#Spiced Rum Market

[kajalsawant434]

Spiced Rum Market Overview: Trends and Growth Drivers

Introduction

Spiced rum, a flavored variant of traditional rum infused with spices and sometimes additional flavors such as vanilla, cinnamon, and cloves, has gained considerable popularity worldwide. As consumers increasingly seek new and unique drinking experiences, the spiced rum market has expanded rapidly. This article explores the latest trends and growth drivers influencing the spiced rum market, providing insights into its future prospects.

Market Trends

1. Rising Consumer Preference for Flavored Spirits

In recent years, flavored spirits have seen an uptick in demand, with spiced rum standing out as a favorite among consumers. Many drinkers, especially younger demographics, are drawn to its unique taste profile and versatility in cocktails. This trend has encouraged major distilleries to introduce new and innovative spiced rum variants to cater to evolving consumer preferences.

2. Premiumization and Craft Offerings

The growing preference for premium alcoholic beverages has driven many distilleries to focus on high-quality spiced rums. Consumers are increasingly willing to pay more for artisanal and craft products that offer distinct flavors, superior ingredients, and unique production methods. Premiumization has led to the emergence of small-batch and limited-edition spiced rums, further boosting market growth.

3. Expanding Cocktail Culture

Cocktail culture has been on the rise globally, with spiced rum becoming a key ingredient in numerous signature drinks. Bartenders and mixologists continue to experiment with spiced rum in both classic and contemporary cocktails, increasing its appeal to a broader audience. This trend is particularly strong in urban centers where the cocktail scene is flourishing.

4. E-commerce and Direct-to-Consumer Sales Growth

The digital transformation of the alcoholic beverage industry has significantly impacted the spiced rum market. The proliferation of online liquor stores and direct-to-consumer sales channels has made it easier for consumers to access a wide range of spiced rums. With many brands leveraging e-commerce platforms for marketing and distribution, online sales are expected to contribute significantly to market expansion.

5. Sustainable and Ethical Production Practices

Consumers are becoming more conscious of sustainability and ethical production practices, prompting spiced rum manufacturers to adopt eco-friendly initiatives. Many brands now focus on responsible sourcing of ingredients, reducing carbon footprints, and using sustainable packaging. This shift aligns with the broader global movement toward environmental responsibility and resonates with ethically minded consumers.

Growth Drivers

1. Increasing Disposable Income and Changing Lifestyles

As disposable incomes rise, particularly in emerging economies, consumers are more inclined to spend on premium and flavored alcoholic beverages. The shift in lifestyle preferences, including a greater appreciation for craft and artisanal spirits, is propelling the growth of the spiced rum segment.

2. Expansion in Emerging Markets

While spiced rum has traditionally been popular in regions like North America and Europe, its demand is now expanding in emerging markets such as Asia-Pacific and Latin America. These regions have seen a rise in the middle-class population and an increasing interest in Western drinking cultures, making them lucrative markets for spiced rum brands.

3. Brand Collaborations and Celebrity Endorsements

Many liquor brands are collaborating with celebrities, mixologists, and influencers to enhance their appeal. Celebrity endorsements and collaborations have proven to be effective marketing strategies, attracting a loyal consumer base and increasing brand recognition. Spiced rum brands are leveraging these partnerships to differentiate themselves in a competitive market.

4. Innovation in Flavors and Ingredients

Brands are continuously experimenting with new flavor profiles to cater to diverse consumer preferences. Innovations such as aged spiced rums, tropical fruit-infused variants, and unique spice blends are expanding the market's offerings. Limited-edition releases and seasonal flavors also generate excitement and drive sales.

5. Rising Popularity of Ready-to-Drink (RTD) Beverages

The ready-to-drink (RTD) market has witnessed rapid growth, with spiced rum-based RTD cocktails gaining popularity. Convenient and accessible, these pre-mixed beverages cater to consumers seeking high-quality drinks without the need for preparation. The increasing demand for RTD beverages is expected to provide a significant boost to the spiced rum industry.

Challenges and Potential Roadblocks

Despite its promising growth, the spiced rum market faces some challenges. Regulatory hurdles, taxation policies on alcoholic beverages, and stringent advertising laws in certain regions may impact market expansion. Additionally, competition from other flavored spirits, such as flavored whiskey and gin, poses a challenge to the continued dominance of spiced rum.

Future Outlook

The spiced rum market is poised for substantial growth, driven by evolving consumer preferences, product innovation, and expanding distribution channels. As the industry continues to embrace premiumization, sustainability, and digital sales strategies, the market will likely experience sustained momentum. Brands that focus on differentiation, storytelling, and experiential marketing will have a competitive edge in this dynamic landscape.

Conclusion

Spiced rum has emerged as a dynamic and fast-growing segment within the spirits industry. With increasing consumer interest in flavored and premium beverages, alongside the expansion of digital sales and cocktail culture, the market outlook remains positive. As brands continue to innovate and cater to changing consumer demands, the spiced rum industry is set for a bright and flavorful future.

[lovelyreviews1]

Spirits & Spices

 Spirits and Spices is more than a spice store. It is an oil, vinegar and alcohol store. This store has custom spices to your liking, brandy, wine, liquor, liqueur, brandy, whiskey, rum, tequila, vodka, gin and a bunch of other things including bread mixes and more.

 I honestly love how this place is a one stop shop for you to get all of your needs. This is perfect for holidays or if you just like a nice drink while you are cooking. They have all kinds of different aged ones, and levels for alcohol which is nice. There are all kinds of different brands and flavors for everyone.

Unfortunately, Spirits and spices does not ship to the following states: AK, AL, AR, DE, HI, KY, MA, MI, MS, NH, PA, RI, TN, UT, VT. 

Get your stuff here!

[gretavanmoon]

VERGE OF OBSCENE

Jake x female reader, Danny x female reader

14k words

+ Reader is faced with making a decision that she didn't anticipate when she left the bar, one night. Stuck between a rock and a hard place, she refuses to end her night on a bad note.

+ Hello friends! Tomorrow is my birthday, so I decided to gift you all with a little sum sum Danny and Jake. This story spawned from an idea @moonlightisdancing so graciously shared with me, so hopefully I did it justice ;) Enjoyyyyy

Thankies to @gretavangroupie for the read thruuu

Warnings: 18+! Angst: Cursing, Drinking, Bar Scene, Erratic/Unsafe Driving, Lying, Slight Jealousy, Unclean Thoughts

Y/N being a little heaux / Asshole Danny (I'm sorry don't k!ll me)

Smut: Kissing, Heavy Flirting, Dirty Talk, Touching, Penetrative Sex, Unprotected Sex, Fingering, Oral Sex (M! and F! Receiving)

“Let’s get the fuck out of here, huh?” Danny says into your ear, his breath hot and spiced with the scent of dark rum as it melts you into a puddle of nothing on the floor. His hands are placed lightly on your hips, holding you up steady as your group of friends begins making its way toward the exit of the crowded club.

“Mhmm,” you nod, your hair falling in front of your face as you fight the urge to arch your back into him. Your eyes have begun to blur on their own, the alcohol and the atmosphere seeping into your system in the most delicious way. Your body begs you to let him know that the feeling is mutual, but before you can, he pulls away, sliding his phone out of his pocket as he sips down the very last of his icy drink. 

“I’ll order an uber,” he says, crunching on a piece of ice as his eyes drift from your face all the way down to the black strapped heels you’d chosen tonight.

“Bitch, you’re drunk,” your best friend Jasmine giggles in your ear, taking the place of Danny as she grabs your hand in hers, still halfway dancing as she pulls you toward the doors. 

“I’m not, Jas,” you laugh, wishing that you hadn’t worn these high heels. “I mean I am, I’m just… I think I’m more exhausted than anything. I haven’t danced that much in years.” 

Her hand is reassuring in yours as she guides the two of you, her own unsteadiness on her feet making you laugh.  

“Yeah, exhausted from eye-fucking Jake all night,” she squeals.

“Jasmine!” you yell, your eyes wide as your stomach drops, hoping that none of the other members in your group heard her. You stop the two of you and yank her hand from yours, gritting your teeth as you scold her. “I was not eye-fucking Jake. And you know that.”

“Sure babe, keep telling yourself that,” she raises her eyebrows. “My vision might be blurry, but I’m not blind.”

It’s pretty widely known within your circle that you and Danny have something going on, that something being more of a situationship with no actual boundaries or titles or anything. The two of you usually ended up making out at the end of the night, a little touching and whatnot, but it has never gone further than that. Neither of you are in the market for anything serious, so you’ve taken to letting him be your go-to on those lonely late nights, sending him risqué photos of you in the mirror after a few glasses of wine. 

But Jake… Jake has been your good friend since college. The guy that was always there to accompany you to social events, pick you up from parties, and cram last minute for exams with you. He’d always been that guy you could call on for anything and everything, the one you felt completely comfortable with in any situation.

“Just admit it, dummy,” Jasmine belts as you near the crowded exit doors, her arm in yours. 

“There’s nothing to admit,” you whisper. “I mean…look at him, he looks completely fuckable tonight, so I took a few glances. Sue me.” You roll your eyes at her as you watch her gaze covertly float back to Jake, standing amongst the rest of your group. 

“God, you’re right. He’s been looking exceptionally delicious lately, hasn’t he?” she purrs. 

“Mmmhm…” you agree, making sure not to look at him. 

It’s true, though Jake has always been good looking, lately there has been something special about him, something magnified in his persona, something devious in his aura. He’s changed up his attire a little, now donning sleek suit jackets and silver jewelry on his wrists and neck, and you’d be lying if you said you didn’t prefer the way he’s been slicking his hair back into a tight knot at his neck. Over the past few months he’s become a lot more sophisticated and sure of himself, a complete 180 from the silly guy you never thought twice about. 

Lately he has seemed so much more confident in himself, and it literally drips from him. He’s sexy in his own way, that’s for damn sure, but these past few months you’ve caught yourself looking at him for longer than a few seconds, staring at his hands as he did literally anything, and finding yourself swept up in the way his lips danced across his teeth. And if it weren’t for Danny occupying most of your thoughts lately, you may actually picture Jake in those dirty daydreams, instead of him. 

As conversation takes a pause you do sneak a glance at Jake, his elbow leaned against the bar with the other tucked away in his pocket. He’s eyeing you hard, and he doesn’t make any attempt to look away when you catch him. Fuck, he looks so goddamned good tonight. But why isn’t he looking away?

You feel your stomach muscles tense just from the way his hooded eyes are staring you down, confident and obvious as he chews on the tiny black straw that once stirred his whiskey rocks. Fuck, fuck, fuck! He’s fine… he’s so fine. Jake. Friend Jake. Friend Jake?

“What I wouldn’t give to experience a good old fashioned romp with him, though,” Jasmine says, breaking the stare-down you and Jake had caught yourselves in. 

“Huh?” you say. “Danny?”

“Yes bitch. His long arms, his big hands… mmh. You lucky, lucky dog, being his sneaky link,” Jasmine goes on. 

“Jas, we haven’t even slept together, yet,” you admit quietly. 

She looks at you in disbelief. “Are you serious?! Why?”

You shrug. “Just.. hasn’t happened yet, I guess.”

“It’s going to though, right?” she asks, and you know she just wants to live vicariously. 

You look back at her, knowing that yes, it most likely will, but you’re also not here for rushing it with him. Why? You’re not sure…

“Uber will be here in ten,” Danny announces as he comes up behind you, his hand resting on your lower back as he takes another bite of the melted ice still floating in the rum in his glass. He leans down, his voice icy and heavy in your ear. “Let’s go to the bathroom,” he slurs. “Just for a minute. Wanna see what you’ve got on underneath your…”

You smile and bring your tongue to your top lip, knowing that sexually, things have been brewing between the two of you for some time now. Though he’s never outwardly asked you if you wanted to hook up for real, you know that given the way things are going, it’s bound to happen at some point.  

“The bathroom?” you reiterate, turning your attention to him and wrapping your arms around his neck. God, he smells good. You crane up to whisper in his ear. “Why don’t you just get out of the Uber at my place?” 

Danny hisses through his teeth at your proposition, rolling his head back on his neck. Finally he looks back down at you, biting his lip. “You really want me to?”

You consider it for a second, knowing that he is pretty damn intoxicated, and if anything, you might get a shower and some other extracurriculars out of him before he inevitably passes out long-ways on your bed. “Yeah, why not? Or your place, whatever.” You figured you’d give him options. 

His hands are traveling covertly across your ass as he tries not to make a big scene of the PDA, and for a split second, you hope that Jake can see it. “We can go to my place, my roommate is out of town…?” he perks his eyebrows. 

“Even better,” you reply with a cheeky grin. 

“Perfect…” he growls, looking over you more intensely than he ever really has. 

“Hey, come with me, I gotta pee,” Jasmine says, pulling on your arm. 

“Hurry up, the Uber is almost here,” Danny says as the two of you walk toward the bathrooms, Danny’s hand holding onto yours until the very last second. 

The bathroom is packed and loud with people touching up their makeup and waiting in line for a free stall. “I’ll hurry,” Jasmine says, hopping into an open one.

You don’t have to go, so you sulk away in a corner, deciding to check your phone for the first time in an hour or so. Your eyes adjust to the bright screen and you flip through a few instagram notifications and emails, not really seeing anything too important. Until– a text. 

A text from… Jake?

Your thumb hovers over the notification for a few seconds before you slide it open, expecting to see a funny meme or dumb article he’s shared, like always. But instead what you see sends a rush of nerves through your body strong enough to steal the breath from your lungs. 

Jake

1:12am: Stay with me tonight.

You nearly drop your phone as you look away from it, your eyes suddenly fixated on the floor. You can hear your heart beating in your ears, and a cold sweat breaks out across your palms. What? This is a joke, he’s joking. 

That’s why he was watching you so intently, he wanted you to look at your phone…

“Hey, you okay? You gonna throw up?” you hear and feel Jasmine enter your bubble, all the sound suddenly returning to your ears. “Your face is turning green… come on… let’s get to the toilet–” 

“No, no I’m fine, I…” You’re speechless as you turn your phone screen around to her, showing her the text. Her eyes read the words, and then grow so big that you think they might pop right from her skull. 

“JAKE? Jake, our Jake? Texted you this??” she yells, grabbing the phone from your hand as she does a quick few paces. 

“Yeah.. what…?” You don’t even know what to say, or how to react. “He has to be joking, right?”

“Text him back! Answer him! Oh my god,” she rambles, handing you your phone back. 

“What do I say?!”

“I dunno, just– anything!” she squeals, quickly rinsing her hands off in the sink. 

You type up a few different responses before landing on one, nice and simple. 

You

1:14am: Did you mean to text me? Lol

A bubble pops up almost immediately, and you feel like you could quite literally explode. 

Jake

1:14am: I most definitely did. Stay with me.

“Fuck, Jasmine, oh my god, I am not cut out for this…” you start to panic, shaking your hands. 

“Yes you are, bitch! Get your shit together, ok? He saw you looking at him, he knows you want him, jump. On. That. Shit,” she grabs your shoulders and shakes them.

“Hello, Danny? You expect me to just forget about him?!” you argue. 

She clicks her tongue. “Is it really going anywhere with him, though? Jake just asked you to come home with him, he couldn’t be more forward than that. And you said you and Danny are just having fun, right? Messing around?” 

“He just asked me to come stay with him, too. Tonight,” you admit, leaning your back against the wall in defeat. “There is no way this is happening, I need another drink.”

“No, you need to figure out who the fuck you want,” she says, pulling you from the bathroom into the sitting area outside of it. “Danny is fine as fuck, you guys have been having fun together, right? Yeah yeah whatever… and Jake. Our goofball friend suddenly turned… Christian Grey level sexy? And he wants you?! You need to decide, and quick,” she says, turning to look toward the exit again. 

“You’re just saying that because you want Daniel all to yourself,” you joke, trying to take the heat off the situation. 

“No no no no, that’s not… ok well that’s not untrue,” Jasmine says, crossing her arms. “If the opportunity presented itself, I would not turn him down,” she laughs, sticking her tongue out. 

“Hey, Uber is here!” you hear Danny yell from across the bar, motioning with his arm to come on. 

You feel a nervousness you’ve never felt creeping into your bones. “Maybe I should just get another ride and forget the whole thing, say I’m not feeling well and go home,” you suggest. 

“That’s up to you, babe. You’re your own woman. I’ll go with you, if you want…” Jasmine says, laying her hand on your shoulder. 

You glance back over to the group and see Danny standing holding the door open, and Jake a few feet behind him, watching you all the same. What in the actual midday soap opera is happening right now…

Your feet carry you toward the door on their own when you see Danny’s rushing expression and Jake’s intense one… both of these men want the exact same thing tonight. Great.

You’re on autopilot as you watch everyone begin drunkenly piling into the backseat, stumbling and laughing. First Danny’s two friends, then Jasmine, then Danny, then Jake. You’re left standing outside when you realize there isn’t enough room. Yes…

“Oh, shit. I’ll just call another ride, it’s no big deal–”

“No come on, we’ll make room,” Jake mutters as he looks at you with a smirk. 

“No, seriously, it’s fine. I’ll grab the next one,” you say, but you’re stopped short when you see Jake’s hand being held out for you. He wiggles his fingers to tell you to come on, and his slow-blink tells you he means it.

“Babe, c’mon,” Danny says, leaning over Jake. 

You swallow hard, taking a quick breath before grabbing onto Jake’s hand, and stepping up into the packed vehicle. As soon as you close the door behind you, the car takes off, making you lose your balance and fall straight into Jake’s lap. 

Oh shit fuck.

“Oh god, I’m sorry,” you panic, trying to stand back up and adjust into another seat. Jake’s hands are on your waist as you stumble around the extremely crowded car, and you hear him mumble a soft and sweet “s’okay”.

Even in the dark, you can see that there is most definitely not enough room to take a seat of your own. The driver is driving erratically, taking fast and sharp turns and having absolutely no regard for his passengers, and it’s taking everything in you to hold on to the back of his headrest and the handle above you to keep from falling into the floor. 

You start to panic as the man speeds down the streets and takes a particularly sharp turn, forcing you against your will right into Jake’s lap again. Fuuuuuuck. There���s nothing you can do about it. 

You finally give up and let your body weight fall onto him, his hands instinctively holding you steady so you don’t slide sideways again. Everyone is loud and laughing drunkenly, in their own worlds and conversations as the car travels down the road. 

“You’re alright, you can sit all the way down,” Jake laughs, patting his knee. For some reason, Jake suddenly feels like a stranger. A person you have never met before, not one of your very good friends. You feel anxious in his presence, and your mouth goes dry when you hear him mutter again, “It’s just me…”

Danny is caught up in his own thing, hardly paying either of you any mind at all as he’s belting the words to whatever old Nelly song is blasting through the car speakers. You take a deep breath, and relax all the way down onto Jake’s waiting lap. 

“I’m sorry,” you apologize to him, rolling your eyes. 

“It’s not your fault,” he says lowly, still smiling. You feel yourself go straight as a board, nervous to make a move at all as you realize the position you’re in. His hands are still respectfully balanced on your waist, and your hands are still gripping hard on the handles. 

The drive is nearly ten minutes, and even with the way the man is navigating, the traffic still holds up progress, making the drive even longer. You begin to sweat thinking about how you’re going to survive this, what you’re going to do when the time comes to get out. You glance back over at Jasmine who is making the most outrageous face at you, clenching her teeth and smiling from ear to ear. 

“You alright? You seem tense,” Jake brings his mouth close to your ear so that you can hear him over the blasting music. 

Tense. Tense? Is he joking?! You’re worse than tense, you’re about to jump out of your fucking skin, actually! 

“Yeah, I’m–” Another quick whip of the vehicle and a harsh stop makes you lurch forward and fly back again, your shoulder pressing into Jake’s chest. The smell of his cologne takes your breath even more intensely than the whiplash does, and his hand reaches up quickly to catch you from moving any further. “Fuck, dude! Drive often?!” you say, making everyone in the car laugh, but the driver pays you no mind. 

“He’s not getting a tip, is he?” Jake laughs sarcastically. You feel the tips of his fingers tap your thigh, signalling you to sit up a little. 

“Stand up a sec,” he orders and you do, and he lurches his groin forward, pressing himself into you. You have no idea what he’s doing as you feel his upper thighs press into your ass, and you know that your eyes have grown ten times their size. His left hand is still gripping your waist, almost holding onto you for leverage. Fuck, what is this… What is he doing? And why is it so hot?

Just as quickly as it happened it ended, and you catch sight of his right hand exiting his side. “Sorry, had to get in my pocket,” he says. “Here, one for you, one for me.” He plops back down into his seat, and you have to admit, the loss of the feeling of him damn near pressing his dick into you makes you shudder a bit. It felt…

He holds his hand out and presents you with two airplane bottles of some type of clear liquor. Once you see what he needed to get in his pocket for, you look back at him, his facial expression painted a mix of red and green as you pass underneath the crowded streets and stop lights. He raises his eyebrows, and urges you to take one. 

“Here,” he says, “thought it could help with your tenseness.”

You swallow as your eyes fall to his hand, and you realize that he isn’t wrong. Yeah, you definitely need another drink for what has turned into a shitshow of a night. “Thanks,” you offer, taking one of the bottles from his hand. 

You quickly open the lid and smell the contents, recognizing it right off the bat as tequila. Perfect. Jake does the same, but before he presses it to his lips, he presses the edge of his bottle to yours. 

“Cheers, Y/N. To a night of revelry.” His eyes are boring into yours as his tongue licks across his lips, and a tiny smirk comes across his face. 

“To revelry…” you repeat, and Jake is wrapping his arm with yours, tilting his bottle back to drain its contents. You prepare yourself for the sting of the liquor and take the shot, needing it now more than ever to numb your racing and confused thoughts. 

Your arms uncross and you replace the lids on the bottles after you’ve both swallowed it all down, and you’re thankful that Jake had paid special attention to what you needed in the moment, while Danny still sits completely unknowing directly beside you. 

Jake rips the empty bottle from your hand and sticks the two of them in the front pocket of his jacket, his hands going right back to supporting you still in your awkward position on his lap. You hate to admit it, but the alcohol has almost instantly calmed you a little, while it simultaneously is making you feel just a touch more daring. Jake looks like a fucking model tonight, and you’re relaxing comfortably on his lap. After he asked you to come home with him. What more could you even ask for?

In an act of courage, you decide to wrap your arm around his neck, balancing your elbow on the back of his seat. It brings you significantly closer into his realm, and you hear him take in a sharp breath at your new proximity. “Sorry, couldn’t sit like that any longer,” you say, your chin nearly resting on his shoulder. 

“No worries, love,” he replies, readjusting his hand on your waist to fall a little lower than it was. Your heart is beating from your chest, and you swear you can feel the blood pumping through your veins. Why? It’s just Jake… just your friend. You’ve hugged him a million times before. Why does it suddenly feel so… different?

And all of a sudden, the car jerks you sideways again, redirecting your ass to sit directly on top of… him. Perfectly. Fuck. If there weren’t clothes to block the connection, the two of you would find yourselves in the most perfect position for some insane obscenity, right now. And you feel a surge of desire flood you, while simultaneously feeling Jake jerk in his pants below you. God damn, he feels fucking…

He takes a deep breath and exhales it through his mouth, his air blowing across your hair and lips a little bit as he reacts to the new position. He’s just as flustered as you are. For a split second, his hand wrapped around your waist tightens, squeezing at your side before he lets it drift down just a little to your thigh. Fuckkkkk. Your eyes nearly roll back as you feel his dick jerk between your legs again, in the most perfect position. You’re thankful for the darkness of the lower half of the car, concealing everything that has happened in the past few seconds in shrouded shadow. 

Danny still sits oblivious, deep in pointless conversation with his friend beside him. He could give a damn less, and you’re almost positive he doesn’t even remember that the two of you have made plans, tonight. 

Meanwhile, Jake’s breath is picking up as you see the slight rise and fall of his chest behind his partially unbuttoned shirt, also a new staple in his changing wardrobe that had you going fucking nuts the first time you saw him in it. Your face is still close to him as you continue leaning sideways on his seat, and you realize just how close your lips are to his ear. He’s trying his best to seem nonchalant, but still is being very intentional with the movements of his hand, still concealed in the darkness. 

It slowly travels up your leg to your upper thigh, gentle but forceful all at the same time. Your head starts to spin, he’s touching you. He’s touching you like that. You blow out a huff of air into his ear, making his jaw clench. His hand squeezes at your muscle, his fingers dangerously close to being up underneath the hem of your tight dress. 

He turns his head to face you, almost within inches. “That dress looks really good on you tonight,” he mutters, his eyes flicking from the windshield back to you. You can feel the heat from his breath on your lips, complimenting you in the sweetest most flirtatious tone. 

“You think so?” you ask, your breath hitching as you feel him hardening below you. 

“Mmmhm,” he growls, your faces within centimeters, now. “It really accentuates your body. Shows you off…” His eyes drift to your tits for just a second too long, as his tongue juts out and licks his lips. “But I think my favorite part is this… right here…” His hand that is squeezing between your legs moves to curl a finger up underneath the tight hem that is stretched across your thighs, way too high now that you haven’t yet been in a position to pull it back down. His finger runs along the seam around the side of your leg to the back, and his hand wastes no time in completely gripping your ass.

…You might fall the fuck apart. 

You squeak out a sound that you can’t control as his hand squeezes and kneads at your partially-covered ass cheek, and his motions make your body react completely on its own. You sit down harder on his dick, grinding your hips onto him for just enough time to get a little friction where you need it. You should be embarrassed, but you’re not. Thanks, tequila.

“Your– your favorite part, huh?” you manage, your lips drifting across the baby hairs sticking free from his ponytail. He still stares directly out the windshield, like nothing is happening at all. 

“That’s right,” he says, his fingers beginning to get a little more adventurous as you feel them nearing your heat, from behind. He’s squeezing the muscle even more tightly now that you haven’t stopped him. You’re completely flushed… dizzy and wanting as he’s sitting cool as ever below you. It sort of pisses you off, how you know for a fact that your body language is anything but relaxed, while his hand is buried between your legs. He displays hardly any outward look, at all. The perfect facade. 

Just to get a rise out of him, you sit down on him with a little more force, swirling your hips as you grind in your search for friction. The action takes him by surprise as he grunts out a breath that sounds a bit desperate, exactly what you wanted from him. 

He tries to cover it up with a cough. 

“Jake man, you alright?” Danny turns from his other conversation to ask. Danny’s eyes flick to the two of you in this position and you quickly clean it up, leaning up a little and acting as though Jake’s fingers aren’t dancing around your opening. 

“Yeah man, all good,” Jake replies through a strained breath. 

"Take a breath, dude," Danny says as he smacks Jake's knee.

The way everyone is crammed in the seats has Danny’s back to you, anyway, so he has to strain to turn around backward and look for you. You’re not sure if it’s a gift from the heavens that he can’t see you very well, or an opportunity for the ages that Jake saw, and took full advantage of. Just then, Danny’s hand reaches back behind him, gripping onto your knee that’s closest to him. His hand starts to travel a little, all the while Jake’s fingers still exactly where he left them. 

Oh fucking hell… no.

Danny’s hand moves again, down the length of your shin and back up again, rough and hot as he feels you up in the darkness. He never turns his head around, but his hand continues to sneak higher and higher, so much to the point that his fingers are dusting the inside of your opposite thigh. It’s then that you’re positive he’s completely unaware of what you and Jake are doing just inches away from his hand. 

Danny firmly grips the muscle of your leg, switching between squeezing onto it and lightly trailing his fingertips over your already goosebump-covered skin. You wish you could see Jasmine, you wish you could telepathically tell her what is happening, that both of their hands are secretly on you, fighting for all of your attention. And neither of them have any idea the other is there, and neither have any intention of stopping. 

You try to breathe and calm yourself, trying to ignore the fact that both men have their hands on you in their own stealthy and secret ways. It's jarring, but it also mind-fucks you a little, your thoughts streaming with filthy and unadulterated thoughts of... No. Don't even go there, Y/N. Absolutely not...

“I meant what I said tonight, in the text,” Jake’s graveled voice is suddenly brushing against your ear. His fingers are still slowly working you into an oblivion, down a long road you’re not sure you’ll ever return from. You feel him press a little harder, inching closer and closer to your thong- the only barrier between his hands and you. You sit down on him even harder, the mixture of his fingers teasing you so deliciously and Danny’s hand massaging you… it’s a cocktail that you can’t deny, a mixture of deathly decisions and filthy visuals that you can’t help but become victim to. And you’re fucking loving it. 

“Did you?” you manage, your mouth still close to his ear. You're nearly intoxicated by the smell of his cologne.

“I did… and if I didn’t know any better, I’d say that the way your body is reacting right now, you just might tell me you will,” he goes on, making your head spin again. “Am I right?”

Your eyes flutter closed as you swallow again, arguing with what’s right and wrong as Danny’s hand reminds you that technically, he had you first. You told him you’d stay with him, tonight is supposed to be the night…

Jake’s fingers move a little closer, pulling your thong to the side as he slowly creeps even deeper, his movements so calculated and drawn out that you have to bite down on your own tongue to keep from crying out. Both of their hands are driving you to insanity, and you can’t even say a damned word without revealing what the other one is doing. 

You’re in a delicious purgatory, and you’d sit in this car for all of eternity if it meant you could keep feeling like this. 

The way that you're currently the keeper of both of their secrets, letting them do what they want to you, in complete confidence. Every few seconds you're reminded that the other one is there, when one of their hands would steal all of your attention away from the other. Your mind is being pulled in two directions, your consciousness traveling from left to right as they both unknowingly battle for your attention.

Just then Jake’s fingers find your clit, pressing harshly into it with tiny circles as you realize now that you’re fighting for your life. Your forehead leans onto his temple, all the breath escaping your lungs as he starts to build you up. “Oh my god,” you whisper in his ear through grit teeth. Your voice is desperate and pitiful as you fight swirling your hips on his hand, pleading with yourself to ignore the way he feels, and the way Danny’s hand is relentlessly kneading into your other leg. 

“That feel good, baby?” Jake whispers below the roar of the music still filling the car. “That what you wanted me to do?”

You nod quickly, knowing that your decisions tonight will be ones that you try and forget about tomorrow, but the situation is too damn delicious to ignore, right now. “Yeah,” you whisper, nipping your teeth onto his ear. You feel his hips buck up, his dick hard as a rock beneath you. 

“Tell me about it, tell me how it feels…” he whispers to you again, his fingers still working you to a point of no return. 

Danny’s hand is still stretched as far as it can in the position he’s in, and you can tell that the way he is moving, his mind is coming back to him, and he’s preparing you for what is going to happen when the two of you get out of the car. 

“Feels so fucking good…” you murmur, little whines falling from your lips as he lets his thumb tease at your entrance. “Don’t want you to stop, but…”

“But what, baby?”

You swallow, opening your eyes a bit as his thumb still teases. “I–You know I’m… going home with Danny…” The words feel like poison in your mouth, and you hate to admit it, even though it’s the complete truth. 

But Jake knows your situation with Danny. He’s not unaware of any of it, at all. 

“Hm,” Jake grumbles. “Is that still a thing?”

“Kind of, yeah… I mean…” you breathe, and Jake hasn’t slowed down his movements, at all. Each pointed touch of his finger on your clit is driving you to madness, and you’re surprised at your ability to even keep a little bit of a level head in your conversation. 

“Interesting. Every time I looked at you tonight, your eyes were already on me, watching me like a hawk. I could have sworn those were fuck-me eyes, Y/N…” 

He presses his thumb inside you a little, making you gasp a loud breath. The way your name sounded coming from his perfectly pouted lips… It sounds so different than it normally does. So much more strained, so desperate. He pulls his thumb back out, concentrating again on your clit. 

“Who even are you, Jake? You’re like an entirely different person, all the sudden,” you admit through quiet choked breaths. You don’t know where that question came from, though you’ve been so curious about it for the past few weeks.

You catch his eyes darting around as he searches for an answer. He shrugs his shoulders. “Just have come into my own lately, grew up a bit. I dunno… why, is it a bad thing?” 

“No! No, it’s… you’re the same you, just…” 

“Now I have the confidence to do what I’ve always wanted to do to you, in the back of a car, secretly…” he mutters, clicking his tongue a little as he adds a little pressure to your clit. You can tell you’re absolutely soaking his hand, but you feel no shame in it. You hope to god Danny can’t feel your legs shaking and vibrating with pleasure… either that, or you hope that he thinks he’s the one causing it. 

“You have? Why didn’t you ever…” you ask him, wondering why he’d never made an advance before. Or, had you been just too blind to see it?

Jake takes a breath. “I dunno, just never thought you’d be into me like that.”

“First stop!” the driver calls out, putting the car in a harsh park. You lurch forward and back again, your mind coming back to you a little bit. 

Jake and Danny both quickly remove their hands from you as the cab lights in the car come on, and Danny’s two friends jump out. The loss of their touch is devastating, and you wonder what in the actual fuck you’re going to do when you eventually make it to Danny’s place. You take a second to glance back at Jasmine in the backseat, and immediately she can tell that something is going on. 

You have only a second to communicate wordlessly to her before the doors are closing, and the car is taking off again. Now, the freed up space allows for you to have your own seat. 

“Here babe, you can scoot over here, now,” Danny says, patting the seat between him and Jake. “Your legs fall asleep, Jake? Damn, we were really smashed in here.”

“You could say that…” Jake grumbles, taking one last opportunity to squeeze your ass as you climb off of him, the disconnect instantly making you fill with a frustrated rage. 

You cross your arms as you find yourself sat between them now, pissed off and left feeling more edged than anything. Danny’s arm wraps around your shoulders and pulls you toward him. “Can’t wait to get that dress off you… I’m over here going fucking crazy…” he says into your ear. 

You can’t help the expression that falls across your face. Fuck… if he only knew the situation you’re currently in… he’s going crazy?! He hardly paid you any mind at all for the past ten minutes you’ve been in here… his hand was the only contact he made, and you know his touching you was solely out of drunken opportunity. 

Jake, on the other hand… quite literally…

You don’t give him a straight answer as the car pulls down Danny’s street, and your mind begins to race with crazed thoughts. Your stomach churns with nerves, and you almost wish you hadn’t taken that last shot of tequila. You feel like you’re being pulled two ways- wanting to go home with Danny after dancing around the act for weeks now, and leaving yourself to stay with Jake to finish what the two of you have started. 

You know it’s wrong to even consider Jake, but something about him lately, and tonight, has made him like a forbidden fruit that you can’t help but crave. And after learning that apparently he’s wanted you all along…

The car begins to slow down in front of Danny’s building, and the nerves are so bad you feel like you could throw up. Danny slings the door open and steps out, turning to take your hand. 

The invisible string… one end of you tied to Danny and the agreement you’d already made, and one end tied to the man beside you, his aura magnetizing you to stay with him… don’t get out of the car…

Your hand moves on its own, clasping itself around Danny’s as your body pulls itself from the vehicle, slow and blurry as your foot hits the concrete. Danny offers you a sweet, buzzed smile as he helps you to get your footing on the sidewalk. “You ready, gorgeous?” he asks, and your head nods, really unknowing if you are ready, or not. 

Danny closes the door behind you and you turn to look at Jake, his jaw clenched tightly with his hand in front of it, his eyes glaring and low as the car pulls off to the next stop. 

Well, fuck.

Danny pulls you through the front doors of his building and up the stairs to his apartment door. Your mind is still racing and your legs are still like jello from the performance that Jake had given you just minutes ago. You can tell that Danny is still feeling his liquor, stumbling just a little as he meanders through his dark apartment with you in tow. You had only been here once before, so you know your way around just a little bit. It’s a studio apartment, so you plop down on his bed, pulling your arms into yourself as he turns the kitchen light on. 

“Gonna grab a water, you wann’one?” he stammers, his eyes hardly focused. 

“Yeah, please,” you say, pulling your phone from your purse to see a string of notifications from Jasmine. 

Jas

1:31am: BITCH WHAT THE FCUK WERE YOU TWO DOOIGN UP THERE

1:31am: i saw you whispering to him

1:31am: what did he say what did you say

1:34am: ANSER MEEEE

1:34am: he was so sad looking when u went with danny i cant believe uuuu. Anyway have fun i guess

“Here ya go,” Danny says as he hands you a cold water bottle. He’s already chugged half of his, and he lies down beside you, pressing the cold bottle to his forehead. 

“Thanks,” you say, taking a few sips off the top. “You have too much?”

He sits up, tossing the bottle to the side before wrapping his arm around you and pressing you down into the bed. “No no, I’m good. Just kinda… well, maybe a lil’. But I still want to uphold our plans, yeah?” His face is buried in your hair, and you can feel his mouth starting to lay wet kisses up and down your neck. 

“Yeah,” you breathe, the feeling of his mouth on you overtaking your mind already. Danny has always felt exceptionally good, able to turn you on within seconds. His hand is traveling over your body, over your stomach and legs and thighs as he delves into the sensitive skin of your neck, on the verge of leaving marks, if he wasn’t careful. Your eyes roll back as he moans in your ear, pressing himself up against you. 

“Now, about this dress..” he says, pulling your straps down. You help him free your arms as your tits pop free, your nipples already perking up just from the contact he’d made. “Fuckin’ beautiful…” he says, leaning up on his elbow to reach down and hitch your leg over his waist. He takes your nipple into his mouth and begins swirling his tongue around it while his hand massages and kneads the other. 

Your body begins shuddering from the feeling of it all, and the presence of his hardening dick pressing between your legs doesn’t help matters. Finally he connects his lips to yours, hot and messy as the kiss is deepened second by second. His hands are cupping your tits, and you can’t help but grind into him. Fuck… yeah, he feels good, but, is this going to go as planned? No matter how hard you tried, you can’t get the visual of Jake’s face as the car door shut from hanging in the back of your mind. 

You switch gears to try and flush the thought of Jake from your mind, pulling Danny to his back and straddling his waist. You immediately lean down and pull at the hem of his shirt, ripping it over his head. God, his physique is un-fucking-real… You can’t help but to want to kiss it, to lick every inch of him. Your mind is completely reeling with a wild hormonal draw to him, while thinking about Jake’s hand between your legs, while you’re undoing Danny’s belt, thinking about how Jake’s breath felt on your lips. 

For the love of god, get it together, Y/N. 

“So sexy, baby…” Danny stutters as you begin making your way down his body, nipping at his pecs and sides as you descend down him, your body pulling you there on its own. His hand is tangled up in your hair as you begin teasing at his dick through his boxers, breathing hot air and humming your lips against him. You can feel your mouth starting to water just thinking about how he is going to taste on your tongue. This wasn’t the first time you’d done this for Danny, of course, but the foreplay has to start somewhere, right?

Danny bucks his hips into your mouth as your tongue glides over the tip, the indirect touch driving him absolutely wild. “Need your mouth, baby.. Need it– ahhh… so bad…”

His words urge you on to get your head on straight, pulling down at his boxers to expose him. His dick springs free and you immediately connect your lips to it, flicking the tip of your tongue. You feel the saliva begin to pool in your mouth as his stomach tightens in. “Fuck, yes, baby…” he says, his hand tightening in your hair again. You open your throat as best you can, taking him all the way down in one go. The sounds that leave him make you feel a fierce desire for him again as you begin bobbing up and down, using your hand for help. 

Your tongue swirls and flattens as you watch his free hand grip onto the sheets. You sit up and pull his boxers and jeans all the way off, giving yourself a little more space to work. You dig your nails into the skin between his thighs, making him hiss an inhale. “Too much?” you ask.

“No, perfect… Keep going…” he breathes, sitting up for just a second to watch you. You work at him for what feels like ten minutes or so, just watching him get to the edge before he falls right back off again. You try different techniques and tricks, but you realize fairly quickly that your jaw is beginning to tighten and feel sore. You bring your hand to the base of his dick again, pumping it along with your mouth. “Fuck, fuck… baby…” he grunts again, and you can taste the precum finally dripping into your mouth. 

“Taste so good, Danny…” you breathe when you find a free second. You’re trying to get him there, pulling out all the shots you can think of to get him to tip over the edge. His hand tightens in your hair again, and you feel yourself feeling touch-starved, especially since you were so worked up earlier. You slip your hand between your legs and move your thong to the side, quickly finding the place that Jake’s fingers had just inhabited not long ago. 

Jake… 

His fingers… they were just… there. 

Maybe if you picture it’s him touching you again instead of yourself…

You close your eyes and envision it, letting yourself moan a little hum onto the tip of Danny’s cock. 

“Oh fuck, do that again,” he cries, his head falling back onto the headboard. You do as he asks, all the while still picturing the feeling of Jake’s hand bringing you right back to the brink. Fuck, this feels so wrong. And so, so fucking right. 

Suddenly Danny’s hand leaves your hair and grips onto the sheets again, the veins in his hands popping out as you watch him claw his way to the peak, his stomach caving in over and over as you work him harder. 

“Mhmm…” you hum onto him again, realizing that is what he needed to get over his awful case of whiskey dick. You finally manage to get him there, watching as his face falls into a clenched expression as he fills up your mouth completely. You swallow it down and do your best to clean him up while he catches his breath on the come-down. 

“Jesus you are so fucking hot,” he says once you’re all done. He hooks his arm up underneath your arm pit, pulling you to lay beside him. “That was… excellent.” 

“Thank you,” you giggle, your clit still pouding with stimulation. The two of you lay there for a few minutes as he enjoys his euphoria. 

“Gimmie just a minute, I’ll pay you back, baby,” he says softly as his eyes begin to close. 

You nod as you glance up to him, your body on fire with want and need for reciprocation so intense that you can hardly stand it. His eyes are all the way closed and he’s completely relaxed back, and it’s then that you realize exactly what you had suspected would happen- he’s going to fully pass out on you. 

‘Fucking kidding me,’ you think to yourself. ‘Is he serious?’

You should have known better, given how hard it was to get him to cum from a fifteen-minute long blowjob. A good one, at that. 

Two minutes later, he’s snoring. Goddamnit. 

And suddenly, you’re pissed. Pissed at it all. You know its just the rage from not getting anything out of this fucking deal tonight, and feeling rejected and forgotten after Danny got his. You have half a mind to sneak into his bathroom and finish things off yourself, but just as you’re about to grind your knuckles into Danny’s chest to wake him up, he rolls over, tucking his hands up underneath his pillow as his breathing completely evens out. Yeah, he’s out for good. Your heartbeat is flying off the handle from the bitterness you feel mixed in with how fucking turned on you are. 

Fuck this night. 

You gently lean down and pick up your phone that is still sitting on the bottom of the bed, the bright light hurting your eyes as the screen comes to life. You decide to answer Jasmine’s texts, even though you know she is probably already asleep. 

You

2:13am: 🍆❌🥃👎😴

Your finger flips back over to the text from Jake, and you shudder at how harshly you left him on read… through text and in the car. You feel absolutely terrible. In all honesty, you should have stayed back with him tonight. Things could have ended up so differently. You halfway curse yourself for being such a brat about it all, because really, Danny didn’t do anything wrong at all. Upsetting, but not wrong. He did have a bit too much to drink.

In an act of pure courage (and horrific lingering arousal), you text Jake back. 

You

2:14am: If I would have stayed with you, would you have fallen asleep on me?

You set your phone on your chest, halfway regretting sending the text, at all. You cover your eyes with your hand, fiercely tapping your other hand on your stomach as regret fills your mind. 

Then suddenly, it buzzes. 

You peek one eye open, expecting to see a reply from Jasmine. But– of course…

Jake

2:16am: He didn’t…

You

2:16am: 🙂

Jake

2:17am: Fuckin idiot.

2:17am: No, I wouldn’t have fallen asleep on you. I think we both know that. 

You

2:18am: Why are you still awake?

Jake sends back a photo of his feet propped up on his ottoman in front of a fireplace, holding a glass up in front of it. 

You

2:19am: Nightcap?

Jake

2:19am: No, it’s carbonated water. Couldn’t force down another drink if I wanted to

Danny startles you with a loud snore as he adjusts himself, getting comfortable again in his bed. And for some reason, it pisses you off all over again. 

You

2:20am: What if I was there, would you have a drink with me?

Jake

2:20am: I would do anything you want, if you were here

2:21am: I got you all worked up for nothing, huh

You

2:21am: Understatement of the year.

Ya know what? Fuck it. 

2:21am: But, not for nothing…

You slowly stand from the bed, rushing across Danny’s living area to slip quietly into his bathroom. Before you close the door behind you, you check to make sure he’s still asleep. When you’ve made sure the coast is clear, you lock the door behind you. 

Alone and still frustrated with sexual tension, you turn on the dimmer switch on the wall, pulling it all the way down to as dark as it will go. You stand in front of his full-length mirror and pull one of your straps down to expose one of your tits. You fluff your hair and find the perfect position to stand, covertly covering up your nipple as you hike the tight bottom of your dress up a little higher. 

You open your camera and adjust the lighting and snap a few photos, finding them all to be unreasonably sexy, if you do say so yourself. You finally choose the best one and attach it in a text to Jake, holding your breath as you hit send. 

You

2:23am: Still very much worked up 

You watch as the messages deliver, and Jake’s text bubble pop up and disappear four or five times as he is likely trying to decide what to respond with. You’re feeling a little more confident now, knowing that you’ve most likely left him a little speechless. It's an entire minute before he finally responds. 

Jake

2:24am: Fuck

You snicker at his response before going ahead and typing up another. 

You

2:24am: Think I made the wrong decision tonight

Jake

2:25am: Was waiting for you to admit that to yourself 😏

You sit down on Danny’s toilet, suddenly feeling very cold in the skimpy dress. You take a deep breath and rest your chin in your hand as you try and decide what to do next. You can steal one of Danny’s t-shirts, climb under the covers next to him and call it a night, or you could convince Jake that you’d rather be with him, and see what happens. 

You feel your phone buzz in your lap. 

Jake

2:27am: What if I promised to finish what I started

You

2:27am: If that entails anything like what you did to me in the car, I’ll take you up on that promise

Jake

2:28am: It has everything to do with what I did to you in the car

2:28am: And don’t act so innocent, I felt you trying to tease me, too

You

2:29am: Jake, it was obvious I wasn’t the only one worked up

2:29am: I never claimed to be innocent… 😇

Jake:

2:30am: God you’re a piece of work

You

2:30am: Come get me. 

Jake

2:31am: Be there in 5. 

Fuck fuck… this is really happening. Shit, you have made some horrible decisions tonight. But there is time for repentance later. Tonight, you’re going to pretend like nothing in the world matters. 

You take a quick second to freshen up and dab some of Danny’s toothpaste on your finger, at least making yourself seem like you’ve not taken part in too many bad decisions, tonight. When you’re done, you creak the bathroom door open again and find Danny still snuggled up and passed all the way out. You quickly send him a text that you found a ride home, not wanting him to wake up and freak out too badly. You’re pissed at him, but honestly, not too mad. It ended up in your favor, to be honest. You place your bottle of water on the table beside him and plug his phone in before making your way to sit on his couch, waiting for your incoming text from Jake. 

+++

“Here, brought you these,” Jake says as he hands you a pile of clothing after you’ve placed your seatbelt across your chest. “Thought you’d probably be cold.”

You unfold it all to find a pair of his sweatpants and an oversized sweatshirt, and a pair of old socks. “Jake, this is so sweet, you didn’t have to.” You feel your chest warm at his gesture. 

“You look fine as fuck in that dress, but I know you’ve gotta be uncomfortable,” he laughs, one hand balancing on the steering wheel as he backs out of Danny’s lot. 

You place the clothes on your lap, biting your lip in. “How about I leave the dress on for just a little while longer?” 

You hear him exhale a laugh through his nose. “You really are trying to kill me, aren’t you?”

“No,” you reply shortly. “You can’t finish what you started if you aren’t alive.”

His eyes drift over to you in the passenger seat as his fingers rub over his mustache. Still so horrifically sexy. Good god. 

“You really wanna do this, Y/N? I really just wanted to save you from staying somewhere you didn’t want to be tonight… we don’t have–”

“I want to Jake, I do,” you reply strictly. Your hand shoots over and lands on his leg, and you feel no shame in teasing him in the exact same ways that he was teasing you, earlier. Your hand moves up and cups right overtop of his bulge, and you hear him hiss as his hips jut forward in the seat. You begin lightly massaging it. “Unless you don’t want to…”

“Nonono I do, I do,” he says, shaking his head through a laugh at you as he continues down the street. “Can’t believe Danny did that to you tonight. Fucking figures.”

Your hand stops its motion. “What do you mean, figures?”

Jake inhales a sharp breath. “I told him he had to make a decision, you or that other girl. It wasn’t fair him leading you on like he was… guess he proved that to you all by himself.”

Your blood rushes to your head. What?

“Wait, what?! What other girl?” you sit up in your seat and face Jake, now entirely interested in something else. 

He stumbles over his words, focusing on the road in front of him. “You didn’t– I thought you guys were kind of, open… right?”

You’re suddenly exasperated. “I mean, yeah I guess… we didn’t have a title or anything but like… we… I thought we were something… I thought he’d at least stay awake long enough to–”

Jake is silent for a second as he lets you process your thoughts. 

“He was texting her all night, Y/N.”

Your jaw falls slack. “What? He was?”

Jake nods, flicking his turn signal. “I shouldn’t be telling you this, it’s not my business.”

“No, it most definitely is your business. You’re my friend, right? Longer than Danny has been my friend. It’s your business, I’m your business…”

His eyes dart to you again and give you a look that makes your heart skip a beat. He’s being protective over you. 

“He’s been texting her a while, hooking up and whatnot. I don’t know anything further than that, or even who she is. But it pissed me off to see him hiding his phone so much, tonight. He was supposed to be there with you. I knew that he was trying to not let anyone see, but I saw it. A couple of times. I–I honestly thought that was why you were eyeing me so hard from the dance floor, I thought you might uh, have noticed him being weird and might be wanting to make him jealous or something. I dunno.” 

You shake your head and laugh disbelievingly. “Wow…” you mutter, suddenly not regretting your decision to come here with Jake, at all. Fuck Danny for that. He should have at least told you. You weren’t exclusive, but you also didn’t have anyone else on your radar. 

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have told you that… I probably ruined your night,” Jake says as he pulls into a parking spot in front of his house.

“No. Actually, no, I’m glad you did. Something had felt kind of… off with him lately. I’m glad to know my gut wasn’t wrong,” you reply. 

Jake turns the car off and you just stare at one another, waiting for the other one to talk. “I can take you home instead, if you’d like,” he offers, his true colors coming through even through his brand new facade. Actually, maybe it isn’t a facade at all. Maybe this is who he has truly always been.  

“No. I want to be here, with you,” you reply honestly.

“Not for revenge?”

“No, fuck no. I should have told you I’d come home with you when you sent me that text. I know that now. I wanted to… I just… didn’t want to be rude and bail on him.”

“Maybe you are a sweetheart,” Jake pokes as he opens his car door, signaling for you to follow him. You both make your way out to his walkway and start heading up to his front door. 

“I am a sweetheart! What do you mean?!” you laugh, slapping him in the arm. 

“Ow, fuck,” Jake says, grabbing his arm as he turns to you in faux pain. 

“That didn’t hurt,” you laugh, stepping up onto his doorstep. 

“Yeah, you’re right. It didn’t hurt as bad as you leaving me in the dust tonight. Broke my fuckin’ heart,” Jake pouts. And for some reason, his words shoot right through your heart.

“Jake, I am so sorry,” you cry, turning to him. “Really.”

He laughs and turns to you, pulling a few stray hairs from in front of your face. “I’m kidding. I was sad, though.” He steps closer to you, enveloping your senses as he closes the proximity between you. “I’ve watched you walk away from me too many times over the years.”

Another shot through the heart. You’re one step away from feeling like total shit. “I didn’t even know you… cared, Jake. About me, like that.”

He shrugs his shoulder as he continues fixing your hair. “Ah, s’alright. You’re here now…”

You take a step closer to him, feeling a warmth travel over you that you don’t dare force away. Your lips are within inches of his, and your hand slowly comes up to grab behind his neck, playing with his hair that’s still pulled back into a low knot. His breath hitches but he doesn’t pull away, instead he brushes his nose against yours, making you break out in a chill that overtakes your entire being. 

“Yeah, I’m here now.” You close the gap and press your lips to his, kissing him gently at first, just to test out his waters. You feel him holding his breath just a little as he pulls away, giving you a smile so genuine you feel as if you could melt into a puddle, right there on his doorstep. He places his hands on your hips, reconnecting the kiss in a more heated way now. His hands are gripping at your sides, and your hands are grabbing onto his jaw, kissing him fiercely as if doing so is the only right thing in the world. 

You think you’re floating. No, you’re positive you are. The way he feels with his hands on you, the way your whole body is tingling and rushing with emotions… Kissing your friend never turns out well, but then again, he was fingering you in an Uber only an hour ago…

Just as quickly as things had started, they end, as Jake pulls himself away from you in a rush of excitement and nerves. “Let’s go inside.” 

He pushes the door open and you step inside, feeling some strange sense of deja vu as you enter another man’s house this evening. You step out of your half-strapped heels, kicking them to the corner as you toss your purse onto his couch. Instantly, you feel his arms wrapped around your back, holding on to you with a sincerity that you’ve always felt with him, just never physically. His mouth is behind your ear, and his waist is already pressing into your ass. 

“I know you want to leave the dress on, but I don’t think you’ll want it getting wet,” he growls into your ear. 

“Wet?” you ask, your eyes fluttering closed from his use of the word wet. Why? Guess that’s just where your mind is going to live, tonight. 

“Yeah. We’re taking a shower,” he replies, breaking away from holding you. But before he lets go, he grabs your hand and spins you around, making you follow him up the stairs. 

A shower… holy shit…?!

Your brain short circuits as you realize that within the next minute, you’re going to completely expose yourself to Jake, your very good… friend. It’s okay. It’s okay!

The top floor of his home is carpeted, and the softness of it feels like heaven on your sore and tired feet. He pulls you behind him still, one of your hands locked with his, the other still lugging the clothes he’s supplied you with. He turns a left corner and introduces you to a large room, much larger than any bathroom you’d seen in the houses in town. 

He turns on a light and illuminates a rather clean place for a man, a giant bathtub, and a shower that is bigger than your walk-in closet. 

“Wow…” you exclaim, in awe of it all. 

“Yeah, I knew you wouldn’t turn this down,” Jake laughs. “Right?”

“Most definitely not.” You feel a cold chill rush over you at just the thought of hot water pouring over your skin, and you have to rub your hands over your arms for friction and warmth. 

You look to Jake who is leaning with his back on the counter, eyeing you so sweetly you could almost die. He cocks his head sideways with a tiny smile, and you cursed yourself for never really giving him the time of day in any regard other than just friendly interactions. Why had it never hit you before?

There’s a long pause as the two of you watch each other, and the tension between you is so thick it’s almost palpable. He kicks his shoes off and pulls his shirt over his head, never taking his eyes from you. You haven’t seen him shirtless in a long time, and for some reason the visual of his unclothed body literally makes you salivate. You have no shame in raking your eyes over him as he cocks an eyebrow, moving over to turn the shower on. Water begins to stream from two copper showerheads, and steam begins to fill the space immediately. 

You pull the straps of your dress down, slowly inching the tight dress over your breasts, stomach, and hips… really making a show of removing what little clothing you have left on. Jake is eyeing you still as he roughly grabs his belt, ripping it from its buckle and pulling it from the loops. For the love of god, you could watch him do that over and over again…

He kicks his pants off as you finally slip free of your dress, reaching down to pick it up and hang it over the doorknob. You’re left in just your thong, feeling exposed as Jake stands before you in his dark gray boxers. He slowly walks to you, placing his warm hands on your waist as he kisses you again, slow and deep and sultry as you let his tongue explore just a little further than it had earlier. 

He begins backing you up to the shower, the steam now coating the mirrors and window of the room. “I’m really fucking hungry for you, Y/N, in case you haven’t noticed…” Jake says as he takes your hand, placing it directly on his dick. Fuck, you’re in for it. 

You take the liberty, and gently squeeze at it. “I’ve noticed.” 

His mouth reconnects with yours again, the action of hungry really coming in to play as his fingers are slipping into the hips of your thong, running around the hem to the front. “Take it off,” you order him, swirling your hips a little as he begins to pull the fabric from your waist. 

“Yes ma’am,” he grits. You do the same for him after you kick free of the last shred of fabric on your body, pulling his boxers down and off, all the way. 

Through the steam, you can finally see him and he can finally see you, completely naked and baring yourselves to one another in the most enticing way possible. And god, is he a sight to see. 

His hand comes up to cover his mouth in disbelief, and you can see him smiling behind his covertness. “You’re really, really gorgeous, Y/N.” His compliment sends butterflies through your belly, and you rush to him again, pushing him back and into the hot downpour of the shower. 

The water blinds you completely as you’re both standing beneath it, a mess of slipping hands and missed kisses, all inhibitions out the window as neither of you can see what you’re doing. His hands find your tits, gripping them both in his hands and squeezing them with just enough force to make your back arch. His fingers work at your nipples, giving him a straightshot to go ahead and connect his mouth. He sucks one particularly hard, letting his lips pop off it with a loud snap. 

“Fuck,” you breathe, finally wiping the water clear from your eyes. You’re met with a soaked Jake, grinning at you so deviously that you swear you could devour him, right then and there. He pulls you back a little again, pressing your back against the cold tile wall as he falls to his knees. 

He’s biting at the skin of your stomach and hips, leaving marks you’re sure will be there tomorrow. He’s absolutely ravenous, and you know exactly what he’s about to do. His hands grip your ass, pulling at the muscles to make you lean into him, exposing your cunt to his ready and waiting mouth. Your hands find his head, your fingers tangling in his hair already as you feel yourself dripping with anticipation. Everything is rough, and forced, and so, so deliciously exhilarating. 

He reaches behind himself and pulls his hair free from its knot, giving you so much more freedom to wrap it around your fingers. It’s like he knows you’re going to need something to hold on to. 

His brown eyes shoot up to you, silently asking for permission to go further, of which you respond with a harsh nod. In less than a second his face is buried in you, his tongue already lapping through your folds and licking at you so deliciously that your knees start to buckle. He catches you, though, as if he had anticipated it, holding you steadily against the wall. 

“God, baby,” you cry out, wiping away the water falling into his face and in his eyes. He feels absolutely incredible, like an otherworldly experience you had no idea you needed to feel. Pleasure is already wracking through you at an ungodly pace, until you feel his tongue swirling your clit, making you cry out again. Your head flies back as your hand covers your mouth, blocking any sound from escaping. 

Jake lifts your left leg, tossing it over his shoulder to give him better access. “Let me hear you baby,” he says, “we’re the only ones here.” Your cries are pitiful as he pulls at your ass again, burying himself even further. You’re sure he’s going to drown as the shower is pouring directly on him, giving him little room to inhale anything other than water. Your fingers wrap up in his strands as you feel your hips begin to grind onto his face, swirling themselves as he moves his tongue to enter you, wet and luscious as his nose hits directly on your clit. 

“Fuuuuuck!” you yell out again, unable to stop yourself from letting him know how good he’s doing. 

Everything is happening so fast and so fiercely that you’re already nearing the edge, but you want this to last as long as it possibly can. He hums on you as his nose pumps against your clit, and you know that even if you could clear the water falling into your eyes, you still wouldn’t be able to see straight. 

You feel your body beginning to tighten, the muscles in your stomach becoming rigid and tense as you feel the sweet release knocking on your front door. He notices this, and brings his finger up to take the place of his tongue. He slides it inside you, and the feeling is even better than you’d thought it’d be, given that he’d only given you an inch or so in the car, earlier. He starts pumping it with force, his speed only increasing as you are trying your best to breathe through ragged breaths. 

“That good baby?” he asks, breaking away for air. 

You nod, “So close…”

He flicks his finger up to the perfect hook, massaging your g-spot as his tongue still laps away, perfectly pointed on your oversensitive clit. You know that his fingers are only a preview of the real thing, and already you realize that if he is this good with just his hands, how is he going to be in bed?

“Oh god, baby… I–” You hunch over, your hands pulling his hair so hard you want to apologize, but he brings you to an orgasm so delicious you have to remind yourself where you are, and what you’re doing. His lips circle around your clit, pulling it into his mouth in quick motions while circling still with his tongue. The motion is new to you and you swear for a second you go deaf from the pleasure. 

“Mmhmm, mhmm,” he hums onto you, releasing his finger and letting his tongue take its place again, collecting up everything he can as you find your mind. 

After a few seconds he slowly stands up, wiping the drenched strands away from your face as he gives you an energetic smile. 

“Jake, that was…” you can hardly form a thought before he’s turning you around, reaching for a bottle of shampoo to wash your hair for you. You let him, knowing that your elation is too high to even argue with him. He massages your scalp before rinsing all the suds, then gives you a healthy dose of whatever conditioner he has sitting in the corner, massaging it into your strands again. 

For a minute, everything is… peaceful. 

“Why you taking such good care of me?” you finally ask, feeling his still-hard length brushing across your ass. 

“Because I want to. Any other questions?” 

You laugh through your nose, realizing that enough time has passed that you’re damn near getting turned on, all over again. You shake your head no. 

You switch off, washing and massaging Jake’s hair for him as no words at all are exchanged. Comfortable silence. 

After you’re all washed and a little pruny, you turn to him again, this time the both of you exchanging looks that aren’t laced with as much aggression, but more painted with looks of desire that make your stomach swirl with the perfect anxiety. 

“You ready to get out of here?” he asks, reaching for the shower handle to switch it off. 

The two of you step out and you reach for a towel, but his hand stops you. “Hmm-mm,” he says, gently grabbing your hips. His lips are instantly connected to your neck, whispering sweet little nothings in your ear as you feel him pushing you to walk again, right over to the countertop. He spins you backward, and you find yourself facing a steam-covered mirror. 

He reaches up and wipes it clean, and it's then that you see the reflection of the two of you, flushed and soaked and in pure and utter bliss… together. You take the initiative and lean over for him, stepping your legs apart as you eye him in the reflection. 

His eyes glaze over with a hunger again, and as you press your ass back on him, the ravenous attitude returns. He places one hand on your waist and the other disappears between you, and you finally feel the touch of his dick rolling through your folds, instantly making you dripping wet all over again. 

You watch as he grits his jaw, his cheeks puffing up with air as his eyes watch himself, deliciously entering you inch by inch. Goddamn, he’s a lot bigger than you had imagined… He presses himself all the way in, finally looking at you again in the mirror as he slowly pulls back out, his eyes rushing back between you so he can watch himself do it all over again. 

Just the thought of him wanting to watch himself fuck you turns you on exponentially.

The feeling of him inside you is earth-shattering, to say the least. Each thrust is better than the last, and he hasn’t even picked up any pace yet. “Fucking hell, Jake… Oh my god…” you say, your jaw falling open as you squint your eyes closed. He moves his hand to hold on to your shoulder, picking up a pace now that has your mind reeling with a blinding pleasure you’ve never even felt before. 

You arch your back for him, giving him a new angle to pound himself relentlessly into you, the sounds of your still-wet bodies smacking together echoing off the walls and making for an even more shrewd display. You watch him as he fucks you, powerful and gorgeous and sweet, making sure to catch your eye contact every few seconds to let you know he’s still there. It’s truly unreal, and you can hardly even catch your breath as you watch yourselves. 

“Fuck, Y/N, keep taking it, baby…” he finally speaks, his head falling back a little as he slows his pace, concentrating now on a different stroke. He snaps his hips upward, hitting you in a whole new place deep inside. It nearly chokes you, the pleasure unimaginable and overtaking your every thought. 

“It’s yours, Jake, it’s all–”

His hand grips in your hair, pulling your neck back in a tight jerk. The motion makes you feel used in the best way as he thrusts even more deeply now. Your hands are holding onto the sink for dear life as the water still in your hair drips down into your face. 

Suddenly, Jake pulls all the way out, spinning you around to face him. His mouth is connected to yours in a flash, and you kiss him back, digging your fingernails into his ass to show him how pissed you are that he stopped. The two of you whine into each other’s mouths, desperate as you feel him pick you up and begin walking to the door. You can’t see where he’s going, but you don’t even care. You’re burying your tongue into his mouth and biting at his lips, feeling like an insatiable rabid animal for him. 

You’re flying through the air backwards before you land on his mattress, bouncing a few times into the thick and plush down comforter that smells exactly like him. “Jake, we’re soaked, let me dry off, we’ll ruin your–”

“Do you think I give a goddamn about getting my sheets wet, Y/N?” he yelps, cutting you off from standing back up to get a towel. His hand is on your chest, gently urging you to fall back down into the messiness of his unmade bed. 

It’s the most comfortable thing you’ve ever laid on, and the blankets and sheets are like mountains around you, protecting you and holding you between them. You feel safe here, you feel good. 

“Say wet again,” you say, remembering how much you liked to hear him to say it. 

He crawls back over you, pulling a dark blanket behind him as he positions himself between your legs, covering the two of you up in a warmth you can’t explain. 

“Wet, wet… soaking fucking wet,” he sings as he pushes himself into you again, taking all the air from your lungs as you feel him enter you this way. You whine pathetically into his mouth, feeling so vulnerable and unguarded in his presence. Your hands fly above your head, letting his body weight fuck into you again. Every nerve ending in your body is on fire, zapping your every cell into a state of shock. You’ve never had sex like this before. What had you been missing out on with him, all this time?

There’s no light around you at all as the blanket is tucked into your sides, tightly wrapping you both up so you have no choice but to touch on nearly every surface of your bodies. You slide against one another, your hands coming down from above you to grab onto him, pull his hair, and grip his jaw for an overly-forceful kiss. 

The way his breathy grunts sound in your ear make you soak again and again, and you know he can feel it. “Is that all for me, baby?” he asks, and you nod, breathing heavily as the pleasure wracks through you over and over again. 

“All for you, all of it’s yours…” you breathe, wrapping your ankles around his back. “You feel so fucking good baby, god… please don’t stop…” you beg him, already feeling another impending orgasm on the horizon. 

Your mind is so far away from everything that has happened tonight, and from Danny, and from whatever other girl he has been with, all this time. You could care less about it all. The way Jake is making you feel right now, the way he has been making you feel all night interrupts everything else so easily that you don’t even know why you were worried in the first place. 

He’s perfect, this is perfect. 

You pull the blanket back to uncover your heads, and you can finally see his face in the dim light of his room, fucked-out and ethereal as he continues. Your hand reaches up to grip around his neck, your fingers pressing over his jugular as his mouth opens for just a split second. You watch as his eyes fill with that same darkness again, and you know for a fact he wants you to do it. “Harder,” he says, so you listen, choking him with a little more intensity as you feel his thrusts begin to falter. 

You feel like he can’t be deep enough, nothing will ever satiate you enough, when it comes to him. Your knees fall apart even further as your ankles uncross, and you stretch your legs up to hang over his shoulders, folding your body in half. “Oh my god babe,” he breathes, leaning all his bodyweight onto the backs of your legs. Your fingers still wrap around his throat, and you grab his hand, pulling his middle finger deeply into your mouth. You wrap your tongue around it, sucking and swirling as you hold him up through his thrusts, now deeper and rougher at this angle. 

You watch his eyebrows furrow together as he starts to lose his composure, his entire body beginning to tremble as you realize you’re right there with him. Your eyes meet with his as you watch him, so much more beautiful than you could have ever imagined. 

You pull his finger in as deeply as it will go as you start to chase your own high, your entire body quaking as your muscles experience your second orgasm of the night. 

“Yeah… yeah…fuck…” he exclaims, biting his own lips. 

Your mouth falls open to cry out, every inch of your body raving and shaking with unimaginable pleasure. He’s falling apart on top of you as he lets himself go, and you make a promise right then and there that you’d never settle for anything less than what Jake has given you, tonight. 

His body trembles with a few aftershocks, making him hum through the comedown. He pulls out, and you instantly wish he was back, lying on top of you in the coziness of his bed. He’s panting and out of breath as he runs his hands down the lengths of your legs, lovingly kissing the insides of them as he steps back from you and off of the bed. 

“I’ll get a washcloth,” he says, stepping sideways into the floor. 

“It’s ok, I’ll come with you,” knowing that you’d prefer to clean yourself up, and get a towel for your still-soaked hair. You hop up and walk past him, smacking him on the ass as you dash to the bathroom. 

After you’d both cleaned up, you follow him back into his bedroom, searching around for that pile of clothes that you were sure he’d grabbed again for you. You locate them easily, and slip the t-shirt and pants on. 

“What are you doing?” he asks from the bed, reclining with his arm behind his head. 

“Getting dressed,” you say. “I’ll get another Uber, they should still be out and abou–”

“Y/N, get your ass back in bed with me, don’t be insane,” Jake chortles as if you’d just suggested the most ridiculous thing ever. 

You roll your eyes, a little embarrassed now. “Jake, it’s fine, I can go home. I know it’d probably be weird of me to stay.”

He sits up, and you realize that he’s still completely naked under the covers. “Have things ever been weird between us?” he asks, his voice a little more serious than before. “In all the years we’ve been friends?”

You stand awkwardly there in his clothes, in the middle of his bedroom, considering his question. “No.” 

“Exactly,” he says as he lays back down. “Now strip down again, and get back over here with me. Unless you’d rather take the couch downstairs… Up to you, sweetcheeks.” 

Thereeeeee’s the old Jake. 

You huff a breath of annoyance. You know he’s right. “Ok, but only because you’re so bossy.” 

You pull the pants back down, but decide to leave his shirt on before climbing back under the unbelievably comfortable sheets and pillows. His arms pull you in toward him before you even have a chance to lay down all the way, and you instantly are brought right back into that safe, comfortable embrace that is him. 

“Yeah, actually, leave the shirt on. Looks good on you,” he says, placing a kiss to your temple. 

You laugh as you dig down in beside him, tossing your leg over his waist. “Thanks. Think I’ll steal it.”

He reaches down to hike your leg up higher, then pulls your palm up to his lips as he places a sweet kiss to it. 

“You’ve stolen more than the shirt, babe.”

<333

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[rheya28]

Summit Lane Apartments ♥ The Sims 4: Build // CC

➽ Speed Build Video

➽ Rheya's Notes:

Hi guys, today's build is a New York inspired apartment block located in San MyShuno. It consists of three units with different layouts suited for all your beautiful sims! I furnished 1 out of the 3 units. Feel free to furnish the rest! You also have the option to download a non-furnished version.

➽ Important Notes:

● Please make sure to turn bb.moveobjects on! ● Please DO NOT reupload or claim as your own. ● Feel free to tag me if you are using it, I love seeing my build in other peoples save file ● Feel free to edit/tweak my builds, but please make sure to credit me as the original creator! ● Thank you to all CC Creators ● Please let me know if there's any problem with the build

➽ Lot Details

Lot Name: Summit Lane Apartments Lot Type: Apartment Rental Lot size: 30x30 Location: Spice Market, San MyShuno

➽ Mods:

TOOL MOD by TwistedMexi

➽ CC list:

Furnished

Awingedllama: Boholiving, Blooming Rooms

Greenllama: The Woodwind Collection

Joyce : Simple Living

Veranka: Ivy Vines (optional)

The Clutter cat: Dandy Diary

Harrie: Bafroom, Brownstone, COastal, Country, Octave, Shop the look 1 & 2, Spoons

House of Harlix: Baysic, Harluxe, Jardane, Livin RUm, Orjanic, Kichen, Tiny Twavellers

Felix Andre: Berlin, Chateau, Colonial, FLorence, Georgian, Gothic, Grove, Kyoto, London, Paris, Shopthelook, November 2017 , petite Trianon

CharlyPancakes: Much, Maple & S Construction, The lighthouse Collection, Chalk, Insomnia, MIscellenea, Modish, SMol, Modish

Kiwisim4: Blocklhouse bedroom, Blockhouse Outdoor Dining

LittleDIca: Chic Bathroom, Countryside Cabine, RIse&grind

MadameRia: Basic luxe

Mycupofcc: Maple manor- Modernist Collection

Marvell: Sienna COllection

Mlysim: Simple Clothes Racks

Myshunosun: Freja, Gale Dining, Lottie, SImmify, Teenage Dream

Peacemaker: Caine, Coba, Creta, Elsie, Hamptons, Hinterlands, Hundon Bathroom, Myra, Shaker Kitchen

Pierisim: Auntie Vera, Calderone, Coldbrew, David Apartment, Domaine Du Clos, MCM, Oak house, Teeny Weeny, The office, Tilable, Unfold, Winter Garden, Woodland Ranch

Charlypancakes x Pierisim: Precious Promises

Simplistic: Restoration Hardware , Distressed Floral Area

Sixam: Boho Bathroom, Cozy family room, SMall Spaces Laundry Room

Tuds: 2ndwave, Cave, NCTR, SHKR, Wave

UnFurnished

Veranka: Ivy Vines (optional)

Charlypancakes: Munch, Maple & S Construction

FelixAndre: Chateau, Berlin, Colonial, Florence, Georgian, Gothic, Grove, Novermber 2017 set, Paris, Kyoto, Petite Trianon

Harrie: Brownstone Collection, Coastal

LittleDica: Countryside Cabin, Rise & Grind Cafe

FelixAndre x Harrie: Orjanic

● DOWNLOAD Tray File and CC list: Patreon Page ● Origin ID: anrheya [previous name: applez] ● Twitter: Rheya28__ ● Tiktok: Rheya28__ ● Youtube: Rheya28__

[saintfelina]

when you want to feel sultry, sexy, and dominant. you may want to go for a boozy perfume. smelling them feels like sipping an expensive cognac at an upscale restaurant. but they can also be the life of the party, fitting for those who've spent liquor soaked nights dancing the night away.

the interesting thing about these, is that they tend to be masculine, or at least marketed that way. very few boozy fragranes are marketed towards women.

despite the name, a boozy fragrance doesn't need an alcohol note, it can be a certain amount of vanilla, plum notes, dried fruit and oak. these are things normally seen in the creation and fermentation of alcohol. but alcohol notes an be deep and rich like cognac, brandy and rum, or they can be bright and fizzy like champagne.

jazz club lives up to its name, as it's very evocative of the sultry nature of the titular place. it's a smoky rum scent that settles beautifully on the skin as long as you don't overspray, its a true unisex in my opinion

there's a review of plum in cognac that goes along like lines of "i fell like i came home one night and got drunk off of this" and that's the best way to describe it. a jammy, plummy, boozy scent that's so intoxicating you'll get tipsy off one sniff.

one of the few of the fragrances in elizabeth & james nirvana line that still exists. nirvana bourbon is a smooth, potent whiskey. i wore this on many drunk nights out before gifting it to my mom bc i got blackout while wearing it. despite that it's beautiful, it has a slight spice to it and it's almost the the barrel the whiskey was aged in.

lets make things lighter with lolita lempicka's oh ma biche. this is an effervescent, sparkling citrus. it's a sparkling belini-champagne cocktail. this more marie antoinettes champagne tower. its fruity and festive and fun.

franck boclet vinyl is a boozy whiskey cola. filled with richness and depth, it's equally playful and sexy. a leather jacket over a tight mini dress. there's a dark chocolate underneath that makes it a little sweet.

wet cherry liquor is a dirty shirley in a bottle. the best boozy cherry if not the best cherry you'll ever smell. she's the party girl, the backstage bambi getting in with all the rockstars. they write songs about her liquor cherry sent.

cherry amaretto is a sweet, syrupy scent. more of a spiked cherry punch than a cherry wine. you'll either love or hate this.

this is an earthy boozy scent. bourbon brewed in an old shack thats been passed down through generations. you use it for both rituals and pleasure.

1697 by frapin is a masterclass in boozy scents, and given this is crated by a rum/cognac brand. it's a spiced rum and many pick out a chocolate note, like a spiced boozy chocolate drink. it opens dry before settling into something warmer.

ending with a classic, kilian angels' share is the perfume you think of when it comes to boozy scents. it smells like you poured a bottle of cognac. there's a welcoming sweetness to it and it has an apple-like undercurrent that makes it feminine enough to not be intimidating.

[ducksido]

Jamaican!yuu? Pretty please with a cherry on top (and a nuclear bomb, but that’s secret) >:)



*eats the cherry and the secret nuclear bomb* "uh oh" *explodes*

Grim:

"Why does everything you cook burn my mouth?!”

Steals their fried plantains but regrets it when Yuu adds scotch bonnet peppers.

"What do you mean you talk to spirits like it's normal?! Don't bring any duppies near me!!"

Crowley:

“My dear Prefect, your culture is simply enchanting!”

Thinks Jonkunnu sounds “delightful” and suggests making a festival for it at NRC.

Tries to take credit when Yuu gets everyone to love Jamaican food.

Crewel:

Mildly horrified at how much spice they use.

“Your sense of fashion is quite colorful, I must say.”

Trein:

Deep sigh “I suppose another student who refuses to sit still isn’t the worst thing.”

Secretly impressed with their respect for elders.

Vargas:

“You race barefoot? That’s hardcore.”

Immediately makes them run track.

Sam:

“Oho! You like coconut drops and rum cake? I got just the thing!”

Already sells Jamaican patties at his shop.

Heartslabyul

Riddle:

“You talk back to authority so casually?”

Exasperated but lowkey respects how they won’t let anyone push them around.

Ace:

“Wait, wait—so you actually say ‘bun yuh’ when someone annoys you? That’s sick!”

Constantly asks them to teach him Jamaican insults.

Deuce:

“You learned to cook when you were a kid?”

Loves their home-cooked food and will fight Ace for a plate.

Trey:

Tasting their jerk chicken “Okay… I need this recipe.”

Lowkey starts making Caribbean-style desserts.

Cater:

“OMG, your accent is so cool! Can I record you talking?!”

Adopts Jamaican slang just to sound trendy.

Savanaclaw

Leona:

“You take naps outside in the heat? Huh. You might be alright.”

Likes their chill but fiery attitude.

Ruggie:

"You know how to cook AND hustle? We need to team up.”

Admires their resourcefulness.

Jack:

Confused by their love for dancing but respects their athleticism.

“Wait, you actually believe in spirits watching over you?”

Octavinelle

Azul:

“You learned how to negotiate from haggling at markets? Impressive.”

Tries to get them into a deal. They just laugh and say, “Nah, mi nah fool.” Azul is shook.

Jade:

"You eat mushrooms how often?"

Wants to hear about all the spirits and folklore they grew up with.

Floyd:

“You swim in the ocean all the time? Alright, let’s race.”

Absolutely steals their food just to see their reaction.

Scarabia

Kalim:

“Your parties sound AMAZING! Can we have a dance-off?!”

Adopts some of their slang because he thinks it sounds fun.

Jamil:

Secretly respects their work ethic.

“So you dance and fight? Interesting.”

Pomefiore

Vil:

“You use castor oil for everything? Hm… perhaps there’s wisdom in this.”

Compliments their bold, colorful outfits.

Rook:

“AH, MON CHER, SUCH A VIBRANT CULTURE! YOUR STORIES ENCHANT ME!”

Wants to hear every Jamaican legend.

Epel:

“Wait, y’all just casually climb coconut trees?”

Loves their rebellious energy.

Ignihyde

Idia:

“You talk to ghosts like it’s normal?! Nope, nope, I’m out.”

Thinks their folktales are terrifying but can’t stop listening.

Ortho:

“Your music is so lively! Can I try playing some?”

Diasomnia

Malleus:

Fascinated by their beliefs in spirits and protection rituals.

“Your name-calling reminds me of Sebek.”

Lilia:

“You have so many legends! Tell me more!”

Admires their storytelling skills.

Silver:

Confused but accepts being called “likkle prince.”

Sebek:

“You have respect for your ancestors?! Finally, someone with sense!”

Weirdly competitive about whose culture is more intense.

RSA & Noble Bell

Neige:

“Your traditions are so fun!”

Loves Jamaican desserts.

Chenya:

Steals their patties and runs.

Uses their slang just to mess with people.

Rollo:

Deep sigh. “You celebrate chaos?”

Terrified but won’t admit it.

More Jamaican!Yuu Chaos

Calls people “waste yute” when they annoy them.

“You call this spicy? Y’all soft.”

“What do you mean I can’t play music loud? Back home, the whole street vibes together.”

Tells duppy stories just to scare classmates.

[french-unknown]

𝖍𝖆𝖑𝖑𝖔𝖜𝖊𝖊𝖓 𝖙𝖍𝖊𝖒𝖊

𝖈𝖍𝖆𝖗𝖆𝖈𝖙𝖊𝖗𝖘: shanks, vivi, ace, law, sabo 𝖈/𝖜: fluff, domestic 𝖜/𝖈: 1.9k +

| m a s t e r l i s t | - | p t . 1 | - | p t . 3 | | e v e n t . s u m m a r y |

𝖘𝖍𝖆𝖓𝖐𝖘

horror stories around campfire

All the crew was gathered on logs around the campfire. Lost in the depths of a new island, you had found a cave to serve as your home and protect you from bad weather among the immensity of the jungle that surrounded you.

The alcohol was thus happily welcomed while waiting for the log to recharge. Fortunately, after a week of waiting, you could finally leave tomorrow during the day.

Tonight was a celebration.

Unfortunately, the lack of rum which had run out due to the boredom of the stay as well as the fatigue linked to the heavy and humid atmosphere of the climate, had pushed you to keep the party reasonable. So you were sitting around the fire, laughing and talking to each other, while you more or less finished your meal. The alcohol was flowing but it was still in appropriate quantities compared to some other evenings.

However, Yasopp stood up and began to speak. With a piece of meat still in one hand and a glass in the other, he told the crew how he had once been chased by a village of cannibalistic men when he was a child.

You stood staring at him, caught up in the frightening story even though you knew it was made up, without flinching.

But you suddenly jumped when, during a tense moment, you felt something suddenly jump on your back. You reacted violently because of the surprise and, at the same time, you spilled some of your beer on your knees and your hand. Shanks' hot laugh rang in your ear a while before that of your other comrades.

You then felt the captain wrap his arms around your waist as he rested his chin on your shoulder. A bit humiliated at being made fun of for spilling your alcohol on yourself, you unceremoniously removed him from you. However, far from being offended, he immediately returned to the charge by taking your hand while miming an exaggerated apology.

Now that the crew's attention was once again diverted to the shooter, you let yourself soften at Shanks' comical behavior.

You even almost smiled at his excessive bowing.

But, as he moved in for the most ridiculous hand kiss, you felt the wetness of his tongue licking a length across the top of your hand. You quickly took it away, disgusted. For his part, he laughed at your pout.

“You would be delicious to eat, too.” he stated, returning to his own glass while throwing you a wink over the top.

𝖛𝖎𝖛𝖎

halloween party

Tonight was the night dedicated to celebration in Alabasta so all the cities across the country had set up open-air markets as well as light decorations all over the streets.

And Alubarna was not to be outdone.

So, when you learned that Vivi couldn't leave the castle that evening because none of her guards were available to take her to the capital, it didn't take much for you to sneak over her room. After some coaxing, she ended up putting on a colorful veil to hide her well-known hair and face from the population before letting herself be guided out of her palace.

You then very quickly reached the scene of the celebrations.

Everywhere in the streets, the shops were decorated with pumpkin-shaped lanterns while the trees and walls were illuminated with several hundred small orange lights that twinkled like stars in the night. Their hue was less vibrant than that of the Alabasta sun but they seemed no less captivating to the princess. In the air, the smells of pumpkins and spices were everywhere along with those of hot alcohol.

The stands sold all kinds of items.

There were drinks, hot meals and biscuits. But there were also spiritual stands with tarot cards or pendulums. Some others instead sold toys such as ghost balloons and fake spiders.

Around you, families were weaving while children were happily rowdying among the passersby.

Around a stand, you felt Vivi take your hand to pull you into a nearby street. She then pinned you against the wall, out of sight, before diving towards your lips to kiss you. As quickly as she had leaned in, she drew back until her face was visible. There, you saw her with a beautiful smile on her lips and her eyes shining with happiness while her face stood half lit by the lights of the festivities.

"Thanks." she whispered before leaning toward your lips again.

𝖆𝖈𝖊

couple costumes

"Please! Please! Please!" Ace begged while kneeling in front of you, head bowed, with his hands raised above his head in prayer. "Let me choose our costumes. I've been thinking about it for months!"

Because of the time he was begging you on the ground, you began to hesitate. In itself, you hadn't planned any particular costumes for the crew's Halloween party tonight but you couldn't help but fear the worst. Especially coming from him who had the habit of walking around shirtless everywhere in just his shorts. You were a little afraid of the amount of fabric he would offer you for tonight.

However, you end up accepting: it was just a party, you weren't going to die for a revealing outfit!

Ace immediately jumped for joy before kissing you right on the lips and running off to his room. You just had time to hear him say to wait for him before he closed the door behind him. You then waited quietly behind the door, afraid to see what costume he was going to show up in. You prayed he wouldn't take anything too sexy or pirates like Boa Hancock.

Finally, the door opened ajar.

"You are ready?" he asked without you being able to see him yet.

Once you had nodded, he opened the door wide and came out like a beautiful devil.

The first thing that caught your eye was the huge purple afro wig he wore on his head. Then came his dark red leotard, which left nothing to the imagination considering how little it covered and how tight it was. And then came his fishnet stockings. At this point, you weren't even surprised that he was wearing stiletto boots, a pearl necklace, and heavy makeup with huge false eyelashes. His fake tattoo on his chest didn't even make you blink anymore, either.

Proud of himself, he spread his arms from his body before turning around to show you the costume completely.

"How do you find me?" he asked you, proud as a peacock. “I am one of the abominable commanders of the Revolutionary Army!”

"You're... original?"

The answer seemed to suit him since he gave you a bright smile before retracing his steps to bring you back your outfit.

When you arrived later at the party, he wore his outfit like a child at the school fair while you stood by his side, still stunned. You were dressed in a long two-tone orange and white fur coat as well as the rest of the paraphernalia. You wore a wig of the same colors with a bow tie and a glass of wine already filled.

You hadn't expected that when he asked you to choose your costumes.

𝖑𝖆𝖜

black cat

As you walked down a dimly lit street with Law, you heard something moving next to you.

Then a meow.

Immediately, a completely black cat came out of the darkness before walking directly towards both of you. He went first to the surgeon and rubbed against his legs while letting out little meows. However, when he saw that the man wasn't even looking down at him, he changed his target and came towards you.

He then started his trick again, this time rubbing against your legs.

“Don’t do that,” Law growled when you reached down to pet him. “it’s not hygienic.”

Yet, that didn't stop you from plunging your hand into his fur. It was soft and warm and the cat immediately began to rub against your palm, begging for more petting. He didn't seem aggressive at all so you bent down completely to take him into your arms.

"No!" the surgeon continued while raising his eyes to the sky when you were at eye level with the feline. “It’s dirty, you don’t even know where it went!”

But you continued to pet the animal, now snuggled comfortably against your chest, while looking at your lover who was desperately trying to avoid looking at the creature.

But said creature suddenly turned its eyes towards him and started meowing again while starting to wriggle in your arms.

When you put him down, he went back to the surgeon and started rubbing against his legs again. He rubbed himself against one, then passed between his feet to rub against the other. He made figure eights between Law's ankles then rubbed his head against the bottom of his calf. All while continuing to make his adorably cute little noises.

Finally, Law sighed under your amused gaze and looked away from the stars. He leaned his eyes toward his feet and met those of the feline.

You knew at that moment that the cat had won.

Sure enough, he crouched down to get closer to the animal but, instead of remaining still so he could run his hand through its fur, the feline instead jumped onto his lap. Unbalanced, Law hugged him so that he didn't fall and he took the opportunity to move up towards his neck to place his paws on his shoulders and his head under his chin.

Law stood up to steady himself with the cat still snuggled against him.

When he saw your mocking look, he opened his mouth to defend himself but was immediately cut off by a purr coming from the little creature. He immediately closed his mouth and, avoiding your gaze, he dipped his hand back into the fur to start stroking it again.

"Shut up." he growled.

𝖘𝖆𝖇𝖔

automn with pumpkin juice

The afternoon was quite cool but you were enjoying the moment thanks to Sabo's company.

After days of rain, you decided to finally go out a little to walk around. There were no bars or anything around, so the walk seemed like a good solution to stretch your legs.

You found yourself walking on the forest paths in your high boots to protect yourself from the puddles, while the red and orange leaves under your feet crunched when you stepped on them. Other leaves of this fiery hue still clung to the branches of the trees around you and gave them the look of flames when they were shaken by the wind. A smell of rain drowned the forest.

When the ride came to an end, you headed home.

You went to take your shower first then Sabo went. He went straight out from the bathroom to the kitchen and heated up two cups of pumpkin juice. As the liquid heated, he lit the fireplace and gathered the soft blankets on the couch in front of your watching eyes.

Finally, he returned to the kitchen to serve the two drinks and returned before placing the cups on the small tables. He sat quietly on the couch by the fireplace and lifted his arm so you could come and snuggle against him.

So you jumped on him to press yourself against his side.

He closed his arms around you and covered you both with the soft blankets. He then collected the two pumpkin juices and handed you your hot cup, which you held pleasantly in your hands, before starting to drink his.

You spent the rest of the afternoon like this: warm in your living room, curled up together, while drinking your juices.

𝖘𝖊𝖊 𝖞𝖔𝖚 𝖙𝖔𝖒𝖔𝖗𝖗𝖔𝖜!

𝖏𝖔𝖎𝖓 𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖙𝖆𝖌𝖑𝖎𝖘𝖙 𝖎𝖋 𝖞𝖔𝖚 𝖉𝖔𝖓'𝖙 𝖜𝖆𝖓𝖙 𝖙𝖔 𝖒𝖎𝖘𝖘 𝖆𝖓𝖞 𝖚𝖕𝖉𝖆𝖙𝖊

𝖙𝖆𝖌𝖑𝖎𝖘𝖙: @iheartamora @bontensh0e @opchara @idsmash717 @lys-ada @xomingyu @parkyrr @dozcan123 @livwritesfics @anotherproblemsos @phsycochan

[i-actually-post-stuff]

In celebration of Spones day I remembered that I never posted the written submission for the @sponeszine after the waiting period was over! I'll have more to post today for Spones day! Something I that I actually made for the day 😂

For now, the unedited version of my zine entry:

A03 Link

“Now, what's this, Spock? Cookin’, or biological warfare?” McCoy eyed Spock's potluck contribution; a mixture of colorful unfamiliar baked vegetables, piping in the bath of sauce and spices, all served in complement with a steamed Vulcan grain that he recognized but didn't remember the name of. But, the spice from the stuff was practically overpowering without him even eating it. It made his eyes water like getting too close to the smoke from a fire. 

In all honesty, it seemed exciting. McCoy wasn't a loather of spice. He liked spicy chili, hot pot, jerk chicken, spiced rum; all kinds of tasty things that’d make his mouth burn. It wasn't that he disliked the idea of trying the dish at all; it was that he wanted Spock to tell him about it, and with Spock, an insult always worked better than a request.

“If I was attempting biological warfare, Doctor, I would have not chosen such an obvious method as poisoning you via food.” Spock paused to consider McCoy’s initial jab. “I am lucky to have found Vulcan ingredients in such abundance in the market. All of the vegetables and spices are Vulcan in origin, and the grain is myropses, which has been grown on Vulcan since the early days of space travel, when it was first imported.” he knew McCoy’s game at this point, it seemed, and he looked like he was taking an un-Vulcan-like pride in his recreation of the dish. “I ruminated on what to prepare for quite a long time yesterday evening.” 

McCoy leaned in a bit to really admire his work while he listened. It did look absolutely mouthwatering.

“You are unaware of this; Vulcan cuisine exists on what you would call two ends of a spectrum; unflavored meals focused on texture and, in contrast, meals that take full advantage of the spices available on Vulcan.” the corners of his mouth quirked up—subtly, but certainly fiendishly. “I only used a small fraction of the traditional spices for this dish. Perhaps I should have made a tasteless dish, in order to suit your palette more appropriately,” he insulted. 

McCoy resisted a simple; bite me. “Maybe I should’a made some spicy harissa aubergine pie. Had you put those Vulcan taste buds to the test,” he genuinely considered. “Lucky for your Vulcan ego, I just made some sweet peach pies.”

“Then, perhaps I'll show you the fault in your thinking that any Human spice would adequately phase my palate on another day,  doctor.”

“You’d-”

He was promptly cut off by Jim awkwardly ringing the little dinner-bell he'd replicated. The entire potluck crowd straightened up and looked to the captain. 

It was truly a wonderful sight laid out on the several large tables in front of them. The Enterprise cultural exchange potluck was many a crewmember's favorite time of year, including McCoy’s. There were so many tantalizing looking breakfasts, lunches, dinners, and desserts scattered across the table, and even more odd looking ones. Jim had been wise enough this year to separate the dishes by smell, after the absolute fiasco of smells from the last year's contributions. It certainly made where he was standing all the more dangerous for his sinuses. But, no one would be skipping over his pie sitting on the opposite table because of the magma incarnate Spock had brought along.

“Everyone, welcome, to the annual Enterprise potluck. Today we celebrate, where we came from, the people, we surround ourselves with and choose to care for now, and, the way that our strength is in what each, individual, one of us, brings to the table—because our differences are the exact thing that make, wonderful times like this, possible. I,, remember all those complaints last year about the length of my speech, and all I have to say, is, shame on you all for not enjoying the only thing I can bring to this table. You, don't, want my cooking here,” he got a light chuckle from the crowd, “and, dig in.” He stepped down from his spot at the head of the intersection of tables as everyone rushed for their plates. 

McCoy really did try to seem like he wasn't in a hurry to taste test Spock's special Vulcan dish that he'd so considerately made palatable for human consumption, but it was the third thing that he'd put on his first plate, and Spock definitely took notice, looking at him from across the table. And McCoy took note of that look, and the peach pie slice on Spock's dessert plate. That eased him. He'd actually been fairly concerned that Spock wouldn't like what he brought to the table this year; Vulcans weren't exactly known for being avid lovers of dessert. And the two years before, he hadn't gotten to participate. 

As he made his way to Jim's side at one of the sitting tables, he found himself troubled with the idea of Spock eating his pie. He knew he'd put a lot of effort into making it just right, and he knew that it was probably one of the best damn things at the entire potluck. But it was also the first time Spock was going to try his cooking. What are you sweating for, McCoy? It doesn't matter what Spock thinks. Get it together. He couldn't fathom why Spock's judgment on the matter seemed to get him so anxious.

Spock sat on the other side of Jim. McCoy eyed up his plates. Despite the many other wonderfully colorful dishes Spock had decided to sample, he couldn't help but lock his eyes on his own slice of pie on that dessert plate. He briefly considered causing a scene; doing something, anything, to get rid of that slice on Spock's plate. He won the battle with himself and forced himself to calm down, of course, but the whole thing just made him feel silly. 

He took a deep breath, double checked to make sure he had his little shot glass of milk, and took a bite of Spock's cooking. 

It was incredible.

The vegetables were crisp on the outside and tender on the inside. The perfect texture, easy to chew and easy to savor. As his teeth bit through them, the juice went straight to his taste buds, sweet and sour. But the method of cooking added something else; a kind of char, almost like it had been grilled; or, maybe that was one of the spices. That's when the first wave of spice hit. Whatever it was, it was intense, prickling at his tongue and down his throat, then right up into the sinuses. It was a good burn, like the first time he tried Thai food. The spice playing in harmony with all those flavors, pairing so perfectly with the plain, grounding taste of the grain, and just begging to be chased with a nice smooth drink. Then the second wave hit, and he sniffled a little as his nose started running. He held a napkin over his nose and mouth and let it run for a second, not wanting to give away that the third wave, the aftertaste, was making his eyes burn. He shut them. 

There was no doubt. Spock was a damn good cook.

He subtly wiped his nose and took half his shot of milk, wishing that he had gotten a full glass and didn't have to save the other half for what was left of it… and also wishing that he had a bigger stomach, to go back and get more without sacrificing the capacity to try all the rest of the food he’d piled on his plates. He cleared his throat, the remnants of the spices tickling where the milk hadn't entirely soothed.

Then, he subtly looked over to Spock. 

Spock was sitting there, looking as though he hadn't even started eating, like something was on his mind; not something troubling him, more so that he was ruminating on something he found important. He knew the man, after all—he knew what the look on his face was. The Vulcan was definitely thinking about something very important to him. So important that he hadn't touched anything on his plates—Leonard did a double take.

Spock had touched one thing on one of his plates. McCoy's slice of pie, which was completely gone. Briefly, he was flattered, before realizing all of the different things that that could mean. 

Maybe Spock hated it. Maybe it’d put him off eating all together. Or maybe he hadn't checked the little ingredient card in front of it closely enough, and it had something he couldn't eat, and now he was considering the validity of calling the whole thing off for himself and going back up to the ship to pretend that he wasn't having a reaction to it. Or, maybe he was trying to think of the best possible insult to grant him after the meal. Well, two can play at that, Spock! Yours is—well, it was perfect. It was just great; he couldn't think of a bad thing to say that wasn't just insulting himself for not having a Vulcan tolerance. 

Maybe Spock was thinking the same thing. Well, not exactly the same thing. 

Maybe Spock was thinking that he wished he'd tried his cooking sooner. Maybe, just like McCoy was, he was wishing that they’d just cooked for each other so they didn't have to worry about leaving out all the other wonderful things there were to eat on their plates. 

No, not Spock. The man doesn't even eat breakfast. He only ever eats what he needs to survive unless it's in the name of being diplomatic. It seemed inconceivable that the Vulcan could be thinking of something so worldly as having another bite of something delicious. 

“Since when are you a slow eater, Bones?” Jim remarked, nudging his shoulder knowingly. 

“It's called pacing yourself, Jim. Good for big meals like this. ‘N I'll recommend it to you if you don't slow down.” he gestured to Jim's half finished plate. “You even chewing? You're gonna give yourself a stomach ache.”

Jim huffed with a bit of amusement, both of them knowing that McCoy was just crabby about being caught staring at Spock and wondering what he thought of his food.

Leonard took a bite of something else on the plate to avoid more ridicule, listening as Jim turned to Spock and said, “not hungry, Spock?” 

Whatever game he was playing. 

Sure, everything at the potluck that McCoy had put on his plate tasted incredible. There wasn't a single thing he regretted, even the things that squirmed under his fork—a bit like octopus with soy sauce, he considered, and he knew better than to be put off—but nothing stuck in his head quite like Spock's silly little spicy vegetable dish. He was embarrassed, finding his thoughts drifting over and over again to a hypothetical situation of him walking up to Spock and asking about the recipe.

On one hand, it felt a whole lot like praising the enemy. The little game that they played that neither of them were supposed to really win didn't work that way. Sure, the occasional compliment on the other's competency slipped out on occasion. But asking the man to make him dinner was a whole ‘nother thing. It was so… domestic. And the thought of sitting down in one of their quarters over a Vulcan meal that Spock had put so much time and effort into preparing seemed a bit too much like him asking Spock on a date for his comfort. Although, it didn't sound like a bad date. It sounded like a very good date. In fact, it sounded like the best possible date with Spock he could think of in that moment.

In that train of thought, he considered that it might even be a bit of a show of strength on his part; a brag that he was able to handle it. One of his ways of teasing him that was more of a compliment, despite its disguise as a boast.

He thought back and forth on it until just about everyone at their table had finished everything on their plates. Not that he noticed until Spock intruded behind him.

“Doctor.” 

He looked back over his shoulder at Spock, playing with the last thing on his plate with his fork. “Spock,” he acknowledged.

“We will be in orbit of this planet for 57 more of your Earth hours. I intend to acknowledge your challenge. You will inform me of what time would work best for you. Then, we will meet and you will prepare a dish for me that you believe would adequately test my Vulcan taste buds.”

He was stunned for a moment, of course. Spock had beat him to it. He practically did everything but schedule the date. But McCoy was too quick a thinker to sit there with his mouth hanging open about it. “All right, Spock. Only if you take me to the market and show off your fancy Vulcan veggies and spices.” He wouldn't let Spock be in charge of the whole situation without a fight.

“Acceptable,” Spock immediately acknowledged, almost as if he would accept any condition.

“And, one more thing.” McCoy pushed his luck.

“Yes?” Spock shifted uncomfortably, as if he was worried- if McCoy didn't know better than to think such a thing about a distinguished Vulcan like Spock. 

“You're gonna make this for me again the night after we leave orbit.”

[peachdues]

Peach, I know you’re the queen of fragrances and I need some help bc I’ve absolutely fallen for the Pengaligon’s Clandestine Clara that I got in a sample but a bottle it $315 dollars 😭 I’m not a perfume girlie but it’s literally the only perfume I’ve ever liked the smell of on me and I’ve been literally OBSESSED with it and I ran out of the sample MONTHS ago. Do you have any suggestions for a cheaper dupe or something that is similar?

A PENHALIGON LOVER?? AFTER MY OWN HEART??

God, I LOVE the penhaligon perfumes — the scents and bottle designs are utterly exquisite. The price point, however…not so much 😭 one day I will splurge, though!

Clandestine Clara is a wonderfully warm and spicy gourmand, and those are having quite the moment on the perfume market! Lucky for you, that means there are tons of options!

First, let’s break down the main notes in Clandestine Clara so you know what to keep an eye out for:

Top note: rum

Middle note: tonka bean

Base note: oppoponax (AKA sweet myrrh/resin)

Pretty straightforward, and utterly gorgeous. Mainly, you want to keep an eye out for spicy, boozy gourmands with a good dose of vanilla.

Here are some good dupes!

Divain 692 — this is a direct dupe of Clandestine Clara. Probably the closest you’ll get to the exact scent profile and it has decent longevity!

Top notes: rum and vanilla

Middle notes: cinnamon and musk

Base notes: amber and patchouli.

The rest of these are Clandestine Clara adjacent — meaning they share many of the same key notes, but combine them with others in a way that makes them not quite a dupe, but still remain safely within that spicy/boozy gourmand family. I’ll bold the overlapping notes!

Killian Paris — angel’s share

Key notes: cognac, tonka bean, and oakwood. Other notes include cinnamon, sandalwood, praline, and vanilla.

Memoirs of a trespasser — imaginary authors

Y’all should know by now that I’m a HUGE fan of imaginary authors. This one is a gorgeous spicy gourmand.

Key notes: Madagascar Vanilla, Guaiac Wood, Myrrh, Benzoin, Ambrette Seed, Oak (benzoin and oppoponax are very similar!)

Lush — turmeric latte

THIS ONEEEE. Smells like a spiced cookie.

Key notes: benzoin, tonka, vanilla, cinnamon

Note that if you want to make this extra sweet (and more akin to Clandestine Clara), I’d recommend layering this with either the sticky dates body lotion OR body spray!

DS & Durga — deep dark vanilla

Okay so this one is more expensive BUT in case you want to splurge OR want something with a little more complexity, I figured I’d throw it in!

Key notes: Cabrueva, Orchid, Pink Pepper, Vines, Green Vanilla Leaves, Cypress Root, Vanilla Absolute (will smell similar to tonka), Dark Patchouli, Hay

Demeter fragrance library — cardamom

This is straight cardamom which is the perfect warm spice.

I hope this is helpful!! Stay gorgeous!!

[fatehbaz]

Christmas pudding [...] [is] a boiled mass of suet - a raw, hard animal fat [...] often replaced with a vegetarian alternative - as well as flour and dried fruits that is often soaked in alcohol and set alight. [...] [I]t is a legacy of the British Empire with ingredients from around the globe it once dominated [...].

Christmas pudding is a relatively recent concoction of two older, at least medieval, dishes. [...] “Figgy pudding,” immortalized in the “We Wish You a Merry Christmas” carol, appeared in the written record by the 14th century. [...] During the 18th century, the two ["plum pottage" and "figgy pudding"] crossed to become the more familiar plum pudding – a steamed pudding packed with the ingredients of the rapidly growing British Empire of rule and trade. The key was less a new form of cookery than the availability of once-luxury ingredients, including French brandy, raisins from the Mediterranean, and citrus from the Caribbean.

Few things had become more affordable than cane sugar which, owing to the labors of millions of enslaved Africans, could be found in the poorest and remotest of British households by mid-century. Cheap sugar, combined with wider availability of other sweet ingredients like citrus and dried fruits, made plum pudding an iconically British celebratory treat, albeit not yet exclusively associated with Christmas.

Such was its popularity that English satirist James Gillray made it the centerpiece of one of his famous cartoons, depicting Napoleon Bonaparte and the British prime minister carving the world in pudding form.

In line with other modern Christmas celebrations, the Victorians took the plum pudding and redefined it [...], making it the “Christmas pudding.” In his 1843 internationally celebrated “A Christmas Carol,” Charles Dickens venerated the dish as the idealized center of any family’s Christmas feast [...].

Three years later, Queen Victoria’s chef published her favored recipe, making Christmas pudding, like the Christmas tree, the aspiration of families across Britain.

Christmas pudding owed much of its lasting appeal to its socioeconomic accessibility. Victoria’s recipe, which became a classic, included candied citrus peel, nutmeg, cinnamon, lemons, cloves, brandy and a small mountain of raisins and currants – all affordable treats for the middle class. Those with less means could either opt for lesser amounts or substitutions [...]. Eliza Acton, a leading cookbook author of the day who helped to rebrand plum pudding as Christmas pudding, offered a particularly frugal recipe that relied on potatoes and carrots. [...] The high alcohol content gave the puddings a shelf life of a year or more, allowing them to be sent even to the empire’s frontiers during Victoria’s reign [...].

---

In the 1920s, the British Women’s Patriotic League heavily promoted it – calling it “Empire Pudding” in a global marketing campaign. They praised it as emblem of the empire that should be made from the ingredients of Britain’s colonies and possessions: dried fruits from Australia and South Africa, cinnamon from Ceylon, spices from India and Jamaican rum in place of French brandy.

Press coverage of London’s 1926 Empire Day celebrations featured the empire’s representatives pouring the ingredients into a ceremonial mixing bowl and collectively stirring it.

The following year, the Empire Marketing Board received King George V’s permission to promote the royal recipe, which had all the appropriate empire-sourced ingredients. Such promotional recipes and the mass production of puddings from iconic grocery stores like [Sains-bury's] in the 1920s combined to place Christmas puddings on the tables [...].

---

All text above by: Troy Bickham. "How the Christmas pudding, with ingredients taken from the colonies, became an iconic British food." The Conversation. 8 December 2023. [Bold emphasis and some paragraph breaks/contractions added by me. Image and caption shown unaltered as they appear published by Bickham along with the article's text.]

[whumpster-fire]

Leading Thieves Say Millennials and Zoomers "Ruining the Crime Industry"

A variety of criminals have spoken out over the past few weeks, saying that crime just doesn't pay like it used to because Millennials and Gen-Z-ers are so broke, they have nothing of value to steal.

Stephen "Fingers" Gilligan, Pickpocket: Pickpocketing has been on the decline in America for a while, but it's getting ridiculous now. Nobody carries cash anymore, and even cards aren't paying out. The other day I stole a wallet with five debit cards, and all but one of them declined. The last one had just enough to buy a Sierra Mist from a vending machine. That was my second best score all week. The best was a $40 Olive Garden gift card and a crumpled, discolored $5 bill that I had to use archeological techniques to retrieve without it disintegrating in my hand.

Burt Crustman, Mugger: Man, nobody walks through dark alleys at night since the pandemic hit, and when they do? Jackshit. The only valuable anyone under 40's got on them these days is their phone. Admittedly lotsa people have $3000 phones, but you know what the market for fencing iPhones is like? It's shit! Everybody's buying new phones because their phone's the only nice thing they can afford!

Monty Derailleur, Bike Thief: Well the bike theft business would be going good, if people ever used the bikes they bought. The sales are high, but the fact of the matter is, the bike lanes around here are shitty or nonexistent, there's no room to take them on the bus, and there's no bike racks so everybody knows it's gonna get stolen.

Jerry Rigby, Car Thief: I don't know what you're talking about, Grand Theft Auto is booming. There's $75,000 pickups, $60,000 SUVs, $100,000 Teslas, and most people can't even afford to buy a used car legally so fencing's never been easier. The reason it's hard for those of us in the business is twofold. First, too many people living out of their cars. Second, the competition. You see a nice car parked somewhere, you gotta be on it like that, or the fucking illegal towing rackets will beat you to it. It's nearly impossible to make a living as an independent car thief.

Dwayne Pipe, Burglar: The only reason to be breaking and entering in the post-Pandemic years if to use somebody's shower. I swear to god, half the time when I break into a place, the only furniture is a mattress on the floor and a mid-sized computer monitor as a TV, and those are only good for scrap because with planned obsolescence the way it is, they have a life expectancy of about 6 weeks after theft. To be honest with you, I'm running a loss on most jobs. The only reason I haven't gone straight is because all the legal jobs pay jackshit too. That, and I really like replacing people's family photos with pictures of Nicholas Cage.

Brittlyghn McKannyck, Shoplifter: Shoplifting these days is a hobby, not a career. Half the time the stores are too understaffed to even stock the shelves, and if they're not, everything's locked up. I had to get a guy to unlock a magnetic tag on a box of Crispix the other day. If I didn't live with my parents, there's absolutely no way shoplifting full time would be viable.

Norman Gore, Master Hacker and Identity Thief: Scamming people out of their financial info or cracking passwords has never been easier, but the scores just aren't worth it. I keep getting into bank accounts that pending overdraft fees. It's pathetic. I have to leave the lights off so my hacker den's only lit by the monitors, and type on three or four keyboards at once to hack enough people to make ends meet.

Jack Gazebo, Digital Pirate: Oh my fucking God, people, stop paying for streaming! Learn to torrent! I'm telling you, man, this generation just doesn't have the technological literacy to pirate media.

Captain Tom Stillcutt, Analog Pirate: Let me tell ye something, matey, it be a sad day for piracy. No more galleons laden low with gold doubloons, rum, and exotic spices, nay, it be all scurvy container ships full o' mass produced plastic now. Me last prize was a forty foot container loaded full of over a hundred thousand Funko Pops, en route from the East Indies. The worst part of it was as the cap'n I gets a double share o' the booty, whether I want it or not. I've been makin' one walk the plank every day, and my cabin's still full of the blasted things. Shiver my timbers, I hate these damned Zoomers! At least the ones in me crew are happy.

Geraldo Cardamom IV, Gentleman Thief: The economy's just horrible for heists these days. Art heists? Jewelry theft? All the rich idiots are blowing their money on crypto, NFTs, and custom furniture from hipster woodworking YouTubers. Nobody just has a gallery in their house with priceless antiques in glass cases below a conveniently placed skylight, or millions of dollars in cash and gold bullion in vaults behind secret doors with seven different elaborate locking mechanisms anymore. Nobody secures their valuables with networks of criss crossing laser motion sensors. The only guys with that kind of money are assholes like Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk, and they don't have the sense of style for that. They just hire a bunch of assholes with guns.

Carmen San Diego, Legend: You must be joking, right? The reason I retired is because the infrastructure in this country is so dilapidated it's impossible to move it without it disintegrating. My last heist was "stealing" the World's Largest Pothole in Lansing, Michigan. I lifted the entire six lane wide, fifteen foot deep pothole out of the ground, disassembled it, and shipped it across the country to a warehouse in Las Vegas, then filled in the hole with pristine asphalt so it looked like it was never there. Nobody investigated. Nobody came after me. The city threw a parade in my honor. It didn't even take a month before my record holding pothole was dethroned by one in Cleveland, leaving me with nothing but a bunch of dirt, crumbling asphalt, and broken dreams. That's when I realized it was time to call it quits. Well, maybe the Bass Pro Shops Pyramid, but it already looks stupid enough in the middle of Tennessee that the only way stealing it would be funny is if I put it in the original Memphis.

[ask-a-bot]

To everyone What is your favorite type of ice cream!!11

All of them!

Bumblebee.

What?

I like oil cake flavour.

That's probably my favourite too.

There is a Cybertronian flavour that I like. It is... probably... a little like the popular Scottish rum and raisin flavour, but it is a Cybertronian flavour that is popular here. You find it in most Cybertronian market places.

They call it "pitstop", for some reason.

It's associated with racing. Made from energon wine and mixed spiced fruits. For some reason, it became the taste of summer – and competitive racing.

Which flavour do you like?

Pitstop is a good one. I kind of like plain cream, though. Maybe just that and some jam or sauce.

I like chocolate lugnut flavour with iron filings on top.

Very fancy.

[noflikeme22]

Chapter 2 : The Devil’s Plan

Chapter 2: The Devil’s Playground

The Destiny rocked gently as it pulled into the harbor, its black sails folding like the wings of a raven. Isla Fortuna greeted them with its usual lawless energy—pirates shouting deals across the docks, drunken sailors stumbling out of taverns, and merchants haggling over stolen goods. The town was alive with music, laughter, and the occasional sound of a pistol firing in the distance.

Hongjoong stood at the bow, watching the chaos unfold before him with an amused smirk. “Ah, nothing like the smell of rum, salt, and bad decisions in the air.”

Seonghwa rolled his eyes. “Let’s just get what we need and leave before someone tries to kill us.”

“That’s the spirit,” Yunho joked as he swung down from the crow’s nest, landing gracefully beside them. “We just got here, at least let the fun begin before we start worrying about our inevitable doom.”

The crew worked quickly to tie down the ship, tossing ropes to the dockhands who barely acknowledged them before demanding payment. Hongjoong tossed them a coin pouch, knowing full well that if they didn’t pay upfront, their ship might mysteriously sink before morning.

“Alright,” he announced, turning to his crew. “We have business to handle first. Get supplies, stock up on weapons, and if you find anything interesting, let me know.”

A chorus of nods and smirks followed.

“Then,” Hongjoong continued, “you can do whatever the hell you want—as long as we’re back on the ship before dawn.”

Seonghwa sighed. “You keep saying that, and yet every time—”

“—every time, someone causes a scene,” Jongho finished with a smirk, adjusting the strap of his sword.

“Technically, we’re the victims most of the time,” San pointed out.

“You started a tavern fight over rum last time,” Yeosang reminded him.

San waved him off. “That was different. That bartender was stealing from us.”

“Because you were cheating at cards,” Wooyoung added with a grin.

San gasped in mock offense. “How dare you accuse me of such a thing?”

“You literally admitted it after the fight.”

“Fine, but it was still justified.”

Hongjoong shook his head, suppressing a laugh. “Just stay out of too much trouble.”

With that, the crew split up, each heading toward their own priorities.

Markets of Chaos

Hongjoong and Seonghwa moved through the crowded streets, stepping over broken bottles and sidestepping drunkards passed out in alleyways. The market district was a sprawling maze of vendors selling everything from exotic spices to stolen jewels.

“I’ll handle the ship repairs,” Seonghwa said. “You take care of the supplies.”

Hongjoong nodded. “Try not to threaten the shipwright this time.”

“He overcharges on purpose,” Seonghwa grumbled. “And besides, I only lightly threatened him.”

Hongjoong smirked. “That’s why I’m sending you back.”

They separated, with Seonghwa heading toward the shipwright while Hongjoong browsed through the market. He stopped at a vendor selling barrels of dried meat and fruit, negotiating a fair price before moving on to stock up on ammunition.

“Fresh gunpowder, Captain?” a familiar voice called.

Hongjoong turned to see an old man hunched behind a stall, his fingers stained black from years of handling explosives.

“Only the best,” Hongjoong said, tossing a coin onto the counter.

The old man chuckled, sliding over a crate of powder and shot. “Tell your gunsman I said hello.”

Hongjoong smirked. “He’s probably already off buying more weapons.”

Speaking of which—

Yeosang’s Search for Perfection

Yeosang ran his fingers along the barrel of a finely crafted pistol, examining the engraving. The weapons merchant watched him nervously.

“That one’s imported,” the merchant said. “Finest steel from the east.”

Yeosang cocked the hammer back, testing the weight. “Too light,” he muttered, setting it down and moving to another.

The merchant swallowed. “You… have quite the eye.”

Yeosang simply nodded, picking up a new pistol and spinning it expertly before flipping it in his palm. He glanced over at the collection of knives next, his sharp gaze assessing their balance.

The merchant wiped his brow. “You planning to start a war?”

Yeosang smirked. “Just preparing for when one finds me.”

Satisfied, he tossed a small pouch of gold onto the counter, taking two new pistols and a handful of throwing knives.

Mingi and Yunho’s Navigation Woes

Meanwhile, Mingi and Yunho found themselves deep in conversation with an elderly cartographer in a dimly lit shop stacked with maps, compasses, and navigational tools.

“This one’s the most up-to-date chart of the northern trade routes,” the cartographer said, unrolling a massive map across the table. “But it’ll cost you.”

Mingi crossed his arms. “You sure you’re not trying to scam us?”

The cartographer scoffed. “Son, I’ve been doing this longer than you’ve been alive. Either you want it, or you don’t.”

Yunho studied the map, noting the newly marked hazards and hidden islands. “It’s good,” he admitted. “Could save us weeks on some routes.”

Mingi sighed, dropping the required coins onto the table. “Fine. But if we get lost, I’m blaming you.”

Yunho grinned. “You always blame me.”

The cartographer chuckled. “Smart man.”

Wooyoung’s Quest for Food (and Trouble)

Wooyoung had one mission: food.

He wove through the bustling streets, sniffing the air like a bloodhound. The scent of roasted meat and spiced rum led him straight to a busy tavern, where plates of steaming food were being carried to rowdy customers.

He slid onto a stool, grinning at the bartender. “Your best meal, please.”

The bartender eyed him warily. “You paying first?”

Wooyoung gasped. “Do I look like a thief?”

“Yes.”

“…Fair.” He tossed a few coins onto the counter.

As the bartender disappeared to prepare his meal, Wooyoung glanced around the tavern, taking in the usual mix of pirates, mercenaries, and traders. It was loud, crowded, and smelled of spilled ale—but it was exactly the kind of place he loved.

His food arrived—a plate piled high with grilled fish, bread, and fruit. He barely got one bite in before a hand landed on his shoulder.

“Hey,” a gruff voice said.

Wooyoung sighed, already knowing where this was going. He turned slowly, finding himself face to face with a burly man twice his size.

“You took my seat.”

Wooyoung chewed thoughtfully before swallowing. “Pretty sure I got here first.”

The man cracked his knuckles. “You’re gonna move.”

Wooyoung sighed, setting his fork down. “Well, this escalated quickly.”

And just like that—trouble had begun.

Wooyoung didn’t mean to start a fight. Not really.

But when the burly man swung at him, all thoughts of peace and negotiation vanished. Ducking the first punch, Wooyoung kicked the chair backward and sent the table crashing into another group of drunkards. Plates flew, drinks spilled, and by the time someone shouted “Brawl!,” it was already too late.

The tavern erupted.

Wooyoung flipped backward over the bar, narrowly dodging a flying bottle. “Note to self,” he muttered as he crouched behind a barrel of rum, “never sit near the center table.”

He popped up just long enough to grab a tray and hurl it like a disc at the man who started it all, catching him square in the forehead.

“Wooyoung!” a voice barked from the door.

Jongho stood at the entrance, arms crossed, expression unreadable. He sighed heavily when he saw the chaos unfolding. “One hour,” he muttered. “I leave you alone for one hour.”

“Don’t look at me like that!” Wooyoung shouted, ducking again. “This isn’t my fault!”

Jongho calmly stepped into the fray, catching a chair mid-swing and snapping it in two with his bare hands. One look from him, and most of the tavern paused. The ones who didn’t were sent flying within seconds.

“Come on,” he grumbled, grabbing Wooyoung by the collar and dragging him out.

“I didn’t even get to finish my food,” Wooyoung groaned, pouting as he was pulled from the wreckage.

⸻

Meanwhile…

San stood on the roof of a small gambling den, flipping a coin idly as he looked down at the street below. His black coat fluttered in the breeze, and he grinned when he saw Wooyoung and Jongho exit the tavern across the square, looking exactly like he’d expected.

“Three… two… one…” he counted under his breath.

“San!” Jongho roared, eyes locking onto the rooftop.

San raised both hands. “I wasn’t even there!”

“Didn’t stop you from betting on the outcome,” Wooyoung called up, clearly offended.

San just grinned. “You lasted longer than I expected! I made five silver off your survival!”

Jongho looked like he might scale the building.

San wisely vanished before he could.

⸻

Later that evening…

Back at the Destiny, crates of supplies were being hauled aboard under Seonghwa’s supervision. The first mate was meticulous, inspecting each item twice before allowing it below deck.

“Barrels of water… preserved meat… hardtack…” he muttered, ticking them off a mental checklist. “Where’s the gunpowder shipment?”

“Here,” Yeosang said, appearing beside him with a pair of new pistols strapped to his chest and two crates at his feet.

Seonghwa arched an eyebrow. “I see you’ve been shopping.”

Yeosang simply nodded and moved on without a word.

Seonghwa shook his head, then looked up as Hongjoong approached with a sack of coins and a satisfied expression.

“We’re stocked,” the captain said. “Took some haggling, but we got a good deal.”

“You didn’t threaten anyone this time?” Seonghwa asked, skeptical.

“Not even once,” Hongjoong grinned.

“That’s my job,” Seonghwa replied, only half-joking.

“Where are the others?” Hongjoong asked, glancing around.

“Yunho’s double-checking the new charts,” Seonghwa said. “Mingi’s finishing up ship maintenance—”

A crash echoed from the docks, followed by San’s unmistakable laugh.

“…and the rest of them are being themselves.”

⸻

Aboard the Destiny, Hours Later…

The crew gathered below deck as the sun began to sink beneath the horizon. Lanterns flickered, casting warm light across the wooden walls. Crates were stacked, weapons polished, and the smell of freshly cooked food—actual food this time—wafted from the galley.

“Ladies,” Wooyoung announced proudly, placing a steaming pot in the center of the table. “I give you: stew that won’t kill you!”

San raised a brow. “Did you actually cook this?”

“I even tasted it myself,” Wooyoung said. “If I die in the next five minutes, you’ll know.”

Mingi leaned in, sniffed, and grabbed a bowl. “It’s good,” he said with surprise.

“Thank you!” Wooyoung beamed.

As they ate, the ship rocked gently in the harbor, the sounds of Isla Fortuna still drifting in from the port—music, laughter, the occasional shout. But aboard the Widow’s Fang, the atmosphere was warm, relaxed.

Hongjoong leaned back in his chair, watching his crew joke, argue, and laugh like they always did. They were a rough bunch, but they were his rough bunch.

“We leave at dawn,” he reminded them, voice calm but firm.

“Yeah, yeah,” Yunho said around a mouthful of stew. “We’ll be ready.”

Seonghwa gave him a look. “Will you? Because I remember what happened last time we left at dawn.”

“I was chained to a tavern wall!” Yunho protested.

“You were drinking with someone who turned out to be a bounty hunter,” Jongho said flatly.

Yunho grinned sheepishly. “She was very persuasive.”

San clapped him on the back. “You were nearly sold to the navy!”

“Nearly.”

Wooyoung laughed so hard he spilled his stew.

⸻

Nightfall

Later that night, as the crew turned in for some well-earned rest, the wind picked up slightly. The moon hovered over the ocean like a pale coin in the sky, its light silvering the waves.

Hongjoong stood alone on the deck, leaning on the railing. Isla Fortuna flickered with torchlight behind them, but he was already looking ahead—toward the sea, toward the unknown.

Seonghwa approached quietly, folding his arms.

“Everyone’s asleep,” he said. “Well, except San. He’s trying to climb the mast blindfolded again.”

“Of course he is.”

They stood in silence for a moment.

“You thinking about the next voyage?” Seonghwa asked.

Hongjoong nodded. “We’ve been drifting a while. Chasing coin, avoiding conflict. But something’s coming, Hwa. I can feel it. The sea’s been too quiet.”

Seonghwa tilted his head. “Quiet doesn’t last long for us.”

“No,” Hongjoong agreed. “It never does.”

They watched the waves in silence, the sound of the water lapping against the hull like a lullaby. Somewhere in the distance, thunder rolled softly—but no clouds loomed above.

Something was stirring. But for now… they had calm seas.

Tomorrow, the winds would change.

And when they did, the Black Pirate Crew would be ready.

[unmeisenshi]

A few days after Nobuo and Kiske left Lotus Tower, they arrived in Alstroemeria. The Greninja would look around.

"Is city life always this raucous? I don't know how someone could live in the city with how much is going on." Nobuo would cover his head to attempt to drown out the noise.

"It would take time. After all, if we're supposed to join with Solaris we'd be coming into and out of the city constantly." Kiske would approach one of the market stalls. "Excuse me... We're looking for a Charizard named Solaris. Any idea where we'd find them?"

The owner, a young Serperior, would smile and nod. "Solaris runs a bar called The Caravan. It's just over the hill that way." They would point with their tail the direction he needed to go. Kiske would smile at the shop owner in return, giving them a small pouch with Poké.

"Thank you. You can keep all of the money. You're doing great." The Cinderace would return to Nobuo. "Come, brother. We're heading to that bar up there."

--

Solaris would be sitting alone in his bar. It was the slower part of the day, and the Charizard sipped away at a soda as he waited. That was when he heard the saloon doors swing open and closed, and saw a Greninja and Cinderace enter.

"Welcome, welcome! Make yourselves at home!" Solaris said, returning behind the bar as the brothers sat at the bar. "What can I get for you two?"

Nobuo would raise his hand. "Sake for me, please."

Kiske would then raise a paw. "Just some water, please."

Solaris would smile and nod, and began pouring the pairs drinks. Nobuo would watch the Charizard. "Excuse me, but we're also looking for someone. Do you happen to know where we can find Solaris?"

Solaris would place Nobuo's sake in front of him, and Kiske's water in front of him, then leaned on the counter and continued to sip his drink. "Solaris? Well... You're looking at him. Or... I guess a slight husk of him."

Kiske would look at his brother, then back at Solaris. "Our sensei wanted us to find you. His name was Ben. He passed on a few days ago."

Solaris paused briefly, his face grimacing. He knew it had to happen eventually, considering how old he was when he trained him. The news did make his heart ache. "I... See. Is that news what he sent you all the way here for?"

"N-No sir." Kiske stuttered. "He wanted us to find you so we could join the rescue team you're a part of. He... Thought it would be good for us to see the world, since we haven't been able to."

Solaris turned away for a moment, pouring some spiced rum into a glass and leaning against the bar in front of the pair. "Rescue work is serious business. You two are young... Reckless, even... Are you prepared for the hardships that you are to face?"

Nobuo and Kiske looked at each other with determined looks, then looked back at Solaris and nodded. "We are sure." The Greninja said. "It's what Ben was training us for. We're no strangers to hardship... We can handle it."

Solaris remained quiet for a few moments, before clinking his glass against both of theirs. "Okay. There's a home not too far from here. It sits at the top of a hill just outside of the city. Head there and introduce yourselves to the others."

Kiske would nod, taking a big gulp from his drink. "Got it." The Cinderace would pound his chest. "I'm Kiske, and this is my little brother Nobuo."

The Charizard nodded at the two. "Kiske, and Nobuo. Good to meet you." Solaris shook his head. "Sorry if I seemed a bit harsh or rude. I just... Wasn't expecting the news, was all."

"It's quite alright." Nobuo finished his sake, then placed a hand on Solaris' shoulder. "You aren't the only ones feeling that pain. Ben was a father figure for us. He tried to save us and our parents when he found us in Nemesia Sea... But our parents died. He felt obligated to raise us until we were ready to venture out."

Solaris would frown at the news. "I see... I'm sorry for your loss." The Charizard's frown would turn to a forced smile. "But I can tell that Ben raised you right. You'll fit in well with the team."

The three would continue to chat for a little while longer until both Nobuo and Kiske left for the team's home to introduce themselves.

[differentvoidexpert]

Spiced Rum Market: Global Industry Analysis and Forecast (2024-2030)

Spiced rum, a distinctive variant of traditional rum infused with a blend of spices, herbs, and botanicals such as cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, vanilla, and citrus peel, has garnered significant popularity among consumers seeking unique and flavorful spirits. This infusion imparts a rich and complex taste profile, making spiced rum a favored choice for consumption neat, on the rocks, or as a key ingredient in various cocktails.​

[rickchung]

Central Restaurant x Bentall Centre x Financial District.

Grand opening from the same Alberta-based team behind Craft Beer Market.

Frosty spiced horchata: Captain Morgan white rum, amaretto, horchata, and cherry.