#Star Struck Tees

[hardworkertshirtstore]

Cheerful Cat (04) Kids T-Shirt

Kids Fashion Kids T-Shirt

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[artheresy]

RAAAHHH I finally figured out his stupid stupid hair, I adore this pathetic sopping wet cat I need him to take a nice long nap

And I will be drawing him more I can tell you that for sure

[hpalways]

the star you were | Ken Sato

The man, the myth, the legend, Ken Sato. He was seemingly arrogant in his interviews, as well as relatively cold and distant from his teammates, as if he was untouchable.

You always assumed he had some sort of superior complex.

So... how did you stumble upon him at some measly convenience store, sitting there in a plastic chair like some loner?

It was as if he had no friends.

You tossed a cold fresh can of beer towards him, to which he caught it easily, blinking at you in surprise for a moment. His usual neat slicked back hair fell across his forehead as messy black bangs and the glow of his eyes were dull, despite the beautiful specks that adorned them. Truly, his irises were breathtaking, like stars, now that you could see them so close in real life.

"What are you doing?" he asked, with an almost offensive tone in his voice.

You shrugged. "You looked like you needed one." Without asking for permission, you slipped into the chair across from him and cracked open your own beer, listening in to the delicious foam created at the top.

"If you're a fan, you could just ask me for an autograph instead of being rude and bothering me like nobodies' business."

"Not a fan. Just thought you could use the company."

He scoffed. "I'm the one and only Ken Sato! I don't need company from some rando on the street."

"If you say so... you do look more sad sipping on beer alone though," you relented, getting up from your seat.

He hesitated, running his fingers through his hair in slight frustration. "Fine... sit down."

You plopped back down with a grin. "I must say, you look quite different in real life compared to the big screen. A little worse for wear."

Instead of rebuking like you imagined, he sighed and drooped his head. He took a large gulp out of the can, slamming it down the small table. "Just dealing with some personal things right now."

"Ah, that explains the recent plays you've done."

He shot you a glare and shook his head. "I... just need to get warmed up. I'll be back in no time."

"Right..." you said, sniffing.

"What's your name anyway?" he asked, raising a brow at you. In his typical black tee and jeans, he draped himself against the chair, the muscles rippling shamelessly. Indeed, the years spent training on baseball paid off, shaping his physique majestically. Perhaps that was why he had so many fangirls, not for his plays but for his attractive looks.

"[Name]."

"And who are you to be sending insults my way every so often?"

"I'm not." You lifted your arms up defensively. "I'm just stating facts. But funny enough, I get you. It's not like my life's going perfect either."

"Are you another reporter? Trying to dig up my deepest darkest secrets?"

"I'm not. But what is your deepest darkest secret?"

"..."

"Sorry. But yeah, no reporter here. Just your average day in the mill office worker."

"Is that supposed to comfort me?" he groaned, rubbing his face in exhaustion. "That an average office worker relates to me?"

"Y'know, with that attitude, no wonder you don't have friends."

He grew silent, sipping more of his beer as if it was the most interesting thing in the world. His silence was your answer. But it also made you wonder. There had been a lot of rumors and gossip circulating around the Ken Sato. Was any of it real? And did some of it hit too close to home? Why was this man such an anomaly? Why had he not won any championships yet despite how impressive he was? Nothing added up.

"Struck a nerve?"

"I have friends," he said, averting his gaze. "They're just busy all the time."

"I see..." you responded, fighting off the smile from your lips. It was clear as day that he was lying, but you supposed you had been hard on him enough. "I'll be your friend."

"You?!" He eyed you up and down in dismay, before a lightbulb struck him. "Actually... yes! Are you good with babysitting?"

You choked midsip, confusion warping your features. "Babysitting?"

a/n: just a little bit of a ken sato drabble/dialogue play bc I'm obsessed with him right now hahahaha. lowk would write nsfw for this man oops, lmk if y'all want it LMAO.

[goldenlikedayl1ght]

you're the one - j. cage

a/n: not proud of where my life has taken me, honestly. but this is for the love of my life, luca. hope you all enjoy! likes, comments, and reblogs are always appreciated! warnings: kissing, suggestive comments, johnny being like the worlds biggest flirt, nothing too crazy, but definitely a lot of sexual innuendos, teasing, inappropriate workplace relationship, kind of, light angst with a happy ending word count: 3.1k summary: you're johnny cage's assistant babysitter agent, and you're his opposite. and yet, he finds himself unapologetically into you. pairing: johnny cage x gn!reader now playing: you're the one - greta van fleet "you're the one i want/you're the one i need/you're the one i had/come on back to me"

You decide you can never be with Johnny Cage in a dingy bar on a Saturday at 11:19 PM.

You’d been his agent for around three months at this point, and you’re always with him, to the point where it became weird that you know so little about each other. And really, it’s a wonder that you lasted so long given how different you are.

You’re awkward, and there’s no harm in it, but you find yourself standing to the side of every movie set, glancing down to your phone to try and find a reason to send an email to someone to distract yourself.

Your relationship history is far and few between, you’ve only started dressing well recently, and you find yourself struggling in crowds and public speaking terrifies you.

Johnny is electric. He has no problem finessing a crowd, has no problem being the center of attention. He’s just unlike anyone you’ve ever met.

So really, you can’t say you’re shocked when you wake up one day and realize that you have in fact, developed feelings for him. It isn’t a tough thing to do, not when he’s always flirting with you.

After a rather large slump in his career, Johnny’s new movies have been doing well in both the box office and with movie watchers all over the country. Really, you became his agent at the perfect time because right after you started, he really became quite the star. Maybe the change of pace behind the camera worked out rather well.

He sort of feels bad, that you’re constantly with him. He doesn’t know when you sleep, because if he isn’t on set or doing press or getting ready to do either, he’s asleep, but every day when you show up to the set, you have a new agenda for him to follow.

When you do it, while also sleeping, eating, and taking care of your own obligations, he doesn’t know.

But one night, after three months of your help, he asks you to grab a drink with him.

(“This isn’t a ploy to get me alone and drunk is it, Cage?”

“Wouldn’t dream of it.”)

And that’s how you wound up here. You’re dressed more casually than he’s ever seen you, sporting this old band tee and some rather casual jeans. He can’t stop looking at you, and he’s a little confused about it.

He doesn’t get star struck often, but he has this thought, that maybe in one of Liu Kang’s alternate universes, you two ends up together. Maybe he fixes boats in a coastal town, maybe you work at the diner there, maybe you have a dog together. Maybe, in another universe, you and Johnny have a quiet life, where you don’t have much, but you have each other, and that’s enough.

“So how did someone like you end up in a place like this?” he asks, charmingly. You roll your eyes and take another sip of your beer.

“Well, this asshole I work for—”

“Hey!”

“He asked me out for a drink, and I don’t know if it’s because I felt obligated because he pays me, or because I genuinely wanted to, but I went out with him.”

“You’re so mean to me.”

“You make up for it, always flirting with me.”

“Can’t say you don’t like it, sweetheart—”

“Listen, Cage—"

“But you never answered my question. How’d you end up in Hollywood? We spend all this time together, yet I feel like I barely know my own assistant.”

“Agent.”

“Whatever. Answer the question.”

It’s a loaded one, no doubt, but not one you aren’t willing to answer. You find yourself unable to really keep anything from him, he just needs to know where to look for it, how to interpret it.

“I moved here from home, never

had much of anything—Family, Money, Whatever—Got an internship and before you know it, I’m networking my way to being Johnny Cage’s babysitter—”

“Agent.”

“Whatever.” You shoot back, a goofy grin on your face.

“Okay, let me ask you this,” He poises, “Favorite movie?”

You exhale, finding that a near impossible question.

“Oh, and none of mine! Then, it would be too easy!” He grins, and you shoot him this look.

You have a lot of favorite movies.

You take a few minutes before deciding on one.

“Paddington 2.”

“What?!”

“Paddington 2!”

“You cannot be serious!” He gawks. “Paddington 2 over, what? The Shawshank Redemption? Gladiator? Better than Aliens?!”

You take a minute.

“I’ve never seen Aliens.”

“What?! Big alien, tiny girl, Ripley!” He says the main character’s name in this high pitched, annoying tone.

It makes you burst out laughing, and he just laughs at your laugh.

“Nope, never seen it.”

“Oh my god! How do you work in Hollywood, and you’ve never seen Aliens?”

“Stop asking me if I’ve never seen Aliens, you know what the answer is!”

You both laugh again, and for a moment, it is perfect. There is no one else in the world except you and him, and there’s no reason to feel as if this isn’t real. There’s no reason to deny yourself the rather simple pleasure of admiring him, and there is certainly no reason to stop looking at him like you are right now.

And then this beautiful blonde woman strolls up to him. Even you can admit that she’s gorgeous.

“Excuse me,” Her voice is that of a songbird, “I don’t mean to bother you, but are you Johnny Cage? Like, the actor?”

“Indeed, I am, how can I help you?”

“I was just wondering if I could buy you a drink. Maybe we can go back to my table?”

You’re full of jealousy. You feel awful for it too, because in no way is Johnny yours.

“Uh, you know what..” He glances back at you, and you give him this weak smile.

“Go, it’s fine. Have fun, it isn’t like this is a date or anything.”

He grins at you and puts a fifty on the bar to pay for your drinks and leave the bartender a rather nice tip.

“You’re the best wingman ever, man! I’ll see you tomorrow!”

You finish your drink bitterly as Johnny goes off to flirt with, and eventually sleep with, that nice woman. You take notice that when the two of you are alone, you’re ‘sweetheart’ but when another woman strolls in, you’re ‘man’.

And that’s it. It’s 11:19 PM and in that dingy bar, you decide that you can never be with Johnny Cage. You know it will never be what you want it to be. That if it does happen, it’ll be like it is with this woman. A one-night stand, never to be brought up again. You’ll get him all to yourself for one night, and then after that, he will never be yours again. He’ll go back to being no ones, back to being the spotlights. Back to belonging to everyone, except you.

• • •

To tell you the truth, you snuck up on Johnny. After you made it clear the first day you met that you had no intention of sleeping with him, he sort of wrote you off other than flirting.

And one day he woke up and realized how desperately, horribly in love he is with you.

It happens a few weeks after your night at the bar. You were supposed to spend the night filming an outdoor scene, but it rained so hard that the stunts wouldn’t have been safe, so here you are in his living room. He had sold his mega mansion for something less expensive—Still lavish, but not nearly as expensive.

“So, do you want to go over the script and make those edits that the studio suggested or—”

“Nope.” He comes out of the kitchen holding a big bucket of popcorn. “We’re watching Aliens.”

You sigh and plop the script down on his coffee table.

“Johnny—” you say in this exasperated tone.

“Darling,” He echoes, in that same tone but more sarcastically. What a dick. You can’t help but want him. He sits with you and puts the popcorn between you, as he turns on the TV and brings up the movie. “Say what you want, but you’re my assistant, so you have to do what I say!”

“Agent.”

“Whatever! C’mon, take one night off, just watch this movie with me!”

You glance over to him and sigh. Why do you do the things you do for him? You’ll never know.

“Fine. One movie, and that’s it!” You tell him and curl up on the couch, your hand reaching to the popcorn to grab a fistful.

One thing no one ever told you was how God damn scary this movie was! You aren’t a big gore or horror person, so it takes you by surprise.

It’s really good, though you’d never admit it to Johnny, just fucking scary.

At some point throughout the movie, one of you moved over the popcorn bowl, slowly closing the gap between the two of you.

During a particularly scary scene, you find yourself jumping, right into his side, gripping his arm. Your heart is racing, but you’re so totally glued in.

“Jesus fucking Christ!” You gasp, your clutch on his arm growing tighter.

“Pretty cool, right?” He grins, noticing your grip on his arm.

“It’s fine.” He chuckles and shakes his head, leaning back on the couch.

And that was it. He was hooked. He knew how his image had been around Hollywood, and he knew that you saw him as this playboy. Which wasn’t entirely untrue, especially since his divorce.  But he wanted to make a change, wanted you to see the change, but he just couldn’t put his finger on how.

The rain is still pouring when the movie ends, when you finally pull yourself off his arm.

“I should be heading out.”

“What? You can’t drive in this.” He doesn’t want you to leave.

“It’s not that bad.”

“Just stay the night.”

“Johnny, I don’t even have clothes to—”

“I’ll give you some of mine. You can take the bed.”

You pause.

“Don’t think that this means I’ll sleep with you.”

He grins.

“Sleep in the same bed as me? Yeah. Let me do all these dirty things that I—”

You get up and head towards his room.

“I’m not on the clock, I’m not dealing with you.”

He grins and follows you.

“I don’t hear a no in there, hot stuff—”

“I swear to god, Johnny—”

You’re too busy bickering to get much sleep that night.

• • •

The movie comes out in two weeks, so on your agenda for today is fitting him for a new suit. You’re sitting, sipping a rather crisp mimosa when he comes out in this one suit. He does a nice twirl and holds his arms out, expecting approval.

He looks good. Like, good enough that you almost break that rule you made at the bar that night.

It’s been a month since you stayed at his place, and since then, things have just been different. You no longer must watch him go off and flirt with other people, because he seems to have some sort of change of heart.

You grin gently.

You put your drink down and stand up, going over to him and adjusting his tie.

He wears this black suit, except the suit coat is a deep blue velvet that is soft to the touch.

“You look great.” You tell him. He grins.

“Only missing my signature shades, good lookin’. That way you can’t tell when I’m looking at your—”

“Eyes, right, Johnny?”

“And ass.”

You laugh and shake your head, unable to comprehend that you feel anything except great love for that comment.

“So, what are you gonna wear?” He asks.

“What? To where?”

“To the premiere?”

“Johnny, I’m not going to the premiere—”

“You have to! You’re my assistant!”

“Agent!”

“Whatever!” His hands come to the dips of your hips. It’s a little too past platonic. You say nothing. “We need to get you an outfit.”

You groan. You hate shopping for clothes. You hate fancy clothes especially.

“Let me go order this to be tailored, and then we can go shopping for you. I’m thinking either blue, to match me, or gold, to compliment—”

“If I’m going to the premiere, It’ll be quietly behind all the cameras, not—”

“Then come as my date. Not as my agent, not as my assistant, not as my babysitter. As my date.”

“Don’t you want to go with someone pretty?”

He frowns.

“You’re pretty.” He tells you.

“Johnny—”

“No argument on this one, Darlin’, we’re going shopping,” he quickly kisses your forehead and walks off to go get changed and pay for his suit.

So that’s how you find yourself awkwardly fitting into this gold outfit, with black accents and the right curves to fit your body shape just right. It isn’t your body that fits awkwardly into it, it’s you. You’re not used to this level of formality.

“Come on out, sweetheart, I won’t bite!” Johnny calls from outside your dressing room.

“You’re gonna be mean to me!”

He gasps, “I would never!”

You sigh and adjust the outfit before walking back out of the dressing room.

“Don’t laugh—” But he isn’t laughing. He’s just looking at you. “You don’t like it.”

“Nononono—” he says, walking towards you and putting his hands on your shoulders. He smooths out the shoulders of your outfit, his thumb gently rubbing over your collarbone. “You look amazing.”

“I feel like a barbie.”

“You look great.”

“I’m not used to this.”

“Don’t worry, you’ll be a natural.”

“Besides, it won’t matter, everyone will be looking at you.”

He hums and shrugs.

“Everyone will be looking at you, I think.”

Your face goes red.

“Johnny!”

“I know you’re uncomfortable, but you do really look amazing, honey.”

You take his word for it.

• • •

When you get to the premiere two weeks later, it’s overwhelming. People are taking photos of you two, yelling his name, asking who you’re wearing. His hand does not leave yours.

“Just relax,” He tells you gently, “Just smile, it’s all you have to do.”

You do your best, trying to focus on the feeling of his arm around you as you pose. He glances down at you, tilting his shades down to the end of his nose. You can just make out his eyes. His hand comes up to your face and tilts your chin up.

He leans in and kisses you, as the crowds around you scream even louder. It occurs to you, at this moment, that he’s only kissing you to get publicity. That maybe he’s just taking advantage of the fact that you could be his mysterious new beaux. That he doesn’t want you, doesn’t want to kiss you, doesn't want anything to do with you.

You kiss back, not having any ability to resist how badly you want him anymore. You don’t care if it’s just for the cameras. You have no desire to pull away from him, no matter how pretend it may be.

When he does pull away, you make your way off the red carpet and into a secluded corner of the room.

“I’m sorry,” he starts.

“It’s okay, I get it, it didn’t mean anything—”

“What are you talking about?”

“…What are you talking about?”

“I’m sorry for surprising you so suddenly, it wasn’t where I wanted to do that, but I just.. I couldn’t help myself. You’re looking so good right now..”

“Not where you wanted to do that?”

“I’ve been meaning to kiss you for a while.. I just wanted it to be romantic and amazing, like you deserve, but I just couldn't help myself.”

“Like I deserve?”

“You have a lot of questions for someone who just got kissed by me—”

“Ugh, you’re the worst!”

“Does that mean you don’t want me to kiss you again?”

“…No.”

“That’s what I thought,” he leans to kiss you again, and you gladly let him. You only break off the kiss to take his sunglasses off his face, before kissing him again. Now that you had him, the want didn’t dissipate. Especially when you feel his hands on your hips again, and you only lean further into the kiss.

You can’t believe you waited so long to kiss Johnny Cage. Why would you ever deny yourself the right to make out in some quiet corner of a blockbuster movie premiere?

• • •

A week later, you’re sitting in that bar again. This time, you and Johnny have this booth in the back of the bar, and you’re leaning against him while he tries your extremely fruity drink and cringes at how sugary it is.

“I don’t know how you drink this shit.”

“I need to get nice and drunk after the day I had. Boss was being mean.”

“Sounds awful.”

“Yeah but He’s a great kisser, so.”

He grins and presses a kiss to your head. Somehow, He is more comfortable than he has been in a long time, feeling more like himself than he has in… years, maybe.

“It’s getting late, we should get you home soon.”

“Mm, But I like drinking. Besides, when did you become the responsible one?”

“When you ordered that fourth margarita.”

“Touche.” You finish your drink and sigh. “You���re not gonna let me have another, huh?”

“Not tonight, baby.” He says, patting your thigh gently. “C’mon, get up, I’ll go pay our tab and we can get some fresh air.”

You hum and get up, leaning against him as he makes his way to pay, and then you head outside to lean against the wall. Johnny keeps you up right as you try to breathe through the liquor. Then this girl comes up to you, and grins at your boyfriend.

“Are you Johnny Cage?” She asks. He bites back a sigh and smiles to her.

“I am, Hi—”

“I love your movies! Do you want to go grab a drink with me?” she asks, flirtatiously. You’re literally standing there leaning against him, with his arm around your waist.

“I’m sorry, you seem very nice, but I have to get my partner here home.” He says, “Have a nice night.”

She seems a little sad, but she bids you guys goodnight respectfully and heads into the bar.

“Your partner?” You ask, drunk on sugary drinks and love for this man.

“Yeah, they’re pretty nice.” He hums. “A pretty great assistant. An even better kisser.”

You frown.

“Agent!”

“Whatever.”

He leans in and kisses you to shut up before you can argue with him anymore. For once, you don’t mind his interruption.

[thewintersoldierdisaster]

a/n: hi hello i wasn’t expecting to write barzy long fic but those damn musician mat photos KILLED me. also yes, i started this fic literally the day after the photos were posted but here we are. it needed major editing and also i need to like sit on it for a bit before posting. ANYWAY it’s here and i’m happy with it? i hate the title but whatever, it is what it is. enjoy and let me know what you think!! 🫶🏻

word count: 4.3k

tw: semi-public fingering but doesn’t go all the way, public thigh grinding

summary: hanging out in a dive bar on long island, the last thing you expect to see is mat with a guitar over his shoulder, joining the cover band on stage

When you look up from responding to a text and Mat’s nowhere to be found, you’re not really that surprised. He does this a lot - gets distracted and wanders off. Occasionally, he’ll be cornered by a fan, smiling gamely for a selfie and chatting for a bit. Every once in a while he gets roped into a game of pool, chatting with the random men like he’s known them for years. Once in a bar in the city, and this one nearly killed you, he struck up a conversation with Aaron Tveit - your favorite Broadway star and secretly a man that you absolutely would use a hall pass on - without realizing that he was talking to someone more famous in certain New York circles than he is.

All this to say, Mat disappearing in the bar isn’t a totally unprecedented occurrence.

You set your phone back down on the high top table and lean a shoulder against the wall next to you, crossing your legs at the ankle and taking a sip of your High Noon. It’s warm-ish now, starting to taste more artificial, and you look over your shoulder at the bar, scrutinizing the crowd that’s gathered and waiting for the bartender to notice them. It’s not worth it to leave the table since it’ll be snatched up in a second, so you flip your phone over and use your index finger to tap out a quick message to Mat asking him to get you another drink when he gets back from wherever he wandered off to - at this point you’re assuming there’s a major line for the men’s room. The little blue bubble floats up and shows it was delivered. Satisfied, you lean back against the wall, scooping your hair off the back of your neck with your free hand and holding it in a lazy ponytail so your neck can cool off a bit.

Long Island is a humid, swampy mess, August slipping away into a moment in time, as Queen Taylor says. But September is doing her damnedest to remind everyone that she’s still a summer month too.

Not that you mind, having been born and raised on Long Island and intimately familiar with the weather extremes, but it’s particularly gross in the bar tonight. Sweaty bodies packed in for the 90s alt cover band that’s supposed to be playing tonight. They’ve played at the bar before and they’re pretty good you have to admit, but right now you’re just wishing for a little bit of a breeze.

Giving up on your hair, you twist it up into a messy knot, securing it with a thin black elastic that’s seen better days. Three loops around thick hair, and you know it’s going to snap before the night is over, but you can’t worry about that now. There’s immediate relief from pulling your hair off your neck and now you can focus on the fact that Mat’s actually been missing for more than a few minutes. You tap your phone screen, looking for a message, but there’s nothing from him, just a few messages in the girls’ group chat talking about Monday night’s poker event. Wrinkling your nose, you look around the bar again, trying to see if you can spot your boyfriend.

It’s too dark though, Mat’s hair and black tee would blend in with the crowds. After a few more minutes of looking, you give up, rolling your eyes and muttering to yourself, “he better not have found Aaron Tveit again,” before taking another sip of your High Noon. The spark of grapefruit flavour hits the back of your tongue and you pinch your lips together, swiping at your lower lip with the tip of your tongue. Drops of condensation roll down the can, making your hand wet and you wipe your palm on the fabric of your dress, already a little sticky with sweat.

Bored without Mat, you reply to the group chat and scroll through Instagram, double tapping on a photo Sofia posted of Olivia and commenting a string of heart eyes emojis. While you’re on your phone, the band takes the stage, a group of older men that have clearly been on the circuit for a while now. You start to swipe over to the phone app, ready to call Mat and find out where he went, when another man comes out onto the stage - this one much younger, much more handsome, and much more familiar to you.

“What?” The shocked gasp falls out of your mouth and either you’re louder than you thought or Mat just has radar to tell where you are at any given moment, because he looks over as he’s adjusting the guitar strap on his shoulder and winks at you, his mouth curling up in that familiar cocky smirk you know and love.

Mat’s been fooling around on the guitar for years now and he’s gotten half-way decent in that time, but you had no idea he was feeling confident enough to play in front of a packed bar. Or that he knew the band well enough to ask or be asked to join.

The lights over the stage dim and brighten simultaneously and the band gets into position, drumsticks clicking together to signify the start of the set. In your excitement and rush to grab your phone so you can record Mat, you nearly knock over your drink, catching it at the last second. Mat grins at you again and tucks a piece of hair behind his ear, looking down at the guitar to position his fingers. You cover your mouth with your free hand to muffle the excited noises that start when the band begins to play - you want to make sure that the video you record has Mat’s playing, not your squeaks and cheers. He looks a little nervous at the start, focused intently on her fingers and the guitar strings, but as the song goes on, Mat gets more into it and relaxes.

The phone shakes in your hand a little from your excitement and the inevitability of you bouncing a bit on the balls of your feet as you get into the music too. Mat’s hair falls over his forehead and curls around his ears, long at his neck, and a flush of heat spreads through your stomach. He’s stupidly attractive up on stage, playing his guitar, and you’re ready to jump him. You lean up a little on your toes to get a better angle, the hem of your dress fluttering around your thighs. Mat looks up while he plays and spots you again. You move your hand from your mouth and grin brightly at him. He responds with another delighted smirk, shaking his hair out of his face.

Around you, the crowd is into the cover, singing along when they know the lyrics and dancing in that lazy way people dance in dive bars. You catch a few mentions of Mat’s name, eyes landing on a handful of younger girls that are staring openly at him and recording. You bite down on your lower lip to prevent the self-satisfied smirk from forming. There’s something extremely satisfying knowing that all these girls are thirsting over Mat, but you get to go home with him.

Mat shakes his hair back again and scrunches his nose up while he plays and the girl closest to you nearly yelps, “fuck, he’s so hot with that hair.”

Her friend chimes in with, “it’s giving Nathan Scott season four minus the depression.”

The first girl replies, “it’s going to be such a crime when he has to cut it for the season.” She’s not wrong - you always hate when Mat does the Lou-approved chop at the end of the summer.

You muffle a laugh behind your hand and focus on Mat’s playing. The song winds down and his grin is immediate and genuine. He shakes the hands of each of the guys and claps them on the back before wandering off the stage. You stop the recording and set your phone back down on the table, clapping and cheering along with the crowd. The band starts back up again and you bounce on the balls of your feet, waiting for Mat to find you.

He ducks through the crowds, still grinning, and appears in front of you suddenly. Before he can say a word, you throw yourself at him, locking your arms around his neck and slanting your lips over his. One of Mat’s arms wraps around your lower back, holding you flush against the front of his body. You grin against his mouth - he tastes like peach flavored High Noon, chapstick, and the salt of his sweat. Mat’s tongue swipes against your lower lip, encouraging you to open your mouth and you do, deepening the kiss and twisting your fingers into the hair at the nape of his neck, tugging gently. He groans against your mouth, the sound swallowed up by your lips. The kiss lingers and fades out as you pull back for air, but then Mat ducks forward and kisses you softly. Your forehead rests against his and you exhale a little giggle.

“Hi, babe,” he laughs, whole face crinkled up in delight when he pulls back, one arm still looped around your waist. You can feel his hand tremble against your waist, betraying nerves or leftover adrenaline from his stint on stage.

“Oh my god! You loser!” You laugh, pushing at his shoulder with the palm of your hand. Mat grabs your wrist with lightning quick reflexes and flexes his fingers around your wrist, tightening gently before he brings your hand to his mouth to kiss your pulse point. Your breath stutters in your chest, but you continue, “I can’t believe you didn’t tell me you were going to play!”

Still holding your wrist, Mat steps closer and shakes his head. “I wasn’t planning on it. I went to the bathroom, sort of got talking with the band,” he shrugs, “it just happened.”

“It just happened!” you echo on a laugh. “Well you were amazing.”

“Thanks,” Mat ducks his head, ears going a little pink underneath his hair. He releases your wrist and scrapes his hand through his hair, the sweaty strands holding in place. Your back bumps against the wall and you realize Mat’s still crowding your body, one muscled thigh in between your legs. You hook an ankle around his, dragging his leg a little closer and the faint smile on his lips becomes more salacious, hungry. He leans his hand against the wall next to your head, caging you in. Your stomach flips and heat coils low, throbbing between your legs.

Your tongue darts out and licks your lower lip and Mat’s gaze traces the movement, eyes darkening in a familiar way. His palm is flat over the curve of your hip, but his fingers curl up a little, capturing the cotton fabric of your dress and tugging the fabric up a little. A flutter of a breeze hits your upper thigh.

“Maybe you should quit hockey,” you giggle a little, blinking lazily, “and play guitar full time.”

“Yeah?” Mat raises an eyebrow. “Don’t think amateur guitar playing is as lucrative as professional hockey.” His fingers twist in your dress more, making you glad that he has you backed against the wall and blocked with his body. He leans in, pressing his leg against your inner thigh, knocking it out an inch or so, widening your stance. Your entire body flushes with heat and it has nothing to do with the humid bar atmosphere.

Your head lolls back, hitting lightly against the wall, and you hum. “It’s really fucking hot though,” you murmur, tipping your head up so you can press a kiss to the edge of his chin. “All that fingering,” you giggle the innuendo, finding it cheesy even as you say it.

Mat huffs a laugh against your temple. His fingers loosen their grip in the fabric of your dress, letting the damp and sure to be wrinkled fabric fall back against your thigh. “I already have a fingering side-gig,” he informs you, his hand slipping underneath the hem of your dress. He presses the pads of his fingers up against the soaked fabric of your panties and you gasp, jolting your hips forward. He strokes the fabric slowly, dropping kisses against your temple and down the side of your face. He works you over through the fabric, sticky arousal collecting between your legs. The lace surely can’t be doing much at this point and Mat’s fingers slide over your inner thighs. His calloused fingertips catch and snag on the lace, stuttering his work and making your clit throb.

“I can’t believe I’m gonna let you touch me after that line,” you laugh, choking off into a little gasp when Mat snaps the elastic of your panties against the crease of your thigh.

“You started it,” he reminds you, a cocky smirk gracing his lips. His forehead touches yours as his fingers continue their exploration, trailing up and dipping under the waistband of your panties. Your stomach clenches when he stops inches from where you really want him and you bump his nose with yours. “You’re not supposed to start things you can’t finish,” he warns, pressing closer to you, sliding his fingers lower. Your skin is hot, sweat beading at your hairline from the effort of keeping your legs from trembling.

You let out a harsh exhale. “Mat,” you mumble his name, grabbing at his wrist with both hands, trying to force his hand lower. He shakes his head against yours and doesn’t budge, your muscle strength no match for his. “We’re in public.” As if to punctuate your sentence, the drummer goes into a solo, the beat of the sticks on the drums pounding in time with your heart.

His fingers curl briefly and then they’re gone, leaving you cold and hot and frustrated. “Okay,” he says, shrugging. There’s an infuriating smirk on his face when you manage to look up. “I’ll behave.” He flips the hem of your dress down and smooths his palm over the fabric.

“I…what…Mat!” You stutter, the throbbing between your legs pounding in time with your heart. “You can’t just…” your voice trails off and you press your thighs together - or try to at least - Mat’s muscled leg is still in between yours and prevents you from giving yourself any relief.

Your absolute menace of a boyfriend holds his index finger - the one that had just been making a home in between your legs and is still wet with your arousal - up to his lips and shushes you. “Shh, I’m trying to listen to the music,” he smirks, sliding his other hand down the wall behind you and wrapping it around your shoulders, easily manhandling you so your back is leaning against his chest while he leans against the wall. You’re so stunned by the delayed pleasure that you don’t resist at all. Mat reaches around you and picks up your half-empty High Noon and knocks it back, holding the can lightly and sliding his arm from around your shoulders to wrap around your waist, forearm pressed against your stomach. His broad palm rests on your opposite hip, blunt nails scratching lightly and absently.

He hums along to the music in your ear and you sink back against his chest, still frustrated, muttering, “I can’t believe you shushed me.” Mat exhales a little laugh and kisses the side of your neck, scraping his teeth against your pulse point. Your head suddenly feels too heavy for your neck and you drop it back against his shoulder, giving Mat easier access to kiss your cheekbone. “Take me home,” you whine quietly, silently willing Mat’s hand to drift lower, but it remains stubbornly planted on the jut of your hip bone.

Mat’s nose bumps against your temple and you catch the scent of his cologne, mixed with the citrusy sweet alcoholic scent of the High Noon on his breath. He lazily rolls his hips forward, the hard bulge of his erection pressing against the curve of your ass. You grind back against him, whining low in the back of your throat. “Mat, please, I wanna go home,” you mumble, the vibration of the music rattling through your chest. Your hands wrap around Mat’s forearm, squeezing. “C’mon, take me to bed.”

“Babe,” Mat’s arm tightens around you, pulling you harder against his erection. You push your ass into him again, nearly grinding over the thigh that’s still in between your legs, desperate for relief. He holds you in place. “Thought we were in public?” His voice is slightly strangled, his breathing hitching when you press back harder, slipping a hand behind your back and in between your bodies. It takes a second, but you manage to wiggle your hand into place, pressing the heel of your palm, hard, against the fly of his jeans. Mat sucks in a sharp breath and he pinches your hip in warning, his head dipping down and his teeth sinking into the side of your neck in a matching warning nip. You hiss at the sting of his teeth, knowing there’s going to be a mark there in the morning when he sucks gently at the spot, tracing his tongue over the faint impressions of his teeth.

“We don’t have to be,” you murmur, brushing your knuckles against the ridge of his erection. “You have a very nice car that can get us home in twenty minutes.”

Mat’s breath is harsh in your ear, the empty can in his hand making a crunching noise when he crumples it in his fist. Your arm is starting to go a little numb, twisted behind your back and pressed in between your bodies, and you’re desperately hoping Mat gives up and gives in to what you want soon. His hand flexes over your hip and you grind down on his thigh again, hiccuping a breath at the drag of his jeans and your lacy panties over your swollen clit. Faintly, you wonder if you’re causing a scene, if people are watching you both, but Mat’s hands aren’t anywhere they shouldn’t be and your grind on his thigh could easily be mistaken for drunken dancing.

“Think you can wait twenty minutes, babe?” Mat jerks his hips into your ass, tossing the can back onto the table top and wrapping his other arm around your stomach so you’re caged against him. You wiggle your hand out from behind your back just before it’s completely lost feeling. “Moving pretty good on my thigh,” he bounces it lightly, sending shockwaves up your spine. “Think you could get off like this?”

Yes, is your immediate thought.

You have and can use Mat’s thick, muscled thigh to get yourself off. Most recently two nights ago, lazily grinding yourself over him on the couch while half-heartedly watching a movie. But tonight, with alcohol and lust fogging your brain and the image of Mat’s capable fingers working the guitar strings, you don’t want his thigh.

“Wan’ your fingers,” you turn your head and press the tip of your nose against the side of his neck, nuzzling him. He smells so fucking good. Mat chuckles, kissing your forehead. “You’re so good with your fingers.” Your hands cross your stomach, covering his hands, and you play with his fingers, lacing them with yours.

“You’re good at getting what you want,” Mat grins and you can feel the lift of his cheek against the side of your head. He squeezes you in a hug once, tightly, before loosening his grip. “You gotta walk in front of me to the car, babe. Hide the evidence of what you do to me, don’t wanna get in trouble.”

Your heart kicks up its tempo in your chest and you lift your head from Mat’s shoulder. “Home?” You ask brightly, wiggling and turning in Mat’s arms, your own coming up to loop around his neck.

“Yeah, home,” he laughs, smirking, cupping your cheek with one large hand and dragging your face up to his for a deep kiss. His hips roll mindlessly against yours and you lift higher on your toes to press flush against him, the throbbing between your legs building. When he breaks the kiss off, there’s a mischievous little gleam in his eyes and a slightly mean curl to his lips. “But you don’t get to touch. I’m gonna practice on you, okay, babe?” He taps his fingertips against your cheek, “just these. Gonna practice my finger placement.” Mat’s eyes are dark, pupils blown wide with lust, obscuring the usual hazel-green color.

Your head bobbles up and down in an agreeable nod. You’ll agree to almost anything just to get Mat’s fingers inside your throbbing cunt. You also know that he’s a total softie and as much as he tries to act stern and tough, once you get into bed with him it’s only a matter of time before he gives up the act and gives you whatever you want. Honestly, you’re both too horny for each other to really commit to the bit. Plus, you roll your hips up into Mat’s, based on the rock hard erection he’s sporting, you’re not even sure Mat’ll be able to keep to the promise of giving you only his fingers.

His hand slides back from your cheek and tangles in the messy bun knotted at the nape of your neck, gently pulling so your face tilts up. “Let’s get out of here,” he grins, kissing the corner of your mouth and turning you around swiftly, one hand resting on your lower back to push you in front of him and through the crowd. You reach back and tangle your fingers with his free hand, a zap of excitement running up your spine when Mat’s hand slides lower and grabs a handful of your ass.

You’re navigating the crowd with Mat hot on your heels, purposely stepping on the backs of your sandals and laughing when you whip your head around to glare at him. His hand flexes against your lower back, warm through the cotton, and he uses his hand in yours to pull you back slightly so your ass bumps against his groin. “Gotta move a little faster, babe,” he teases.

“You’re a fucking menace, Mathew,” you grumble, a laugh startling out of your chest when Mat finally urges you out the front door and crowds you up against the front of the bar. Heat pools low in your stomach and you lick your lower lip reflexively. Mat grins down at you and ruffles a hand through his hair. It’s messy, the little wings sticking out around his ears and neck, and all you want to do is tangle your fingers in it and pull while he eats you out. And you tell him so, watching with delight as his eyes glaze over a little and his mouth goes slack.

“Why the fuck are we still standing here then?” He asks, voice a little strangled.

A giggle slips past your lips. “You tell me, Van Halen.” Your hands slide up Mat’s arms and over his shoulders so your fingers can twist in his hair. Mat hisses when you tug gently. “Why aren’t we in the car or at home where you can get those talented fingers knuckle deep in me?”

Mat groans your name and drops his forehead to your shoulder, growling a little against your overheated skin. His hands slide to your waist, gripping tightly. You grin wickedly, even though he can’t see it, and tug his hair again. “If you get me home soon, I’ll show off my skills,” you murmur into his ear, tongue darting out to trace the shell of his ear.

“Fuck,” Mat grunts, grabbing your hand and nearly yanking your shoulder out of its socket with the force of pulling you down the street to his parked car. Your giggles echo around the quiet street, the humid air enveloping you and making your hair frizz around your temples. At the car, Mat pushes you up against the side, grasping your chin in one hand and kisses you, hard and bruising, his tongue dipping in your mouth. His other hand slides up your dress and he presses his thumb against your clit, the rasp of the lace on your clit providing extra simulation. Your knees go weak and you moan into his mouth, flattening your palms against the side of the car for stability. A rush of heat floods between your legs and the longer Mat’s lips are on yours, the wetter you get. At this point you’re not sure if it’s sweat or arousal that’s dripping down the inside of your thighs. He slides his tongue over your lower lip and rubs his fingers against your damp panties again, eliciting a strangled noise from the back of your throat.

When Mat breaks the kiss, pulling back from your face and breathing heavily, you blink up at him, completely dazed and lust drunk. He kisses the tip of your nose and squeezes the inside of your thigh and you giggle, unable to stop the words from slipping out of your mouth, “are you gonna play Wonderwall before or after I get my orgasms?”

A laugh barks out of Mat’s mouth and he pinches your ass cheek, making you squeal. “Just for that, it’s gonna be before,” he laughs again, reaching behind you to pull open the passenger door. You fold into the seat, making sure to flash Mat a little before yanking the door shut and grinning at him from behind the window.

“Who’s the menace now, babe?” Mat sticks his tongue out at you, laughing, his eyes dancing with mischief.

“Still you,” you tease back, wrinkling your nose at him, knowing he’s going to be so worked up the more you poke fun at him. “Now get in the car, I’m gonna put Wonderwall on so we can get straight to the fingering practice when we get home.”

[vulpixisananimal]

(Warning for death and dagger usage under the cut.)

"Look out, everyone!"

"W-what do we do?!?" (Mirabelle looks panicked.)

"Just stay calm, we've beaten a lot of sadness' before, haven't we?" (You draw your dagger and take an offensive stance, falling back into habit.)

"Hey hold on Loop! We don't know if, if hurting it will hurt Ramos or. . ." (Glancing over, Isabeau looks hesitant.)

"We can't worry about that right now, it's about to attack." (Odile was ready, slow, but ready.)

"I-I've not practiced! Or, or fought anything for a while!" (Mirabelle was struggling struggling to stay composed.)

(You glance over with a smile.) "The house was only a month ago, we fought a lot. . . of. . ."

(Oh.)

(Right.)

(Your companions, they weren't ready at all. You never did fight that first house sadness with Mirabelle; Isabeau is still shaken up by Ramos' betrayal. Odile seemed at least somewhat ready, but how much had all of you kept up with training and fighting? You were out of pracice.)

(Stars.)

"Hey!!!! Don't just stand there crabface!!!" (Bonnie yelled from the side, glancing over, Nille was struggling to keep them away from the fight. It looks like she'd grabbed her hamer too.) "Fight!!!"

(Loop time. You snap your fingers.) "Alright everyone, let's be fast about it, just follow my lead~"

"W-we're really doing this???" (Mirabelle looked worried, but nodded.) "Alright! Alright let's, then let's do this!!!" (She gripped her rapier and dashed forward, slashing at the sadness. It glanced off like it was nothing.)

"S- Loop, I-" (You glance over at Isa, he looks shaken up.) "Are, are you sure they'll be alright??"

(. . .)

"They'll be alright."

(Isabeau time. He nods back to you and takes a strong, defencieve pose. You already feel hardier.)

"Loop, you do know about craft type advantages, correct?" (Odile glances your way.)

"Of course! What kind of star would I if I didn't~"

"How does that- nevermind." (Odile shook her head, and held out an open palm with a powerful paper craft. The sadness recoiled back, and then screamed.)

"Look out!!" (Nille yelled, the sadness came charging at Odile and struck out.)

"Hrrng--"

"M'dame!!"

"I-I'm alright."

(This isn't working.)

(Hush you! You're not helping! You shake your head and focus, come on Loop, you're rusty too, aren't you. Stars, when WAS the last time you were able to attack something.)

(Siffrin.)

(. . . Tee Hee, it was, wasn't it~ You rush in with your dagger and strike at the sadness. It felt like grinding against stone, but still, the sadness recoiled; a powerful strike.)

"Woah..." (Isa was staring at you, oh were you impressed~?)

". . Tee hee~" (You wink in reply.)

"This sadness is really strong, just, just be careful!" (Mirabelle clapped her hands, you feel a warm strength flow through you.)

"Hey!! Catch!!" (You turn, Bonnie came running out of the house with a few tonics in hand and tossed it at you and the party. Your crit chance increased!) "I found a few extras!"

"Nice work Boniface!" (Nille gripped her hammer anxiously.) "Crab you guys are strong."

"Saving the world does that! Hey! Ramos!" (Isabeau jumped from side to side, taking the sadness' attention. He looked your way.) "Got them distracted for ya Loop!"

"Perfect." (You hold out a scissors sign and slash with your dagger. Once, twice, three times and a crit! Oh how you MISSED this. Even if you were rusty and you were hitting rock with scissors, you still felt strong, so strong.)

(Odile time. She was holding her head in a hand before snapping to attention. She put out an open palm and. . .)

". . . Hrrnghh--"

(She stumbled back and held her head. Turn over.)

"M'dame!!!"

"Odile?!? Are you alright???"

"F-fine, I just. . ."

(The sadness roared and rushed at her again.)

"Crab!!!" (Nille rushed forward, she shoved Odile out of the way and blocked the attack with her hammer.)

"SIS!!!" (Bonnie started running forward, pan in hand.)

"DON'T YOU DARE!!! I'M NOT LETTING YOU GET HURT YOU-"

(Bonnie ignored their sister and ran to the Sadness while it was distracted, and BAM! A big blow from Bonnies pan that made it double over and back off of Nille, Bonnie quickly retreated to the back.)

(Nille looked surprised, you could only imagine what was going through her head, but you had to focus.) "Keep it up!"

(Mirabelle time, she held out a scissors sign and thrust with her rapier, another crit! You were really getting progress.)

(You might get this first try.)

(The was dripping with tears, and struggled getting upright. Untill it snapped its head back and shrieked, this time loud enough to hurt.)

"Hrrk--"

"W-what in Change--"

(Stars it hurt, it was rattling around your head. Was it still screaming? No, no it stopped, but, dammit you could still hear it!! You couldn't focus!! You couldn't think, you couldn't--)

(. . .)

(You breathe in and out. You grip your dagger and your teeth, and throw out a palm. [Paper].)

(The blast interupts the sadness. Making it sputter and cough. Stars. Finally. So annoying.)

"N-nice work Loop." (You look over, Isabeau is giving you a big thumbs up. Not Loop, but that didn't matter right now.)

"I-it's, it looks weak! We can beat it!!" (Mirabelle held out a hand and cast a quick healing spell on Odile, who was getting up and back into battle.)

"B-but, but Ramos will be fine, right? You're absolutly sure???"

(You nod. You didn't know, but you had to win.)

(Give me back the front!! Do you even ASK?!?)

(Battle first.)

"A-alright, alright!! S-sorry if this hurts!" (Isabeau rushes in and strikes out against the sadness, a strong punch that the sadness takes with ease.)

(Odile time.)

". . . . Cant. . . . Focus. . . ." (She's shaking her head.)

"M'dame. . ."

(The sadness looked between you and the others, it charged forward at you, looking to take your head off.)

"Move it!" (Nille again, she shoved you out of the way and tried blocking the strike. This time, however, the sadness slipped past her hammer and flung her halfway accross the yard. K.O)

"SIS!!!!"

"No!!! Is she ok?!?!"

(You grit your teeth. Stupid. Stupid stupid stupid stupid. Why did she touch you, idiot. She just got herself hurt. Fine. That was fine. You didn't need them, any of them. Stupid. Stupid Ramos. Stupid sadness. Just go away!!)

([Just attack])

(You strike out increddibly fast, fast enough that your body is aching at the strain, striking the sadness multiple times with your undevided attention before jumping back.)

(The sadness stumbled for a second, then roared, then screamed, then whimpered. It collapsed to one knee, then crumpled to the ground.)

(You breathe in, and out.)

(Mirabelle is now level 46.)

(Isabeau is now level 46.)

(Odile is now level 46.)

(Nille is now level 14.)

(. . .)

(Ugh, your head, that stupid, stupid thing, you were holding back, sure, but that's because you were already strained! You had been using time craft too much as is and didn't want to drain yourself! Didn't want to PROTECT Siffrin?!?)

(Looping again due to dying is worse.)

(You had it handled, it was fine. You shook your head and stumbled back. That scream was still rattling your head a little. Looking up, Mirabelle was running to Nille, and Isabeau to the Sadness, or what was the sadness? It looked like it was disolving.)

(So you went over to Odile. She'd sat down and was rubbing her head still.) "M'dame? Are you alright?"

(She shook her head.) "Hard, to focus."

(Concerning.)

(You hold out a hand.) "Let me help, I know a bit of healing."

"F-fine. . ." (With a bit of hesitation, you place your hand where you thought the wound was. Healing wasn't your specialty, but it was one of those skills you just learned after seeing Mirabelle do it hundreds of times.) "Did we beat it?"

(You tilted your head.) "Yes? We beat it, did you miss it?"

"I, can't think properly-"

"Sif!! Mira!!"

(You turn around, it's Isas voice, and he sounded terrified.)

(He was holding Ramos in his arms.)

(Ramos, Ramos wasn't moving.)

(You ran over, Mirabelle right behind you.) "Are, are they alright?!?"

"I-I don't know! I tried waking them up, a-and I checked their pulse, and, and--"

"L-let me see." (Mirabelle, put a hand to Ramos' head, then their heart. Her face was, well, it was hard to tell. She was focused.) ". . ."

". . ."

". . ."

"I-I. . . I don't. . ." (She took her hand back, she was shaking.)

(Your heart dropped. They, where they, where they dead?)

(. . . Stupid.)

"How. . . "(You ignored your headmate.) "We've fought dozens of sadness and, but, how did. . ."

"I-I don't know! I-I-" (Mirabelle was hyperventilating.)

"Ramos. . ." (Isa was holding their body. He looked, he looked truly devistated.)

(. . . They were friends. That wasn't a lie, at least.)

(No, it wasn't. You don't know if that makes this more or less tragic. Stars. . .)

(Isabeau glances up at you, he was about to say something, then looked away.)

(. . . Do it.)

(For once, we agree~)

"I'm going back." (You say.)

"!?!?!"

"Huh??"

"I'm going back. Going to try again." (You sigh. Stupid. You probably could just go with this. But. . .)

"Loop I," (Isabeau looked at you, his eyes. . .) "I'm. . . W-well-

"I understand."

(We did kill Ramos, after all.)

(You ignore it.)

". . ." (Mirabelle looked your way, she was biting her nails. A person was dead. She probably couldn't talk.)

(Just go back. We've done enough here.)

(You sigh. You still haven't told me how you looped back before.)

(You know how.)

(. . . . You hypocrite. I'm not doing that.)

(. . .)

(You shake your head. What a pain. Loop was probably going to yell at you about using the dagger later. Stupid. You need an easy way to loop back, and that was the only way. Fine. They were gone for now.)

(You look at your companions. At Isabeau. He is sad. He wont remember. You turn to the side and take out your dagger. He wont remember.)

(You twist the dagger, and stab yourself. You feel a tug-)

(Bonnie is looking at you.)

[guppybibi]

It's Showbiz, Baby.

𖦹 pairing: Kita Shinsuke x fem!reader

𖦹 word count: 2460

𖦹 content: shinsuke is in deep denial, slowburn…very slowburn. hints(?) of body image issues and eating disorders. shinsuke is insanely oblivious. mild cursing.

𖦹 notes: a lot of the farming terms are from google…i i dont know how it works. Also just posted it on my AO3 ! (hearts4abbie). I apologize for any misinformation about the topics here, all of these are from google. next one is them having a silly 'date' tee hee:p

✧. ┊    Part 1 ┊ Part 2

⋆*･ﾟ:⋆*･ﾟ⋆*･ﾟ:⋆*･ﾟ⋆*･ﾟ:⋆*･ﾟ⋆*･ﾟ:⋆⋆*･ﾟ:⋆*･ﾟ⋆*･ﾟ:⋆*･ﾟ

It was the break of dawn, and Shinsuke was already up and about in the fields; sleep was still in his system. He yawns as he tends to his rice grains, spraying on some fertilizer to increase the yield. Adjusting his hat that keeps him cool while under the sun, he yawns while intently watching the sky as he waits for the sun to rise. To his own surprise, he was met with a light tap on his back which obscurely startled him. His body instinctively does a little jump, yet his face said otherwise as it was still the same as before. Turning around to see who it was, expecting it to be his family. You were standing right before him in humble clothing, one wouldn’t think of you as a viral sensation with how you looked like right now. Shinsuke mentally shook his head, he shouldn’t stereotype that all celebrities prance around in designer clothing..

“Um..Shinsuke, right? Can I ask you something?” You asked in a rather meek tone which Shin didn’t really expect, sure he had already met you yesterday but he couldn’t just automatically assume how a person acted based off of one single interaction. He won’t lie, he has watched multiple of your movies with his sister and you coincidentally played all of the roles that required you to be rude and mean. He just..expected you to act that way in real life as well since you were so good at playing those types of roles. It was like you were meant to be playing the role of an antagonist in every movie you star in, yet the figure in front of him tells him a completely different story. “Yes, what do you need Ms.- um..Y/N.'' He curses himself in his head when he slips up, he had permission from her to address her casually; after all they seemed to be about the same age as each other. “Well I’m sorry for bothering you if I did but I heard there’s a plaza nearby? Do you know the directions to it?” You ask, fiddling with your hair as you anticipate his answer.

“The plaza..? Well I’m not so sure which plaza you’re referring to but the nearest one here is about an hour away..” He replies and gets a disappointed look in return, hearing you mutter an “oh..”. The air of dismay surrounding you struck something in him, he wasn’t sure he knew what it was but he couldn’t stand seeing you feel that way. He assumes it’s just his hospitable nature striking a chord in his system, a lady was in need of help; his client out of all people so he needed to help. “I’m actually stopping by there later this afternoon to drop off some deliveries, maybe you could tag along?” He offers, quickly catching your attention. “I’d love to! Thank you so much, I’ll pay you-""No need to pay me with money, I don’t need it.” He bites his tongue to stop himself from offering her to help her around the farm or cleaning his home, remembering that she was a guest and a celebrity. He shouldn’t let her lift a finger, she was here to relax; not to scrub the floors of their porch. Though you notice he was about to say something, urging him to continue. Humans had the right to speak after all! Unless he was an alien–no that was stupid..You couldn’t help but visualize him as an alien though..”No no! Go on, I’m not that sensitive. I’m sure I can handle whatever you were going to say.” You insist, the white haired man still looking unsure. “I..Maybe you could help with scrubbing the floors..?” He suggests, his voice barely audible as he tries to avoid your gaze. “That’s it?” You question, tilting your head to the side.

Shinsuke looks at you, raising another thin little brow. You spoke of the chore like it wasn’t a laborious task, sure it wasn’t the hardest one but it still required a good amount of effort. “You don’t really need to-” “No! I- I mean, I’ll do it!” Shinsuke knew that he had no place to argue back, whenever he had disagreements with women he always somehow managed to lose. Whether it be with his grandma or sister, it seems like it hasn’t changed until now. “Alright, I’ll take the silence as a yes. When do I start?” You ask, looking oddly excited to do such a chore. Shinsuke thinks about how his whole family is still asleep right now, not to be awake in a few hours or so. It would be best if she started while his sister was asleep so she doesn’t go batshit crazy when she sees her idol scrubbing the floors of her home. “If it’s okay with you, you can start now. When you’re finished, come back to me.” He instructs while you nod in agreement.

“The things you need are in the closet over there, thank you. If you don’t want to do it, you can always stop whenever.” “I’m not made out of glass, I can scrub a few floors here and there! I’ll be back.” Then you set off, Shinsuke could see your figure from afar–on your knees as you cleaned the floors. He can imagine his dear grandma scolding him for making a guest such as her clean their home. Eventually, you finish the task given to you; putting away all the supplies you used and proudly standing before the now squeaky floors. Looking over to the field, you see that Shinsuke was already pretty far. Running over to him, following his instructions earlier; you weren’t so sure if you were panting because you’ve been running too quickly for a while now or if your body is just tired from the task you just did. You always felt tired, you didn’t know why. Everyday you just felt so low on energy, like you were about to collapse and fall asleep. It never really worried you, you weren’t a sickly person–even as a child.

You stop in your tracks once you reach Shinsuke, who is still doing farm work. Hands on your knees and sweat beading on your forehead as you pant, you looked like you ran a marathon. A concerned expression arises on his face, about to reach out to help you before you start waving your hands. “I-I’m alright! I finished scrubbing the floors, they’re squeaky clean!” You babble, hands on your hips as you finally managed to lift your body up. “Um..alright, thank you Y/N. I’m actually about to finish up so we can have breakfast together? It’s 7AM already, unless you’ve already had your fill before coming up to me earlier?” Have you eaten yet? You don’t really remember, it’s not like you keep track of everything you do daily. You shook your head no, feeling your stomach grumble at the idea of food. You blush as you hear your tummy growl, wanting to shame your own belly from loudly announcing your hunger in front of your acquaintance. Shinsuke just smiles though, almost identical to the one his grandma always has. He doesn’t really notice the sounds of your stomach, not that he cares–it wasn’t any of his business. “Very well, come with me. I’ll just reheat some of the rice porridge we had last night, if that’s fine with you?” Rice porridge..It sounded nice, considering that the rice was made by them; a bunch of well trusted rice farmers–it must’ve been good. Yet the next words you blurted out next were quite different from what was on your mind. “How many calories does that have again?” You swore you sounded like a crazy health nut just now, realizing that it may have been interpreted as something rude. “It’s about 80 calories, I don’t see why it matters-” Stopping himself yet again, something felt weird..Shinsuke has never doubted himself, never. So why does he feel like he’s walking on eggshells when he’s around you?

Is it because you’re a literal leading light in the entertainment industry and could quickly trash his whole family’s name with a snap of a finger? No, with how you’ve acted so far; he can safely assume you wouldn’t do that over something so simple. However there really is something churning in the bottom of his stomach, you didn’t seem right to him. “80 calories huh..Well since I’m on vacation, I should treat myself to a good meal!” You mumble to yourself, shrugging as you watch and follow Shinsuke while you both trek back to his family home. You were honestly pretty surprised how welcoming he has been so far, is this how all province folk are? Wondering if his family was the same and that Shinsuke wasn’t an exception. You might as well move right here, this instant! “After you,” The bicolored man spoke, sliding the wooden door open carefully so as to not wake up his still sleeping family. Looking around his home as you step in, awe fills you once you see the traditional interior of the home. It felt strangely comforting, nothing you’ve ever felt even when staying at the grandest mansions back in the city. Everything truly has its own charm..”Make yourself at home, I’ll just heat up the food.” As Shinsuke excuses himself out of the room, while he heats up the food; the feeling in his stomach wouldn’t go away. Perhaps it was just hunger, it must’ve been.

He’s never felt this way in a rather long time, the feeling has a similar tinge to when he was looking after his volleyball team way back. Watching over them like a proud father, feeling obliged to take them under his wing. Or the first time he saw his little brother, light shining on the swaddled baby as Shinsuke thanked the Gods above them. Care. That was what he felt. But why did he care about you? You were a mere client to him, ones he came across with everyday. What exactly made you different? He just couldn’t put a finger on it..He decides that he’ll soon do what he thinks is best, questioning his family about it.

Having breakfast with you felt natural, chatting about your two contrasting lives surely kept you both entertained as you gulped down the meal. The calming aura surrounding you both that felt just right was disturbed when Kimiko entered the kitchen, still in her pajamas with bed hair as she rubs her eyes open. She stood by the doorway, staring at you; recognizing you almost immediately. It took everything in her not to pounce onto you in excitement, she doesn't even know what to do first–is she still dreaming? She pinches herself, hoping she wasn't in a dream.

“Good morning Kimiko.” Shinsuke greets, interrupting Kimiko’s buzz as he drinks some water. Then you figure it was time for you to greet her as well, it’d be awfully rude not to. “Good morni-” “OH MY GOD! I- And you're having breakfast with my brother!?” She even takes a double take to make sure you were really eating together with her brother and he didn't even bother to tell her! She couldn't believe this, it was practically betrayal! “I’m Kimiko, it's so so so nice to meet you- I’m honored-!” She blurts out, taking your hand and shaking it instinctively. She was in such a thrill she didn't even notice she was crossing your boundaries a little bit.

What she did notice is how bony your hands are, a punch from you would definitely hurt..The inner Kita family hospitality and concern arises in her system, looking down at your linked hands. They were veiny but that was normal, but someone of your age and height shouldn't be this skinny. She slowly sets your hand down, apologizing for her actions. “It's alright, no need to apologize. It's a pleasure meeting you Kimiko, your family has been nothing but great since I got here.” You commented, flashing her one of your signature soft smiles that made everyone melt.

“And, thank you Shinsuke for the meal. I’m going back to my cabin, I’ll get ready for the ride later.” You then excuse yourself and leave the two siblings alone, once Kimiko makes sure you're out of the vicinity she gives her brother a knowing smirk. “A ride, huh? Got a date?” Shinsuke shook his head no, he was just doing you a favor after all. “No, she's going to the plaza so I figured it’d be best if we go together.” He gets a disappointed sigh from Kimiko, huffing as her excitement dies down. “Awh..too bad, I thought my brother actually scored a date with a celebrity!” The bicolored man was unfazed, used to her sister's teasing. Shinsuke never really bothered about his love life, putting his work and family as his top priorities. He knew it was important but he had to set goals first.

“Ya know I got eyes on the back of my head, I know you have a thing for Y/N. To be honest, you really aren't the only one so I’m not surprised. I wouldn't mind her being my sister in law!” Her words made the man think, he simply believed that this was just infatuation. She was a beautiful young woman after all, the whole world was aware of that so it really wouldn't be anything extraordinary. He wasn't one to believe in things such as ‘love in first sight’, those were just things entertainment made up. Kimiko knew what her brother was thinking, annoyed at it..or she's just a ‘little’ bit of a hopeless romantic. “I know you're thinking this is just infatuation again, and I’m not pressuring you to start a thing with her or anything–but if you feel something for her then go for it. Take the chance.” Again, this made Shinsuke think. He knew she was right, still–he never really had the heart to go further as ‘friends’ with the people he met. Not that he was uneducated about it, he was honestly just a busy guy. The part of her being a celebrity set him off a little bit though, her life was far from private and quiet. The complete opposite of what he desired, he felt like it wouldn't work out in the long run. “Um..yes, alright. Though I do believe a ‘crush’ of some sort is formed over time thr-” “Yes yes, we get it! No need to do some rocket science explaining, now go prepare the packages. I’ll have breakfast and clean up.” She cuts him off, pushing him out of their humble family home. Shinsuke grumbles under his breath..

“Maybe for once in my life, the results won't be just a byproduct.”

⋆*･ﾟ:⋆*･ﾟ⋆*･ﾟ:⋆*･ﾟ⋆*･ﾟ:⋆*･ﾟ⋆*･ﾟ:⋆⋆*･ﾟ:⋆*･ﾟ⋆*･ﾟ:⋆*･ﾟ

[puck-luck]

gamer guy | mattias samuelsson

warnings: dirty talk, dry humping, coming in pants, begging, a little degradation, mattias’ very deep voice practically causing reader’s orgasm pairing: mattias samuelsson x reader request: “mattias samuelsson’s thighs demand to be ridden…. and he’d be hella degrading about it….. don’t you think…..” yes, i do, but this is reader grinding against his lap wc: 984

“Yeah, baby? Is that right?” Mattias’s voice washed over your body like warm honey. His voice was teasing, his fingers tapping at your sides. “Feels so good you just can’t keep quiet, huh?”

Until about five minutes ago, he was playing his stupid video game, the one that made him bite his tongue in concentration. You hadn’t been too upset by his lack of attention on you, at first, but when his shorts started riding up and revealed the hemline of his briefs, you felt like you would start salivating any second lest your boyfriend get his big hands on you.

“Ti,” You whined, your hands gripping his t-shirt as you continued to grind down on his lap. 

You could feel his cock through his clothes, practically bursting through the fabric with how hard he was, but he was a tease. He acted unaffected, shushing you and brushing your hair out of your face.

“Pathetic, aren’t you? Wiggling on top of me, distracting me from my game, just because you need a release? You could’ve asked me, baby. I would’ve helped you out.” Mattias smiled at you, goofy and wide. He wasn’t lifting a finger from your waist now, staying still underneath you.

“Need it, Mattias. Give me something,” You begged.

Mattias shook his head. “No. You started this, you have to finish it.” 

You let out a groan that’s more akin to a sob as you continue to rub your core against his positively straining cock. “Couldn’t help it,” You said to him, pouting in his face.

All the pout did was make Mattias smile wider. 

“Just… seeing you,” You pant out, “Like that. Made me think of all the times you made me feel so good, Ti.”

His smile started to fade and his fingers squeezed your sides.

“Your fingers– oh– they moved so fast on the controller, baby, and it made me think of all the times they’ve been inside me–”

Mattias’s eyes started to rake over your figure, fixating on your chest.

“And fuck, Ti, your tongue– I couldn’t stop thinking about how it moves against my clit. God, Ti, you always make me come so hard I see stars.” You ground down against him more frantically, feeling his cock twitch as you continued to speak.

He was silent, but his eyes stayed on your chest, watching your breasts bounce with each grind. His right hand drifted up to thumb over the spot where your nipple was pressing against your shirt, creating a pronounced bump under the soft cotton of the tee. 

“Mattias,” You moaned, feeling the fabric of his member catch against your entrance in a long, drawn out drag. “Your cock, baby, your cock.”

Your breaths came out like a chant, like a cheer, and it was not lost on Mattias. For someone who seemed so aloof, so sarcastic, so “I don’t care what you think of me as long as I can make you laugh,” he was struck with the amount of love that dripped from your voice, even when he wasn’t giving you anything.

You fucked down on his cock, feeling it press against you but never enter you, and his eyes grew lidded as you let out your little whines and moans. His hands splayed out over your ass, covering the cheeks completely with how big they were, and his eyes drifted up from your chest to your lips.

“Think you can bait me into fucking into you?” Mattias asked, sounding unimpressed with your words. “Baby, you want me so bad, but you can’t make me do anything about it.”

You rolled your eyes, let down, but your mouth dropped open with a satisfying roll of your hips. Your clit caught against the fabric of his shorts, bunched up around his tip. You aimed to roll your hips in the same way, in the same spot, hoping the friction would bring you to the edge.

Mattias’s hands found your hips, grasping your hipbones and guiding you along his lap, even though he told you he wouldn’t help you get off. His controller lay long forgotten on his thigh, rocking precariously with each move of your hips. 

Your pussy was dripping, soaking through your panties and shorts enough that the fabric was caught between your lips. If Mattias looked down to where you connected, he’d see a cameltoe and a wet spot along his shorts that showed just how badly you needed him, how badly you wanted him, and how badly you loved him.

“Come,” Mattias commanded, his voice low and soothing. “I know you can, baby, come.”

And, honestly, his words might have been the reason you tensed against his lap and felt yourself clench around nothing as the warmth spread to your fingertips. It was likely, even, that his deep voice and sureness, pure need, caused you to come just from a word. 

It was then, during the aftershocks, that Mattias fucked up against you, prolonging the release for which you had worked and pleaded. His length dragged against you, causing you to flinch and cry out with each thrust. He fucked against you until his own release, his lips capturing yours as you felt the wet spot of his pants grow damper with his own come. 

“Fuck,” Mattias said, pressing hard kiss after hard kiss against your mouth. “So good, aren’t you? Fucking yourself ‘til you come, letting me fuck up against you ‘til I come. My girl, so pretty, so good.”

The compliments falling from his lips made you whine, clenching against him and grinding down just enough to feel him growing softer after his release.

“Ti,” You whimpered. “Need you again.”

Mattias’s forehead made contact with yours and he chuckled, staring into your eyes with something that looked like disbelief. You nodded. This night wouldn’t end until you were both naked and satiated– and round two needed to start right now.

notes: hi. i’m drunk (at the time of writing this) (at the time of posting it, i'm in a showing of challengers that will likely start my threesome era). mattias samuelsson is a loser and i want him to be my big-boy (SZA reference) boyfriend. @yauchfilms introduced me to him and i need him BADLY. dear kit, if i get a chance with him, i’m taking it. idc if he looks 40 and gets chirped about it. he can be MY dilf.

[520cafe]

sour grapes. oversized black tee

you stepped out the bathroom with a new change of clothes particularly, an oversized black shirt. it was warm, soft as cotton and nicely wrapped around your body like a curtain but, it was that familiar scent that made you dizzy and almost drove you crazy. what is this feeling?

dan heng just finished setting up the bed in his room and immediately turned his attention to you once he heard the sound of the doors opening. it then fell silent.

it was the way his face softened at the sight of you wearing his shirt; it was the way his eyes went up and down in awe; it was the way a smile gently graced his lips with no effort of trying to hide it. his blue eyes held a light to them, and it was one of fondness.

“hey, dan heng?…” the slight shakiness in your voice did not hide how your heartbeat felt as if it was fluttering. he only sighed while still keeping the same endearing smile on his face.

“the bed is ready, what do you think?” dan heng stepped aside to give you a closer look. the look in his eyes glistened when he managed to capture your star-struck reaction, like he was admiring a painting that held no flaws.

“ you.. kept all of them.”

the sight before you was a small cluster of plushies neatly lined up on the pillows that possessed a special memory to you. without thinking, you sat on the bed and held one of them in your hands as the events distinctively played out in your mind like a vintage record player.

back when you and dan heng were together, there was one thing or “tradition” that remained unchanged within your past relationship: arcade dates. whenever you were unable to get a plushie from those almost rigged crane machines, it was your look of disappointment that would tug at dan heng’s heart strings and result in you carrying a handful of colourful and adorable plushies at the end of the day, thanks to dan heng.

whenever your eyes followed the dramatic fall of the plushie from the crane slowly losing its grip, dan heng would lightly brush his hand against yours and take over with a determined look on his face, intent on getting you that specific plushie and getting rid of those rain clouds above your head. in a way, it felt as if you were holding dan heng’s warm hand again from the way you tightly held the plushie in your arms, just like how it used to be.

“it’s not like i could just throw all of them away right?” he answered. yet, his voice was rather deep and lazy, steadily feeling relaxed and at peace within your presence. “but it’s getting late, you should get some rest now.”

“yeah.. you’re right,” you placed the plushie on your lap and comfortably rested your chin on top of the plushie’s head. it was as if you shot a cupid’s arrow directly to his heart because now, dan heng could feel his heart racing and pounding like loud bells in his ears. “good night then, dan heng.”

“good night, [name].”

before you could even respond to him, dan heng gave you a small wave as he walked into the bathroom and away from your sight. if you shot the first arrow towards his heart then dan heng must have bounced it back at you because, it was the way your name rolled off perfectly from his voice that made heat rush to the surface of your cheeks. his voice held so much affection and awe towards you just like how it did in the past, and those black and white memories of what was once a fairytale-like relationship were now gradually being filled with vivid colours and being retold to you like a story book. it felt so wrong yet so right.

dan heng heavily brings his hand to his chest while leaning against the door whereas you fell face first into his pillow on the bed. whatever this strange feeling was that caused your heart to feel an unknown nervousness, was the start to your internal snowball of conflicting emotions.

cupid has successfully done the first step to their job.

🍇 SOUR GRAPES 〈 11 oversized black tee

━━ MASTERLIST. ╱ PREV. ╱ NEXT.

╰► SYNOPSIS. after being in the same tight-knit friend group for over a few months now, suspicions begin to rise when march, seele and bronya start to notice the awkward tensions between you and dan heng. little did they know, you and dan heng were once high-school sweethearts who shared a romantic and fairytale-like past where the pages only lasted for a year. this heartbreak led you to meet another unfortunate victim of cupid but that chapter flew away as quick as stardust. yet, it appears that you two were also destined to cross paths once more.

╰► [ a/n ] : AAAAHHHHH woah what’s this i’m back to 2 updates per week?? honestly updates may vary but at least expect an update once per week! hope you all enjoy this chapter of sour grapes! <3

━━ TAGLIST. @lauvwar-r @sunsethw4 @shizu-c @amyena @zephestia @loudeggbananaranch @lunavixia @twistedrxses @shinjuuz @danhenglovebot @flos-veritatis @sammy-hammy @kiwidoves @aeongiies @heartswonder @lilactaro @lunnaeclipse @aquatikk @obervation-subject-753 @vellichxrr6782 @rubberduckieyourtheone @viovya @stayriki @ceylestia @starryeyedkoko @theflameofyoursoul @kalims @liminalimmortal

[k-evans-reads]

In Living Color

Chapter 14

Summary: When Natalie Marton, lead character designer for Buzz Lightyear, meets the voice of Buzz, Chris Evans, the sparks are undeniable. But when their work pushes them away from each other, both physically and emotionally, will the sheer differences between their worlds be enough to force them apart?

Pairing: Chris Evans x Pixar Animator OFC Natalie Marton

Word Count: 6,550

By: @k-evans-writes and @ourfinest-hour

We do NOT give permission for our works to be reuploaded, translated, or reposted on any other site. Our work is our own.

Warnings: 18+ ONLY. MINORS DNI. Strong sexual content.

Previous | Main Masterlist | In Living Color Masterlist

November 10th, 2021

A soft clack echoed in Nat’s office as she typed away on her keyboard, completely focused on her work until the door to her office swung open and she found a handsome face looking right at her. She saw him look around for a moment before he wordlessly closed the door behind him and then moved over to shut the blinds on the glass walls on the front of the office to the hallway. Nat’s eyes were fixed on him as he silently stalked over to her desk, dropping a white takeout box on it before coming around to where she was sitting. Without a single word, he turned her chair so that it was facing him, his hands dropping down to rest on the arms of the office chair before he leaned down and pressed his lips to hers with such passion and ferocity that Nat felt lightheaded and started seeing stars and not for the first time that day.

Nat could hardly catch her breath when they finally parted and barely could push out, “Happy birthday to me.” 

The intensity of the moment was broken when Chris’ eyes squinted up, his loud laugh pouring out of his mouth at her response. He kept on chuckling while he grabbed the extra chair that was nearby and pulled it over next to hers, plopping down before he leaned over to steal a quick kiss and told her, “Happy birthday, baby.” 

“I think you already wished me a happy birthday this morning,” Nat laughed, unable to stop her heart from racing. 

But Chris just shrugged as he reached for the bag of takeout, his voice faux-distracted when he asked, “Did I? I seem to remember my mouth doing a lot of other things this morning.” 

Her hand landed on his firm back, feeling the muscle below his tee. “I found that to be a great way to wish me happy birthday,” she murmured, a pleased grin settling on her face. 

He looked over his shoulder at her, his eyes mischievous. “Thought you might like that wakeup call,” he admitted as he pulled various containers out of the bag, and a bottle of water for himself. 

“Oh I did, and I didn’t mind the shower either,” she laughed with a raised brow. The morning had been nothing short of spectacular, especially considering the week-long buildup there’d been to this visit. He once again defied all her expectations, taking it upon himself to all but kill her before she had to go to work for the day, but not without a promise of eating lunch together. 

He shrugged, his muscles rippling beneath her hand. “You can’t expect me not to make my Nattie’s birthday special,” he told her, almost incredulous as he passed some napkins to her. 

“I was feeling a lot more than just special this morning,” Nat admitted with a chuckle. He did a number on her this morning – a great one – but enough that she nearly struggled to muster the energy to get ready for the day after. But what got her through was knowing what was on the other side of the day once the clock struck four in the afternoon – an evening together at Chris’ house with Scott, Mark, and Jamie and their partners, celebrating her birthday with dinner, drinks, and cake. And this mid-day break with Chris certainly didn’t hurt either. 

“You’re about to love me even more because I brought your favorite Mexican food for lunch,” he assured her with a grin as he passed her a container of tacos, before he put two other ones in front of her. “And I got queso and your disgusting guac.” 

Her jaw dropped in disbelief at his words and she opened the lids. Instantly, the smell from the queso filled the room, but the guacamole looked even more enticing… especially considering Chris’ well-known dislike of the dip. “This might be the best birthday present I’ve gotten all day,” she murmured.

He rolled his eyes as he looked at her, his hands moving to reach for the burrito wrapped in foil. “A minute ago you were just singing the praises of my early morning birthday present for you,” he muttered. 

She shrugged, a cheeky smirk on her lips as she dipped a chip into the guacamole. “Well now I’m singing the praises of this guac,” she retorted.

“Nice to know I’m outranked by avocados,” he laughed, watching her before he began eating the burrito with a smirk.

“But you’re the one who was thoughtful enough to bring them to me so that makes you pretty indispensable,” she chuckled, the conversation coming to a pause as they enjoyed the food. Several moments went by of relative silence before she asked, “Guess who I got to talk to on Facetime while I was walking into work?” 

“Tom Hanks,” his sarcastic reply came, slightly muffled from the food.

“Yeah I wish,” she rolled her eyes, their laughs echoing around her otherwise-silent office. “But I did get the next best thing, baby Jack.” 

He smirked, eyes twinkling humorously as he looked at her as he took a sip of water. “Oh did you guys have a nice conversation,” he drawled with a laugh.

“Shut up smartass,” she laughed, lightly smacking his shoulder as his laughter grew. “Heather and the girls were over at Alex’s house to get Carson for school, so I got to see Jack and talk to all the kids. Ella and Lily showed me a picture they made me that they’ll give me when we go for Thanksgiving.” 

His smirk became a fond smile as he listened to her ramble about the kids. It was common for them to talk about their nieces and nephews together, but even Nat couldn’t deny that there was something special about those kids, about the connection both she and Chris – already – had to them. “I love how much you love those kids,” he told her honestly. 

“I literally can’t wait to see him,” she admitted. She’d not only been counting down the days to Chris’ arrival in Los Angeles yesterday, but also to their trip to Seattle in a week and a half. Ever since Chris agreed to the invitation to the Marton family Thanksgiving, they – Chris, Nat, Heather, Ryan, and Eric – had been planning some things for everyone to do, including Chris’ more than generous offer to take them to a Seahawks game the Sunday before the holiday. They’d purchased a suite for everyone, that way giving Chris some privacy and security, while also making it convenient for the kids with room to move around and a bathroom. “I wish we were going tomorrow.” 

“Don’t worry baby, the time is going to fly by,” he assured her, a sideways smile on his face as he reached for the bag of chips, moving them closer to him. “And I’m planning on keeping you pretty busy after work anyway.” 

She smirked, her heart beating faster at the implication of those words. “Yeah and before work,” she reminded him. 

“Well I have to get my fill of quality time with you now, especially since next year is going to be so busy,” he mentioned, the smile on his face disappearing slightly at the reminder. This entire year, despite however much time they’d spent apart, had felt like a dream to her. But as the contracts for the following year began arriving in Chris’ inbox through the summer, she grew all too aware of what this life, what this relationship with him, would entail… months apart with only quick visits squeezed into weekends and days off, then the different time zones, states, continents, and schedules. 

“Don’t remind me,” she sighed, but ran her hand reassuringly over his back. Her voice was low as she confessed, “I just want you to do more Pixar stuff so we can be together.” 

A small frown appeared on his face as he dipped a chip into the queso, staring down at his hand. “I wish I could too,” he agreed quietly.

“You’re really going to be busy next year, aren’t you?” She asked, her voice low. 

“Yeah…” He sighed, leaning back in the chair and looking at her, the humor of their previous conversation now gone as the reality of the following year set in. She knew how many offers he’d gotten over the summer, how many projects he considered, but she had struggled to prepare herself for just how hard it’d be to live on opposite coasts for the majority of the year. 

“When are you starting Ghosted again?” She asked, struggling to recall it herself. He’d signed onto the film in August when they were in Los Angeles together, but most of the details had gone over her head as he explained what he knew. 

“Right around Valentine’s Day so I’ll be in Atlanta for a little while, then it goes to DC and London for a bit,” he informed her, pausing with a frown. Nat had never really been one for sappy holidays like Valentine’s Day, but hearing Chris would be working across the country from her on that day definitely stung a little. It was no fault of his own, simply the way production lined up with scheduling and all the moving parts that went into a film, but there was also allowed to be disappointment on both sides because of it, because it wasn’t just that one day, it was knowing that there would be so many more to follow without him there. “Then we have all the Lightyear press and stuff for The Gray Man after, so I’ll be all over the place.” 

She nodded, wiping her lips with a napkin as she finished the last of the street tacos. “What was the other thing you were doing?” She asked with a furrowed brow, unable to remember the next production he had. 

“Project Artemis…I think that’s the only thing for the rest of the year but I heard there might be some scripts coming my way so we’ll see,” he shrugged half-heartedly with a sigh. “But don’t worry Nattie, we’ll make it work. I’ll come to see you every chance I get.” 

“I know, and I want you to do all these projects, I really do,” she assured him, her hand sliding from his back to grasp his left hand from where it rested on his jeans. “I’m just going to miss you.” 

He nodded, squeezing her hand a few times comfortingly. “...Maybe now would be a good time to give you the present I have for you,” he began, another grin sliding on his face as his brows raised and he met her eyes. 

“Why?” She asked, suspicion creeping in at the sudden change in subject.  

“I was going to give it to you tonight at the party but I think you’ll like it more now, hold on,” he told her, reaching for his phone from where it sat on the other side of the desk from where they had set up for lunch. He swiped and scrolled a bit on the device until he passed the old phone over to her, an email filling the small screen.

Her eyes narrowed as she read the details, seeing the confirmation for a house rental forwarded from his assistant’s email. “Is this for us?” She asked, eyes finding the February reservation dates and finally the location – Palm Springs. 

“Yep,” he nodded, a grin on his lips and his eyes twinkling as she looked up at him. He looked excited – a welcome change from the forlorn expressions they’d shared only seconds ago. “I’m taking you to Palm Springs for a long weekend before I start filming. I already talked to Jamie and he approved the time off for you. I thought it would be nice for us to have quality time together before I go.” 

“Chris,” she breathed, shaking her head in disbelief. “This is the best gift I could ask for.” 

A shy smile appeared on his bearded face, Chris ducking his head for a quick moment before he looked back at her with a sweet expression while shrugging, “I was hoping you’d like it.” 

“I love it,” Nat took a moment to rest her hands on his cheeks, leaning over to kiss him deeply but then pulled away so she could tell him, “But I love you a helluva lot more.” 

“I love you too, Nattie,” his voice was confident and tender, pecking her lips softly before he could murmur, “Happy birthday, honey.” 

“This is already one of my favorite birthdays in a long time,” she truthfully told him. The past chunk of years most of her birthdays hadn’t been anything too crazy. Normally she just went out to a club, or dinner with a few friends and Shane when they were together, but with her birthday being so close to Thanksgiving, it was rare that she ever got to go home. Most of her birthdays were enjoyable, but none that felt like this. Getting to share it with someone that she loved so wholeheartedly and loved her in return made it so much better than she could have imagined. “It was so sweet that you flew out to spend it with me, baby. It seriously means so much to me.” 

“I wasn’t going to miss your birthday,” Chris said playfully, wiping his hands off with the napkin before throwing it at her as he went on to add, “Besides, I know you so I knew there’d be some kind of party and I wasn’t about to be left out on that.” 

“Oh we’ll be breaking out the karaoke machine tonight for sure,” Nat pointedly told him as she stacked up the containers and slid them back in the bag. 

“Scott will probably bring his own,” she heard his snickering voice say while he stood up to take the bag and go put it in the trash can by the door, glancing up at the clock as he did so and noted,  “I should probably get going and let you get back to work. I still need to go pick up your cake too.” 

“Do you want me just to swing by after work and get it?” 

“Nope, I just want you to come straight to my place. I want you to myself for a little while before everyone comes over.” 

Nat had stood up to grab her iPad off of the nearby couch and turned her head over her shoulder to respond to him, but as she did, she just caught a glimpse of Chris standing behind her as his hand came down to smack her backside hard enough that she could feel the tingle through her jeans. She knew that he was waiting for her response, but Nat just played it off, putting her iPad under her arm before turning around and nonchalantly commenting, “Looks like you’re giving me another birthday present a little early too, huh?” 

Nat figured that her response must’ve said everything he wanted to hear based on the smirk on his face, and after another long, passionate kiss, Chris slipped out the door and headed to the parking garage. The thoughts looped in her mind through her mind until she left work in the late afternoon and drove to Chris’ house, eager to have a little while where she got to have him all to herself before everyone came over. 

The fact that the house was empty was something they took advantage of, Nat not even bothering to take off her shoes and instead ended up sitting in Chris’ lap while they fervently began to kiss moments after she’d walked through the door. It felt so good to be completely engulfed by him, his thick arms holding her tight while he kissed her completely senseless. Neither cared about the time, only focused on the way their lips kept crashing together over and over again until a shrill ring broke it up, making them both groan as they pulled their lips away. 

Nat laid her head against Chris’ shoulder while he kept an arm around her waist, holding her tight while he grabbed his phone off the couch cushion and swiped ‘accept call’ when he saw who was calling, quickly asking, “Hey Scott, what’s up?” 

Although Nat couldn’t hear the other end of the conversation, she could fill in the blanks when Chris just replied, “No we have everything. I got a cake and some food today so we’re all set,” and then just hummed and nodded his head but added, “Okay, yeah see you in a little while.” 

As Chris hung up the call, Nat sighed, leaning back and putting a little distance between their chests. “I guess I should get changed,” she murmured.

“Yeah, everyone will be headed over soon,” Chris nodded, running a hand through his hair as he gave her an apologetic smile. “I probably need to get the oven on and some of the food ready.” 

They both knew that neither really wanted to leave their position, but begrudgingly did, Chris’ warm hands grabbing her waist and helping her up to her feet before he stood behind her, each of them heading separate ways. Although it was only a small group of the closest people in their lives here in California, Nat still had wanted to change her clothes into something a little bit nicer with it being her birthday. 

So many of her clothes had ended up in Chris’ closet at this point and she peeled off her jeans and satin blouse, leaving them in the basket in the closet before grabbing out one of her favorite comfortable but cute patterned dresses, ready to put it on until she saw that one black jumpsuit she was partial to. Nat bit her bottom lip, trying to decide between them before eventually her bare feet padded down the hallway and into the kitchen where Chris was busy pulling out the cheese and crackers and setting them out on a large platter. 

“Chris, which one should I wear?” 

It took him a minute to look up, busy laying out the sleeve of crackers and popping one in his mouth before looking up to see her. As if to emphasize the decision, she held out the jumpsuit a little farther and then the dress, silently asking him which he preferred so that he could make the decision for her. But when she saw his blue eyes lingering on her, scanning her from top to bottom in her small black lingerie, she knew in that moment that she was fucked. 

He lifted his shoulders in a half shrug, popping another cracker in his mouth before he told her, “I like what you have on now.” 

Nat rolled her eyes at the answer, reminding him, “Well I don’t think anybody else will when they come.” 

“Hey, you just asked me what you should wear and I’m just saying I like that,” he rebutted, holding his hands up placatingly. 

“Seriously, which one?!” 

That sexy smirk of his appeared on his lips as he reached out to take the two hangers out of her hands and laid them down on the nearby barstool before his hands came to grab her hips and gently walk her closer to him. She was looking up at him, but Chris’ eyes were still taking in every inch of her while his fingertips slipped underneath the edge of the fabric that barely covered her ass and traced along the edge while he muttered, “I told you this one is my favorite… and in fact, I’m pretty sure I even like this outfit when it’s off you.” 

Nat’s body betrayed her when a shiver ran down her spine, telling Chris all that he needed to know. In an instant, he was lifting her up effortlessly onto the counter, the cold marble making her shiver but quickly got warmed up when Chris’ arms hooked around her waist and his lips started sucking along the soft skin of her breasts that her small bra didn’t cover. Feeling that prickle of his beard mixed with the intense sucking of his hot mouth had Nat’s body tingling from head to toe. She’d been spoiled by him in the last day together, but right now all she could think about was how damn attracted to him she was. She craved him in a way she never had before, craved his touch, his smirk, and his lips on any part of her. He knew her body just as well as she did, and he used it to his advantage as he sucked and nipped at her skin so fervently that she knew that she’d be littered with his marks soon. 

Her body felt like it was on fire as his hands dragged up and down her back before slipping down her legs and lifted up her calves, encouraging her to wrap them around him which she happily did. Feeling his body pressed against her only had her deep desire for him burning intensely and the only thing she wanted in that moment was him. 

“Chris,” she panted, her hand tightening in his brown hair as her eyes slipped shut and a silent moan parted her lips. 

His lips barely left her skin, instead humming against her, “Hmm?” 

“Can we cancel?” 

“What? Cancel what?” 

Her hand loosened in his hair as he tilted his head away from her chest, clarifying, “The party tonight.” 

She saw the way that his left eyebrow shot up as he looked at her, knowing that it was a rare time that Nat didn’t want to join in on a party, but especially hosting one that was for her special day. As much as she had been looking forward to everyone coming over, more than anything in this moment, she just wanted - no needed - him. 

“Are you sure, baby?” 

“We can just do it tomorrow, all the food will still be good then,” she rushed to say, her legs tightening around his hips and pulling him impossibly closer to her. “Please Chris, I want you so bad.” 

A wolfish smirk appeared on his face as he pressed another biting kiss to her chest and confessed, “I was really fucking hoping you’d say that.” 

All Nat wanted was to be in his arms and she got that request granted when he slipped his hands underneath her backside and carried her into the living room where he set her down on the couch while planting a searing kiss on her lips, leaving her breathless as he pulled away and muttered, “I gotta text everyone.” 

She ran a hand through her curls, knowing they were about to be messed up anyway as she watched Chris sit up and search for his phone that he’d left somewhere here. Nat couldn’t be bothered with helping to look, instead getting on her knees next to him so that her lips could start nipping at his neck while one of her hands rubbed up and down his back and her other hand did the same on his chest to feel the firm muscles underneath that thin tee shirt. She felt drunk on hearing his soft grunts every time that she rolled her body against his side or gently bit down on the soft skin of his neck, making him grunt and tell her, “Fuck baby, you’re making this so fucking hard to concentrate.” 

“Guess you want me to stop touching you then, huh?” 

“I just gotta get this text out to everyone, hold on baby,” he murmured, eyes narrowing at his phones as his hands nearly shook with pent up energy and excitement.

Nat knew that what he was doing was for them, putting everyone off on coming over until tomorrow, but in her desperate moment she didn’t want anything to take his attention away from her. She left him hunched over on the edge of the couch as he typed on his phone but busied herself with reaching around her back to hook her bra and let it fall to the floor before peeling off her now wet panties and discarding them in the same manner. Needing some sort of friction, as well as needing to get Chris’ full attention back on her, Nat let one of her legs fall against the back couch cushion while the other laid against the cushion she was sitting on, leaving herself open as her hand fell between her legs and started rubbing the tight circles on her sensitive button. 

“Oh fuck,” Chris grunted when he glanced over, quickly typing out a few more words before turning his phone on silent and tossing it on the floor, quickly turning his body to face hers while he quickly grabbed her hand and pulled it away, making Nat while before his low voice reminded her, “This is fucking mine, baby.” 

But Nat didn’t even get a chance to use her razor sharp wit against him, instead being too busy crying out with pleasure as his face buried between her legs and his tongue began expertly working her in every spot he knew she loved. Her voice was already a little bit hoarse from how he had her moaning over and over again that morning, but she knew by the end of tonight it was going to be totally shot. 

Nat’s hands found his brown hair, tugging it softly as his tongue began circling and her already on edge body began to tighten. She needed him in every sense of the word and she knew that Chris wasn’t about to disappoint her, pulling her to the height of pleasure and keeping his tongue lapping up every bit of her sweetness as she came down from it. She felt halfway delirious as he started kissing his way up her body, taking his time to tug at her nipples and enhance the hickeys already forming on her soft skin before he made it up to her lips. 

Although the kiss was filled with so much excitement and pure desire, Nat noticed that underneath whatever they were feeling, there was always love. At the heart of everything in their relationship, there was a deep emotion and tenderness that they both were fully known and fully loved by one another, making it the easiest and most natural thing in the world to hand themselves over to one another. Neither had experienced anything like they did with one another, and it only made their burning desire even more intense. 

Nat was already breathless enough, so distracted by his sloppy passionate kisses that she didn’t even notice his hand ghosting down her body until his thick index finger pushed between her soaked folds and started tracing up and down, making a violent shiver shake her body. She grasped at his shoulders, gasping at his touch as she whimpered out his name, only making him smile as he leaned in to kiss her again and muttered against her lips, “Happy birthday, baby.” 

And it sure was a happy one when he started pumping his finger in and out of her, slowly adding another that her body eagerly swallowed. She couldn’t even catch her breath, eyes screwed shut as she barely could even take in all the incredible sensations running through her body, but she started clenching down on him when his low sultry voice started whispering in her ear, “Does that feel good, baby girl? Do you like it when I’m touching you like this?” 

“Fuck, yes,” she moaned, feeling as though her lungs couldn’t work fast enough, that this would be the blissful end of her. 

“You like it when I’ve got my fingers stuffed inside of you, don’t you Nattie?” His voice rumbled, his lips dancing around her ear. He paused, curling his finger in her and she felt the smirk spread across his lips at her sharp intake of breath before she moaned loudly. His words only egged her on more as he confessed, “I fucking love it, but I love it more when I’m the one stuffed inside you.” 

His words had such an effect on her that Nat couldn’t help but arch her back, silently begging him for more as he started pumping his fingers in at a rhythmic pace. Her hand was grasping at his forearm, needing something to squeeze as that familiar coil started building in her stomach. Although she had plenty of time to recover from the mind blowing orgasms he’d given her in that early morning, there still was a slight soreness between her legs but somehow in this moment all it did was feel good as he kept stretching her out so perfectly, making moan after moan pour from her pink lips. 

“I can’t wait to get inside you, baby,” he admitted, pausing before another smirk appeared on his lips, his eyes twinkling as he watched her struggle with just how desperately she needed him right now. “You look so pretty when you’re on my dick.” 

Just the thought of having him inside her was enough to drive Nat wild, let alone the way his fingers were coaxing her closer and closer to that edge. Every one of her senses were full of him and she didn’t want that to stop, her body spilling over her peak yet again and just as he had before, Nat expected Chris to gently lull her through it with his sweet kisses and gentle touches, but he quickly made it known that he wasn’t going to do that. 

She could barely catch her breath, eyes fluttering open when she felt him move on the couch. Nat was so overstimulated at the moment, her body still on fire as she pulsed from the intense pleasure she just experienced, but her brain was short circuiting from seeing Chris with her essence still glistening on his beard and his lusty blue eyes looking at her with nothing but desire. He was sitting on his knees between her wide open legs and pulled his fingers away from her. Chris’ body towered over hers even when they were standing let alone with her laying down on the couch and just seeing his hunky frame had her whimpering for him. 

He gave her that smirk once their eyes met and Nat knew that by the end of this, she wasn’t going to be able to walk straight for quite a while, but little did she know that was exactly Chris’ goal. She was completely helpless, too overcome with sensations as he hooked his hands underneath her knees and pushed them back toward her chest, and instructed her, “Hold your legs right here, honey.” 

Nat was too blissed out to even argue with him, just doing what he asked and put her own hands underneath her knees to hold them, earning her a soft praise of, “That’s my good girl,” that had her melting all over again. He leaned down to kiss the back of her thighs a few times before his thumb slipped between her swollen folds, finding her sensitive clit that had been toyed with so many times today, but was about to be fondled once more. 

The new angle had even more pressure being applied and Nat swore that in that moment as he whispered his sweet praises, telling her how he wished she could see how pretty her expression was right now and how well she was taking him, and feeling his thumb rubbing those firm circles, she couldn’t have even been able to tell anyone what her name was. Her brain was completely short circuiting, Chris winding her body up like a clock and kept winding and winding until he was satisfied and let her release. 

She was melting into the couch, having an almost out of body experience while he gently helped lay her legs back down and laid himself half on top of her so their lips could connect. Nat barely could breath, having to pull back to gulp in air before crashing her lips to his again, wanting his kiss more than air. Her hands were clawing at him, wanting to hand herself over to him completely and take anything he was willing to give. 

“I love you, Nattie,” he breathed as they pulled apart for air, his hands moving all over her as she struggled to come back to her senses. 

“I-” she gasped, feeling the way her body was still vibrating with her high. “I love you, Chris. I feel like I can’t, can’t hardly think.” 

“Good, I don’t want you to,” he told her, running a finger up her side, from her hip to her shoulder and back down again. “I want to get you to where you can’t even talk anymore.” 

“Chris,” she whimpered, not even registering the touch on her until his third pass up and down her side. 

“I don’t need you to tell me what you need, baby. I know what my girl wants,” he smirked, leaning down to press his lips to hers, firmly enough that it made her head blissfully spin once more. “C’mon, baby, I want you on your knees.” 

Nat felt as though her limbs weighed a thousand pounds, unable to even consider the instruction as she protested, “I can’t.” 

“I’ll help you honey, but I want you up. I want to look at that cute ass of yours while I get inside of you,” he smirked, rising up on his knees and holding his hands out to help her. 

Although Nat felt completely weak, everything inside of her wanted to please him, wanted to do anything he asked, but once she got on all fours on the couch, she could feel her knees wobbling already like a newborn deer who hadn’t learned to stand. Without a word, Chris stood to his feet and effortlessly moved her malleable body to stand up with him and walked her to the edge of the couch where he bent her over the armrest. The position always left her feeling so vulnerable but in this moment that was what she wanted more than anything. 

She felt herself shaking with anticipation as she heard Chris climbing out of his clothes before one hand grasped at her hips before he started teasing his tip where she wanted him the most. Nat grasped at the pillow underneath her and begged, “Chris, please!” 

She felt his actions pause before he repeated the teasing, frustration flaring in her at his stalling. He’d gotten her to that blissful peak so many times already today – enough that she couldn’t count on two hands and was beginning to lose track of time – but she was, impossibly so, worked up again and needing him to move. “Fucking love you like this, baby,” he breathed as he moved back, then he did something that nearly ended her. His right hand – the one that had been otherwise absent for the last few minutes – made contact roughly with her ass, the slap echoing through the wide living space as Nat moaned loudly. It was always a teasing threat – the idea of him doing this to her “pretty ass” but now, he acted on those threats…. And she liked it.

And with another rough slap to her ass, he then pushed himself inside her dripping entrance and finally gave them each the incredible feeling they’d both been waiting for. Nat was thankful for Chris’ large empty house with the way he had her screaming but it didn’t stop once he started pumping in and out of her roughly. Nat’s breath was rattled each time he pounded his hips into her, making her stomach hit against the couch and only drove her even more wild. He waited until he got a good pace before he brought his hand back down to slap her round cheeks, not having forgotten the multiple times she’d hinted at wanting his hand print on her ass even though he’d never done more than a playful slap here and there. 

Her walls clenched him tightly each time he spanked her and hearing him tell her, “Fuck Nattie, I love to see this pretty ass pink for me,” only made her melt like a snowman on a summer day. She was so blissed out, barely even able to handle the intensity of the pleasure he was causing that she couldn’t even make a sound anymore, soft little sighs being the only noise coming from her when he rutted his hips into her over and over again but soon enough with him egging her on by grunting, “C’mon baby, give me one more,”  Nat just couldn’t hang on and felt her body erupting for what felt like the hundredth time that day. 

“Oh fuck, Nattie,” Chris groaned at feeling her tighten and gush around him, muttering a low raspy, “Fuckfuckfuckfuck,” before he grabbed her hips and made sure he was deep inside her before he came with a low grunt and emptied himself inside of her. 

He had absolutely reached his goal of getting Nat to a place where she couldn’t even speak anymore, her body completely limp and draped over the couch. She had never fainted before, but she wondered if this is what it felt like. Nat literally couldn’t move even after Chris had pulled out of her, but at this moment, she didn’t even care. She felt too good to even bother moving. 

She was no help when Chris lifted her up and wrapped one arm around her back while the other hooked under her legs, picking her up bridal style and carrying her the few steps to the oversized chair he had. Feeling weak himself, Chris plopped down in the chair and held Nat on his lap while she tried to come down from the intense high. She still was seeing stars, every one of her senses on fire but it all just felt so…good. 

He pressed a few soft kisses to her forehead before pushing a hand between her legs, taking a few fingers to scoop up his white essence that was spilling out of her and pushing it right back inside to stuff her full just the way she loved. In response, Nat just nuzzled her face into the crook of his neck, just wanting to be engulfed by him while they both relaxed. 

His chest rose and fell rapidly against her own with his own shaky breaths, but his voice was confident, cocky, and amused as he asked, “So did I reach my goal of making you unable to talk?” 

But all Nat did was grunt in response, truly unable to form coherent words. 

She’d never been able to trust someone this way, trust them and feel comfortable enough to hand herself over to them in a moment of sheer desperation and need. She’d never had anyone control her in a way that felt this good and helped her shut her brain off, to block all the outside chaos, while also feeling so entirely cherished and loved at the same time. And despite the slight ache between her legs, the marks littering her chest, and the strained breaths she was still taking, she wouldn’t trade it, or the man next to her, for anything in the world. 

A/N: We're so sorry for our absence over the past several weeks! Life was truly so incredibly chaotic for us both, and for the first time ever, we barely spoke to each other amidst all the chaos. Luckily, things have calmed down dramatically and we're so happy to be available to interact and engage with you all! Please feel free to send in any asks for any couple at any time - we've missed it!

[lady-manfredi]

Imagine surprising Barney with a late night visit.

-----

You knew he wasn't going to stay long at the bar, and you knew he'd come back here, to the little cubbyhole that is his plane. For a super alert and careful guy he sure is predictable.

You wait for the perfect moment, just as he sits down and gives out an audible exhale, weary from the day's events. Not wanting to truly startle him and make him reach for the gun he keeps under the plane's seat, you announce yourself with a click of your heel against the metal floor. It's perfect, you giggle within, and a small smirk begins to lace your features.

You watch as his head whips in your direction, and as he stands up, his size and stature makes a familiar pressure start to build within your core. The small light coming in accents his features just right, and the crisp white tee hugs his chest and shoulders deliciously. You hate to admit what he does to you, but damn! if he doesn't look like the tough, protective guy you've always dreamed of.

When he recognizes it's you, the tension is gone and he just stands there like he's star-struck, waiting for your next move. It's only once you get closer does he blink and stop staring, greeting you as he always does. "Hey, sweetheart" in the softest voice you've ever heard from this mountain of a man.

You can't help it. It melts your insides on the spot and as you wrap your arms around his neck, he envelops you in a tight hug, making you feel safe and loved.

As much as you love it though, it's the heat gathered between your thighs that needs attention and without saying a word, you pull back from him an inch and plant your hungry lips on his own, moaning into the kiss.

Getting the hint, he scoops you up so you can hook you legs around his waist and the next thing you feel is weightless, followed by the cold metal on your back as he presses you into the side of the plane, his mouth leaving yours only to lavish your neck with kisses. Your smile grows as wide as it possibly can. Yeah, you have him exactly where you want him.

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[rhysdarbinizedarby]

Rhys Darby on Hollywood’s Writers Strikes

BY CHLOE DAVISON (July 15, 2023)

Writers turn their pens from scripts to protest signs; The Writers Guild of America (WGA) are striking. Waving signs that read “pay your writers or we’ll spoil Succession�� and “I told ChatGPT to write a sign and it sucked,” the WGA are picketing for contracts that guarantee job security and fairer pay. These infamous strikes prevent writers from creating new content, and since entering this strike on May 2nd, Saturday Night Live and Late Night Shows have halted filming. More Hollywood production disruptions are inevitable unless a deal is struck.

I sat down with actor Rhys Darby, who zoomed in from LA, to discuss how the writers strikes might affect us here in Aotearoa. The Auckland-born actor is a true Kiwi success story. Originating in stand-up, and starring in the breakthrough Kiwi comedy series Flight of the Conchords, Darby’s comedy has since infiltrated Hollywood. Starring in the blockbuster Jumanji and queer rom-com Our Flag Means Death alongside Taika Waititi, Darby is making us proud over in Hollywood.

These writers are fighting the good fight, though the quiet question of “what will happen to my telly?” can be heard in hushed tones among audiences. We audiences may resent the disruption to our favourites, but I wonder: why do we rely so much on American productions, do we not have our own media identity? I fear not.

Darby shares in the consensus of support for the WGA: “It’s about fairness in the industry starting at the grassroots level, which is the writers.” He fears without writers, the Kardashians are our standard for good television. “Without the writers, there’s nothing happening. We’re watching Kardashians, no offence against them, but we’re basically going back into reality.”

Darby suggests that the reason we in New Zealand are invested in the writer’s strikes, and why we feel impacted, aligns with the reason for the strikes. WGA have historically striked at times of change in the industry. 2007’s strike allowed writers to generate revenue from internet-distributed media, ‘81 and ‘85 centred around the financial distribution of home video. This time writers are picketing for fair residuals from streaming services.

Darby thinks “the world’s become way smaller than it ever has in the past,” thanks to the internet. “We are all watching the same kind of stuff, thanks to streaming services.” Because of this, there’s no longer a physical barrier between international media, presenting one global stage for which media to be judged. Perhaps streaming services are a modern Silk Road, a shared network. Hollywood’s pinnacle, the Oscars, might just reflect this, having awarded the Oscar for best picture to a non-English film, Parasite, for the first time in 2020.

My question still lies unanswered: Why is New Zealand’s media identity so weak? Why are our consumption habits so Americanised? Darby has the answer. He says, “It’s a real battleground for like— ‘Is this Kiwi or is it actually American what we’re making, how many New Zealanders are in it?’ Well, I can tell ya, there’s a lot of crew that are Kiwi because we’re very good with our crew.” He cites the sitcom Wrecked, “that was an American production, American writers… it was I think 90% New Zealand crew.”

“We’re hard-working people, and we’re utilised a lot, and so people forget about that… they think of writers, they think of actors, but they wouldn’t think of the rest of the industry that are working behind the scenes to make these things happen.”

Micah Winiata, one of these backstage Kiwis, shares similar ideas. He says that “physically being on set you can notice the behavioural differences with crew. In broad strokes, Kiwis get stuck in and do the job and complain less, and Americans (typically) like productions to go through unions, following the rules to the tee.”

When speaking with Rhys, his wife, producer and publicist Rosie Carnahan, interjects from offscreen, “I was just gonna say they need to continue to be competitive with filming rebates as well.” Rhys replies, “so we need to be more competitive with filming rebates to attract productions to our country. I came up with that, not my wife.”

The New Zealand Screen Production Grant (NZSPG) grants international productions in New Zealand a cash rebate of up to 20% of production costs. This rebate, though not as competitive as other nations, does serve to attract productions to New Zealand, and may account for the significant Hollywood presence in New Zealand, yet no national media identity.

Economically, New Zealand differs heavily from Hollywood in terms of funding. New Zealand media entities are overwhelmingly government-funded; this has pros and cons. Winiata is for it, saying “New Zealand can fund and create films which may not even have any international commercial value, but are culturally valuable for the nation unlike America, where it is solely profit driven; if there is a market and an audience there is money to be made. The structure of this funding means we can create taonga for future generations to come.” Winiata values this taonga, reflected in his own work such as TIAOI (2021), a silent documentary he produced, and set in his hometown of Tauranga Moana.

However, by building a national media identity on the foundations of government dollars, these dollars are biased, political, and shielded. It’s almost a dangerous premise: where does government media cross the line and become propaganda? Darby thinks that maintaining a cultural bubble is New Zealand’s pitfall, “it’s a competitive world, but it’s really important for us to tell our own stories. And have them relatable… that’s the key, is to have them relatable to the wider world so that it gives them more life.” He cites Apple TV’s 2020 comedy-drama Ted Lasso as an example of cross-cultural appeal and success. “At the end of the day, it just needs to be relatable.”

New Zealand may not be synonymous with Hollywood just yet, but we are far from absent from the big screen. You’ll simply have to stick around for the credits to see us.

source: Tear Away NZ

[animejeice]

one off story time:

Divine love

You and your best friend are hanging out as usual and your friend brings up the “avatar selection day” coming up

Y/N: what’s that all about again

Friend: basically someone will be chosen to inherit an ancient god’s power or something, everyone’s freaking over it wondering who’ll win

Y/N: lol, could you imagine tho, being a god, that be crazy

Friend: also stupid i mean, what good would come from it

Y/N: you’re just saying that cuz you’d be heart broken i’d be too busy getting worshipped to hang out with you.

Friend: yeah right, like anyone would ever.

Y/N: anywho it’s getting late, i should be heading home, I’ll talk with ya tomorrow.

You and your friend head your separate ways for the day as you head back to your apartment. You open your door and are ready to go to sleep, until you look at your computer and see you have an assignment you have to finish. You’re upset at this but still do it nonetheless.

As you finish and submit the assignment it’s 11:55, you feel exhausted and don’t even bother showering and just plop into bed, hoping for at least 6 hours of sleep. You can feel each minute passing by

11:56

11:57

11:58

11:59

As soon as the clock strikes 12:00, you open your eyes. You don’t know how, you don’t know why, all you know is you’re awake and full of energy. You look around your room confused at this. You at your feet and see them at the foot of your bed, this wouldn’t be a problem normally, except for the fact you’re standing still, and your feet are now moving past the foot of your bed.

After finally realizing either everything’s shrinking or your growing, you rush out of bed and try to get out of the apartment. After squeezing and breaking the door frame, you’re out of the apartment.

You look back to see yourself still growing in comparison too your apartment. You can feel your clothes tearing apart and begin to cover your body. You think for a moment how you wish that you had clothes that fit you perfectly. Right as you finish your though, your torn clothes begin to shine and next thing you know, you’re wearing new clothes. Casual pants, a black tee, and a fancy little vest.

Your body finally stops growing after reaching the third story of your apartment. You’re extremely confused as to what on earth is happening. Then you remember the whole avatar selection thing. You’re freaking out wondering if you were actually selected. You decide to go to your friend to see what to do.

You begin running across town to get to the suburbs where your friend lives. As you begin to run, more and more people begin to notice and take pictures, you already figure the world will notice by the morning so you hurry.

After finally reaching the suburb, you jump over some houses to reach your friend asap. After finding his house you bend down to try and see if they’re awake. You don’t see any movements and as such try to wake them up without waking anyone else up.

Y/N: hello, hey, wake up, please.

You look over to see your friend’s mom awake staring you dead in your eye with shock.

Y/N: oh, heeeeyyyyy, ummm… can you uhh… wake them up please? We kinda need to talk, it’s an emergency.

Friend mom: oh, uhhh, sure, just uhhhh, give me one moment to kind of… take… this… all in.

Y/N: oh yeah, sure, take your time.

You wait a moment before hearing your friend’s mom wake them up. They open the window and are looking at you star struck more then anything.

Friend: how did…

Y/N: I-I-I don’t know, I was doing an assignment, was ready to go sleep, and not 5 minutes later, i’m up, full of energy, and I’m growing to the size of a 3 story building.

Friend: do you have any idea what could’ve caused… this?

Y/N: soooo, remember what we were talking about earlier today? The uhhh, avatar selection thingy?

Friend: yeah, what about… oh. Ohhh. OHHHH. A-are you sure it’s that?

Y/N: you got any other ideas on how THIS could’ve happened?

Friend: ummm… not really. So, what do we do?

Y/N: to be honest, i was kinda hoping you’d know what to do. I mean, I can’t just, stay outside 24/7 i’ll draw attention to the entire world.

Friend: yeah ummm… okay, hang on one second.

Your friend closes their window. You wait outside for a while and see more and more people notice you and even begin to take pictures. Not long after you see the news station pulling van pulling up to you.

Luckily right before anyone can get out of the van, your friend comes out dressed.

Friend: okay, pick me up

You gently pick your friend up with your hand and bring them close to you.

Friend: there should be a temple somewhere in the forest south of town, let’s go there and see if we can figure something out.

Y/N: okay, i’d say hold on tight, but i’m holding on to you, so let me know if i need to slow down.

As you stand up, you book it to the south of the city. You jump over houses and cars. Doing your best to not cause too much damage. You manage to make it to the forest without causing too much to the city.

Y/N: okay i think we’re good now, so i’ll take it slow

Friend: yeah… uhh… okay… sure… oh my god my heart’s racing from that

Y/N: oh god, sorry, do you need anything.

Friend: nah i… i’m good thanks.

Y/N: okay, i’ll keep going.

You walk through the forest and see the temple your friend was talking about. You both notice the large crowd of people waiting by the door entrance, with multiple people trying to push the door open with all of them failing

Y/N: how much you wanna bet one of them will say it’s their temple?

Friend: nothing, cuz they will

As you walk up multiple people try to stop you saying you aren’t allowed until they look and see you standing 3 stories tall, only to let you pass.

You place your friend down as you attempt to open the door, you barely force your hands onto the door and it begin to slowly open. You keep it up as it begins to fully open. As you keep opening the door, you hear a helicopter behind you and realize it’s the news and police.

Y/N: THE COPS ARE HERE TOO? QUICK GET IN NOW NOW NOW

You friend runs in through the door as you squeeze in the crack you made as you slam the door shut behind you two.

Friend: okay… now what?

Y/N: well, good news at least is we can wait, they can’t get it without my divine powers.

Friend: har har very funny, let’s explore this place.

Y/N: alright.

The two of you begin to walk and check the place. It’s extremely empty with outlines for what appears to be a house, but nothing in sight. You bring your friend into one of the room and look around after placing them on the counter.

Friend: god i’m hungry, isn’t there anything here

Y/N: yeah, kinda wish there was a kitchen here

As you mutter your words, the entire room changes into a kitchen, with a stove, sink, and fridge that all function.

Friend: holy… how did you?

Y/N: I- I don’t know, I just wished it was here and.. now it’s here???

Friend: try… wishing for a large bowl of never melting chocolate ice cream

Y/N: okay… i wish for a large bowl of never melting chocolate ice cream

Within second a bowl appears on a counter full of chocolate ice cream. Your friend without a second of hesitation downs the ice cream, enjoying every scoop they eat.

Friend: HAHA, IT WORKED, ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS WISH IT AND IT BECOMES REAL OR TRUE.

Y/N: oh my god… or should I say, oh my me?

Friend: hey, don’t go getting too egotistical, let’s not have a Zeus moment and i have to go all kratos on you.

Y/N: HA, no offense but i could beat you with just my pinky finger, what chance you have of winning?

Friend: hey don’t underestimate me, i could take on two fingers at once

Y/N: okay, bet

You place 2 of your fingers down like legs for a fighter on the counter. You entertain him a bit, blocking and throwing soft finger blows on him only to flick him onto the counter and pin him with your fingers

Y/N: 1-2-3 Knock Out

Friend: hey, no fair, I want a rematch.

You point your finger at your friend and wish for the power to pick up objects with your mind by pointing at them. You then lift your friend up and carry them with you to the next few rooms, where you make wishes to have them be rooms you can use.

Once you reach the last room, you wish for it to be a bed room. You both watch as the walls transform into a soft shade of lavender, a large bed forms in the center, and gentle candle lights that never die out light up the room.

Y/N: huh, when I imagined a bedroom, I didn’t have this in mind, but still, it’s quite lovely wouldn’t you say?

Friend: yeah… kinda… weirdly romantical if you ask me.

Y/N: true, who knows, maybe this is where i’ll keep my ‘mates’ 24/7

Friend: pfft, yeah right

You chuck your friend onto the bed where they land directly onto a pillow. You sit down on the same side as they landed, checking on them.

Y/N: you okay? I didn’t throw you too hard did I?

Friend: hey, I’m tougher then i look, plus this pillow absorbed my entire fall somehow.

Y/N: well, I am a god, so i’d only have the softest pillows in the world.

Friend: true…

Your friend begins to yawn as they become more and more tired

Y/N: awww, is the little human sleepy? Do they want me to read them a bed time story?

Friend: hey, what’s gotten into you, you’ve never talked like this before, don’t tell me your god status got to your head already.

Y/N: not excatly, ever since you came out of your house, i’ve had this… strange obsession over you… I don’t really understand it myself but… just being around you has been making my heart flutter and I just can’t help but to tease you.

Friend: you’re weird lol, anywho, i’m gonna go to bed, night

Y/N: goodnight

You roll over to your side of the bed and attempt to fall asleep 30 minutes pass and you cannot only to remember that by becoming a god, you have infinite energy. You look over to see your friend passed out on the pillow with the blanket covering most of their body. You begin to pet them while they sleep and wonder what they’re dreaming about.

It takes you a moment to realize you can join their dream and as such wish for it. You then appear in your friends dream and see a bus on the ground, you bend down to look and see your friend sitting in the back alone. He doesn’t notice you so you pick up the bus and peel off the roof.

Y/N: surprise, did you miss me?

You friend looks up but says nothing.

Y/N: oh, i guess you aren’t fully lucid dreaming, well that’s alright, come here.

You pick up your friend and move your free hand away from the bus. You look at your friend and the bus and decide to have a little fun. You proceeded to put the bus in your mouth and swallow it in one go.

Y/N: i’d ask if you’re impressed, but your kinda unable to respond, here let me help with that

You then wish for your friend to be able to lucid dream and it works

Friend: woah, how did you get in here

Y/N: you’re seriously asking how a god got into your dream?

Friend: true… but why are you here?

Y/N: simple, I can’t sleep, having infinite energy means i no longer require rest, and as such, it got boring. So, i decided to infiltrate your dreams and have a little fun, because after all, i enjoy the time we spend together.

Friend: okay, what were you thinking of doing.

Y/N: i was thinking-

You snap you fingers as you wish for a change of area, the dream shatters and when you snap again, you and your friend are brought to a city

Y/N: -we could play a little game

Friend: a game? Sure what were you thinking?

You put your friend down as you stand up.

Y/N: well hide and seek obviously, you hide, and I’ll destroy some of the buildings in an attempt to find you

Friend: wait what? Won’t that kill me or something

Y/N: no no silly, i mean i’ll rip pieces of the buildings apart like the roof or a wall to look inside, but I won’t completely destroy them, unless-

You smash your hip into the building right beside you and it begins to crumble and fall to the ground, leaving nothing but rubble where it once stood.

Y/N: -you want it to be like that.

Friend: uhhh, yeah i’m good on the whole completely destroying buildings thing.

Y/N: okay your loss i’m gonna start counting now, so you better start running

You close your eyes as your friend runs off. After counting to 100 you wish for your friend to hear your voice as you say

Y/N: ready or not, here i come

You begin to walk around, tearing off ceilings and walls attempting to find your friend. He’s very well hidden as after tearing down multiple buildings you haven’t found him. You decided to grow another few feet to try and see if you can spot your friend. You notice one of the towering skyscrapers and have an idea on where he’s hidden.

You walk towards the towers as you grow taller and taller, until towering over the massive skyscrapers. While you can’t see them, you know they’re here on the roof, you poke behind the roof door and push your friend out from hiding.

Y/N: found you

Friend: hey, no fair, that’s cheating

Y/N: cheating, well I think hiding at the top of a tall building I can’t get in is cheating in my book, but you don’t hear me complaining.

Your friend begins to pout over the loss.

Y/N: awww, you’re so cute when you’re upset, come here

You grab your friend and close your hand around them. You then proceeded to lie down on the city and destroy a few buildings you then place your friend on your chest as you hit the ground

Y/N: so what do you want to do now?

Friend: I… don’t really know to be honest… maybe we can just… watch the sunset together?

Y/N: sure, hold on one second as a I change the environment a bit.

You snap your fingers and wish for a mountain to appear. Right as you do that a mountain grows in the middle of the city, under you. You also kick down the skyscraper as to clear the view from the beach. You then lie your back on the mountain and hold your friend gently on your chest as the 2 of you watch the sunset.

Friend: really, you couldn’t have just changed the area, you had to do this?

Y/N: what? This is more fun, besides, look at this view

Friend: yeah, this is… beautiful.

Y/N: you wanna just lie here and watch it until the morning?

Friend: yes, please.

Y/N: your wish is my command.

The two of you lie there, watching, and taking in each other’s presence. Enjoying the moment

Friend: hey… can I ask you something?

Y/N: of course, you can ask me anything… literally.

Friend: okay, ummm… do you… can you… will you… n-nevermind.

Y/N: come on, you can ask me.

Friend: n-no i’ve changed my mind, I don’t want to ask, it’s inappropriate.

Y/N: if it’s to make you more attractive, you’re already adorable and pretty so I don’t see much else in improving.

Friend: it’s not that, I just… don’t feel strong enough to ask you it.

Y/N: if you don’t ask it, i’ll make you say it

Friend: wait… what?

Y/N: i can feel your heart racing and your mind stressing over this question, I want you to just be happy, not worried or stressed. So either ask the question to get it off your chest, or i’ll make you.

Friend: N-no, you can’t just force me to do something cuz you’re a god now.

Y/N: this isn’t about wether on not it’s right or wrong, i just want you to be okay, so please, just tell me, because i’d rather not force you too, but i will if i must.

Friend: NO

Y/N: please, don’t make me

Friend: DON’T

You both stars silently at one another before getting ready to speak

Y/N: i wish-

Friend: don’t you dare

Y/N: -that you-

Friend: stop, please

Y/N: -would tell me-

Friend: PLEASE DON’T MAKE ME

Y/N: - what’s been bothering-

Friend: I’M IN LOVE WITH YOU AND I WANT TO GO ON A DATE OKAY?

You both are shot out of his dream and back into the temple on the bed. You see your friend crying as he shoots up.

Y/N: hey…

Friend: no, stop, okay, i said it, are you happy?

Y/N: well, yes and no

Friend: yes and no, what do you mean yes and no?

Y/N: can you give me a moment to explain why?

Friend: fine… you have a minute but when you’re done i’m leaving

You kiss you friend on the side of their head, and wipe away their tears with your finger

Y/N: i’m happy because you finally said what’s been bothering you, but i’m also sad to know you’ve kept that bottled up for who knows how long. If i had only known sooner… why didn’t you tell me sooner?

Friend: … i’d figure you wouldn’t be interested, i mean, dating the person you’ve known since you were a baby and see more as family then a friend would’ve been weird right?

Y/N: come here

You pick up your friend and kiss them again before holding them close to comfort them.

Y/N: yes i see you as family, but i also love you too, I would’ve understood all those years ago too because… I don’t just love you like family, I love you also.

Friend: r-really?

Y/N: yes, i’ve just felt… more confident about showing that side of me ever since tonight. Since well, i felt like i could give everything you could ever desire.

Friend: wow… heh, looks like we both needed this huh?

You kiss the top of your friend’s head again.

Y/N: yeah i guess we both did

Friend: can… can i kiss you, please?

Y/N: of course

You bring your friend up to your lips where the kiss you, right as they’re done you kiss them right back.

Y/N: how about this, you can go and in the morning you can come back and we can go on a date?

Friend: that sounds nice… but…

Y/N: but?

Friend: can I… stay here please?

Y/N: of course, i just figured you needed to get some fresh air after what happened, if you want to stay, you’re more then welcome to the whole bed by yourself if you like.

Friend: thank you… for everything

Y/N: you’re welcome, and… i’m sorry for almost making you say all that without your permission, it was wrong and I hope you can forgive me.

Friend: well, you were right, I do feel better after saying everything, so i forgive you, just… can you stay in bed with me tonight… please?

Y/N: yes baby, i’ll stay with you as long as you like.

Friend: thank you.

You lay your little lover back onto their pillow, and cover them gently with a blanket. You kiss them one last time before they go to bed.

Lover: goodnight honey

Y/N: goodnight baby, i love you

Lover: i love you too.

[pilesofpillows]

Stars Aglow Ch. 2 || Okoye x Attuma

A Sea of Stars ~ Part 3 of 3

Ch. 1

Summary: It's time! Okoye is in labor, and everyone gets a lil panicky.

Warnings: Fluff, Family Feels, Pregnancy, Childbirth

Tags: @theeblackmedusa @theemfingmenace @xenokattz @tvreadsandsleep @mickimomo @xblackreader @ariyannah @iccedays @karimk2 @mamajankyy @dontruinmymorning @formyloveoflove @princess-of-gondor

A/N: Remember how I said we would meet the babies in this chapter? Yeah... I was wrong. 😅 Technically (!) its not my fault. The muse was musing and I had to flow with her. I also didn't want to drop a beastly 6k word chapter on y'all.

Anywho!! Babies for abso-frickin-lutely in Part 3, I pinky swear.

It started slowly.

She didn't even notice at first.

Small twinges in her back and side were ignored. Light cramps left her winded momentarily, but they were a near-daily occurrence, so she pushed through. Pain and discomfort were old friends. 

Then, she, Nakia, and Junior were having lunch at an old favorite when a longer cramp hit, making her wince visibly. 

"Sisi? " Nakia froze and put her fork down, quiet concern in her voice. 

Okoye's fork hovered over her plate of cassava ravioli, and she braced one hand on her stomach. "I'm fine," she held up a finger to stop her sister's protests, "The children are just active today."

Nakia looked disbelieving but didn't push. They finished their meal and wrapped up to pay when she was struck with another cramp. She breathed through it silently, not wanting to draw attention to herself. As the trio made their way back to Okoye's house, she felt a third cramp. The fourth and fifth came after parking Toussaint in front of the television and heading to the nursery to fold and coo over baby clothing. They were short, a little over 30 seconds, but they were steady and consistent, one coming every half hour. 

She glanced at the elaborate sun-shaped clock on the nursery wall, a gift from Attuma's brother, silently counting how long she'd been having contractions.

"Four hours," Nakia said, answering her unvoiced question. 

Okoye's eyes snapped to hers, and she swallowed thickly. "When did you start counting?"

"You had one just before Attuma left this morning. And one more shortly before we headed to the Square. I wasn't certain until we were seated for lunch."

Okoye stared blankly for a moment, setting down the stack of infant-sized tee shirts in her hands. Her mind raced as she realized what this all meant. 

She needed to call Attuma. 

"Sisi? Ulungile? [Are you okay?]" Nakia's voice was a distant thing. 

Another glance at the clock told her he would be home in less than an hour. She could wait until then. There was time; Dr. Langeni told them she could be in labor for 48 hours. But then again, they didn't know how quickly things would move, especially considering her children could be enhanced. They were the first to be born between the surface and the sea. And despite the gambit of tests that had been run on her, Attuma, and the babies, there were more than a few unknowns. Her heart began to race as the next contraction hit, the sixth since lunch. This one came a little faster than the last and lasted longer than the others. 

She needed to call her mother. 

"Okoye." Nakia was standing in front of her, hands gripping hers. "Listen to me, usisi. I need you to breathe."

She exhaled slowly and felt her eyes watering. 

She wanted Attuma.

"Can you-," she started. Her voice was a choked whisper as she fought back the tears that would most assuredly prove useless and tried again. "I need-," The words were stuck in her throat. Her breathing was rapid and uneven, and her eyes burned. 

Panic serves no one. Ramonda's voice was clear and crisp, resonating in her mind. A reminder from the early days of her Dora training, one that had served her well from War Dog extractions to alien battlefields. She clung to it ruthlessly, letting the Queen's voice anchor her drifting thoughts. 

Fear is acceptable; falling apart is not. She would not fall apart. 

Closing her eyes, Okoye took a deep breath. She held it for four seconds and exhaled for six. Again, in for four, out for six. Nakia realized what she was doing and went silent, breathing in tandem. A few more cycles, and she felt her heart slow and her mind calm. 

Find your strength and conquer your fears. Fear was acceptable and conquerable, and she would conquer hers.

Okoye opened her eyes to see the familiar brown she'd known since childhood. Nakia was here, steady as the river of her home. Her sister nodded with a small smile and helped her into the rocking recliner in the corner of the room.

She squatted in front of her. "Tell me what you want, 'Koye," Nakia said, squeezing her fingers. "Should I call Attuma? Or would you like me to activate the protocol? I know it's early, but we can go in now; everyone is ready."

Okoye considered her options. Activating the protocol would only incite panic; she'd only agreed to it in case of emergencies, and this was not emergent. Calling Attuma would also be futile. He would be home soon, and they could head to the palace then.

"Call Mama," she told Nakia quietly. "Attuma will be home in less than an hour, and we'll all go together."

Nakia didn't hesitate. "Okay."

When Attuma entered their home 43 minutes later, he froze, momentarily caught off guard by the extra bodies in their house. Afternoons were typically reserved for the two of them; their walk, nap, and hammock time were practically ritual, and while deviations occurred, they were rare and communicated ahead of time. He dried himself off and stored his armor. He passed by Toussaint, placing an affectionate hand on his head. Their nephew barely moved, thoroughly engrossed in whatever was playing on the holographic screen before him as he intensely colored a map of Wakanda. Attuma leaned over her quickly to greet her mother, who stood behind their sofa, pecking her on the cheek and muttering a polite, if confused hello. He glanced down, watching her mother as she wove her braids together to keep them out of her face while she labored. Okoye wondered if he would notice the reason for their presence before she told him.

Her beloved watched for a few more moments before dropping to a knee in front of her and cupping her face, kissing her gently. "In K'iino'." Her easy smile was rewarded with another kiss before he moved his hands down to her belly. "In eek'o'obo'. [My stars.]" he murmured, placing three kisses across her bump and smiling proudly when he felt his children respond, pushing back on his palms. 

Okoye marveled at the peace that stole over her at the familiar greeting. Her mother's arrival had helped settle some of her nerves, but her heart had ached for him. And now, here he was, smiling up at her with unmatched adoration and devotion. 

She wanted him forever. 

"Welcome home, sithandwa sam," she smiled, running her fingers through his hair and cupping his cheek. His eyes were the loveliest shade of brown she'd ever seen, and they shone with love so deep, she thought she'd drown. Her thumb found the scar from their first encounter, her scar, and she traced it gently, utterly enraptured by him. 

Okoye's mother cleared her throat, breaking their reverie, and announced that her work was done. Attuma's eyes darted up, and he smiled at the woman before grasping Okoye's hand and kissing the center of her palm sweetly as he stood. He moved to sit with her on the sofa, and she let out a quiet hiss, another contraction hitting her sharply. 

Attuma's reaction was immediate. He dropped back down to his knees, cradling her face and belly with wide, panicked eyes. "In yakunaj? Ma'alobech? [Are you well?]"

As the contraction passed, she let out a low hum and smiled wanly at him. "I was going to wait until after you took a shower, but I suppose now is as good a time as any." She covered his hand with her own. "It seems your stars are finally ready to make an appearance." 

Okoye watched him process her words, fighting back a snort, and failed to stifle her amusement as his eyes widened, darting between her face and belly. 

"Truly? Is it-? Are you-?"

"Yes, sithandwa, my labor has begun," she confirmed with a smile.

"Then we must go to the Citadel. Immediately!" Attuma urged, his words tumbling out in a rush. He looked beyond Okoye to her mother. "Mama, would you activate the protocol and take Chan Báalam ? I will carry our bags and in K'iino . Where is Nakia? Are we taking the transport? Of course not, it is not safe. Can you call Nacom Ayo or perhaps Ixjaw Shuri? One of them could fly a hovercraft here. We must-"

Okoye grabbed his face in both hands and kissed him, silencing his panicked rambling. She released his lips slowly, drawing back."Breathe, Attuma." 

He blinked, letting out a deep breath, and she slid her hands to the nape of his neck, massaging the base of his skull. "Nakia went to collect her and Junior's things; she will return soon. Mama is going to call Ayo while you shower, and when you're done, you can carry me and the bags wherever we need to go."

"The protocol-"

"-can be activated from anywhere on the surface or below. It will certainly work aboard the hovercraft."

His brow was creased, dark eyes staring up at her, worry bleeding into his tone as he pleaded, " In K'iino' ..."

Bast help her if their children ever fixed her with the same pitiful look on her beloved's face. 

"In Xook … I promise you; no harm will come to me or our children if you take 30 minutes to wash the day away. I will be right here when you return," she assured him.

Attuma looked intensely torn, his face downturned in a frown. He sighed deeply and kissed her once more before rising to his feet. 

"I will return in 15 minutes. I don't wish to delay any longer," he said and strode quickly out of the room.

Okoye watched him leave, shaking her head lightly. She held back her chuckles until she locked eyes with her mother. They stared at each other for a moment before bursting into peals of laughter, drawing Toussaint's attention from his place on the floor. 

"What's so funny, umakhulu?" he asked, removing his headphones and drawing himself to his knees. 

Okoye's laughter intensified at his question, and it fell to her mother to answer him. Her mother pressed her lips together, trying to contain her amusement as their laughs faded into snickers, and she wiped a tear from her eye as she sat down beside Okoye. "Just your uncle, umfana omnandi [sweet boy]. Your umakazi loves a very dramatic man."

T'Challa looked utterly confused by the statement. "What's dramatic?"

Okoye's laughter rang throughout the house once more.

~~~

They left their home 27 minutes later. 

Nakia returned with her bags and Aneka as Attuma emerged from their bedroom. Aneka informed them that her wife was five minutes out, and Okoye rolled her eyes at the absurdity of using the royal hovercraft to go from her house to the palace. She attempted to get up from the sofa to collect her things but was immediately stopped by every adult in the room. A trio of stern gazes and one worried look from Aneka made her stay put, breathing carefully through another contraction as her family gathered everything on the detailed checklists her mother had made nearly two months ago. 

Aneka assisted Toussaint with packing up his things, and he petitioned her to hang his brightly colored map on Okoye's refrigerator. Her sister-in-arms took the picture after a nod from Okoye and strode over to do as he asked. Her nephew settled himself between her legs, taking it upon himself to have one more conversation with the babies before they were born, instructing them to be good and to come quick because he was excited to meet them and play. She kissed his head sweetly, explaining that the babies would not be ready to play for a long while once they were born. 

T'Challa nodded sagely. “That’s okay, umakazi.” He leaned down, cupping his mouth as if telling a secret. "When I am six," he attempted to whisper to her belly, "I will teach you all Go Fish."

Okoye giggled into her fist, then bit down, her amusement turning to a hushed groan as a contraction struck fiercely. Attuma's head snapped toward her, having heard the muted sound of pain, and she held up a hand, assuring him she was alright. As the cramping sensation passed, the quiet whoosh of the hovercraft landing announced Ayo's arrival, and they filed out to the ship, Attuma carrying her into the Royal Talon Fighter as promised. 

As they landed in the palace courtyard, Toussaint hugged her and Attuma goodbye. He would be staying with M’Baku for the duration of her labor, and Nakia squeezed her hand, saying she would meet them in the Amnio after dropping him off. Ayo and Aneka parted ways with them once they entered the palace, the General heading off to change out of her uniform into something more suitable for supporting one of her oldest friends while she birthed new lives. 

Shuri and Dr. Langeni met them at the elevator bay, the princess chewing on her lower lip nervously while her obstetrician greeted them with a wide smile and asked about her early labor. Okoye filled her in on the duration and length between her contractions elevator ride, ignoring Attuma's pointed stare as she informed her that she'd likely been having contractions since the late morning. Dr. Langeni let out a huff of laughter and assured them that she'd had more than a few mothers who mistook early labor signs as day-to-day pregnancy discomforts. 

"Ixtli and her team are already getting set up in the Amnio, and the other half of our team is on standby, ready to jump in when we need them. Let's get you set up, and once we get a better idea of how far along you are and how the babies are doing, we can talk about what to expect. Sound good?"

"Sounds good," Okoye said, glancing up at Attuma, who nodded once. 

The older woman gave her a wide, reassuring smile. "Good! Then let's go have some babies."

~~~

Several hours and too many contractions later, she and Attuma were on their third lap of the Royal Gardens, trying to move things along. Her contractions were getting longer and closer together, but her water had yet to break, so things were stalled for the moment. 

“Have you given any more thought to names?” Attuma asked her as they passed by the sweet-smelling peonies.

Okoye blew out a breath; names were a topic they’d stalled on many times. They both knew names were burdensome things, and she wanted to see her children’s eyes before giving them a name that might not fit. Attuma had agreed with her, but now it seemed something had changed. She looked at him, studying the set of his jaw in the soft moonlight. “Have you?”

He was silent for a moment, looking to the stars before answering her. “I know we agreed to wait and know our children before we have them names, and I still wish this.” He gazed back down at her with pleading eyes. “I also wish to name one of our sons after my father. He was an honorable war chief with a courageous spirit.”

“So confident in your assertions that we will have sons, krebe,” Okoye said through grit teeth, tightening her grip on his hand as a long contraction rippled through her. Attuma paused their walking and braced a hand on her back, silently supporting her as she continued their conversation as though nothing was happening. “What will you do if we have a daughter?”

“Pray to Bast, Chaac, and perhaps Hanuman as well that she is not nearly as lethal or stubborn as her mother,” he quipped back.

She shot him an unimpressed glare and pressed on with their walk after the pain passed, meandering through the proteas. Okoye quietly considered his request, already knowing her answer. She recalled the story of Attuma’s father sacrificing himself to protect Talokan when her beloved was just a boy and how his loss shaped the man he was now. 

Okoye hummed and ran her thumb over Attuma’s knuckles, voicing her approval. “Cadmael is a strong name, my love.”

“May Chaac & Bast help him to live up to it,” he replied, squeezing her hand.

Okoye squeezed back. “If he has even a tenth of your courage, I know for certain he will.” 

Attuma’s smile was brighter than the stars, and he kissed her tenderly, murmuring his thanks against her mouth. Their lips parted, and she smiled as he pressed another kiss to her forehead. They continued down the path, coming to the marble and vibranium fountain in the garden’s center, and Attuma stopped to grab a drink of water. 

“Well, at least one of our children has a name,” she chuckled before sobering, staring at the panthers wrought from Bast’s gift, remembering simpler days when she, T’Challa, and Nakia would play in the wide basin. They’d splash each other until they were drenched, then lay under the sun on the warm cobblestones to dry off. The pang of his loss resonated in her heart.

“I think… I would like to honor T’Challa.” Her voice wavered. “I know Toussaint carries his name, but I want to give our children a piece of him as well.”

Attuma pulled her into his arms, holding her as close as he could, resting on the ledge of the fountain’s basin. She tucked her head under his chin, letting the rumble of his voice soothe her. “I know he was more than a king to you, in yakunaj. Your brother was an honorable man, a noble one. I believe that whatever piece you choose to impart on our child will honor him and our son.”

A gentle breeze blew over them, and somehow, Okoye knew it was T’Challa. Accepting the blessing for what it was, she shut her eyes tightly, letting the bittersweet tears spill down her cheeks. Attuma stood as a silent sentry to her grief, allowing her the space to mourn without judgment. T’Challa’s body was gone, but his spirit remained, and she clung to it. Okoye took a deep breath and opened her eyes. 

She stepped back slightly and glanced at the stars, resting her hand on her lower belly. “Perhaps,” she started, “if we have another son, we might name him T’Khwezi.”

Attuma cupped the back of her neck and brought their foreheads together, placing his hand over hers. “A king of stars,” he whispered. “It is fitting, in K’iino’.”

Okoye laughed wetly. “That it is, ukrebe wam.”

His hand slid around her waist, resting on the curve of her back, and they lingered there for a moment longer. A strong contraction broke them out of their reverie, and she leaned into Attuma’s hold, bracing her hands on his shoulders. Okoye clenched her jaw as she felt the ripple of pain in her back. Attuma began singing a quiet tune he used to soothe sore muscles and aches, and she sighed at the small amount of relief it brought. Okoye straightened slowly as the cramping faded into a dull ache and shifted her stance. 

“Back inside?” Attuma’s question was more of a gentle suggestion, and she nodded. He stood to his full height, and they began their slow stroll back into the Citadel.

As they rounded the corner past the bush lilies, Okoye stopped suddenly, gasping as the sudden rush of wet between her legs alerted them to her water breaking. Her face heated in embarrassment, but the fierce tightening in her abdomen pushed any thoughts of humiliation from her mind, and she groaned.

“I think,” Okoye said, breathing heavily, “it may be time to get in the pool.”

Attuma’s eyes were filled with trepidation and concern as he waited for the contraction to pass. He made to pick her up, silently asking for permission, and she nodded curtly, wrapping an arm around his neck as he scooped her into his arms and carried her back into the palace.

A/N 2:

Nakia notices all things. It's why she's a really great spy.

Panicky Attuma fit the bill; argue with a wall.

You can pry adorable, no concept of time having Junior from my cold dead hands.

Yes, T'Khwezi is an entirely made-up name (thank you to @theemfingmenace) Khewzi means star in Xhosa and the T' prefix is a tribute to our fallen king (RIP CB 💕)

Ch. 3

[sorchathered]

Sarah I apologize for this being so sudden, the frat boy shenanigans have struck again (lol).

-I should've touched on it earlier, but it must be known that in 1985, Thomas Rainwater helped lead the "great tee-pee" wars against the Alpha Betas. The boys literally bought four pallets of toilet paper from Costco and used it to tee-pee the Alpha Beta house. It was also his idea to get the guys in full war paint and do the Tusken Raider yells

-The guys woke up one winter morning to find a bison.......a fucking BISON......grazing in their front yard. They promptly turned and went back in the house

-Royal found a pair of dachshunds, a male and a female, in a box on the sidewalk one day. He took'em back after nobody had claimed them and they officially became the "frat dogs". The male was named Buster and the female became "Weezy". John got the idea to name her both after the mom from The Jeffersons and because she had a slight wheeze whenever she coughed. They were the best house mascots EVER so imagine their surprise when Royal looked at their spot under the stairs one morning and saw that Weezy had puppies

-These guys have seen all the original Star Wars movies. They had the same collection of VHS tapes and those were ones that they almost wore out. They know The Empire Strikes Back line for line

-If you're familiar with "Revenge Of The Nerds", the Delta Taus in this era had their own version of Ogre. This guy though? This guy's name was "Tank", a refrigerator sized manimal native to the great state of Maine. His son "Moose" ended up joining the Delta Taus when Rhett Abbott, Kayce Dutton and Bob Floyd were all a part of it. Like father, like son

-The guys had their own version of the Bene Gesserit "Litany Against Fear". They called it "The Litany For Beer", recited by every Delta Tau before a rager

-The guys were still very much at war with the Alpha Betas who seriously were more trouble than they were worth. John, Royal, Wayne and Thomas decided they had to do something after those assholes tore up the flower beds that they had helped their art history professor plant after she moved into her house. One of their neighbors who lived off campus was a very, very salty Vietnam vet who basically taught them everything they needed to know. He helped them rig up a giant hole, rope and net snares (nothing that would hurt'em of course) and a whole bunch of other stuff. The professor gave the entire Delta Tau fraternity straight As for the entire semester

Girl I’m dyingggg, a freaking bison?! I want to be apart of this universe so bad I can’t even tell you how much I cackle over these stories!!