he was kinda bullied by the other kids for looking like he shops there, so he's sorta built this grudge against the very thing that brought him so much pain. If Nora drags him in there, he's not going to move far from her. He'd rather stay outside, away from the emo, punk, and goth vibes that he'd been persecuted for allegedly attempting. Also, the staff look more bored than he does.

#rwby #hot topic #my thoughts #my answer #my answers #ruby rose #weiss schnee #blake belladonna #yang xiao long #jaune arc #nora valkyrie #pyrrha nikos #lie ren #rwby shitpost

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eonoes · 10 days ago

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⋅˚₊‧ ଳ ‧₊˚ ⋅

Short cut guide: (Y/N) = your character’s name; (e/c) = eye color | self-indulgent; (Y/N) is an artist; gender neutral pronouns used, might've slipped up into female ones by accident and will correct them after proofreading tomorrow.

⋅˚₊‧ ଳ ‧₊˚ ⋅

"What're you doing?"

As sudden as the question rang into their ear, as sudden was the cover of the little booklet closed, the sketchbook, including pen navigated into the tiny pocket of their bag.

"Nothing—"

"Didn't look like nothing to me, though."

Although Rafayel responded in playful teasing, something within his heart was guessing how many slaps on his shoulder he would receive for letting his stealthy fingers glide into the inside of the bag and steal the sketch pad out to skim through.

Maybe his darling beloved should know him better.

Ah— but that little fluster evident on their expression and the quick tuck on the zipper told him that no matter how much he'd pry, he won't get a snoop through the live drawings. They most likely started to realise that he had been watching for longer than the few seconds in which he had made his presence known.

(Y/C) was just guessing, obviously. So engrossed in sketching passers-by while waiting for Rafayel to arrive at the spot they've been supposed to pick each other up for their date. They probably just overglazed the pair of sunset colored eyes on them. He gave plenty of time to fall into focus though. Locked in in the morning traffic of the local produce market, there was just plenty to see, plenty to wait for and... plenty to frustrate over. Both having the pleasure of feeling a different aspect of it, although the last reserved for the Lemurian only, who was sandwiched between bus and ice truck.

How long has it been? (Y/N) could guess that it was a couple of months by now since they've even found the gal to draw more than just three, five or ten lines before tearing up and burrying the material back into the hole that they've been punished into.

Rafayel's lips started to part to start digging further but they quickly managed to cut him off before he could even get started.

„So? Wanna go and check out the limited items? If there are some left that is.“ Enough of a hint but at least it looked like his cutie had a genuine smile on them to let his worries subdue.

„You think they'd find some mercy after I tell them of the 30 minutes I was stuck in the blazing spring sun and taunted with the ice cream car in front of me? Maybe they got a secret stack hidden away just for us,“ he teased as his fingers naturally slipped into the small fist that held onto the bag strap, pulling it down and brushing his fingers between the gaps of theirs in a hold.

„Hm... dunno... maybe they could also give us a discount out of pity? A poor little fish had been sizzling in the sun for THEIR collab items after all!“

Rafayel's eyes crinkled at the corners from the stupid smile plastered so loudly over his lips. He was helplessly in love.

„Oh, they better! Maybe I should also make use of that dusty membership card that Thomas stuffed into my pockets.“

Surprisingly, the trip went well enough that they managed to snag a limited edition mechanical pen and a set of matching shoppers, a great addition to the cringey couple fits they sometimes did.

Passing by, chatting about nothing and everything, they passed a large glass window in the Bloomshore District. 'Pottery classes every Wednesday and Thursday, 10:00h – 16:00h! Bring your friends and get a 500 Gold discount per person!'

„You wanna go?“ his voice gently ripped them out of the muddled focus they had fallen into on accident.

„You'd be up for it?“ (e/c) met his in the mirrored image of the window.

Oh, who were they even asking? „Duh, no. I was just asking to decline.“

„Then, Wednesday next week?“

„Mark it up in your calendar, cutie.“

Their eyes shone with joy and the first flicker of premature excitement. Spending time with Rafayel had always been nice, even if they had their fallouts and little disputes over the silliest things. It just became a bit of a harmonic bonding between them after the little frustrations formed into teasing banter.

Somehow, working on crappy clay plates didn’t kill the joy between them, didn’t make the smiling a bit more taxing, didn’t make hands feel cold. Even (Y/N) couldn’t really describe it but instead of stifling art block, they felt childish freedom when they tried workshops that had nothing to do with drawing.

Mentioning their art around him…

…made it feel like drowning in the coldest of waters.

And they disliked it.

Disliked it because it made them feel envious of his devotion.

Maybe more for the enthusiasm that couldn’t be reciprocated. Listening to his rambles about colors and materials for oil paintings was like seeing passion formed in the purest way in another being.

Excited, devoted, undying.

It was fascinating to watch him grind up the fine pigments into dust and mix the necessary palette together. (Skills that an artist just manifests into their skill set over years.) And, oh, how prettily his eyebrows furrowed, his hands clasped onto the material and the little grumbles of not mixing enough of the liquid into the powder— suddenly that creative slump was overwritten by curiousity.

All that started to lack when it came down of touching the pen themselves.

He even offered making them one so they could try it out at home. Looking so hopeful in what (Y/N) would show him.

They said yes.

Yet didn’t dare touch this perfect present that would be wasted on a lack of talent… and thus, never showed anything.

'There are many artworks that don’t get recognised in this world.',he once said. At days it would ring in their head when catching glimpses of the blank papers waiting on the desk...

Next thing both of them know they had strayed to his car. One thing after another, the promise of ordering fresh seafood and a few snacks already secured in an eco bag he had gotten them from his last trip, leading to (Y/N) cozy in his car. The 'Driver princess' bodyguard' as one of her friends once commented as a joke. Occasionally running their fingers through a few messy velvet strands, the usual 'We'll get into an accident if you distract me like this, cutie.', a chuckle with 'Then keep your eyes on the roa, fishie.' and they had come to the familiar greenery and mosaic path of (Y/N)'s home. It was closer, better better than risk Rafayel to drive all the way back to his studio! — at least that was the generous excuse used by both parties why he had to stay over tonight.

Hand in hand they strode into the lit corridors of the apartment building that (Y/N) had nested into. So much more humble to the home of the prodigy next to them. He never cared about that though. There was so much beauty in the simplicity and non-riches that couldn’t compare to wealth.

Rafayel slid his fingers over their collar, adjusting the slight crook with a sheepish smile that had their heart jump.

„You really fine with staying over? What if I'll munch away all the fish crackers, hm?“

„Oh, puhlease— you must think of me as an amateur for not thinking ahead~“ the Lemurian cooed out, shaking the bag after having it raised up on display. „I bought three packs when you weren’t looking.“

„Why three?“

„One for you, one for me and one to share when we get peckish during movie night.“

Joy rang through the halls through chuckles and giggles. Sweet little remarks, both teasing and endearing, exchanged as (Y/N) fished out the keys and opened the door with a gracious bow for the beloved prince who did his own courtesy before still nudging the other in first. Even now stubborn to let his darling have the honour.

What Rafayel didn't expect, when entering, was a set of fluffy slippers waiting for him. Not just one extra set for guests, no. One that just screamed of his name. A pesky chibi kitty cat hugging a fishie of equal size in it’s paws. If that’s not corny enough, the stitching „I fish u were here </3“ enough to have his poor designers heart cry in anguish. Corny but they probably knew. It was probably the very reason why they had gotten them for him. And why (Y/N) put them down in the corridor. Right next to theirs.

The man had to get a grip with how quick his heart was swelling or he might just become a clingy ass.

Graciously and with a light jump in his step, Rafayel made a beeline into the living room, plopping down the bag onto the cushioned chair before starting to pull out a bowl from the drawer and two wineglasses down the shelf.

„You okay with lobster tonight?“

„The great Rafayel truly knows how to pamper a peasant! Nooo, no, I'd actually want the canned tuna from the discounter, please!“

He grinned like an idiot right now, wasn’t he?

„I'll let them have a fitting wine delivered with it then.“

„And—!“

„And some juice for our gourmet of course!“

(Y/N)'s turn to smile like a fool as they rummaged with pots and pans to have everything set when they could start cooking.

Tossing his phone aside on the couch he elegantly sprawled over, Rafayel took his time to look through the small changes in the apartment. 'Gotta ruffle up the pillows…', he thought when he got up to pick them up one by one and giving them a shake, eyes falling over a few spots in the room as he snooped around with a pillow in tow.

Rafayel had not been blind. Grim as it sounds, he had trained himself to notice little things in his surroundings. People were after his head and he was after theirs. One had to know his targets, no? It had become a habit to let eyes wander loose.

A little A6 watercolor sketchpad tucked not so neatly between two thick file holder. 'Still rather full.'

There were times you had to be prepared to defend yourself or spot even the smallest of traps.

A stack of loose papers clipped down onto cardboard and three pens splayed on top, peaking out after sloppily burried under a novela and an agenda. 'Scurried lines, a bit more zigzagy in the middle...'

It's either eat or be eaten.

A reflection of his cutie that could become a sudden sea storm when frustrated. Caught himself smiling a bit.

Until he felt something in him that was almost like the tides. A feeling that resembled waves that were sucked back into the vast ocean by force and equally pulled those corners down again into a line.

Why didn't his cutie ever mention their passion for art?

The more he looked and paid attention, the more he saw. A hidden canvas between the sleep couch and wall in the livingroom. A gouache palette on top of a simple brown organiser box. At least four pencil cases too much in a shelf he had passed in their room. Two cute scribbles of a character he remembered to belong to some childhood cartoon. What made his heart squeeze more was the little signature and social media tag in small letters at the corner of some of the artworks.

'Gotta check it out later...'

How he had been so blind was absolutely making him frustrated with himself. It was the second time he had been over and only now he just managed to spot all of this!

Alright, can't blame himself. First time he was a bit too ecstatic that he was allowed in that he paid most attention to (Y/N) than getting lost in over-analysing his surroundings (And how cute his precious one was that evening, all for himself in his arms...).

Almost hurt his pride that they were this sneaky enough to hide their joy in art just like today—

Oh.

Watching them sketch (shamelessly for five minutes at least)... how he wished that they would have said something. That crease between their eyebrows wasn’t just from focus, was it? It didn’t look like the one they wore when making silly bracelets for both of them or the times when they tried to bend the straws without breaking for a straw basket.

When he started, he couldn’t really stop. It was an invasion of their privacy, no denying it, but his mind fell into a tunel vision for some reason. Suddenly he felt a gloomy itch in his fingers.

He had seen a few aquarelle paintings, gouache ones too in between the little stack, and an A3 sheet with practice scribbles. They were beautiful. Not entirely what he was usually painting or the artworks displayed in galleries but they had their own unique and beautiful charm that just was his dearly beloved's signature. Something more special than any other of the things he saw in art galleries or collectors books. Something so unique in colors and even feelings. Something that was the very portraitation of them.

"Have you been drawing... obscure things on purpose?"

He slotted himself in the doorframe of their kitchen, hand raising up a sketchpad with silly stickers plastered all over, labelled with the digits of two years back. One of their favourites to reminisce in when feeling nostalgic.

(Y/N) was stunned for the first few seconds. Not mad that he looked through their things without permission, they did too a good amount of times in his atelier after all, but just… nervous. How much did he see? What would he think? Is he mad?

"Hey, I wouldn't call it obscure! It's my expression of freedom of the perfectionistic mindset!" They huffed out in retort but that playfulness died down when the tips of their lips angled into a line again before taking a downward curl when the brows pinched a bit together into a crease.

"... I don't know..."

It was a feeling that was difficult to describe. Imposter syndrome maybe? Wouldn’t entirely fit the situation though since there were no accomplishments done with the stuff. Only fleeting dreams and wishes that started to leave the heart rotting in pain.

Not enough.

That’s what it felt like on one part. No matter what would be created it wasn’t worth for the world or anyone. It was easier to draw it childishly ugly; hurt less when it was just looking like it was intended to: amateurish and not to be taken seriously. Because showing him their actual skill, hearing his thoughts and maybe even some praise to their actual art seemed so... weirdly saddening. The words would just sound like lies if the creator couldn't find the same beauty in their art, no?

They were worlds apart.

A famous painter and the one that never managed to break through the soil that nourished them.

Their hand reached out to take the sketchbook back and stuff it into some shelf, „'s not like it’s anything special. Just a few scribbles here and there—“

Only for their fingers to miss it by a few millimeters when he pulled it up higher with a frown, „—it's special to me.“

Darn… here it came and the floodgates were close to open.

„It’s not worth talking about…“

„What do you mean 'not worth it'? I never knew you were into watercolors! I've been mixing you the wrong palettes the whole time. Tell me next time! You gotta make a full painting out of this one! The strokes are flowy and dynamic, it would look good with some co—“

But before he could say any word further, he was cut out by a sob and his eyes instantly looked away from the page he had open, down to his better half holding in tears.

„It’s worthless. Just cut it out. Please.“

The excitement formed into silence then seriousness when the assumptions came true after all. And all he wanted to do was to pull this nagging comparisons, hatred and perfectionism away from their heart which were leaching off of them. His arms wrapped over their form, pulling them tightly against him for grounding. In a few moments they had one of their own around his waist while keeping their face buried in his shirt. How much he smelled of the ocean and the freedom of the beach.

In that time, no one said anything. A few sobs slipped out, his lips whistling out soft shushes and promises of it being fine, all while running his unoccupied hand over their head in gentle strokes.

He thought back on the sketches he saw, the latest dating back a week ago.

"Do you want to learn oil painting?"

In such a gentle and understanding tone, Rafayel had caught their attention back and pulled their mind out of the pitch dark sea again. Why it stirred their heart this strongly was unknown. But it resonated with that fist-sized muscle so strongly.

They pulled a bit away to rub their eyes clean, earning a few pecks from him that dried their cheek off as good as they could. The cold sea felt so warm right now for some reason. As if he had enlightened the depths with his Evol and automatically their heart with it. Or maybe it was just the empathy one felt for the other after having been through the same nightmare.

"Please."

#rafayel x reader #lads rafayel #rafayel love and deepspace #reader insert #lads x reader #lads x y/n #x reader #made a new acc for writing because the old one was making me a bit... weird #will keep this one purely for times when I feel like farting stuff out #current emotions have me feeling like this though #taking a break from social media might work but at the same time I wanna see all of the pretty art #I just wish I could create something equally pretty

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moncherriecoups · 4 days ago

Text

Muted Hearts - Before Us

The one who let me know and see myself

You are my only reason

If you'll remember me forever

Then it's okay for me to get hurt

My heart carved with your light

Only makes me stronger

Your sharp thorns, please give it to me

'Cause you're my flower

Chapter 10.2

February 2024

Seungcheol didn’t particularly like change.

His life was structured—schedule after schedule, practice, meetings, rehearsals, workouts. If he could keep at least one thing constant, he would. And for the longest time, that one thing was the gym in the company building. It was close, private, and most importantly, familiar.

But then came Kim Mingyu.

"Hyung, please," Mingyu had whined, practically draping himself over Seungcheol's back after practice. "I found this gym, and it’s so much better than the one at the company. The vibe is cozy, the equipment is brand new, and they even have protein shakes made fresh at the counter—fresh, hyung!"

Seungcheol had barely looked up from his phone, already suspicious. "Then go by yourself?"

"I hate going alone."

Of course he did. Mingyu was practically a golden retriever in human form—thrived in companionship, hated doing anything solo. But Seungcheol wasn’t about to be dragged across town just because the younger one wanted a change of scenery.

Until Mingyu pulled out the final weapon.

"You do realize that our company gym is getting boring, right? Same people. Same routines. Same everything. Don’t you feel a little tired of it, hyung?"

Seungcheol had scoffed at the time, brushing it off with a lazy wave. But later that night, when he was back at the company gym, cycling through the same warm-ups, the same weights, the same sterile environment—he felt it.

That nagging sense of monotony.

And somehow, that was how he found himself standing outside a gym on the other side of town the following week, arms crossed, watching Mingyu practically bounce with excitement.

"See? It’s nice, right?" Mingyu beamed, swiping his membership card at the entrance. "And the people here are so chill, no one even looks twice at us!"

Seungcheol hummed noncommittally as he followed inside. The gym was… decent. Smaller than their company one, but the atmosphere was different. Cozy, like Mingyu had said. Warm lighting instead of the harsh fluorescents he was used to. A good mix of people—some regular gym-goers, others just there to stay active. No overly eager fans, no suffocating attention.

Alright, fine. Maybe Mingyu had a point.

"I'll give it a shot," Seungcheol finally muttered, rolling his shoulders.

"YES!" Mingyu fist-pumped like he had just won a bet.

–

This gym was never supposed to be a regular thing.

Originally, it was just a favor to Mingyu—a one-time visit, or so he thought. The younger member had insisted, claiming it was quieter than their company gym, had better equipment, and was “literally the perfect place to work out without distractions.”

"Just try it once, hyung," Mingyu had grinned, throwing an arm over his shoulder. "You’ll thank me later."

That never happened. But somehow, he kept coming back.

Not because of anything particularly special. He wasn’t someone who enjoyed changing up his routine. And yet, after that first visit, the place stuck in his mind.

It was quiet. No fans waiting outside, no cameras catching him off guard. The staff and members treated him like anyone else—just a guy coming in for a workout. No stares, no whispers.

It felt… normal.

And maybe that’s why his schedule started shifting around it.

At first, he only went when Mingyu was free. But, predictably, the younger man’s enthusiasm didn’t last long.

"Hyung, I can't today—early shoot."

"Hyung, let’s go tomorrow instead, I need sleep."

"Hyung, you’re still going? Damn."

One excuse after another, until he was going alone.

But stopping never crossed his mind. Somewhere along the way, this place had carved itself into his day, becoming as routine as practice or work. It wasn’t just about staying in shape anymore—it was about the rare stillness. A moment in his schedule that belonged to him.

And then, there was her.

It wasn’t immediate. No dramatic first meeting, no slow-motion glances across the gym.

She was just another regular at first. Someone who happened to be there at the same time.

Until she wasn’t just that anymore.

The little things started standing out. The way she always tied her hair back in a loose ponytail, strands slipping free by the end of her session. The way she scrolled through her phone between sets, completely lost in whatever she was reading. The way she carried herself—focused, steady, like nothing around her mattered.

Tuesdays. Thursdays. Fridays.

Always at the same time.

Always leaving just as he arrived.

He shouldn’t have cared about that.

But somehow, he did.

Because for someone he had never spoken to, who had never even looked his way—she was taking up space in his mind in a way he didn’t know how to stop

–

March, 2024

Seungcheol liked to believe he wasn’t easily distracted.

But lately, something had shifted.

It wasn’t the usual exhaustion from packed schedules or the weight of being SEVENTEEN’s leader. This was different—subtle, creeping in before he even realized it.

At first, it was just a passing thought. A brief glance at the clock before heading to the gym, an unconscious check to see if she was there.

Then, it became routine.

The moment he stepped inside, his eyes would instinctively scan the room, searching for a familiar figure. He told himself it was nothing—just habit, like any other part of his workout.

But on the days she wasn’t there, when the space felt a little emptier, a strange sense of disappointment settled in his chest.

Which made no sense.

He didn’t even know her.

She was just another gym-goer, part of the usual crowd.

And yet, habits were hard to break.

And once something—or someone—caught his attention, Seungcheol wasn’t the type to ignore it.

So, when he finally saw her up close for the first time, it hit him harder than expected.

The gym was quiet that afternoon, with only a few regulars scattered around. Seungcheol had just finished warming up when he turned—and there she was.

By the weights, adjusting her wrist wraps, completely focused on the task.

He shouldn’t have stared.

But something about the moment made it hard to look away.

Maybe it was the way she moved—calm, composed, lost in her own world. Maybe it was the way she carried herself, as if nothing could shake her.

Or maybe it was something else entirely.

Something he wasn’t ready to put into words.

He forced himself to look away, shaking off the thought.

Because that’s all it was.

A passing moment.

Nothing more.

At least, that’s what he told himself.

But the feeling lingered longer than it should have.

–

Obsession wasn’t in his nature. He was a leader, a decision-maker—someone who set goals and saw them through. But this? This was different.

The mystery of her lingered.

For weeks, she had been a presence just beyond his reach, slipping away before he could ever get close. Not once had they spoken, not once had he managed to be in the right place at the right time, yet somehow, she had taken up space in his thoughts.

And that wasn’t something he could ignore.

So, for the first time in a long time, curiosity got the better of him.

Answers weren’t hard to find—people talked, and the gym staff knew him well. A few casual questions here and there, nothing too obvious, and finally, he got what he wanted.

Her name.

Jang Sua.

He turned it over in his mind, testing how it sounded, how it felt. Simple, refined, carrying a quiet sort of confidence. It suited her.

And yet, the moment he had it, something about it tugged at him.

Familiar.

Like a name he had heard before but never really registered.

The realization didn’t hit him until later, when he was lounging in the practice room, half-listening to the others’ conversation.

Jang Sua.

Minghao’s Jang Sua.

The name that had surfaced in passing, always spoken with quiet admiration. The gallery girl, the art specialist—the one who had guided Minghao through paintings, pushed him beyond his comfort zone.

Recognition struck first. And then, something heavier. Something far more unsettling.

Minghao liked her.

Maybe not openly, maybe not in a way the others had picked up on, but now it was clear—the way Minghao’s voice shifted when he spoke about her, the way he lingered on details that had nothing to do with art.

And now, he wanted her too.

A slow exhale left his lips as he leaned back against the couch, eyes fixed on the ceiling.

Of course, it had to be her.

Because nothing was ever simple.

And walking away had never been his style.

—

“You look like you’ve got something on your mind,” Jeonghan mused, lazily swirling the straw in his iced americano.

Across from him, the man in question sat slumped in his chair, arms crossed, brows furrowed. It wasn’t like Seungcheol to be this quiet, especially during their late-night café runs. Normally, he was the one rambling about schedules, workouts, or whatever drama had unfolded in the group chat that day. But tonight? Silence.

Jeonghan smirked. “It’s a girl, isn’t it?”

The sharp exhale that followed was all the confirmation he needed.

“Not just any girl,” Jeonghan continued, amused. “It’s her, isn’t it? The gym girl you’ve been secretly obsessed with.”

At that, Seungcheol groaned, tilting his head back against the booth. “I’m not obsessed.”

“Sure. That’s why you’ve been going to the gym religiously every day at the same time, hoping to ‘accidentally’ run into her.”

He had nothing to say to that, so he took a slow sip of his drink instead.

Jeonghan leaned forward, resting his chin on his palm. “Alright, so what’s the problem? You like her. She doesn’t even know you exist. What’s stopping you?”

A beat of hesitation.

“…Minghao.”

That wiped the smirk off Jeonghan’s face. “Ah.”

Seungcheol exhaled, fingers tapping against his cup. “He likes her.”

There it was—the thing that had been gnawing at him for weeks now. Minghao wasn’t the type to wear his emotions on his sleeve, but it was painfully obvious. The way he talked about her, the subtle way his expression softened whenever her name came up… it didn’t take a genius to figure it out.

And yet, despite years of knowing her, he had never made a move.

“So let me get this straight.” Jeonghan sat back, tapping his fingers against the table. “Minghao’s liked her for years but never confessed, and now you like her too.”

Seungcheol nodded.

“And you’re debating whether or not to do something about it?”

Another nod.

Jeonghan let out a short laugh, shaking his head. “You know, for someone who acts all tough, you’re surprisingly considerate.”

Seungcheol scoffed. “Hannie.”

“Listen,” Jeonghan leaned in, voice low but firm, “if you make a move first and she chooses you, then that’s how it’s supposed to be. Minghao had years, Seungcheol. If he really wanted to be with her, he would’ve done something by now.”

That… was cruel.

But also true.

Seungcheol hated to admit it, but the thought had crossed his mind before. If Minghao was really that serious about her, why hadn’t he said anything? Why had he stayed in the safe zone all this time?

“You’re not doing anything wrong,” Jeonghan added, as if reading his thoughts. “You like her. You want to ask her out. That’s normal. What happens next? That’s up to her.”

The words settled in his chest, heavy but strangely reassuring.

He’d spent so much time hesitating, caught between his own feelings and the unspoken ones of his friend. But at the end of the day, the choice wasn’t his—or Minghao’s—to make.

It was hers.

And he was done waiting.

—

April, 2024

He never thought she'd say yes.

Even as the words left his mouth—carefully measured, laced with quiet hesitation—he had braced for rejection. He had prepared himself for the moment she would scoff, roll her eyes, maybe even look at him like he was out of his mind.

But she didn’t.

Instead, she tilted her head, studied him like she was searching for something beneath his careful composure, and then—"I’ll sign it."

And just like that, the ground beneath him shifted.

—

Dating Sua was unlike anything he had known before.

There were no grand declarations, no textbook romance gestures. She didn’t expect flowers or public displays of affection, didn’t demand more than what he could give.

Instead, she gave him something far more dangerous—a place to rest.

She never pried, never asked about things he wasn’t ready to share. Yet somehow, she always knew��when to let him be, when to tease him out of his exhaustion, when to lean against his shoulder and let the silence stretch comfortably between them.

Seungcheol had never met someone so effortlessly steady.

And he was already in too deep before he even realized he was falling.

—

The night it happened, he hadn’t planned for it.

They were at his apartment, the air thick with unspoken things. She sat on the couch in his hoodie, fingers wrapped around a cup of tea, looking so effortlessly like she belonged there that it made his chest ache.

Then, somewhere between soft laughter and quiet touches, she kissed him first.

It was barely there at first—a gentle press of lips, like she was testing something, waiting for him to stop her.

But he didn’t.

Instead, his hands found her waist, anchoring himself to her, deepening the kiss with a hunger he hadn't let himself acknowledge until now.

He felt her sigh against him, soft and warm, and something inside him broke.

It had been so long.

Too long since he let himself have this, let himself want without hesitation, without restraint.

And now, with her beneath him, her skin warm beneath his fingertips, her name a quiet prayer on his lips—he realized just how much he had missed this.

Missed her.

His hands trembled slightly as he traced the curve of her back, mapping the shivers he pulled from her, the soft gasps that sent heat curling through his veins.

"Are you okay?" she whispered, her fingers threading through his hair.

He exhaled a quiet laugh, pressing a kiss to the corner of her mouth. "Yeah." His voice was rougher than he expected. "You?"

She nodded, eyes heavy-lidded, lips swollen, beautiful.

And when he finally sank into her, when she breathed his name like it was something sacred—he knew.

There was no coming back from this.

—

After that night, it was over for him.

Seungcheol had always been careful—always kept a part of himself tucked away, guarded.

But now?

Now he was completely gone for her.

It was in the way he caught himself staring when she wasn’t looking. The way he found excuses to touch her, even in the smallest ways—a hand on the small of her back, fingers brushing hers, his thumb tracing absentminded circles against her skin.

The way he would wake up before her just to watch the slow rise and fall of her breath, to commit the softness of her to memory before the world pulled him away again.

He was in love with her.

So hopelessly, maddeningly in love with her that it scared him.

Because for the first time in a long time, he had something he couldn’t afford to lose.

—

August, 2024

Seungcheol had been careful.

At least, he thought he had been.

No one was supposed to know—not yet. Not until he figured out how to handle this properly. The moment the members found out, it would spread like wildfire. Not to the public, of course; he trusted them more than anyone. But within the group, between the teasing and the pestering, there would be no keeping it to himself.

So he had been careful. He had hidden it well. Or so he thought.

But now, as he sat in the dressing room, staring at the read receipt on his phone, he realized maybe he hadn’t been as subtle as he’d believed.

He had been smiling.

And someone had noticed.

"Who the hell is ‘Sua’?"

Seungcheol’s head jerked up.

Mingyu was standing over him, eyes locked onto his screen before he could react. He locked it immediately, but it was too late. DK was already launching himself onto the couch, eyes wide with betrayal.

"HYUNG, WHO IS SUA?? Secret girlfriend? Hidden manager? Are you being blackmailed? BLINK TWICE IF—"

"Mind your business," Seungcheol muttered, shoving him off, but his voice didn’t have enough bite.

Mingyu grinned, nudging his shoulder. “No, but really. Who is she?”

Seungcheol exhaled, pressing his tongue against the inside of his cheek.

"Someone important."

That should’ve been enough. That should’ve ended it.

But when he stood, stretching to make his escape, his gaze flickered across the room—

And there was Minghao.

Silent. Watching.

Seungcheol froze for a split second, just enough to feel the weight of Minghao’s gaze.

And then he turned away.

He knew that look.

Knew it too well.

Minghao had already figured it out.

—

Seungcheol wasn’t sure how long he had before Minghao confronted him, but he knew it was coming.

Minghao never reacted impulsively, never made a scene. He was careful, methodical, always waiting for the right moment to ask the right question.

So when the others had filtered out, leaving just the two of them backstage, Seungcheol didn’t need to turn around to know he was there.

"You’re seeing her."

It wasn’t a question.

Still, Seungcheol took his time turning. He could pretend to be surprised. He could play dumb. But there was no point.

Instead, he just met Minghao’s gaze.

"Yes."

Minghao didn’t flinch. Didn’t sigh. Didn’t react the way the others would have.

He just studied him.

"You never told me."

It wasn’t an accusation, but it wasn’t just a statement either. It held something else—something heavier, something that made Seungcheol’s stomach twist.

Because there was a truth underneath it.

You never told me.

But I told you about her.

I talked about her. I admired her. I trusted you.

And now, suddenly, she’s yours.

Seungcheol clenched his jaw, exhaling slowly. He could say I didn’t have to. He could say I didn’t think it mattered.

But both of those would be lies.

Minghao had noticed before anyone else. That was the kind of person he was—someone who paid attention, someone who saw things before they were spoken aloud. He had noticed the way Seungcheol lingered on his phone, the way his expression softened before locking the screen. He had noticed the flowers, the careful way Seungcheol crafted his words.

And now, standing in front of him, he wasn’t asking because he didn’t know.

He was asking because he wanted to know why.

Seungcheol swallowed. He could offer an excuse. Say it happened fast, that he didn’t want to make it a big deal. But none of those were true either.

He had avoided telling Minghao.

Because he knew it would feel like this.

Because he knew—deep down—that Minghao cared more than he ever let on.

And maybe that was the part that made Seungcheol feel guilty.

Minghao let out a quiet laugh, one that didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Just be careful, hyung.”

It wasn’t a warning. It wasn’t a threat.

It was a reminder.

Seungcheol didn’t ask what he meant.

Didn’t tell him that it was already too late for that.

—

September, 2024

It was supposed to be a casual night.

One of those rare evenings where practice ended early enough for them to grab drinks together, unwind after hours of sweating under bright lights and sharper critiques.

So here they were, packed into their usual spot—an upscale but quiet bar tucked away from prying eyes—nursing cold beers and emptying shared plates of anju.

Seungcheol had just returned from ordering another round when he felt it.

That shift in the air.

Subtle, but there.

The way the conversation slowed just slightly as he sat back down, the way glances flickered toward him—too fleeting to call out, but just enough to make his skin prickle.

And then—

“So,” Seungkwan began, slow, casual. A little too casual. “Sua, huh?”

Jun hummed, swirling his drink. “Interesting.”

"Very interesting,” Joshua echoed.

Seungcheol sighed, setting his glass down. “Just say it.”

Jeonghan, ever the executioner, leaned back with a lazy smirk. “We just realized something.”

A beat.

"She’s the same Jang Sua that Minghao always talks about."

Seungcheol barely reacted, years of self-control keeping his expression neutral.

But inside?

Inside, something twisted.

Of course, they figured it out.

He didn’t dare glance at Minghao, who sat a little too still, fingers resting lightly against his glass, gaze unreadable.

Vernon, unbothered as always, was the first to break the quiet. “Damn. Small world.”

“That’s one way to put it,” Woozi muttered.

DK, who always took a second longer to catch on, blinked. “Wait, so—” He turned to Minghao. “Isn’t she the one you always—”

“Drop it,” Minghao cut in smoothly.

The words weren’t sharp, but they carried weight.

DK shut up.

And just like that, the tension stretched taut.

Seungcheol breathed evenly, keeping his expression unreadable.

He didn’t owe anyone an explanation.

But under their scrutiny, he felt like he did.

Because he knew what they might thinking.

Was there something between them?Did she play them both?Did Minghao like her first?

It was bullshit.

Sua wasn’t like that.

And Minghao wasn’t the type to get strung along.

Seungcheol knew this.

And yet, the thought that even one of them might be entertaining the idea made his stomach coil uncomfortably.

He felt his jaw tighten, shoulders stiffening—

Then—

A soft nudge under the table.

Jeonghan.

Seungcheol turned slightly, catching the lazy way Jeonghan sipped his drink, the ever-knowing glint in his eyes.

“Cheol,” Jeonghan murmured, just loud enough for him to hear.

And just like that, the tension in Seungcheol’s body unraveled.

Because he knew what Jeonghan meant.

Let it go.

Starting an argument now would only make things worse.

So instead, Seungcheol exhaled. Forced himself to relax.

Shrugged.

“What can I say?” He reached for his beer, voice easy, light. “Guess Minghao has good taste.”

A beat.

Then—

Jeonghan snorted.

The others groaned.

And just like that, the weight in the air lifted.

Conversation picked up again, the scrutiny shifting elsewhere, and the moment passed.

Seungcheol took a slow sip of his drink.

Beside him, Minghao said nothing.

But Seungcheol didn’t miss the way his fingers curled around his glass just a little tighter.

──────────────────────────────

two chapters in a day bcs why not :)

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stardewremixed · 9 months ago

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Why does the Mayor send Robin to greet you at the Bus stop? What is he so busy doing that he can't be there right away? How would the Opening Scene play differently if another Stardew townie greeted you? What housewarming gifts/ advantages would you gain from someone else? Here are my little headcanons.

Marnie - she's the Mayor's secret girlfriend. Maybe he doesn't want to risk exposing this to the new farmer. However, I think it would be cute if you had a dog or a cat from Day 1 thanks to Marnie pointing out that the farm would be a great place for them to run around.

Caroline- She would encourage you to shop at her husband's store. An invite to her Tuesday aerobics class would be nice.

Pierre - He's a busy man running his store, but he might offer you extra seeds.

Demetrius - He would awkwardly show you around, and you'd have access to the farm cave on day 1 if you accept his offer to study the local bat population.

Robin - she's the vanilla choice but I'd like to think she gives you a storage chest.

Linus - the mountain man is shy but he is curious about the new farmer. He would bring some wild forage.

Marlon - Ah! The new adventurer! A rusty sword seems like the kind of welcome gift he would offer. (You don't gain access to the mines but monsters might spawn on the first night on the farm).

Gus - ah! A new farmer! This man is kindly bringing you a hot meal.

Evelyn and George - He would be like 'dagnabbit! Dragged me out here woman!' He can't exactly roll around easily on the farmland. She would be happy to make your acquaintance (and bring cookies, of course). George might give you a leek from Ev's garden.

Pam - She's driving the bus, right? She would mention it's normal for the mayor to run late. Let's crack open a pale ale.

Clint - Errr... hi... here is a sprinkler for your farm. (Makes a quick exit). (Or maybe an upgraded watering can).

Gunther - ah yes! Please help us replenish our museum. It is in a sad state. Here is a library card and a book about the history of the Valley.

Willy - Day 1 fishing pole! Oh yeah! (Super useful for the riverlands farm). If you're on another farm type, maybe just a fish).

Wizard - He finds you very... curious... and gives you the ability to understand Junimos (except who are they?). He smiles and says you will understand in time. And poufs! Where did he go?

Morris- beats Lewis to the bus stop, just barely and is out of breath. He gives you the Joja pitch early (and for today only, a discount if you buy a membership) but you wouldn't sell out, would you?

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thematthewmmurdock · 2 years ago

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2 A.M.

Pairing: Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw x F!reader

Word Count: 3.9k

Warnings: Smut (18+). Friends With Benefits. Oral Sex (m + f receiving). 69ing. Brief Assplay.

All mistakes are me own. Comments/reblogs are appreciated!!

You swore you were done with this. Done waiting for flirty 2 a.m. texts. Done with hastily packed duffle bags and sweaty trysts in wrinkled sheets. Done with walks of shame the next morning, the delicious ache between your thighs a reminder of all the dirty things you’d gotten up to in the past few hours.

Though, it can’t really be called a walk of shame if it felt so good, and you weren’t really ashamed, can it? And it did feel good to see your phone light up well past midnight with a corny text from Rooster.

Bradley.

The message from him lights up your bedroom now. Casts the room in a soft blue glow. You swipe open your phone, thumb hovering over the screen as you formulate a response.

You up? It reads.

You roll your eyes. Those college tendencies had still not left him, even though he was 5 years removed from the Naval Academy, and considered one of the best pilots in the country. Hell, he’d flown an incredibly dangerous mission six months ago, and was still sending You up? texts.

Typical Bradley.

Maybe that’s part of his charm. The boyish air about him. Youthful confidence that borders slightly on cockiness. It reminded you of old times. Sneaking in and out of dorm rooms before the sun rose, quickies in-between classes. Cheap beer and dim, crowded basements.

Maybe it’s the freedom and the mystery that draws you back to him. Rooster throws himself back into the orbit of your life every three months or so without warning. You fuck round for a couple weeks, and then he disappears into whatever Navy void he came from until the next time he swings back around. Like a horny comet.

No feelings. No strings. Just the best sex you’ve ever had in your life…followed by the worst dry spell of your life. And a strange empty ache. You’d never admit it to his face– don’t want to inflate his ego anymore–but Bradley might have ruined other men for you.

At least, that’s what you think now. Fresh off of involuntary abstinence and a super disappointing fuck.

And so, even though you swore to yourself you’d be done with all this, you send a quick response.

Yes :)

* * *

Bradley’s neighborhood is nice. A quiet line of almost identical brown townhouses with immaculate yards. Must be military. That would explain the harsh conformity, and the high concentration of American flags on the porches.

All of the houses’ windows are dark, except for the one your car rolls to a stop in front of.

Bradley throws the door open and pulls you inside before you can even knock.

“Someone’s eager,” you tease, as you're crowded back against the door.

Bradley’s hands come to rest on either side of your head. “No time like the present.” His soft brown eyes are full of mirth.

He looks the same as he did a couple months ago. Same bright eyes and easygoing smile. It brings faint laugh lines to the surface of his freckled skin. He’s only wearing a pair of grey sweats, so the vast expanse of his body is laid bare before you. Your gaze traces the planes of tanned skin, from the solid muscle of his arms, to his chest and then down to the waistband that hangs low across his hips.

“Like what you see?” Bradley ticks an eyebrow upwards.

You roll your eyes, but you’d be a liar if you said otherwise. “Jesus you’re a walking cliche. You’re one ‘Come here often?’ away from a free membership to the Corny Club.” With great effort, you drag your gaze up from the glaringly obvious bulge at Bradley’s crotch, to his shining eyes.

“Baby, I’m already a card-carrying member.” He leans in closer, and you catch a whiff of his body wash. “That’s my most effective pick up line.”

Vanilla and Sandalwood. The reaction is immediate, you want to bury your nose into his neck and breathe him in deeper.

You suck in a deep breath. “Does it work?”

“You tell me,” Bradley whispers.

His parted lips brush yours, a teasing, barely-there kiss. You lean forward, chasing the touch of his mouth, but Bradley leans away, wearing a shit-eating grin on his face.

“Now who’s eager?” He teases.

You ignore him, and wrap your arms around his broad shoulders to pull him back to you. You had no problem going after what you wanted, something Bradley really liked about you. You thread your fingers through his hair and mold your lips to his.

Bradley presses a hot groan into your mouth. His tongue licks against yours, testing the waters. He meets no resistance. In fact, you almost whimper, body melting against his. You feel the heat of his body against yours, even through the fabric of your t-shirt. It leaves your skin prickly, your nerves singed.

One of his large hands leaves the door, and slides down the curve of your spine. His fingers slide over the waistband of your shorts, grabbing at your ass and trapping you against his body. Instinctively, you rock your hips against the thigh he’s placed between your legs.

Funny how well the two of you meshed together, even after months apart.

The back of your head hits the door, a quiet moan falling from your lips at the sweet pressure. Bradley’s lips leave yours to trace open-mouthed kisses across your jaw and down your neck. He guides the greedy grind of your hips at a nearly torturous pace.

“Fuck,” you whine when he nips at your pulse. You use the grip on his shoulders as leverage to get a better angle.

Bradley watches you, eyes alight with amusement. “It’s that easy, huh?”

“Shut up,” you groan. Your clit catches on the crease of his sweatpants so well, reducing you to a puddle. It’s good. It’s great even. But it’s not enough.

“Nearly drooling for it,” he whispers. “When’s the last time you got laid?”

The answer? It’s been a long fucking time since you’ve had good sex. Actually, if you had to actually count, it would be 137 days exactly: the last time Bradley was stateside. There was that guy from a few weeks back, but he’d jackhammered his way home in 3 minutes– a personal record even for bad lays– and hung you out to dry. You’d left that encounter missing Bradley more than ever. Even entertained the idea of sending him a text just in case he was back home.

“I said shut the fuck up.” You tug his bottom lip between your teeth and pull.

Bradley moans, a deep rumble in the back of his throat. You smile victoriously, digging your teeth in a little harsher before letting go. Bradley’s eyes meet yours, widening a bit as his tongue traces over the indent your bite had left behind.

His cheeks flush a ruddy red, and his Adam’s apple bobs as he swallows thickly. “Shit,” he mumbles, and surges forward to kiss you again.

Bradley’s everywhere. He pins your body back against the door. His lips slide over yours hungrily. Tongue pressing into your mouth as if he’s trying to bury himself inside of you. He rucks your shirt up to palm your breast. He squeezes, pinching your nipple between his middle and forefinger. The pain, the pleasure of it all almost makes you dizzy.

Brain foggy, and body keyed up to 11, you pull away from him. “Bradley,” you sigh, blinking rapidly as the world comes back into focus.

Bradley noses at the underside of your jaw. “Mmm?” He presses soft kisses to your neck.

“We gonna take this to the bed? Or did you wanna fuck me up against the door?”

He pretends to think about it for a moment. “Dunno. Door has its merits. I don’t have to move. And I can do this.” He shifts, rolling his thigh against your clit.

A moan tumbles clumsily from your lips. “You can do that on the bed, and it gives us more room.”

“Room to do what?”

You tilt your head to whisper in his ear. “I could suck your dick...”

Bradley chuckles. “You could do that here.”

“I could suck your dick while you eat me out.” You bite your bottom lip.

He pauses. A grin spreads across his face, lighting up his eyes. “Now that is a convincing argument.”

“Yeah?” Your answering smile is just as wide.

“Uh huh.” Bradley frees himself from your grip and takes a step back. He hooks a finger into the front of your shorts and tugs forward. “Just don’t come too early.”

“Me?” You scoff, letting yourself be pulled forward. “What makes you think I’d do that?”

“Yeah, you.” He guides you back through the townhouse with ease. “You just got finished humping me against the door.”

“Weren’t you the one who pinned me to the door as soon as I walked in?”

Bradley pushes the door to his room open and flicks on the light. “So?”

“So, you’re just as riled up as me.” You lick your bottom lip. “If anything, you should be worried about…premature completion,” you finish awkwardly.

Bradley tosses his head back and laughs. A deep, belly-aching guffaw. The rich baritone notes bounce off of the walls of his small bedroom. Warmth bursts in your chest and your heart leaps, in spite of the fact that you’re the source of his laughter. It’s infectious, bubbling up inside of you until it slips through the cracks of your smile, and pretty soon peals of your own laughter twine with his.

“‘Premature completion?’” He gasps, holding a hand to his chest.

You punch his shoulder lightly. “Don’t laugh at me.”

“I’m sorry.” Bradley makes a show of wiping nonexistent tears from his eyes. “It’s just such a funny way of putting it.”

“Rooster,” you snap.

He presses his lips together and makes an attempt at a somewhat serious face. It lasts all of three seconds before he’s laughing again.

You cross your arms over your chest. “Well not all of us are as crass as you and your Navy buddies.”

“Sorry. It just makes ya sound like a science textbook.”

“Fuck off.” You roll your eyes.

Bradley’s laughter turns to quiet chuckles. “Okay, okay. No need to get so feisty. Even though I love it when you do.” He pulls you close and loops an arm around your waist. “I believe you were gonna show me the merits of a bed.”

You raise your eyebrows. “Now who sounds like a textbook?” Your finger traces over his lower stomach.

“Still you,” he answers cheekily.

You ignore his gentle ribbing. “You’re wearing too many clothes.”

“You’re wearing more than I am.” He tugs at the waistband of your shorts.

“Then you should fix that,” you say coyly.

Bradley smirks. “I will.” He sits on his bed and beckons you forward.

You move to stand between his spread legs and rest your hands on his shoulder. You’re immediately glad that you did, as Bradley’s lips latch onto your peaked nipple and suck on it through the fabric of your tank top.

“No bra.” He mumbles against the growing wet patch. He looks up at you through heavy-lidded eyes.

You shake your head. “It’d just get in the way.”

He hums under his breath. “It would.” His teeth tease your breast, skating over the sensitive skin. Bradley pulls your tank top down and switches to the other breast. His fingers lightly pinch and roll the nipple he’s not currently sucking on.

You moan quietly, and slide your fingers into his loose curls. Bradley doesn’t need much encouragement. He’s greedy, eager. His lips smack against your breast, hot tongue sweeping out to taste your skin. Your knees grow weaker with each passing moment. Each swipe of his tongue. Each of his wrecked groans.

“Fuck,” he mumbles, burying his face into your chest and inhaling the scent of you. Jasmine and ginger. Your body is so fucking warm it drives him crazy. His dick hardens in his sweatpants. His pulse thuds loudly in his ears. He wants to be inside you. Needs it like he needs air.

It’s been too long since he had you like this. Willing and pliant under his touch. Bottom lip trapped between your teeth as he touched you. Bradley’s lost count of how many times he’s gotten off to the thought of this moment. Memories he’d replayed over and over in his head as he stroked his cock. The echo of your soft cries in his ears as he came all over his hand.

This, the real thing, puts all his daydreams to shame.

Bradley’s unoccupied hand slowly slides up your inner thigh. His thumb flicks under your shorts, and he chokes when he meets, not the pesky lace he was expecting, but the softness of your wet pussy.

“Jesus.” He inhales sharply. “No panties either?”

You shrug, hoping to come off as nonchalant, even though your heart thuds in your chest. “They’d just end up on the floor.”

“Are you trying to kill me?” He looks up at you, umber eyes eclipsed completely by desire.

“I’m trying to fuck you,” you remind him. And then, growing impatient, you push him backwards onto the bed. “You’re always getting distracted,” you chide playfully, and pull your tank top over your head. “It’s a miracle you’ve managed to keep your plane up in the sky this long.” Your shorts are quick to join your top on the ground.

Bradley grins up at you. “They don’t have distractions like you up in the sky. And it’s a good thing they don’t.” His dark eyes roam your body. “C’mere.”

“Yes, sir!” You give him a mock salute and he rolls his eyes.

The annoyed look melts away when you climb onto his lap. It turns into slack-jawed reverence when you grind your down against the obvious erection Bradley sports. His fingers grip your hips and he holds you tighter against him as he rocks up to meet you. A sweet groan escapes his parted lips.

“I think,” you begin, walking your fingers up Bradley’s chest, “that I could make you come before you could make me.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

“Trying to bait me into a bet? Us aviator’s don’t go down easy.”

“That’s exactly what I’m doing. And if I win, you have to,” you pause for dramatic effect, “let me be in charge the next time we see each other.”

“Done.” He cocks his head to the side, that signature boyish grin etching dimples into his cheeks. “What if you don’t? What do I get if I make you come first?”

“Well name your stakes, Lieutenant Bradshaw.”

“When I win–”

“If.”

“When I win…” Bradley thinks for a moment, and then bashfulness flits across his face. “You have to let me take you out one night. And not to the Hard Deck either. Somewhere nice.”

“Take me out? Like on a date?” You ask and he nods. Your breath catches in your throat.

That’s not what this was. This was casual. A 2 a.m. text. Flirtatious banter. Sex to scratch an itch and a See you next time. Not expectations or permanence. Not dinner and a night on the town.

Then again…Bradley’s a good guy. He’s sweet, definitely easy on the eyes. He takes care of you in his own way. Makes you laugh until you cry, and you genuinely like being around him. Plus, he fucks you like none other. Can make you see stars with just his fingers and tongue. You can’t say that for most of the other guys you’ve been with before him or since.

Would one date be so bad? It was just dinner, not a marriage proposal. Who knows, maybe something good could come out of it. Or, if it was terribly awkward, you two could just pretend it never even happened in the first place.

You must hesitate too long, because Bradley shakes his head. “Forget it. I’ll do something else.”

“No, wait.” You smile, and his expression lightens. “I’ll go out with you, Bradley.” You lean forward and kiss him sweetly. “But you gotta earn it first.”

A steely resolve settles over his face. Bradley cups your jaw, before you can pull away and slots his lips against yours. He moans into your mouth as his tongue licks against your bottom lip. You surge forward, opening yourself up to him, getting drunk on his kiss. It’s a messy, desperate clash of lips and teeth. Battling tongues and noses that bump against each other with the desire for more, more, more.

More skin. More friction. More of each other.

His large hand slides down your spine and squeezes your ass, rocking your hips against his crotch. You sigh at the sweet friction of your clit against his sweatpants. His cock, hard and pressed against your inner thigh, makes something heavy pool in your belly. It’s not long before your lips are moving down his body in search of it.

You press open mouthed kisses across his jaw, down his neck and torso. Bradley groans above you, his hand pressing against the back of your head, and you can’t tell if he’s pushing you lower or trying to get your mouth back on his. Still, your lips continue their trek lower, over the planes of his stomach, to the carved lines of his hips.

You run the tip of your tongue over the muscles that lead to his cock. The choked moan he lets out has you clenching your thighs as your clit throbs. You only get his sweatpants down a little more to kiss the top of his thighs, when the hand on your neck squeezes.

“Wait,” Bradley chokes out.

You look up at him, bottom lip trapped between your teeth. “Yes?”

“You’re cheating,” he says, chest heaving.

You sit up and tug his sweats down his legs. “If all it takes is a few kisses to make you come, this is gonna be easier than I thought.”

“You’re gonna need the head start.” He winks and taps his chin. “Get your ass up here.”

You raise up on your knees and turn slowly, wiggling your hips as you position yourself slowly. “Having second thoughts?”

Bradley’s hand lands on your butt sharply. “Not a chance. I’m taking you to dinner.” He rubs the sting away with his large palm. “Fucking beautiful.” He pulls you right over his face.

You hum, and wrap your hand around his stiff cock, feeling the weight of him in your palm. His breath hits your cunt in wrecked gasps, making you shudder. Under normal circumstances, you’d stroke him slowly, relishing his quiet groans. Watching his sanity slowly slip away. Teasing him until he got impatient and either begged for you or took matters into his own hands.

But these are not normal circumstances. You have a job to do.

You lean forward, mouthing at the base of Bradley’s cock. You run your tongue over every ridge and vein, from top to bottom.

“Shit.” Bradley moans. “Fuck, that’s it.”

This’ll be a piece of cake. With the way he’s moaning under you, Bradley will be coming in no time. You’ve got him hook, line and sinker. You can almost taste the sweet victory…and then Bradley recovers from the shock.

He pulls your hips down onto his face and slowly drags the tip of his tongue from your clit to your entrance and back again. He hums at the taste of you, wrapping his lips around your clit and working at the nerves with a flat tongue. You can’t help it. You moan lowly, and rock your hips down onto his chin–all thoughts of the bet wiped clean from your mind.

“Bradley,” you whine and drop your forehead against his thigh.

Electricity races up your spine and you shudder. It’s almost overwhelming. Bradley knows your body too well. Knows all the things that have you careening towards the edge already. It’s embarrassing how worked up you are. Your toes curl against the pillows, and you try to will yourself to get a grip. At the very least, to stop helping him win. You swear you can almost feel his cocky grin against you.

You might have bitten off more than you can chew.

Bradley chuckles, and it snaps you back to reality. You won’t go down without a fight.

You wrap your lips around his cock, matching the fervor with which his lips move against your cunt. You swallow him down, stroking what you can’t fit into your mouth. Your hand glides over his cock easily, aided by the mess of your saliva.

His chuckles turn into a moan. You’re not out of this just yet.

It’s a desperate race. Hot and sticky. Fueled by desire and broken moans. Your bodies writhe against each other, hips lifting and pushing, seeking the warm embrace of lips and spit. Muffled groans and smacking sounds fill the room.

But it can’t last forever, and you won’t last much longer.

You let his cock slip from your mouth and kiss down the shaft. Your hand keeps its steady rhythm, even as Bradley presses a finger into your entrance. Your lips travel over his thighs, teeth digging little marks into his skin. Then, slowly, gently, you suck on his balls.

Bradley loses it. His hips buck up into your hand. He groans and pulls away to bite out a curse. Jesus. His head spins, and he swears he feels his soul leave his body for a moment. He breathes harshly through his nose, steadying himself. In. Out. In. Out. And then a second finger joins the first thrusting into you, and his tongue swirls around your clit once more.

Your legs begin to tremble around his head, the tell tale sign of your orgasm. Holding yourself up has become a chore, and Bradley doesn’t let up. Determined to make you come. Determined to get that first date. But you’re just as determined to bring him to the edge with you.

He takes one of his fingers, slick from the warmth of your dripping pussy, and teases your ass. Pressing the digit into you just slightly. At the same time, Bradley slurps your clit back into his mouth. The combination is lethal, and it’s the breaking point.

You come with a cry that’s muffled by Bradley’s thigh. You rock your hips against his face wantonly as the embers turn into a wildfire. Bradley groans as you explode on his tongue. He works you through it, greedily kissing your clit while his fingers still fuck into you. Licking and sucking at your cunt until you’re an overstimulated puddle. Only then does he pull away with a filthy pop, and a harsh smack to your ass.

You collapse onto the bed beside Bradley, and stare up at the ceiling. “Wow.” You can’t even be upset about losing, fucked out and sated as you are.

You wait for the inevitable teasing, but it never comes. Instead, Bradley kisses your ankle, and rubs his thumb over your knee. Content to sit here with you in comfortable silence until your breathing has settled.

When the rise and fall of your chest has finally begun to steady, Bradley breaks the silence, propping himself up on his elbows to grin at you. “Best two out of three?”

#bradley bradshaw x reader #bradley bradshaw x you #rooster x reader #bradley bradshaw smut #rooster smut #tgm #top gun:maverick #miles teller #bradley rooster bradshaw

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britesparc · 1 month ago

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Weekend Top Ten #676

Top Ten Queer Couples

I don't know if any of you noticed, but it was Valentine’s Day recently. I do try to tie these things in a little bit to what’s going on in the world (without every single week just been ten things that are on fire or top ten apocalypses or whatever). Anyway, I was trying to think of a possible list that was sort-of romance-adjacent, and I’m pretty sure I've talked about couples a couple of times, so I was looking for a different angle. And, inspired by watching a few things recently with really awesome same-sex couples, I thought a more LGBTQ-focused list would be a nice shout.

Whilst I’m obviously not the best person to speak about it, and with the caveat that there’s always much further we still have to go, it’s very good to see how far queer representation has come in popular culture since I was a teenager. I remember the brouhaha when Tom Hanks made Philadelphia; I’ve not seen the film in decades, but I imagine nowadays that its depiction of a gay relationship probably looks incredibly dated and stereotyped. Everyone kicked up a fuss over same-sex kissing in Eastenders; now you’ve got stuff like Grey’s Anatomy, which I think is about as mainstream as US shows can get, and is chock-full of all sorts of queer representation.

So it’s been great to watch and read about all different forms of love (“form” being an operative word here, as you’ll soon see). I know that corporations only really care about something if it’s making them money, but artists still like to tell stories, and that’s resulted in much better representation and some fantastic characters. And that’s what I’m celebrating here; to be honest, the queerness of it isn’t really an issue. These just happen to be ten couples that I absolutely adore, and just happen to be gay.

I’m sure there are some culturally-huge relationships that I’ve missed off here. Willow and Tara, for instance, from Buffy; I might need to turn in my nineties nerd membership card, but I didn’t watch Buffy religiously back when it was on, so they didn’t quite strike as hot for me as they did for lots of my peers (was it one of the first really prominent same-sex relationships on a TV show like that? I dunno. Maybe I should do some research). And no doubt there are some big dramas or earnest films that I’ve never seen – The L-Word, Moonlight, My Beautiful Laundrette – the exclusion of which proves what a first-base charlatan I am. But I like what I like, and these are the characters that speak to me.

Oh, and one final thing. I tend to fall in love with optimistic romances – sadly, a lot of gay stories in the past have come coated in a veneer of tragedy (which to a degree is understandable if you’re telling a story about people who society is trying to rip asunder). But also I think this can add a dose of toxicity to the relationship, such as in Brokeback Mountain, which is excellent and tender and beautiful but also shows a relationship buckling under the weight of self-hate, repression, and tragedy. So that’s why Heath and Jake ain’t on here, if you were wondering. But I think – spoiler alert! – all the couples featured here actually do get together at the end. Woohoo! Happy Valentine’s Day!

Chromedome & Rewind (IDW’s Transformers, 2012-18): ha, you thought I’d be talking about actual human people didn’t you? It was all a trick! I’m just a basic bot and this was all an excuse to discuss Transformers again. It’s a bit of a cheat, because to a certain extent Transformers are genderless; but at the same time, most of them present as one gender most of the time, and the various books written by James Roberts can be described as “sad gay robots in space”. Of all the same-sex couples in the franchise – Cyclonus and Tailgate, Ratchet and Drift, Arcee and Greenlight – Chromedome and Rewind stick out for their enduring love, the complexity of their relationship, and how it overcomes multiple tragedies. Both of them have sins in their past, both of them are damaged, and they both kinda got together on the rebound, but in the end reaffirm their bond and have what can only be the happiest of endings under the circumstances. Plus they’re the focus of one of the most hearbreaking scenes in the whole franchise. I love you.

Harley Quinn & Poison Ivy (DC Comics): how much is a relationship based on what we are actually told, and how much is just fans vibing? Because for years Harley and Ivy were canonically best friends, appearing in each others’ stories, committing crimes together, but not technically romantic. But fans loved them together, and even if Ivy was an eco-terrorist, she was still better for Harley than the Joker. Ultimately the teasing and the hinting culminated in several continuities establishing them as officially a couple – especially the animated Harley Quinn show, which foregrounds their relationship over a season’s arc, and presents them as besotted – but eventually, officially, they became an item in mainstream DC continuity. The cooky criminal, the eco-warrior; they’re great together.

Vi & Caitlyn (Arcane, 2019-24): it might be recency bias pushing these two gals up the list (I only watched Arcane this year) but these two have such a strong bond that’s really elegantly told over the course of the series. Tough-as-nails petty crim/bruiser Vi and upper-crust posho-turned-cop Cait seem like oil and water, but there’s an instant mutual attraction that simmers and hints at itself throughout a season, before they share a kiss and then go off the rails. Their coming back together, and the wholehearted trust they share, is a cornerstone of the last act of the series; they are, indeed, the dirt under each others’ nails.

Corky & Violet (Bound, 1996): only by a whisker does this couple claim the title of “sauciest sex scene featuring a character called Violet” on this list. But the blending of queer romance and nineties noir is exquisite in this delightful pre-Matrix Wachowskis effort. Gangster’s moll Violet and grungy handywoman Corky have an instant and intense chemistry, and in their attempts to double-cross the mob and escape from Corky’s dangerous beau, we root for them and want them to succeed in a tense game of cat and mouse. It’s also an interesting film to examine in that we now understand how it’s shot with a female gaze, and is something of a landmark in American queer cinema (I feel like I need to stress, you really did not often get gay protagonists in 1996, even in quote-unquote “indie” films).

Captain Holt & Kevin (Brooklyn Nine-Nine, 2013-21): Raymond Holt and Kevin Cozner (up there with “Lorenzo Zoil” in great comic names) are a great example of leaning into and challenging stereotypes. On the one hand, they’re upper-middle-class refined gay men, into fine art and opera; but as a Black man working for the police, and in a position of authority and power on the show, Holt is a figure not commonly seen in TV (and, indeed, allows the show to dig into issues of racial and sexual politics). But it’s them as a couple that I love; Holt is one of the great comic creations, a preternaturally analytic man seemingly, almost Spock-like in his avoidance of contractions or colloquialisms. But their scenes together as a couple show how their similarities and differences complement each other, and the deep, loving bond they share.

David & Patrick (Schitt’s Creek, 2015-20): like Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Schitt’s Creek is one of those comedies where you’re laughing at the absurd characterisation so much you don’t realise how nuanced the acting and writing is, and so when you discover that you’ve fallen head over heels in love with these people it strikes you off guard. David is a rather shrill, self-centred man, seemingly irritated or disgusted with everything he sees in the town; Patrick is down-to-earth and humble, and has never really had a gay relationship before. But they hit it off right away, with tremendous chemistry, and seeing David finally being honest about his needs and feelings, and the truthful way they respond to one another, is delightful. Also I love how the world presented by writer/actor Dan Levy is one in which there’s basically no homophobia, so despite the weirdness of this backwater town, everyone loves David and Patrick just as much as we do.

Red & Blue (This is How You Lose the Time War, 2019): Time War is a really strange book, an almost elegiac, poetic, non-linear tale of two warriors on opposing sides who – despite the phenomenal risks involved – stalk each other before falling in love, leaving gifts and letters to each other than blossom slowly over millennia, knowing the other will discover it, but also needing to hide it from their superiors. The trippy nature of the chronology, and the flowing prose, means you’re never sure of where you are, but as the book goes on, the strength of the love between the two women grows ever stronger. A fascinating, rewarding work, and a deeply affecting love story. Also, how great is that title?

Adora & Catra (She-Ra and the Princesses of Power, 2018-20): a real slow-burner of a love story, and one in which – perhaps a bit unusually – a lot of the emotional heavy lifting is done by the antagonist. Adora is She-Ra, and she leaves the Horde and her lifelong best friend Catra behind to fight for good; Catra feels betrayed, and so their conflict has a deep, personal edge. It becomes increasingly obvious the feelings they have for one another, but Catra’s are skewed by jealousy and pride, whilst Adora’s are smothered by her sense of duty and guilt. But in the end it’s Catra who comes back, Catra who refuses to leave, and ultimately Catra who saves Adora when she needs it most. It’s a subtle, nuanced, emergent love story, but given the subject matter and the target audience, it’s all the more welcome.

Armand & Albert (The Birdcage, 1996): I said how unusual Bound was for foregrounding a gay couple in the mid-nineties, but here’s another one. Here we’re shown a middle-aged couple who’ve raised a son and run a business together, and the only reason they’re particularly exceptional is in contrast to the more “conventional”, WASP-y, Republican family headed by Gene Hackman. The film shows not just their tenderness as parents, but their tenderness together: despite their arguments and drama, they really love and care for one another, in a real lived-in way; a couple who’ve just spent years in each other’s company. And we can see how much more content they are being their honest selves, against the artificial idea of a perfect nuclear family that Hackman strives for. Armand and Anbert: relationship goals. Super funny too. And exceptional facial hair.

Bashir & Garek (Star Trek: Lower Decks, 2024): okay, this one is a massive cheat, but what the hell. I nearly went with the two doctors, Stamets and Culber, from Discovery – not only the first gay couple depicted on Star Trek, but Anthony Rapp’s Stamets is the pretty much the first gay character in the show full-stop. However, I’m being my usual silly self and indulging in a bit of joy. Bashir and Garek had a fantastic relationship throughout Deep Space Nine: Bashir the young, brilliant, rather big-headed doctor, full of belief in the strength of Starfleet; Garek the older, conniving, duplicitous Cardassian spy. The cat-and-mouse game of mistrust and affection that played out over the series spawned a million ships; in fact, the actors themselves pretty much treated it as a romance. Lower Decks introduces us to an alternate universe version of the couple, where they actually are a couple; both medics, both in Starfleet, but still possessing the same adorable characteristics, and – crucially – married and everything. Long time coming, but well worth the wait.

Blimey, quite a few that didn’t quite make the cut, eh? Both Wiccan & Hulkling and Apollo & Midnighter would have made the list but I felt I hadn’t quite read enough comics featuring them. I kind of wanted to include Jamie and Marian, from last year’s Drive-Away Dolls (original title: Drive-Away Dykes, which I think we can all agree is better), but despite finding them such a sweet and adorable pair, I thought maybe that was the recency bias talking. But they can be number eleven. Also, you should watch Drive-Away Dolls, a really underappreciated mini-gem.

Anyway, this was a fun list, and now I’m feeling all soppy and happy and romantic. Maybe I’ll watch Brokeback Mountain to wallow in misery for a bit.

#top ten #movies #tv #comics #transformers #arcane #star trek #she-ra #this is how you lose the time war

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traversety · 4 months ago

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okay so maybe i decided to draw soulsucker and starfucker as club penguin characters. so what.

also my sd card for my camera is missing. so uh. woe. laptop camera be upon ye.

i have loaded these two with my personal soul and star headcanons as you can see :3

thrownin some headcanons for soul and star penguins here under the cut

soul is aqua and star is peach

soul would have The Most Luxurious Igloo you can imagine. he is pulling out all the stops. fancy time. star is like "fuck it whatever" and the way their igloo looks you'd think they don't have membership or they're piss poor

honestly star likes pretending they're piss poor just because it's funny but they do dress nice so it's kinda pointless. however they are REALLY fucking good at cart surfer you cannot convince me otherwise.

soul basically lives in the pizza parlor kitchen. he loves the pizzatron and is so fucking good at making the pizzas, regular and candy. also you KNOW he's aced bean counters 1000000 times

both of them love the puffles but star only gets black ones for some reason. soul has like every fucking puffle under the sun and THEN some.

star thinks the penguin band is really fucking cool and hangs around them when they can. soul is more interested in the epf. also he's best friends with rookie. you cant convince me otherwise

soul has this OBSESSION with the box dimension and i promise it didnt come from rookie ahahahahahhahahaha (/srs). star fucking hates the place it's way too insane for them to understand

#mona: image file #mona drew a thing #club penguin #new club penguin #waterparks #soulsucker #st*rfucker #my art

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puhpandas · 1 year ago

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video game headcanons for the fnaf kids:

Gregory and Evan play mario party together. Gregory will create made up beef with one of the CPUs if they ever cross him and he'll convince Evan to team up with him to pound them into the ground so they'll lose

Gregory would be an animal jam kid. he would be one of those super rich nonmembers that somehow got a ton of rares and cant wear any of them. he uses the tiger or bunny and the colors on it look like glamrock freddys colors. he'll invite Cassie to his den and she'll have a membership and a cute pink/purple avatar. Cassies den is beautifully decorated and she collects pets to put in their own corner

Gregory, Evan and Cassie play animal crossing. Cassie plays and knows the process of project KK like the back of her hand and can complete it in no time. she grinds to get all of the cute items and villagers and will have a bunch of island themes and reset when shes finished to make another. she loves her villagers and only likes the cute ones. she for sure made a raceway island once with Vivian as her fave

Evan plays animal crossing and will just chill. he has no intense goals or interests he just has a completely normal looking island and will take any villager he gets and love them and be nice to them. he completes his daily nook mileage tasks every day and will say hi to his villagers, and then probably fish

Gregory doesnt care about how his island looks. he kind of cares about his villagers but not if they get in the way (or he makes up imaginary beef with them). theres trash and items all over his island and hes wearing the ugliest outfit you've ever seen. all he does is catch bugs and fish and dig for fossils. he only cares about the museum, so he'll grind nook miles to get tickets to visit deserted islands. since he doesnt care about clothes or items he has TONS of bells and likes to see how many he can wrack up with no cheating. they all visit eachothers islands and Cassie always gives Gregory a better outfit when she visits, and Evan will give Gregory golden tools

they all play roblox. Gregory uses his canonical computer skills to create an amazing roblox game and it always has tens of thousands or more players in it and he has tons of robux and limiteds. he plays FPS games and trading games and always had value lists bookmarked on his computer

Cassie has a cute well put together avatar (probably with some UGC roxy item, like maybe her plushie in a bag), and she plays Gregory's game all the time. they always team up and fight with people in drama games and get them voted out.

Evan has an account, but hes just a bacon hair with no robux. it looks like hes a noob but if you go to his account his join date is years earlier. he plays calm games like any simulator or hello kitty cafe, or trading games. he doesnt have a computer so he can only play on his phone. hes actually good at FPS games, but his phone hinders him a lot. he uses a sniper so he can just find a position and use his fast reflexes to get people that way

Gregory Evan and Cassie will play roblox together and Gregory has to use his alt (his alt has robux and hes wearing a shirt that says I'm with stupid->). theyll play things like Outlaster and Gregory and Cassie will cook up some drama with some random player and Cassie will use her tons of items to use vote cards and stuff like that on them.

Gregory is super cracked at the game and wins every game almost instantly. nobody can go up against his GGY skills and everybody hates him for it and targets him. Evan cant move well enough on his phone to be super good at the parkour, and he doesn't want to be mean to anybody, but he pulls through at the end and tells someone off for being mean to Gregory and wins them the game by using one of his items on the Gregory hater during elimination

Gregory and Cassie play splatoon, but Evan doesnt have a switch to play with them. Gregory mains duelies and will be that guy that goes in your spawn and kills you with his cracked skills (only in turf war tho, he has honor). if evan did have a switch, he would main the e-litre and/or the splat roller.

if he used the elitre, gregory would leave his position as a spawn camper to come back and guard Evan while he gets kills. if evan used the splat roller, he would be perfectly content using the roll feature to ink any turf behind the battle (and somehow roll people over in the process lol)

Cassie likes to hide in ink and kill people. she'll get a weapon with squid beacons and hide in a corner on top of one, so when someone comes to break it she'll jump out and kill them. she thinks its hilarious every time

that's all I got for now. thinking about these guys being normal kids is so fun their group could be so funny lol

#pandas.txt #pandas talks #flashlight duo #Gregory and evan #superstar duo #gregory and cassie #cassie and evan #flashlight trio #thoughts #gregory and evan and cassie #gregory #evan #cassie

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strayheartless · 1 year ago

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I Am ThInKiNg AbOuT ThE FAN CLUBS AGAIN!!

Specifically naming them. Like I know Sephiroth’s fans get the silver elite, which I like but whenever I see the red leather fan club for Genesis I’m like “Absolutely not. Where is the poetry, the flavour!”

So here have this!:

Personally I think Genesis’ fans would be known as the ‘Crimson guard’. Why? Because its dramatic as fuck. Gen is absolutely the kind of person who trade marks his jacket colour; or at least the Rhapsodus estate does for him. And I feel like his fans exude early 2000s vampire fans. Like they’ve either read loveless and cite it as THE piece of literature; or they haven’t read it but STILL site it as seminal reading.

The Crimson guard wear red in all their outfits. They all have an earring they never take off instead of a club card or whatever. They are obnoxiously debating the subtlety and meaning of that one look Genesis have the camera in Junon. They are insufferable.

Angeals fans are called ‘The honourable few’ because their isn’t as many of them but the ones there are are Loyal as fuck. Genesis named them (as founder of the club, shhhhhh) and likes interacting with them more than his fans.

Angeals fans are very passionate about defending Angeals place in the trinity and there’s a nice balance of men, women and other identifying people in the club. They hold fundraisers for causes Angeal cares about, and run support classes to help each other with their dreams and honour. It’s a very accepting community and concentrates on being accessible and friendly.

The ‘Silver Elite’ are mostly male, and also very toxically straight. Sephiroth hates the fan club with a burning passion. The fandom he’s fine with, but the official fan club he despises. There is absolutely a difference between the two. The fan club makes itself out to be inaccessible to anyone who isn’t ‘of worthy status’ and gives off major toxic fraternity vibes. Cloud has a membership card but doesn’t actually attend meeting because it really wouldn’t be safe for them.

The silver Elite fandom however, are just REALLY avidly obsessed with how pretty Seph is. The fandom is also more LGBT friendly and get along well with the crimson fandom who are also vastly different from the club.

Zacks fan club is honestly the most wholesome. The fandom and the fan club are one in the same with Zack. They are called ‘The Zoomers’ and yes Zack did choose that name himself.

They are openly LGBTQIA+ friendly, basically everyone is neurodivergent, and there’s a big focus on having fun and achieving goals. Zacks fans find him super inspirational and they have an ongoing fund for neurodivergent causes. They do meet ups and plan days out; there’s a community page where you can find likeminded fans to go do fun stuff with. They are honestly the best.

Their only major flaw is maybe being a little too protective of Zack. They can get quite vicious if Zacks character is called into question. And both Cloud and Aerith have had a little bit of shit for being close with him. But generally the majority of the fandom also jump to the defence of Cloud and Aerith when it happens and call out the people being mean.

Cloud also may have a Zoomer club card but he will NEVER tell Zack!

#ffvii #ffvii crisis core #headcanons #fan club shenanigans #genesis rhapsodos #sephiroth #angeal hewley #zack fair #cloud strife #gender queer cloud strife #I will die on that hill #aerith gainsborough #crisis core #final fantasy 7

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rebuke-me · 2 years ago

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writing prompt jenna and brooke being (awkward) friends 👀👀

i like to think this takes place their sophomore year or so, before the events of the musical. their friendship is so messy to me i love them dearly

They’d all planned on going to the movies, and Chloe Valentine bailed at the last minute for a boy.

It wasn’t uncommon, really, for that to happen. Chloe liked to make plans, then cancel them on a whim. Jenna was convinced it was a power trip thing. Or maybe Chloe just genuinely didn’t care a single bit about her friends. Either one was entirely possible.

Jenna sat in Brooke’s mom’s car, staring at her phone. Chloe hadn’t texted.

“She posted on her story and she’s super clearly in Jake’s room.” Jenna said, looking over at Brooke, who sighed.

Brooke was nice. She was a bit ditzy, sure, she didn’t really know what to say most of the time, but she listened to Jenna’s gossip. But they almost never hung out, just the two of them, without Chloe there.

“Well, um. I can take you home, then.” Brooke said, tapping her fingers on the steering wheel, looking over at the movie theater. Jenna didn’t want to see the movie at all. She’d mostly agreed to get the hell out of her house and stop feeling like such an outsider. Which had failed miserably.

For a moment, Jenna imagined what it’d be like to just hang out with Brooke for a day. Go get fro-yo. Talk about boys neither of them really cared about. Laugh at memes on each other’s phones. Get their nails done and braid hair and do whatever else girls did when they hung out with each other.

But the awkward air made her feel like she was being looked at under a microscope. Not even by Brooke, because the other girl didn’t seem like she even noticed that Jenna was there, much less her finer feelings.

“Do you wanna go get fro-yo instead? Pinkberry has a two for one toppings sale for people with a membership card.” Brooke said, just as Jenna opened her mouth to agree to going home.

Jenna looked at her for a moment, before she gave a small smile. “Yeah. I think fro-yo sounds… really good right now.” She said. “And I can tell you all about who I saw Dustin hooking up with at Chloe’s last party-” Brooke grinned. “Oh my god. Please tell me it’s juicy.” “The hottest gossip. I promise.” And if she felt a sort of twinge of guilt about talking about something neither of them really, truly cared about, she shoved it away. Fro-yo would fix the roiling in her stomach.

#be more chill #bmc #jenna rolan #brooke lohst #jupescribbles

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shirosanshi · 1 year ago

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hiya! 18 and 29 for the ask game please

i really wanna know what you’ll choose 🌻

Aaaah, thank you for these two :3 Well my answers are going to be from Gazette band fanfics, bc that's what I deal in... I hope you don't mind!

18. What’s one of your favorite lines you’ve written in a fic? I think it has to be this one, from Songs For The Drawer (although depending on what device you are using to read it's a bit more than one line :D): Yuu recognized the song from the scribbles on the back of the paper. It was a painful one from around the time he wanted to quit the band. It was a cry for help, a confession, a self-depriving monologue, but at the end, just like all the other maybe six dozen papers lying on the floor, it was a love letter in the form of a song, one he wrote to Kouyou long-long years ago. 29. Share a bit from a fic you’ll never post OR from a scene that was cut from an already posted fic. Okay, here's Aoi as a dominant shibari rope master preparing for a night at the BDSM Club he attends... (GazettE fans, pls scream at me if you want this one to be published because I have some work to do on it, but I'd fucking LOVE a reason to make myself complete it.)

The Hunter

The second Saturday of the month. It was always the second Saturday of the month, and it was always the same like someone had written a script for the event. Maybe they did. Starting at nine in the evening, closing at three in the morning, six rooms and a colour coded identification system. You have to wear something nice, maybe something you would not go out to the street in. And you have to arrive with a clear mind and clean body, devoid of any influence. Take your equipment with you if you want, but there will be plenty to use there too. No cameras allowed. If you haven't uploaded a lab result of being STI free in that month to the website yet, you can’t attend…

Yuu knew all the rules by heart, and listing them in his head before leaving his condo was a way for him to get in the right headspace. There were two scenes planned tonight and an instruction session in the Daybreak room. He had to be on top of this. He took one gaze at his reflection in the full body mirror next to the door, noting how the black leather pants were hugging his thighs, the way the soft material of his dark shirt was outlining his upper body, stretching a bit on his chest. He flicked the top two buttons open. No fancy costumes this time, he wanted to be comfortable and be able to utilize his body’s movements to the fullest. With a sigh, he grabbed his bag and his keys and went down to the garage to begin the hour-long drive to the outskirts of the city, where he was to find Flame, the club he was heading to.

Soft jazz filled the interior of the car on his ride, it always helped heighten his senses and sharpen his focus, but this time his head was a bit fuzzy.

“Get your shit together, Aoi” he muttered as he exited the car seventy minutes later, and headed for the entrance of the club. He presented his membership card to the bouncer and asked for a yellow wristband, as usual. Yellow meant not taken, but not looking for anything in particular either. Yellow meant come and talk to me, but yellow also meant I don’t want anything from you. Yellow was a colour not many wore in this place.

He arrived precisely on time and headed for the prep room in the back. Some heads turned after him in the hallway, some averted their eyes shyly. He had no problem with either. Sitting down in one of the secluded corners of the prep room, he took out his equipment and meticulously checked every inch of it. No chafing of the ropes, no ends left unsealed, everything clean and ready as it should be. Each and every inch of rope sliding through his fingers was like a soothing balm to his nerves, and when he reached the end of his task he relaxed and had all the confidence he needed.

#ask #writing stuff

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darkx-the-dragon-kn1ght · 1 year ago

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Chapter 11- Part 8

Growth and Mega Drain should be enough to handle one little Happiny, right?

…Uh…this’ll be fine, I think. Like, sure, she’s trying to switch out Happiny for Stufful, but that’s not really working out-

See? Now, it’d be nice if the Stufful didn’t somehow live that attack, but I’ve already said more than enough about my luck regarding the damage rolls, so let’s just try to finish the job with Magical Leaf.

I said, let’s try to finish the job with Magical Leaf!!

Anyways, she’s gonna send out Happiny again, and while Bloom can possibly still beat it, I’m just gonna switch into Glare purely out of spite.

Screech and Crunch, please!

Honey, you have no idea who you’re talking to (referring to myself, not Xera, Xera’s status as a gamer is dubious at the moment).

No ma’am, and we probably won’t see it until towards the end of the game. But I would like to see what’s further down this street, because I have yet to find any hidden items.

For example: this rock hidden back here! Very inconspicuous, seems like a prime location to hide something…

Boom, I was right! And that is a VERY good item indeed, because the Cotton Candy- one of the things you can buy at Sweet Kiss- works as a Revive substitute!

Our first revival item in this game so far, and it came from a random rock on the street- I wouldn’t have expected anything else.

Sooo, further down the street, we’ve got more broken infrastructure-

So much brokenness, in fact, we can’t read that street sign, such a sad state of affairs. :(

Well, at least this Red Shard makes up for it a little bit.

Now, doesn’t seem like we can go into the building right up there, so let’s take a look at the Department Store instead!

Mm, more mention of Stickers- I remember someone in Grand Hall saying something about a Tangela Sticker or something, but I have yet to do anything with that information, so let’s just talk to the ladies up front, see if they say anything of note.

I think I’ve gathered the basic gist, but…yeah, let’s hear it. Maybe this’ll give us a membership card of our own!

I like how they say they ‘developed’ a membership system as if membership systems don’t already exist in several places- although, given the idealistic state of the rest of the Pokémon world, I guess a membership program would be a pretty uncommon thing.

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sunspray-peak · 1 year ago

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Ch. 61: Dreams Delaying

TUESDAY - WINTER 16

The past few days had felt like a dream.

True to his word, the evening after Elliott’s book reading Achilles had purchased two center orchestra seats for Persephonopolis and had made a reservation at the third nicest restaurant in Zuzu City (third because he didn’t want to go too overboard on Date #2).

Alex had indeed found a tie, though by covering nearly the whole damn thing with a burgundy quarter zip, he hadn’t been quite as overdressed as Achilles—who had fully committed to their “fancy” theme—had anticipated.

Well. Alex had at least liked his suspenders. He supposed the compliment was a worthy enough consolation prize for sticking out like a sore thumb at the Grannis Theater—half the folks sitting around them were wearing sweatpants. Sweatpants! And in such a lovely auditorium, too—pastel murals of Grecian figures had adorned the ceiling, and ornate floral carvings trimmed in gold and sage green had greeted them as they took their seats of cushioning plush.

It wasn’t the splashiest spectacle of musicals—a little dark, more than a little sad—but the music was good and the set and lighting design extraordinary. And Alex had been bright-eyed throughout, had jumped to his feet, cheering like a child the moment curtain call began, so it was clear he had enjoyed it enough, which was really all anyone could have wanted. They’d grabbed some late night ice cream before taking the bus back. Achilles had walked him home. It’d been a good night.

And late Tuesday afternoon, during the tail end of the work day, Achilles had popped over to Zuzu again. His excuse had been to sign up for a membership with Orange Grove, after allegedly having forgotten to the previous day, but Alex had seen clear through him.

“You’re never going to use this, you hate working out in front of other people.”

“Maybe I’m signing up to make your numbers look good, ever thought of that, Mr. Manager?”

Alex only laughed as Megan, who was manning the front desk today, snapped Achilles’ photo.

“But you picked our most expensive plan,” she couldn’t help but remark as she glanced at his freshly printed, iridescent membership card before handing it to Achilles. He straightened up from where he’d been leaning against the counter and slipped it into his wallet before pointing a thumb at Alex’s turned back.

“Oh did I? Guess that’s just how much I care about this bitch’s numbers.”

Though perhaps he was doing too much… Then again, even before they’d been dating, they had seen each other practically every day—there was nowhere else to go in that regard, so surely what he was doing now, the “extra”of it all, was only natural. Only expected. What more else could he do? He wanted to be supportive. Really, it was just a natural part of the transition from friends to… whatever the hell they were right now. Right?

And besides, what else was Achilles doing with his life these days? Why not get out of town for a bit. Spend money. He’d nothing else better to do…

Don’t think about that.

It’s not like he was just aimlessly loitering, waiting around for Alex. He’d brought a book. He’d brought a notebook. He had taken care not to distract Alex—who, outside of teaching the occasional class, now spent most of his time in the back office—from his job, though there were only a few minutes left in the work day, anyway; he had timed his visit well, Alex would be heading to the pool soon. He had planned to read and keep Alex company for a couple hours while he trained.

Legs pulled tightly against his chest, Achilles found himself sitting atop one of three lounge recliners once 5:10pm hit. The white fluorescent lights above were nice and bright, and he managed to get through a good portion of his book, but even so, his eyes were repeatedly drawn away from the pages in his lap to the muscled figure in the water.

Just like back in the Summer out in the Gem Sea, it was almost meditative watching him swim—Alex was obviously no amateur; he moved with a seasoned, steady strength and confidence that Achilles could never hope to replicate, arms smoothly slicing freestyle through the water like a hot knife through butter.

At the opposite end of the pool, he saw Alex pause, chest heaving. He gripped the wall with one hand and lifted his goggles with the other as his coach bent down to speak with him.

Achilles followed their gazes to the massive digital clock on the opposite wall. 49.93 seconds. Not bad. Not bad at all. He knew Alex was hoping to get below 49 by the end of next summer.

But he found that his vicarious thrill was dulled by something a little more sour, a little more grey; he should’ve been excited, seeing Alex’s obvious joy in finally being able to make strides towards his goals, but instead, Achilles couldn’t help but feel… wistful.

Selfish.

He shoved the feeling aside and forced himself to return to his book, though he found himself reading the same sentence twice more than an occasional time.

But afterwards, in the empty locker room, he’d forgotten his melancholy. He’d tousled Alex’s damp hair, and Alex had kissed him on the cheek, and together they had ridden the bus back to the Valley and he had once more felt like gold.

Yes, the past few days had felt like a dream. A good dream—a great dream! Yes, he had been feeling great. Feeling absolutely amazing. Feeling better than he had all year.

Until he didn’t.

#llnks #sdv fanfiction #stardew fanfiction #sdv alex #stardew valley alex #alex sdv #sdv oc

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sunsoakedhighhopes · 2 years ago

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Captain America issue #5, Case #3 - Killers of the Bund

In this issue, a group of German Nazis (I say German, because of course, there are American Nazis, and those are actually the most commonly featured Nazis in these comics) have started terrorizing prominent German-American citizens who refuse to join their ranks.

So, here's something that I think is historically interesting. We have a panel of Bucky and Steve musing that German-Americans are nice people, despite the war with Germany that's happening in Europe. This is reinforced in the MCU with the first scene between Steve and Erskine when we see Erskine almost tense up when Steve comments on him being German, and his later relief when Steve expresses that he isn't going to judge him.

And I understand the difference here, between this and what is about to happen to Japanese-Americans in this country just six months after this issue released. Because Erskine, and Bob Shmidt aren't just German-Americans, they are also German Jews who fled Germany. But I do think it's interesting, because I don't think we are likely to see this sentiment expressed by Steve about Japanese-Americans in the coming issues. I don't know. It will be interesting to see.

Okay, so one of Bucky's friends, Bob Shmidt, and his family are from Germany, and the Nazis have attempted to recruit his father for something. When he refuses, they beat him up and he ends up in the hospital. Bob runs to inform his friend Bucky what happened, which is very fortuitous, since, you know, Bucky is secretly bff with Captain America.

Yeah, you are Steve. Go get em!

Steve and Bucky sneak into the Nazis compound -- or, rather, they attempt to sneak in.

Bucky, how did you not see the bucket before you stepped in it? Okay, well you know how it is. If you can't sneak in, then you'll just have to fight your way in.

Steve and Bucky fight off a literal battalion of Nazis, and I didn't grab the panel, but Steve says, "You've had enough, eh? You're pretty brave until someone stands up to you and fights!" and that just feels like a very Steve line to me.

So, Steve and Bucky leave the Nazis in a pile of beat-up flesh, tell them to never threaten anyone again, and leave. I mentioned in my last post that Steve typically doesn't kill the enemies -- and I want you to hang onto that thought until later in this post -- and he says, "Well, we're going now. We never hit men when they're licked -- We're not Nazis! -- but we'll be back! The time has come for Americans to teach you a lesson! We'll be seeing you!"

Now, there's this thing in the middle of every issue, where kids could send in a dime and join Captain America's Sentinels of Liberty. Basically, they just got a membership card in the mail. it was a way for kids to feel like they were a part of the fight along with Steve, and I think they maybe actually did hold meetings (but those meetings were really just, like Captain America fanclub meetings).

I've talked previously about how Bucky works as a stand-in for the audience, but I swear I read somewhere, though I have to admit I cannot find the source again, that the Sentinels of Liberty was actually a means of propaganda in its own right, because kids would talk to their parents about how they were fighting Nazis, and how their parents should fight Nazis, too. Essentially it was a means to drive support for America getting involved in the war. Don't quote me on that, as I cannot find my source, but I swear I read this somewhere, and I think this case is really interesting if you view it through that lens.

Anyway, the Sentinels of Liberty exist in the comic itself (though this is the first time we've seen them -- again, let that thought hang out in the back of your mind a bit), as well, and are meetings where kids gather to talk about how they can help in the fight against Nazis. Like, literally join in the fight against Nazis.

Bucky of course, is the leader of one of these groups, and he holds a meeting the next day (yes, with fellow small children) where he instructs the members to find the location of other Nazi hideouts and report back so that Captain America can mop them up -- not that Bucky knows how to contact Captain America, because secret identity or something (?) -- but no one questions this apparent flaw in the plan.

Also, y'all, there is a picture of the group, and there is one black child in the group, and y'all.... the art.... ooof. That's all I can say. It's bad.

Okay, so these small children start spying on literal Nazis -- which I mean, look, you do what you gotta do, this was probably actually happening in Germany -- but as a means of propaganda, it is kinda a lot. Bucky happens to overhear two Nazis talking about how, at that precise moment in time, there are some other Nazis on their way to "take care of Captain America". Bucky runs back to camp to warn Steve...

...but it's too late because Steve is already missing.

I'm honestly not clear on whether the presumption is supposed to be that they took him from his tent (or at least camp) since they shouldn't actually know where to find him -- since secret identity and all -- but hold that thought, because the plot holes in the secret identity thing are big enough to drive a van though in one of the upcoming cases.

Anyway, where is Steve? Steve is passed out and being manhandled by a bunch of Nazi men.

Note that he is in his uniform, which would mean that he was taken as Captain America and not as Steve. But still...

Okay, so they knocked out Steve with some sleeping gas of their own invention, tied him up, and then we get this exchange.

Steve! You are a menace. Also I love how absolutely nonchalant Steve is, because then they tell Steve that they're going to use the sleeping gas to knock out the whole town and then take it captive. And then they quickly discover that they probably should have kept that detail to themselves, because this upsets Steve a great deal, and we get this:

Like, I am absolutely enamored with the fact that Steve was like "Okay, I'll stand here and pretend like you actually have me captured because it amuses me and I have clever quips about it" and then he's just like, okay, now I'm done pretending, and completely wipes the floor with all of them.

I mean, they didn't even successfully have him tied up (score one for Steve bondage fics where he breaks his bondage when he gets bored with it).

The Nazis run for their planes, and we canonically have Steve being able to fly a plane.

Also.... remember how I was like, Steve typically doesn't kill the villains.... yeah, that all changes here, where he literally does go target them and hunt them down.

Which is.... interesting, I think? The US didn't join the war until four months after this issue was released. Yes, ostensibly we joined the war because of Pearl Harbor, but things had decidedly been moving in that direction before Pearl Harbor. I just feel like we can track the overall feelings about the war and the Nazis by how Steve handles them at any given point in time during his run.

After he shoots down all the Nazis, and has a fist fight with one of them on the wing of an airplane (hello, Indiana Jones) he lands back on the ground where he meets Bucky, who tells him that the members of the Sentinels of Liberty (and their fathers) have gone to raid the Nazi hideout where they went before. Yes, again, literal children show up at the Nazi camp with a bunch of sticks and start kicking Nazi ass. And then Steve shows up and the Nazis flee.

Later Bob Shmidt's father turns up at camp to thank Steve for taking care of Bob when he was in the hospital (uh.... Steve did not take care of Bob while his father was in the hospital, he was off fighting Nazis.... with Bob! ... but anyway...)

Steve! Actually I think this is kind of sweet. He wants to reassure them that Captain America knows they appreciate what he does.

And Steve somehow manages to avoid KP-duty this time. May miracles never cease.

#steve rogers #marvel comics #captain america #stevie reads comics

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