#They just haven't crossed the friend border yet

[sunset-peril]

Social Relationships - Link Imperial Hyrule (HFS, TotK)

Key -

❤️ - Immediate Family 🩷 - Extended Family 🧡 - Friends 💛 - Working/Business 💙 - True Neutral 💚 - It's Awkward 🩶 - Dislike/Avoid 🖤 - Get out of my life by any means possible (may be willing to kill or severely harm)

Relationships -

Hometown

Check the Hateno Village Social Makeup for a Who's Who

Zelda (Esmerelda) Hyrule - ❤️ (wife, "queen" of pack)

Zelda Ivee Hyrule - ❤️ (daughter)

Reede Imperial - 🩷 (great-grand-nephew)

Clavia Imperial - 🩷 (great-grand-niece, by marriage)

Karin Imperial - 🩷 (great-great-grand-niece)

Sophie - 🧡

Cece - 🖤

Ivee (East Wind) - 💛

Pruce - 💛

Amira - 🩶

Tamana - 💙

Teebo - 💛 (mentee)

Medda - 🧡 (neighbor)

Aster - 🧡 (neighbor)

Dantz - 💛

Koyin - 🧡

Sayge - 💛

Senna - 💙 (nice lady but kind of scary-looking)

Sefaro - 🧡

Prima - 💙

Warten - 💙

Uma - 🧡

Traveling

Riju - 🧡

Buliara - 💛

Sidon - 🧡

Yona - 💛

Yunobo - 🧡

Teba - 🧡

Tulin - 🧡 (has a family-like relationship, but are not related)

Kass - 🩷 (great-grand-nephew)

Impa - 🧡

Purah - 🧡

Robbie - 🧡

Paya - 💚💛 (relationship was awkward for some time, then became a stable working relationship)

Hudson - 🧡

Rhondson - 💛

Kohga - 🖤

Memory

Rhoam - 🩷💚

Urbosa - 🩷🧡

Mipha - 🧡

Revali - 🧡💛 (Link's still not sure if they were friends or not)

Daruk - 🧡

Hyrule's Final Stand Masterlist

[cressidagrey]

The Witching Hour - Chapter 4 - Morrigan

Summary: 

5 Times members of the Inner Circle get absolutely terrified by Azriel's...whatever she is, and 1 (of many) times Azriel thinks that his witch was the best thing that ever happened to him.

Warnings: 

Seeing the future, Mor bashing, mention of rough but consensual sex

(super pretty dividers by @cafekitsune)

"You invited who to lunch?" Mor breathed. Feyre looked at her, a flicker of something in his expression. Concern, maybe?

"Cate agreed to join us," she said, his voice steady. "She might be our best chance of helping Elain."

Mor closed her eyes. "You invited Cate to lunch? Are you serious?" she hissed at Feyre. “Does Rhys know about this?" Mor demanded. Probably not, because she was quite sure that her cousin would have put a fucking stop to it. 

Feyre let out a deep breath. "No," she admitted. "I haven't told Rhys yet."

Mor's eyes widened. "You haven't told him? Are you out of your mind?" she demanded. Rhys was going to be utterly furious and Mor couldn’t even fault him for it. 

At Feyre's side, Nesta let out a snort, a small smirk on her lips.

Hecate was… morally questionable on a good day. 

She disappeared for decades and then showed up somewhere, wrecking havoc only to disappear again. Morrigan was quite sure that she had fingers in every bit of political unrest of the last thousand years in some way or another. That was literally what she was known for. 

Witches were a dying breed, rare and often assassinated for the power they possessed...but nobody had yet managed to killed Hecate The Undying. Which was too bad. 

Feyre's irritation flared at Mor's words, but she tried to keep her voice steady. "Look, I understand your reservations about Cate, but...she's willing to help us with Elain. That's what matters right now."

Mor's expression darkened even further. "You have no idea what you're getting yourself into, Feyre,” she implored her friend. “Cate is... dangerous.” That didn’t even begin to cover it. Dangerous was a fucking understatement. “You don't want her involved in this."

"So everybody keeps telling. But nobody says what exactly makes her oh so dangerous," Feyre said with a roll of her eyes. Mor considered throttling her High Lady. "Azriel gets along with her so she can't be that bad, right?" Feyre asked her. Mor clenched her jaw, frustration welling up within her.

Feyre was always so stubborn, so determined to see the best in everyone. It was endearing but also infuriating.

"You don't understand," she said through gritted teeth. "Cate may look harmless enough, but she's...unpredictable. Unhinged. She has a history of crossing lines, of violating boundaries, both physical and mental.And while Azriel gets along with her," Mor continued, her tone sharp. "That's not a good thing. Azriel and Cate have a...complicated history, to say the least. They've gotten far too close, in more ways than one."

Feyre rolled her eyes. "I'm sure they've spent some time... together."

Mor wanted to grab Feyre and shake her. "That's putting it lightly," she said, her voice strained. "They've done much more than just spend time together, and their...relationship has never been entirely...healthy."

Feyre's expression remained unchanged. "So what if they've slept together?" she said, her voice calm and level. "They're both consenting adults. I fail to see why it's such a big deal."

Mor felt her irritation flare, and she struggled to keep her voice even. "You don't understand," she repeated, her tone bordering desperation. "What they do…it's...it's not normal. Not healthy. It's a toxic..habit."

"I like how you are comparing me to a mirthroot addiction."

Morrigan growled, turning around. There she was. 

Mor's gaze hardened as Cate made her entrance, strolling in as if it was the most natural thing in the world. It infuriated her how cavalier the female could be, as if she didn't have a care in the world. 

Yet, despite herself, Mor found her eyes being drawn to the female, taking in her effortless beauty. Cate hadn't changed over the centuries. Still breathtakingly beautiful.Yes, Cate was undeniably attractive, but she was also dangerous. Lethal, even.

Mor blinked as she took in the dress she wore. For one moment she may have called it modest, with long sleeves and a floor-length skirt...and then she blinked and the off-the-shoulder neckline revealed bruises and bite marks that covered Cate’s neck and shoulder.

Mor felt her eyes widening at the sight of the marks marring Cate's skin. 

She knew the female was unrestrained, that she had no reservations about her body or her...encounters with Azriel, but seeing the evidence of her...dalliances on display was still jarring, to say the least. Mor's eyes darkened as she noticed Feyre's gaze flickering to the marks, a flicker of curiosity and...something else in her expression. Something that made Mor's blood boil.

This was not the time to let her mind wander to thoughts of Azriel and the things he had done with this female. She had to keep her focus, keep her mind on the task at hand.

But it was hard, when Cate was standing there, dressed to tantalize, with the physical reminders of her time with Azriel on full display. It was like a mockery, a taunt, a reminder of the closeness between them.

Mor clenched her fists to keep her hands from shaking, her irritation growing with every passing moment. She had to focus, to keep herself composed, even as the sight of Cate's body, marked and dishevelled, sent a shameful thrill of something through her.

She could feel Feyre's gaze on her, watching her reaction to the female like a hawk. Mor forced her face to remain impassive, refusing to give anything away. She couldn't let herself be distracted by her own complicated feelings towards the female, or the things she knew - and didn't know - that Cate and Azriel had done together.

But it was hard, so damn hard, when Cate was standing right there. Mor could almost feel the heat radiating off her, as if the female was trying to taunt her, to push her buttons.

And it was working. Mor could feel her own blood heating, her body responding to the sight of the female against her will. It took all her willpower to maintain her composure and keep a neutral expression on her face.

As if sensing her struggle, Cate let out a soft laugh, a sly smile playing on her lips. "You look like you're about to explode, Mor. Something wrong?" she teased, her voice low and almost sensual.

Mor gritted her teeth, her knuckles turning white as she clenched her fists tighter. She knew Cate was enjoying this, enjoying the effect she was having on her. It was almost infuriating, the way she could get under her skin with such ease.

But Mor refused to give her the satisfaction of seeing her lose her composure. She forced herself to take a deep breath and look Cate straight in the eye. "I'm fine," she said through gritted teeth. "Just….fine."

Cate's smile widened, her eyes sparkling. "Oh, come on now, Mor. We both know that's not true." She took a slow, deliberate step towards her, closing the distance between them. "You're a terrible liar. Always have been."

Mor's heart thumped in her chest as Cate moved closer, her movements like a predator closing in on its prey. She could feel the heat radiating off the female's body, the scent of something rich and foreign filling her nostrils. 

"Why are you even here?" Mor snapped.

Cate's smile turned amused. "Oh, I'm here for lunch, of course. Didn't you get the invite?"

Mor's irritation flared even further. The female always had such a nonchalant attitude, never taking anything seriously. It was infuriating.

"Don't play coy with me," she snapped. "We both know why you're really here."

Cate let out a low laugh, her eyes glittering. "Oh, do we now? And why's that?" she asked, feigning innocence.

Mor's irritation boiled over, her voice rising. "Azriel. You're here for him, aren't you?"

Cate arched an eyebrow, her expression unreadable. She looked around, eyes clearly moving around the room, carefully turning around her own axis. "Azriel is nowhere to be seen," she said drily.

"You know what I mean," Mor retorted, her voice sharp. "You're always after him, always pestering him.”

Cate let out another soft laugh, her eyes glimmering with something dangerous. "Oh, Morrigan. Always so protective. And jealous."

Mor's lips curled at the word. "'I am not jealous," she bit out.

Cate stepped closer, her voice dropping to a whisper.

"No? Then why do you look like you want to rip my throat out right now? Were it the bite marks that pushed you over the edge? You don't like the visible evidence that Azriel enjoys everything we do? If you wanted him for yourself, Morrigan, you could have," Cate said with a shrug. "He would have never refused you. By the cauldron, he spent centuries yearning for you, only for you to strangle him with his feelings at every opportunity."

Mor felt like she had just been punched in the gut. Cate's words cut right through her. Of course, she knew about Azriel's feelings for her, his unwavering devotion. And of course, she knew she had been nothing but a coward.

But hearing it thrown in her face like this, hearing Cate say it so nonchalantly, was like pouring salt on an open wound.

And the worst part was that Cate was right. Azriel had waited for her for centuries, only for her to push him away at every turn. Mor had known all this, had carried the weight of her cowardice for so long. And hearing Cate speak it out loud, in that nonchalant, almost taunting tone, made her feel like a fool.

But she refused to show weakness. Not in front of Cate.

She set her jaw, meeting Cate's gaze with a defiant glare.

"Don't pretend like you actually care about Azriel," she snapped. "You just use him. You use everyone."

"Oh that's rich, coming from you," Cate replied, her own expression hardening. "You've been using him for centuries, playing with his feelings like a cat toys with a mouse. Always just out of reach, just close enough to keep him coming back for more."

It was like a stinging slap. Mor felt the color drain from her face. Because Cate was right. She had been using Azriel for decades, using his feelings and devotion to keep him close, even though she knew she would never return those feelings.

Despite herself, her eyes stung with tears at the truth in the words. She had been lying to herself for so long, pretending to be the victim in all this. But Cate had laid out the reality, plain and simple, and Mor had never felt more exposed.

Mor tried to gather her wits, to come up with a snappy retort, but her mind was blank, her tongue thick and heavy in her mouth. For once in her life, she was at a loss for words

"For somebody that keeps insisting your power is truth, you can't seem to take it dished to you," Cate said darkly. "And for the record, I am only here because the High Lady thought that I may be able to help Elain. I'm a seer, just like her, remember?" she said, her voice sardonic. "And I might just have a bit more experience in dealing with my gift than Elain has. I have spent over a millennia in this world after all. It's possible I may be able to help her learn to control her power."

Despite herself, Mor's eyes widened slightly. It was a logical explanation, a valid reason for Cate's presence. But there was a part of her, a small, bitter part, that still couldn't accept it.

"And why would you help her?" she asked, her voice cold."What do you stand to gain from helping Elain?"

Cate's eyes gleamed with annoyance. "This may be hard to believe, but not everyone in the world is as self-absorbed as you," she taunted. "Maybe I'm just a nice person and I want to help another fellow Seer not drown in her visions and nightmares, hm? Did you ever consider that possibility?"

Mor gritted her teeth. She hated the way her heart lurched at Cate's biting words, the way they dug into her insecurities. "You don't exactly seem like the 'nice person' type," she shot back. "Forgive me for being suspicious."

"Your suspicions are noted, but you're wrong," Cate said with a shrug. "I don't do everything I do from some twisted motivation. I have feelings, you know. I'm not an emotionless monster."

Mor snorted, unable to hide her disbelief. "You could have fooled me," she said with a roll of her eyes.

Cate shot her a venomous glare. "You know, just because I'm not always wearing my heart on my sleeve doesn't mean I don't have feelings," she snapped. "Not everyone shows emotions in the same way you do, Morrigan."

Mor's stomach clenched as the words hit home. She knew that all too well. Just because she expressed her emotions outwardly, in words and actions, didn't mean everyone else did as well.

Still, she couldn't help but snark: "You don't show them at all most of the time."

"Maybe that's because I've learned to keep my feelings guarded, especially around people like you," Cate shot back, her voice sharp. "You have a habit of using people's emotions against them."

Mor's chest tightened. Cate was right again, and it stung. She had done it with Azriel time and time again, playing on his feelings for her, keeping him just close enough to keep him hoping for more. She hated herself for it, but she had done it anyway.

She couldn't stop the words from escaping her mouth. "And you don't?"

"Not like you," Cate retorted, her eyes narrowing. "| may flirt with everyone, but at least I'm upfront about it. I never promise more than I'm willing to give, and I don't play with people's hearts like you do."

"Can we go back to Elain now?" Nesta snapped.

Mor blinked, only just remembering that Nesta was in the room. She had been so focused on the back and forth with Cate that she had practically forgotten about the other females.

The sound of Nesta's voice snapped her out of her thoughts and back to reality. She looked over at the other female, who was looking less than amused.

"Gladly," Cate said with a roll of her eyes. "Where is she?"

"In the garden, I think," Mor said, her voice cracking slightly. She took a deep breath, trying to regain her composure. "She says the sunshine helps." 

Cate pushed off the wall, straightening her dress. "Well let's go, then," she said briskly. "The sooner we get to Elain, the sooner I can get out of here." 

Mor gritted her teeth, her irritation flaring. "What's wrong, not enjoying yourself?" she sniped back.

"Oh, I'm having a wonderful time," Cate said drily, giving Mor a mocking smile. "Your sparkling personality just makes it all worthwhile."

Feyre bit out a laugh at that. Mor glared at her. 

"The sunshine keeps the visions at bay," Feyre explained, growing serious as she led them down the garden path. "Is that…normal?"

Cate nodded. "Yes and no," she said, her attention focused on the path ahead. "It's normal for someone just coming into their power. The visions and images can be overwhelming, especially in a dark environment. But as a seer becomes more practised, they learn to control their power and it becomes less dependent on external factors like light or darkness."

"Elain?" Nesta called out to her sister, who was digging by the roses. Elain was lovely as always, a Sunhat on her head. "There is somebody we want you to meet."

Elain turned, her expression polite and open. She looked at the group of them, her gaze lingering on Cate.

Her gaze shuttered.

"Oh no," Feyre breathed.

Elain was having one of her visions.

The words spilt from Elain's lips, her voice low and strained, as though it took great effort to speak them.

"One who was Death must become Undying, for the thread of their souls are twined through the ages. They shall fight side by side in battle, their fates intermingled."

"Interesting," Cate murmured.

Mor felt her heart rate speed up at the words. Even without knowing their meaning, they sent a shiver down her spine. Death becomes Undying. It sounded...ominous.

But Cate seemed unaffected, casually intrigued.

"Is that always how they are?" Cate asked, as Elain's gaze cleared.

Feyre looked at her sister, concern written all over her face. Her voice was low as she said, "Yes. They're always like that. Vague and mysterious."

Elain blinked, her gaze slowly regaining focus. She seemed dazed, disoriented

"What did you see, Elain?" Feyre asked gently.

Elain shook her head as though trying to clear away the fog. "I don't...I'm not sure," she said weakly.

Cate took a step forward, her gaze sharp on Elain. "Can you tell me what you do remember?" she asked, her voice soft yet firm.

Elain frowned, her brow furrowing as she tried to recall.

"Not much," she admitted. "There were….shadows," she said slowly. "And a field of corpses."

Mor's heart dropped at the words. Shadows and corpses...it sounded like a battlefield.

Cate pulled out a crystal ball out of her pocket, not any bigger than a fist. Mor watched as Cate held the crystal ball up, the sunlight refracted off its surface and casting little rainbows over the ground.

"What are you doing?" Feyre asked, her voice wary.

"It's easier for a Seer if they have a...focus of sorts," Cate said simply, holding it out for Elain. Elain regarded the crystal ball with a mixture of caution and curiosity. She slowly reached out and took it.

Nothing happened.

"Just like I thought," Cate said drily. "You aren't a seer. You are an oracle."

"What's the difference?" Nesta asked, unable to keep the sharpness out of her voice.

"A seer has the ability to control their power to some degree," Cate explained, her gaze still fixed on Elain. "They are able to see into the future...and if you have a guide, a focus like a crystal ball, a seer can flip through all the different possibilities."

"An oracle, on the other hand..it's a power given by the mother herself. They see what the mother wills and when. They have no control what they see, no way of interpreting them. It just comes to them in flashes, with no context or explanation." 

Mor's eyes widened as she listened to Cate's words. An oracle? That didn't sound...good. 

Oracles, like Cate said, had no control over their powers. They never knew what they would see or when. It sounded like a living nightmare.

And poor Elain...she had no idea what had just been dropped on her lap.

The crystal ball exploded in Elain's hand.

It happened so fast, that Mor didn't even have a chance to react. One moment, Elain was holding the crystal ball, the next it shattered in an explosion of sparkling pieces.

Feyre squeaked, Mor froze..it was a wave of Cate's magic that enveloped Elain, that kept her safe as the crystal ball shattered in her hand. 

As the shards of the crystal ball rained down, Cate's magic enveloped Elain like a shimmering shield. The pieces bounced harmlessly against it, falling uselessly to the ground.

There was a breathless moment of silence, as everyone stood frozen, processing what had just happened

Mor knew that this was just a small taste of Cate's vast magical reservoir...a small stream coming from an ocean.

Mor watched as the magic around Elain slowly faded, disappearing like steam on a window.

Cate's expression was unbothered, her voice steady as she said, "As I said. An oracle."

"So I have no control?" Elain asked, her voice small. "'Il always be at the mercy of these...these visions?"

Cate's expression softened, her voice gentle as she replied. "In a way, yes. The visions will come to you, whether you want them to or not. But with proper guidance...it doesn't have to be overwhelming. I can teach you how to deal with the power, to not let it consume you."

Elain looked at Cate, a spark of hope in her eyes. "You can?" she asked, her voice tremulous.

Cate gave a small nod. "Yes," she said. "It won't be easy, and it will take time and practice. But I can help you learn to control the power, rather than letting the power control you."

Mor watched the exchange, her heart thudding in her chest. Cate's words sparked a flicker of hope within her, a hope that perhaps Elain might not be cursed to live a life of constant visions.

But at the same time, she couldn't shake the feeling that having Cate around for extended periods of time would be... troublesome, to put it mildly.

Cate's presence in Velaris would undoubtedly stir up many emotions, especially among the Inner Circle members. And the thought of having to deal with her witty remarks and sarcastic comments on a daily basis was enough to make Mor's headache worsen.

"Out of pure interest, who told you she was a Seer?" Cate wondered

"Azriel did," Elain answered softly. "I thought I was going insane."

Cate's gaze sharpened, her lips curving into a small smirk. "Oh, Azriel did, huh? Seems like | will need to give Azriel a primer in magical abilities once more."

Mor's eyebrows rose at Cate's tone. It was almost….playful. And the thought of her playfully mocking Azriel, poking at the shadowsinger to rile him up was...

"You know him?" Elain wondered, her gaze suddenly starting to take in the bite marks all over her neck and shoulder. Mor watched her swallow as she took that in. 

Cate chuckled, her eyes sparkling. "Oh, very well," she said, her voice laced with mirth. "We've been...acquainted for quite some time now. I do understand how he came up with it, he has seen me have visions more than once. But he's never been good with understanding the nuances of power," Cate added, her voice dropping into a mocking octave as she imitated Azriel's deep voice. "Sees the shadows, misses everything else."

Mor found herself smirking, unable to help herself. The idea of Cate being able to get under Azriel's skin so effortlessly, to tease him so effortlessly...it was almost endearing, in a twisted way.

There was something about Cate, in that moment, that was so very...genuine. Her eyes sparkled with mischief, her lips curved up in a small smirk. She was utterly unguarded, with no hint of pretence or artifice in her

Mor cursed herself internally, annoyed at how quickly she had been distracted by the other female. She despised Cate, and yet...there was something about her presence, her behaviour, that was captivating.

Mor forced herself to focus, to steer her thoughts in a different direction. She couldn't afford to let herself be distracted by Cate's mercurial nature, not now. There were more important matters to attend to, like the fact that Elain was an oracle.

She looked over at Elain, who still looked worried and overwhelmed by the revelation. She felt a pang of sympathy for the young fae. To suddenly have this power thrust upon her, to be told that she would have no control over it...it had to be a terrifying prospect.

"You are in good hands now," Cate promised Elain easily. "We'll get a handle on it...'ll find you some books to read."

There was a hint of softness in her tone, a flicker of concern in her gaze. It was a side of Cate that Mor hadn't seen before, one that contrasted sharply with her usual sarcastic and standoffish nature.

Elain smiled weakly, her shoulders slumping in relief.

“Thank you," she said softly.

Cate gave a small nod, her expression gentling. "Of course," she said, her voice gruff yet sincere.

Mor felt a pang of irritation as Cate's gaze landed on her, her expression shuttering back into its usual cold mask.

She swallowed back a biting response, not in the mood to start another argument.

But even as she forced herself to remain quiet, Mor couldn't help but feel a spark of defiance. She would not let Cate get the better of her.

Cate's gaze bore into hers, a silent challenge passing between them. Mor met it head-on, refusing to look away. Neither of them spoke, the air around them thick with tension and suppressed energy.

Finally, Cate's lips quirked up in a small smirk, as though amused by the tension she had caused. “You know,” she drawled. “If you keep staring at me, Morrigan, people might think you like me.”

Mor’s eyes narrowed, her irritation flaring. “And if you keep opening your mouth, people might think you’re intelligent,” she retorted, her voice dripping with sarcasm.”

Cate's smirk grew, her eyes sparkling with mischief. "Oh, come on. Don't pretend you don't enjoy our little verbal spars. It's the highlight of your day, I'm sure."

"The highlight of my day is when you're not in my presence," Mor snapped, her temper fraying. "Believe me, I could go without seeing your face...or the evidence of your animalistic couplings." 

"Ouch," Cate said, feigning a wince. "That one stung. I didn't realise you were so jealous of my...activities. By the way, mostly it's Azriel telling me how perfect I am," Cate shot back easily. Elain looked like she would rather be anywhere else, while Nesta bit back a laugh. 

Mor's jaw dropped, her mind struggling to process what she'd just heard. Cate, with the arrogance and audacity to claim that people... that Azriel found her 'perfect'. It was utterly ridiculous.

But as she stared at Cate, seeing the cool, almost amused expression on the other woman's face...she couldn't help but wonder if it was true.

"If you hurt him..." she whispered, threatening...for one moment Cate's aura blew wide open. Green magic sparked at the very tips of her fingers.

Mor's heart seized in her chest, her breath catching in her throat as Cate's magic burst free. It crackled in the air, a low hum that sent a shiver down her spine.

For a moment, Cate's expression dropped completely, replaced by something dark and dangerous. Her eyes glowed almost unnaturally, and her magic swirled around her like a living thing.

But then, as quickly as it had come, it was gone. Cate's expression smoothed back into its usual cool indifference, and her magic retracted back into her skin.

"Don't forget who spent 500 years hurting him," Cate said quietly. "It wasn't me, Morrigan."

Mor's hands clenched into fists, her nails digging into her palms. She wanted to snap back, to deny Cate's words, out she knew there was no point.

Cate was right. Mor had hurt Azriel. Deeply, irreparably.

And there was no way she could deny it.

"Do not threaten me for something you have done," Cate said quietly. "I have never laid a hand on Azriel in any way that he didn't want me to."

Mor swallowed hard, her heart thudding in her chest.

Cate's words struck her to her very core.

She knew it was true. Cate had shown Azriel more kindness, more compassion than she had in centuries.

And yet, a part of her couldn't help but feel resentful.

Resentful at the way Cate had so easily inserted herself into Azriel's life, replacing Mor in a way she hadn't been able to.

"I'll send you that book list," Cate said calmly.

Mor nodded stiffly, not trusting herself to speak. Her throat felt tight, her body tense from the onslaught of emotions she had experienced in the last few minutes.

She watched as Cate gave Elain a reassuring pat on the arm, her gaze flicking briefly to Mor before she turned to leave.

And in that moment, as Cate walked away, Mor was struck by a sudden wave of realisation. Cate was not simply a friend, or a sexual partner, or a convenient outlet for Azriel's anger and tension.

No...there was something more between them. Something that Mor had failed to see in all her years of knowing Azriel. Something that was now glaringly obvious in the other woman's presence.

And it scared her. It scared Mor more than any battle, any enemy, ever had.

[bruhnze]

Apple tarts and tiramisu - Part 8 - Lucy Bronze x Reader

Summary ''Apple tarts and tiramisu'': Lucy just moved to Barcelona, you offer to teach her Spanish. Reader gets into a relationship with Lucy Bronze who she met while she served her an apple tart.

Chapter inspiration by the ask from this anon.

Other parts: masterlist

SMUT - MINORS DNI , warnings: explicit.

Wordcount: 8k (a big one!)

-> When i was writing this i accidentally deleted my draft 😭 so yeah i had to re-write,, and i was very anoyed about it bcs my brain is a sieve (i had to google sieve bcs i didn't know that you write sieve like sieve, huh!?) anyways i couldn't remember some pieces, so yeah i had to rethink, enjoy pt. 8. it's writen with blood, sweat and tears and dedication 😭.

-> But thanks for staying tuned and i hope you enjoy reading it xx

(mostly written at night so maybe it's crap xx)

Apple tarts and tiramisu - Part 8

It was monday, you had a teaching job, having to teach english to some rich parents' kid who was appearently failing at the subject in school. Usually this type of job, a spoiled kid, wouldn't be your favourite, but this kid was quite alright so the time went by quick enough.

You hadn't seen Lucy since wednesday, as your sceduals had both been full. Saturday she had had preparations for the sunday game and in the afternoon and night you had a planned hangout with your friends at the beach. On sunday you went to the game with most of the friends that'd been also at the barbeque, and the day had unfortunately gone in such a way that you had not seen each other one on one.

You had texted and called, you had suggested to meet Monday morning before you had tutoring, but Lucy said she couldn't.

You had wondered what she was going to do but didn't want to come across as nagging, after all you had agreed to have dinner at your place that evening, she deseverd some time for herself aswell.

It was late afternoon and you were on your way home when your phone buzzed.

''hey Luce what's up''.

''hi bub, im at yours, but you're not home yet, aren't ya?''.

''i'm about to be, sorry didn't know you'd be so early''.

''oh-'' you heared Lucy's dissapointment ''i just- i knew we were gonna cook together, but-''.

''no! i meant i just.. didn't know... i like it luce, i missed you''.

''ahh'' she sounded relieved ''good, i missed you too''.

''look behind you'' you said as you turned around the street that bordered yours.

You saw Lucy turn and search around, you waved at her. When she spotted you a big smile crossed her face and she waved back.

She hung up and walked towards you, as you were still walking towards her, or rather your front door.

''hi baby'' Lucy said excitedly.

You frowned as you eyed up the bag she was holding and the backpack she was wearing ''moving in?'' you joked.

Lucy laughed ''yeah, would you like that?''. ''no im kidding, i brought some stuff to cook together, and in my backpack are some clothes, because someone told me we wear different sizes'' she chuckled thinking back about last week.

''i think you could pull it of'' you grinned ''maybe i can put you in one of my dresses?''.

Lucy laughed ''i have worn dresses you know''.

''really?'' you said, not being able to hide your suprise ''i want to see pictures''.

''oh you haven't googled that?'' Lucy asked genuinly surprised.

''no i haven't googled you'' you laughed ''should i?''.

Lucy frowned ''hmm, i dont know there's some weird stuff out there''.

You grinned ''uh yeah, like those video's, i don't know what they're called, yfs/n showed me".

"What was in it?"

You blushed "well, uhm, basicly it was a compilation of your abs and stuff..''.

''thirst trap?''.

''AH YES, thirst trap was it, i saw one but then we put the phone away again because it was a bit strange''.

You opened the door as the two of you had arrived at the front of your building.

Lucy was quietly chuckling as she walked to the elevator and pressed the button ''you're cute'' she said as she turned back to you.

''you are too'' you said as you leaned in to kiss her ''i missed you''.

"Next time just watch a thirst trap" Lucy said laughingly.

"Maybe i will" you teased back before kissing her.

Lucy broke the kiss when the elevator had opened and you stepped in ''i missed you too'' Lucy smiled ''i love you''.

''i love you too'' you said as you followed Lucy into the elevator.

You now you noticed she was quite dressed up, not having seen it before because of the bags ''why are you dressed up so nice''.

Lucy chuckled ''would you rather i came in my kit?''.

''hmm'' you thought back at how hot she had looked on sunday ''well i wouldn't be opposed to that'' you wiggled your eyebrows.

''by the way, you are looking very good yourself'' Lucy moved on from the subject.

You rolled your eyes, you were wearing a long skirt and a white tucked in blouse ''profesionalismo, for my estudiante''.

Lucy grinned ''you can teach me some lessons''.

''are we there already'' you chuckled at Lucy's cheesy line as the elevator doors opened.

''no i'm sorry'' Lucy said as she put her hand on your back when you put your key in the door ''first our culinary date''.

You opened the door and let Lucy pass you, as you gave her a kiss on the cheek you whispered ''well im not sorry''.

Lucy grinned as she walked straight to your kitchen ''i have some things to put in the fridge''.

''you know i just got my groceries this morning'' you said loudly so Lucy could hear you from the hallway ''so we could've cooked up something from that''.

''yeah i know'' Lucy said back ''but i didn't know if you had things to make a salad and that's the only thing we still have to make''.

You were now also in the kitchen, after getting of your shoes and putting your bag and laptop away in your small office room.

''What?''.

''hm'' Lucy acted innocently ''don't you like salad?''.

''yeah i do'' you came closer to Lucy and hugged her ''but what did you bring then?''.

Lucy smiled and looked down at your face ''it's a surprise''.

''but we're going to eat it right, so how long wll you keep it a secret?''.

''that's true'' Lucy chuckled

''it's got to do with this morning doesn't it'' you frowned.

''how did you know'' Lucy laughed ''are you a detective?'' she said while tickeling you slightly.

''no'' you chuckled and tried to escape from Lucy ''stop Luce!'' ''babe''.

''you are so ticklish'' Lucy grinned ''sorry, i'll stop'' ''and yes it had to do with my activity today''.

You waited eagerly for her to continue but she didn't, instead she got a tupperwear from her bag.

''pasta'' she said triumphantly.

You could recognise that plastic container everywhere ''my parents?''. ''you went to my parents?''.

Lucy grinned ''yes, Elena and i gave eachother our numbers the other day and she invited me''.

''she gave you food for our date night?''. ''is that why she wasn't at the bakery this morning?''. You asked confused.

''she didn't just give it to me, well.. she did.. but we made it together''. Lucy smiled ''she told me this was your favourite, well.. she asked me what i wanted to learn and i asked what dish of hers you liked the most''.

You smiled ''a cooking lesson?''.

''si'' Lucy said ''and i think i might have learned some more spanish''. she gulped ''your dad is...''.

You chuckled ''yeah i didn't know you were going to meet him otherwise i would've warned, he doesn't know a word of English''.

´´yeah´´ Lucy relaxed a litlle more ´´but he is nice, just like your mom´´.

´´i can´t wait to meet your parents´´.

´´they´ll love you´´ Lucy smiled ´´just like i do´´.

´´so if we don´t have to cook we still have a lot of time to pass, i mean it´s not even 5 o´clock yet´´ you said ´´what do you want to do?''.

''maybe we can watch something?'' Lucy said ''i would say a walk or something but i need to put my legs up for a bit, i've been standing all day''.

''yeah sure'' you said ''maybe you can pick something, i am going to put some other clothes on because these clothes are not really comfortable''.

..

A few moments later you were laying on the couch with Lucy, it felt nice, it felt domestic. Lucy had picked a movie and you were laying in front of her, you felt her chest rise and fall against you and every now and then a little stream of air came rhythmically into your neck.

You shuffled further back against her and Lucy put her arm around you tighter ''you comfy?'' she asked quietly.

''mhm'' you hum happily and reached to hold the hand that was infront of you before bringing it to your mouth to give her a gentle kiss on the back of her hand.

Lucy returned the favor by planting a soft kiss in you neck.

After a while, when you were actually getting quite invested in the movie Lucy had put on, you felt her body relax and her grip on you loosen. Her breath became shallow and uneven for a minute before it settled on a deeper more even pace.

You imagined she was probably very tired and you knew she had seen the movie before so you decided to let her sleep.

Even when she, at some point nearing the end of the movie, starting snoring lightly, you figured she needed the rest and just tried to tried to focus on the subtitles. You didn´t want to move to put the tv louder and you actually found the little sounds quite endearing.

The movie had ended and the subtitels came on, appearantly the sound was a little different or more loud, because Lucy started to stir behind you. You heard low but soft grunts as she burried her face against you and held you tighter again.

You turned around below her arm ´´good sleep?'' you chuckled as you saw Lucy's sleepy head ''or are you still tired''.

Lucy had her eyes still closed but smiled ''msorry'' she murmured ''you're just so comfy''.

You kissed her forehead ''ready to make some salad?".

Lucy burried her face against you ''mhmm, one more second'' she murmured.

//

While heating up the pasta and making a salad Lucy had insisted she'd get everything out of the fridge, as she had something in there for after dinner.

You thought it was adorable how she wanted to make everything a surprise, you guessed she'd probably made a dessert with your mom aswell, but you were curious what it would be, if she'd also asked what your favourite would be for that, it would be tiramisu.

While eating the pesto pasta with chicken, parmesan cheese and pine nuts, with the side salad of arugula, goat cheese, dried tomatoes and walnuts, Lucy and you were talking about your past.

Lucy had lived in England, where she had grown up, then had been to America, England again, France, England and now Barcelona.

Your story was a bit more boring, Barcelona, ​​born and raised and further than that English teacher and barista. You had once been to England for 3 weeks at university, with a host family. It was fun to talk about it with Lucy for a while, to share your cultural experiences.

Before you two knew it, it was a lot later ''time for dessert?'' Lucy asked when you started to clear the table.

You smiled ''yeah let's see what you made, the pasta was really good by the way'' you said as you leaned in to grab Lucy's plate but also to give her a little kiss.

Lucy also stood up from the table and helped to carry some stuff back to the kitchen.

As she pulled out a glass tray she beamingly said ''your favourite''.

''awww Luce'' you cooed as you recognised the tiramisu ''i love you''.

''i love you too'' Lucy said ''that's why i had to learn how to make your favourite dessert ofcourse''.

''you're perfect'' you said as she put the tray on the counter and searched around for some little plates and forks. You loved the way she was so comfortable in your place already, and you couldn't believe she had met your parents behind your back to surprise you.

''want to eat this on the couch?'' Lucy asked as she plated two scoops of the dessert.

''mhm sounds nice''.

The dessert was as perfect as always, just how your mom made it. You had given Lucy many compliments and when you two had both finished you had climbed on her lap to give her a proper thank you for the surprises.

''thank you Lucy, your such a good girlfriend to me'' you said before giving her a kiss.

Lucy hummed in the kiss and pulled away ''you make me want to be a good girlfriend and you are such a good girlfriend to me too, i loved seeing you in a Bronze shirt yesterday''.

You chuckled ''yeah you liked our outfits? we went to the fan store before the game and everyone wanted to wear yours so i couldn't stay behind''.

Lucy looked at you surprised ''you didn't want too?''.

''you hadn't scored yet'' you teased Lucy ''we made a bet remember.. but i guess clearing those balls from the goalline are even better then scoring so i thought i'll see it through''.

''oh how generous'' Lucy chuckled as she went in for another kiss ''but seriously, it suits you, maybe you wear it even better then i do''.

You rolled your eyes and kissed her back.

Slowly the kiss changed into a make out session, while sitting in her lap you cupped the back of her neck and Lucy´s hands started to wonder around on your body.

After a while the kiss slowed down and you could tell Lucy's mind was elsewhere, as her hands were no longer roaming your body and you led the kiss.

You pulled away smiling ''speak up'' you say nudging her on.

She seemed to snap back in to reality and blushed ''uhh, what?''.

''your mind is somewhere else'' you said.

Lucy shook her head in disbelieve "you really are a detective aren't ya".

You chuckled ''come on share your thoughts'' you cheer on, but Lucy didn't say anything.

You grinned as she stayed quiet ''no appropriate thoughts hm?''

Lucy blushed ''ehrm, well, i have a pressent for you, but now im second guessing myself and im kinda nervous''.

You looked at her suspiciously ''a gift? why, and also how could that be bad?''.

''maybe we should kiss more first'' Lucy tried.

''you can't focus because your thinking about a gift that's maybe bad'' you evaluated the situation.

Lucy's blush grew darker ''well'' . . ''yes''.

You chuckled ''i won't think it's weird or bad or stupid Luce, try me'' you said as you went to sit next to her, rather then on her lap, to give her space to go and retrieve the gift.

Lucy stood up from the couch and went to fetch her backpack.

''Clothes?'' you ask laughingly as she comes back.

''well, i said there's clothes in here, yes, but there's also a few other things''. she said as she zipped the bag open, she handed you a wrapped up box, another wrapped up present and a slightly smaller box.

''wow, it feels like my birthday'' you laugh as you took everything from her and layed it on the couch.

''when is your birthday actually?'' Lucy suddenly asked, realising she doesn't even know that.

''July, just before i met you'' you smile ''and you?'',

''October''.

''ah okay, we haven't missed eachothers birthday yet'' you joked.

''this is just a present for you, a special present, i hope i made the right decision and this isn't weird'' Lucy she said, stuttering over her words.

You patted the place next to you for her to sit back again.

When Lucy sat back on the couch you climbed back on her lap and gave her a kiss before whispering ''it's a sextoy isn't it''.

Lucy's cheeks flushed even more and she nodded quietly ''i-is that okay?''.

You laugh about her nervousness ''babe im sure you picked something great''.

She chuckled nervously ''well why don't you open it'' she suggested.

She grabbed the biggest box first and handed it to you.

You eagerly ripped the paper and was met with a abstract image of a dildo, you chuckled as you recognised it as the same one Lucy had.

You looked at her surprised ''why were you so nervous for this?''.

''well i thought i'll buy you your own, so we-

You finished her sentence ''so we can fuck regardless of the appartment we're in''.

Lucy seemingly regained some of her confidence ''yeah, as you seemed to like it a lot, and so do i, so i thought, you know, might aswell'' she wiggled her eyebrows.

''Might aswell'' you chuckled ''well how thoughtfull'' you said, giving Lucy a little kiss.

''mhmm'' Lucy grinned ''but it's a slightly bigger, an inch'' she said pointing at the box.

You blushed "well i think we can work with that hm?".

"I'll make sure you're ready" lucy said in a tone sounding both caring and fucking hot, you couldn´t help but imagine Lucy wearing it.

You were curious at the other things Lucy had handed you and quickly unwrapped the other two presents too.

One was a copy of the leather harness and in the smaller box was a vibrator, just like the one you had seen her put inside the harness last week.

''hmm, you went all out didn't you?''.

''uhm, i'd say this is the basics'' Lucy chuckled ''i mean, i rebought- she stopped and looked at you.

You chuckled ''you can talk about exes Luce, i thought we cleared that up''.

''uhm i haven't heared about your exes yet'' Luce said ''and you only know one of mine''.

''Yeah okay, but i meant like the fact we can talk about it''.

''right'' Lucy said ''well, when Keira and i broke up i trew away all.. the things .. and i just rebought the things you saw in my drawer, as that were the things i liked the most''.

You were curious now, as she had already had the toys when the two of you had met ''did you use yours on other people?'''.

Lucy blushed ''well, no, but i'll be honest and say i did buy them hoping to use them on someone, if i had met someone cute, luckily for me i met a realllllyyyy cute cutie and now i'll never have to rebuy anything''.

You grinned ''you do realise you just bought new things right?''.

''yeah, but that's different" Lucy rolled her eyes lighthearterdly "it's an add-on to the collection, we're building a little collection together''.

''sooo cute, our sex-toy-collection'' you mock.

Lucy grinned ''you seemed to love it'.'

''hm'' you acted undisturbed ''it's more about the person behind the toy for me''.

''oh reallyyy?'' Lucy's grin got even bigger ''thanks for the compliment''.

''yeah you're really good in bed''.

''hmm, say more''.

''i've never been with someone who made me ... you know''.

''what?'' Lucy looked smugly at you ''made you what pretty girl?''.

''squirt'' you say quietly.

Lucy groaned ''hm, then it's a good thing i gave my pretty little girlfriend a strap of her own so she can tell me when she needs it used on her... then we can make that happen more often, hm?''.

You nodded.

''yeah you like that mh" Lucy grinned "and did i guess right with the harness, you liked this one better hm?''.

''y-yeah'' you said with your voice cracking from being so turned on.

''what do like about it?''.

You blushed ''ehrm, your butt l-looked very good and the leather''.

''hmmm, your butt also looks so good'' Lucy said as she ran her hands over your ass ''oh by the way they didn't have the same one as me, so its also another colour'' Lucy said as she looked at you narrowly ''do you want to see it?''.

''mhm''.

Lucy pulled open the box and in it was a blue rubber dick, and like she said it was a little bigger then the one Lucy had.

You liked the colour maybe even better than the purple one Lucy had.

''it's pretty'' you cooed ''i like the colour''.

Lucy chuckled ''good, blue suits you too''.

You blushed and stated ´´and it is a little bigger''.

''wel.." lucy said "in the store there was one that was the same, i just can't with that colour, so i thought i'd buy this one, a little bigger'' Lucy admitted.

''hmm, what colour?'' you asked.

Lucy looked at you with a disgusted face ''like realistic''.

You laughed out loud ''not a fan?''.

''no'' Lucy shook her head ''it weirds me out''.

´´so a bigger one´´ you giggle.

She looked at you with her eyes investigating yours ´´only if you are okay with it´´.

´´im okay with it, but im amuzed at how you don´t like a realistic one as you did like .. uhm .. me to .. you know´´.

Lucy arched an eyebrow ´´what''.

''suck it'' you say quietly as you lost eyecontact with her and looked down.

''did you not like it?''

''uhm.. well.. . i did.. but i dont know if i did it right? it was my first time actually''.

Lucy gently got you to sit back on her lap and look at her again, you saw an amazed smile on her face. ''that was your first time doing that?''.

''yeah'' you blushed ''i always thought it was kinda rediculous or something, but with you.. it was.. hot, i mean for me it was, but i dont-

''hey'' Lucy said as she grabbed your hands ''you are incredible, everything you do is hot'' she gave you a gentle kiss ''but i now realise we might need to talk about everything a bit more, hm? i mean consent is one thing, but maybe we should talk about our experience as well" she smiled "but i know i find it dificult sometimes... i mean... exibit A , this whole present thingy'' Lucy said as she briefly waved over the box with the toy ''but the other night when we set some ground rules worked quite good right? maybe we can try to talk about more things like that, but.. like.. with more even dynamics'' she chuckled at that last bit.

You laughed back ''i think that would be good, and it can be hot to talk about it, no?'' you said looking at her.

''i think we can become even better at sex together'' Lucy grinned as she cupped your face and caressed your cheeks with her thumbs.

Again you chuckled ''you know there's no trophies to be won right''.

Lucy grinned ''i feel even better from making you feel good''.

///

About three hours had been spent talking trough ex-partners, previous experiences, preferences and after that it had headed towards a detailed evaluation of the things Lucy and you done and what both of your feelings were about it.

At one point you had admitted to like the more dominant Lucy the most, as you had told her you'd imagined her like that since the first time the two of you had slept together.

Lucy had said she liked the control, but that she also desired to love you and take her time.

That was when she admitted to hold back with you more then she'd ever done with other partners, as she was hesitant about hurting you.

You had said that with good communication the two of you could probably ease in to that more.

The whole time you had been sitting next to Lucy, with you legs swung over hers. Gentle touches had been shared throughout the night and the ocassional kiss had found place.

Now Lucy leaned over to you, giving you gentle kiss, this time on your lips, you answerd the kiss eagerly as the conversation topics of tonight had been very hot and steamy at some points.

As Lucy was still in her blouse and slacks, you had changed into a jumper and shorts earlier, you hadn't cared to put on a bra below it.

Lucy pulled you on her lap without breaking the kiss making you shift and you realised your underwear was ruined.

All the talking had had quite the effect on your body, as you were an visual thinker, and some of the things Lucy had said had sparked a heat in your body that you needed answered.

Your hands find their way to the buttons of Lucy's shirt and you unbutton them quickly.

When her blouse is hanging open, you break the kiss and slightly shift backwards starting to kiss Lucy's jaw to under her ear, back to her jaw and going to her neck, eventually trailing you way down her torso.

You nibble at the skin at her collarbone, kiss the part of her breast that isn't covered by her sports bra, and slowly work your way down to her abs. As you do so, you climb off her lap and gently sit down on the floor between her legs.

Lucy groans as she looks at you littering her body in kisses, you made eyecontact while rubbing your hands along her thighs, from her knees to her hips.

Her breath hitches in her throat.

You hands find the button of her pants and Lucy lifted her hips from the couch to give you space to pull her pants down as you had unzipped her fly.

Your head was burried between her legs now, first you had peppered her skin with more kisses and had taken your time until Lucy had whined for you to use your mouth on her.

Your hands find their way on Lucy thighs as you burried your head between her legs.

It didn't take long for Lucy to come undone and you had heared a little moan coming from her while her fingers were tangled in your hair, which had sadly prevented you from taking a look at her face while she came.

When Lucy's hand had freed itself from your hair and you had cleaned her with your tongue, you climbed back up, pushing yourself from the ground using her legs.

She looked hazy, you asked ''are you okay?''.

''Mhmm'' she said smiling ''you're good with your mouth''.

You giggled.

''You are!'' Lucy egged on.

You blushed and went in for a kiss ''y tú'' (hear who's talking) you whispered.

Before you could try and take place on her lap again she was standing too.

''let's get to the bed'' Lucy said as she nudged you gently ''i'll be right behind you''.

You went to your bedroom as you saw Lucy taking the toys she had gifted you. You thought she was probably going to clean them.

The thought of her going out of her way to a store like that to pick something up for you made you giddy.

A couple of moment had passed before Lucy came to join you in the bedroom, You hadn't known what to do with yourself so you had just plopped down on the bed, laying against the headboard.

She walked in carrying the toy, but already wearing the harness. She still wore her blouse. The visual of her wearing the harness combined with the sight of her abs on display, poorly covered by the unbuttoned shirt, was hot.

She grinned at you, raising one eyebrow, she asked ´´still dressed?''.

''Didn't know you told me to undress'' you said honestly.

''hmm, you need directions'' Lucy walked closer to you ''please undress for me pretty girl''.

You eagerly pulled your shirt of as you were shuffling of the bed to get your shorts off too.

''so beautiful'' Lucy cooed as she trew the dildo on the end of the bed and closed the remaining distance between the two of you.

''you also look very good'' you said with you hands on Lucy chest, slipping underneath the fabric of her shirt and slipping it of her shoulders ''do a spin for me?'' you asked Lucy.

The way you asked Lucy made her chuckle, but she did as you had asked her and turned her back to you.

Your eyes travelled down to inspect her ass, which as you had suspected, looked very good straped into the leather harness.

You ran your finger along one of the straps and couldn't resist giving a squeeze to one of her cheeks, before Lucy turned around again.

''like it?''.

''yeah'' you said blushing.

Lucy smiled as she gently cupped your face ''good'' she said before kissing you.

While kissing Lucy carefully walked you back against the bed laid you on it.

As the two of you were laying on the bed, she started grinding down on you with her leg ''i missed you'' she panted as she broke the kiss.

Chuckling you said ''you mean sex'' and your hand travelled to her neck, guiding her deeper into your neck as you looked up with closed eyes from the sensation when she sucked on a sensitive spot.

Lucy stopped and pressed herself a bit higher look at you ''no i missed you''.

''we have seen eachother yesterday'' you said rolling your eyes ''it's fine Luce, i missed our sex too''.

Lucy grunted ''i missed touching you then''.

''mkay'' you chuckled ''well better go on then''.

''no i need you to understand this is more then just sex for me'' Lucy said as she sad back on her knees.

You shot up to sit aswell ''Luce, i get what you meant, i missed being this close to you too'' you say as you rubbed her thighs.

Lucy smiled ''i love you''.

''i love you too'' you said as you leaned over to retrieve the dildo from the end of the bed ''now let's try this, hm?''.

Lucy nodded as she took it from you and skillfully attached it to the harness ´´little impatient?''.

Your cheeks flushed as you traced your hands along Lucy's body ''well we've had quite the build-up didn't we''.

''My pretty little impatient girl'' Lucy said as she took your hands from her and redirected them to behind her neck, scooting closer to you.

You pressed yourself against Lucy and while kissing, you tried to push her back on the bed and climb on top of her.

Lucy grinned in to the kiss and easily flipped you on your back.

You chuckled as she broke the kiss and started burrieing herself in your neck, licking, biting and sucking at your skin making you ticklish.

She stopped and pushed herself up from you, she grinned ''what''.

Your hands squeezed her biceps ''you tickled me'' you chuckle.

''Oh'' said Lucy nonchalantly ''you mean like this?'' and started ambushing the other side of your neck, making you squirm and laugh below her.

She stopped again and smiled at you.

You were still laughing as you leaned up and captured her lips for a kiss.

The kiss deepend as Lucy leaned forward and you wrapped your legs around her.

The kiss slowly became a rhythmic mix of movements and with every grind you felt her rubber dick against you. You were desperate for her to enter you.

“Please Luce,” you sighed longingly.

She sat up back on her knees and looked at you enamoured, caressing your chest ''what do you want baby?''.

''i want you'' you said while trying to strangle her with your legs again.

''mhmm'' Lucy hummed as she traced her fingers along your inner thighs. She held your ankles and gently guided your legs apart.

Your breath hitched in your throat as you anticipated for her to enter you.

But she didn't, instead, she climbed down the bed a bit and lowered herself inbetween your legs.

Your legs twitched as you felt her sniffle ''que carajo?'' (what the fuck?) ''Luce?''.

She looked up from between your legs "sorry, you smell so good" she said as she pressed soft kisses against your legs.

You pushed her jokingly against her head ''you're crazy'' you said semi weirded-out semi laughing about her weird compliment.

Lucy acted as if the push on her head forced her to your core, she licked along your lips and groaned ''hmm, and you taste so good too''.

You moved your hand a bit to have a better grip on her head and this time you did push her deeper against you. You groaned as she flattened her tongue against you.

She was working magic with her mouth but you needed more ''Luce'' you pleaded stroking her head.

Lucy looked up with a smug grin ''more?''.

You nodded ''y-yeah'' and she traced two fingers along your core.

Lucy slid her fingers inside and you moaned as she slowly started pumping in to you.

She watched you observingly as you dropped your head onto the pillow, focusing on the feeling of her thick fingers ''you still want more hm?''.

You arched from the bed at her words and a hoarse moan slipped from your troath as you tried to speak while losing Lucy's fingers.

Just when you wanted to protest you felt her lining herself up with your entrance.

You widened your legs eagerly for her and looked at her, Lucy was looking down as she shuffled a bit to position herself better.

She looked up and met your awaiting eyes. She leaned forward to kiss you again and you moaned into her mouth when you felt her rubbing the dick along your pussy.

She guided the head of her strap along you entrance and collected your wetness, spreading it along your centre, gently rubbing your clit.

When your eyes met with hers you nodded, you were desperate for her to slide in, you had never felt more ready.

You saw her looking down with a concentrated face as she slowly slid in, you closed your eyes as you concentrated on the slighty longer and slightly girthier dick that entered you.

When she was probably half-way in you felt her stop, you opened your eyes and saw her looking at you ''are you okay?'' she asked sweetly.

'''mhhm Luce, so good'' you say as you hands reach for her hips and your tried to pull her closer.

She smiled and leant down to kiss your neck as she let you guide her hips into you.

You helt her against you when she was completely inside you, wanting to get used to the feeling, you felt full, but you felt really good.

Lucy pushed herself up a bit to look you in the eyes as she slowly started thrusting, she pulled back a tiny bit before she bottomed all the way back in, she kept this on for a while until she pulled out again completely.

You whined at the loss, but she slid back in carefully before you could think about it any further. With the tip of the dildo she gently fucked you a few times before she jolted her cock all the way in again.

You moaned as she carefully built up her speed and grabbed your hips and pulled you closer to her.

The way she grinded against you while fucking you, with rythm and measured precision, made you see stars. Lucy reached down and started stimulating your clit as she kept her pace up and looked at you. The fullness of the new strap, the way it gritted alongst your walls and the way she looked on top of you, made you sure you wouldn't be able to last much longer.

The familiar feeling that Lucy had brought up in you many times now was back, it was building in your lower belly and if Lucy kept going like this it would soon unravel and the orgasm would travel through your entire body.

Your walls clenched around her as you moaned her name ''fuck, Luce'' ''i-'' ''almost''.

She slowly slowed her pace again ''want you to ride me'' she asked panting.

You nodded and she pulled out to lay besides you.

Damn, you thought, usually Lucy would sit up when you would ride her, but now she was laying down completely, her head wasn't even on a pillow.

You crawled on top of her and sat on top of her hips, feeling the strap between your legs.

As you stabilized yourself with your hands on her abs you grinded down on the rubber dick before reaching down and guiding it back inside after you sat up a bit.

Closing your eyes you slowly lowered yourself back on her cock and you groaned the moment it was completely inside again.

With two hands on her stomach you started riding Lucy, with a few struts you had found a position that stimulated your clit and angled the dick inside perfectly.

You opened your eyes as a sighed moan fell from your open mouth and you saw Lucy looking at you with lust, you felt that her hands had found their place back on your hips.

Keeping up your rhythm you took one of Lucy's hands and placed it on your breast, her other automatically followed suit and you balanced yourself on her stomach again with both hands, it was hot how you felt her abs under your hands, every now and then they twitched and you imagined the vibrator working really well for Lucy this way, with you now on top.

You were surprised when you saw Lucy close her eyes and heard a soft moan ''fuck, y/n, you're gonna make me cum'' she grunted as she rolled your nipples through her fingers.

Your head flung up at the sensation ''wait for me Luce, almost'' you panted as you grinded down harder on her.

''im so close''

''fuck''

With a few more strokes you felt Lucy's muscles spasm below you, but you kept up a few more seconds until your own orgasm washed over you.

A loud but breathless moan came from your mouth as you tumbled over the edge and slowly grinded out your high before getting of her fake cock and collapsing on Lucy.

Weakly smiling she pulled you closer against her as you rested your head on her chest.

You felt her heart beat freakishly fast and her breath was uneven, just like the way her chest rose and fell.

It took a moment for the both of you to recollect yourself, when Lucy had caught her breath again she gently caressed your hair ''that was amazing'' she chuckled ''i don't know what got over me, i've never come like that from doing that''.

You laughed as you looked up to her ''you came quicker then me''.

''i know, i was already on the edge when i was fucking you, but it seemed like you riding me was even worse''.

''worse?'' you chuckled

''i mean, i didn't want to come so quick'' Lucy chuckled back ''so i thought we would switch positions, but the sight of you'' she groaned ''fuck, when you took my hands'' ''and the way your hands were on my stomach''.

You trailed your fingers along her stomach ''hard not to''.

She laughed, making her belly shake beneath you ''well cherish them while they are still here, I am eating so many treats now, they will surely be gone soon''.

''nah'' you shook your head ''you run it off everyday''.

''there's only so many tiramisu you can run off in a day''.

''okay, well you do more then just running''.

''mhmm'' Lucy said ''i have a great cardio partner''.

''or boxing, or weights''.

Lucy hummed as she rolled the two of you over ''i have this really really great cardio partner''.

///

After the two of you had taken a bath together and Lucy had made the bed again, the two of you laid down back in bed, talking about the past days and the comming week.

''it's sad you have to leave so early tomorrow'' Lucy sighed.

''yeah but you have to train aswell'' you chuckled.

''true, but we would've had a few more hours'' Lucy pouted.

''well that's real life''

''i know'' Lucy said ''oh, by the way, you haven't been on insta have you?''.

''no why?'' you said as you turned around looking for your phone, but realised it was still in the kitchen or at the couch maybe.

''you haven't accepted me as a follower'' Lucy said pulling a sad face.

''we are following eachother on that one account right? or did you follow me with your real one'' you joke.

''yeah'' Lucy nodded ''and i posted something this afternoon''.

''now im curious'' you said getting up from the bed.

After a second of looking around you found your phone, it was on the kitchen island. You took it and went back to the bedroom while opening the app.

You weren't much of a social media person, you had an account for the caffee and your mom's bakery, but your personal account wasn't really active.

You saw the bakery and the caffee had been tagged in a post with a lot of likes but you would check that out later because you first wanted to see what Lucy had been on about.

You opened your own account and you accepted Lucy as a follower.

In the meantime you had reached the bed again and crawled back on it, to lay back on Lucy. You positioned yourself so that Lucy could watch with you.

You clicked on her account and saw she had posted a 'photo dump' today. You saw a photo of a glass of macha and a apple tart, with the caffee tagged. Then a picture of Narla at the fountain you had recommended, then a picture of your mom's kitchen with the tray of tiramisu, where she'd tagged you mom's bakery on her hand, then a picture of her training, a picture of some scenery and another few pics from that month.

The caption was ''Apple tarts and tiramisu 🤎☕🐾⚽''.

''Aw Lucee'' you said while turning towards her and dropping your turned of phone on the bed to burry your head in her neck.

You rubbed your nose against her ''are you sure about spoiling your coffee spot to the public?''.

''well i already did, so no going back'' Lucy chuckled ''i was just thinking that you would get a few more costumers probably''.

You smiled ''yeah probably, so nice of you to use your account to help my mom, my family''.

Lucy kissed your forehead ''yeah i thought maybe if the shop goes well, eventually your mom can hire more staff, right?''.

''how did you know she-

''you told me you quit teaching because you wanted to help her''.

''ahh'' you said as you remembered ''well yeah, but also because i like working at the shop, but yes, mainly because it's difficult and expensive to hire people''.

''well i shared mainly because your moms work has to be tasted by others, she's just amazing at anything doing with food'' Lucy said smiling.

You sensed there was more she wanted to say ''yeah go on?''.

''but if Elena could hire more people.. you would have more time to teach again...'' she placed a kiss on your head ''and you know, maybe for me a little bit'' she quietly added.

You grinned and poked her side ''awww do you feel like i'm to busy for you'' you mocked.

''hey'' Lucy yelped as she tried to hold your hands, but she failed as she was squirming and laughing ''stop.. stopp'' she said inbetween laughes as you were tickling her.

You put your hands up ''okay i'll stop, only because you have spoiled me so much today''.

''mhmm'' Lucy grinned ''what did you like best?''.

You chuckled ''you want me to say the present, but no, i loved that you went to my parents and made food with them'' you said as you gave her a kiss ''the tiramisu was sooo good''.

Lucy smiled ''good'' she said as she gave you another kiss ''next time i'll make it myself, so i hope it'll still taste like your moms then''.

''well, you can always make up with a present'' you whispered in her ear ''you have proved to be very good at gifts''.

You saw Lucy's grin was back on her face when you faced her.

''i'll be sure to remember that'' she said before kissing you again.

//

The next morning you quickly stilled your alarm and quietly got in the bathroom to freshen up before walking back to the closet in your room. You stood naked infront of the closet to pick out some clothes and underwear as you heard some shuffling in the bed behind you. You glanced over and saw Lucy was laying on the bed in a way that she had a perfect view of you standing infront of the closet.

''Hi beautiful'' she said in her low morning voice.

''goodmorning Luce'' you said ''sorry i tried to be quiet''.

''nu-uh'' Lucy shook her head ''you could wake me up like this anyday, at any moment''.

You rolled you eyes ''sure''.

Lucy sat up in the bed, putting your and her pillow behind her ''im so sure'' she cooed.

You grabbed some underwear and clothes and put them on before walking back to a pouting Lucy on the bed ''what?'' you said frowning at her.

''you were too quick, i missed it because i blinked'' Lucy said.

You chuckled ''maybe next time don't blink''.

''maybe next time more slow?'' Lucy said challenging you.

''when do i see you again?'' you asked as you sat down on the bed next to her.

''uhm, i have training but after that nothing so i can come back this afternoon if you'd like, i would like that'' she stated ''uhm, wednesday and thursday wil be quite busy and i'll be very late, but friday i'll be off quite early, like 1 o'clock, because saturday morning i have to travel and i'll be back home on monday''.

''so today and friday?'' you summarized.

Lucy looked back at you sadly ''yes unfortunately i have to fly to south Spain for a match this weekend''.

''You love playing football''

''yeah but i wish you could come with me''.

You chuckled ''smuggle me with you in a suitcase''.

Lucy laughed ''yeah i bet you'd fit too''.

''maybe another time?'' you suggest ''what are the coming matches?''.

''oh'' Lucy shot up ''at the end of October my brother and my mom are coming here, i almost forgot to tell you''.

''really? to watch a match or will they stay longer?''.

''they have autumn brake, so they'll stay like five days'' Lucy said, obviously happy, ''and i was thinking... but if you don't like it you should tell me''. she looked at you expectantly.

''yeah go on''.

''maybe i can stay at yours? and i can offer my place to them.. so they have less costs.. hm?'' she said carefully.

''yeah ofcourse'' you cheered ''would they all fit at yours?''.

Lucy thought about it ''my brother, his wife and my niece and nephew and then my mom and dad...'' ''well i have a room and a guest room.. so probably i have to get an airmattress for my nephew and they always bring a bed for my niece, because she has like this really little bed still, they set it up next to them''.

''sounds like a plan, i would say they were welcome here too, but i only have a couch to offer, because the office is so little i think there would just about fit one airmatress''.

''maybe if my nephew wants to sleep over one night?'' Lucy said cheerfully ''but i'll suggest that when they're here because we will have to see how comfortable he is first, if he's tired or something he needs his parents''.

''you love your family hmm?'' you smiled looking at her talking about her family.

''yeah'' Lucy said ''i wouldn't have been able to do all this without them''. ''i'm happy you like the plan, i'll call Jorge later to tell him''.

You smiled ''can't wait to meet them, but i've said that often haven't i''.

''yeah but it's fair, i mean, i just took the liberty to go meet yours myself, but you can't because they're very far'' Lucy chuckled.

----

more parts

[ariundercovers]

When Paths Cross (Javier Peña x Reader)

Pairing: Javier Peña x Afab!Reader (No use of y/n!)

Length: ~7k words

Summary: Chucho's been like a father figure to you since he helped you out of a sticky situation on your second day in Laredo. What happens when you finally meet his son, the former-DEA agent, who just happens to ignite you in a way that you haven't felt before?

Warnings: explicit 18+ graphic descriptions of sex, p in v, fingering, oral (f receiving), alcohol consumption, spanish nicknames, idk what else its honestly pretty chill

a/n: This idea came to me partially in a semi-lucid dream but then I ran with it and it rotted my brain until I could get it fully out onto a page. I really love this concept, so I'll be doing at least a sequel, which is already in progress! Sorry for letting the smut get away from me. Javi possessed me, you can blame him for this. I hope you enjoy it!

Read the next part (II) HERE

Laredo was just about what you expected it might be. 

Simultaneously urban and rural, with the Rio Grande rushing right through it, it was a huge shift, moving from the northeast down to the US-Mexico border. But you liked the museum that hired you and it was a step up, or two really, in your career. You had always wanted the freedom of being the head curator of an institution.

So it goes without saying that when you took the job, you weren’t in it to be making friends. Yet, here you are, on the outskirts of town once again, hand raised as you reach for the knocker of the old farmhouse and tapping it against the door twice.

Chucho opens the door in his wide-brimmed hat with a big smile on his face.

“Come in, come in! We’re almost ready.” He leads you into the house, one hand gently on your lower back as he pushes you toward the kitchen. There's a man standing there, hip propped against the counter with a glass of whiskey in his hand. He’s wearing the most frustratingly well-fitted flannel shirt you think you’ve ever seen and a pristinely trimmed mustache on his face. He lifts his glass almost imperceptively toward you and nods as Chucho steps in, gesturing toward him. 

“This is my son, Javier.”

The man smiles at you, eyes trailing up and down your body once or twice before he gives a curt nod. “Just Javi is good, too.” 

You nod back and offer your name as well, feeling a bit of heat radiating in your cheeks from his intense stare. You turn away from him to Chucho and ask him, “Anything I can do to help? I brought pastelillos de guayaba - where I’m from you don’t dare show up at someone’s house empty-handed. I hope that’s okay?” He takes the tin from you with a grin and walks it over to the counter, setting it down.

“I’m sure they’ll be wonderful. Thank you. Why don’t you have a seat?” He pulls out one of the dining room chairs and you do as he asks, eyes flitting back and forth between him and Javi as you go. 

They bring the food out to the table relatively quickly as you all sit down for a shared meal. The conversation is easy like you’ve fit in with them forever and not just for the last few hours. There are no awkward lulls like you’re used to, just warmth and camaraderie and an easygoing sense that you’re not sure you’ve ever experienced before. It’s captivating, and you want more of it.

After dessert, Javi brings out the whiskey, which Chucho promptly declines, but the two of you continue to drink as you all chat. Sometime later, when Chucho stands up and announces he’s turning in for the evening, you look at your watch and see that it’s past midnight. You really had wanted to be home by now. And now you feel like you’ve overstayed your welcome, too.

“Oh, shit. I didn’t realize how late it was, I’m so sorry, Chucho-”

He shakes his head ‘no’ in response and offers you a smile as he tucks in his chair. “No, no. I’m an old man. You young people please feel free to continue. I’ve only met my limit on waking hours today. Thank you for coming.”

“Of course, Chucho. Thank you for having me.” You stand up and walk over, wrapping him up in a big hug before he heads off and you turn, heading back for your seat once again. You go to reach for your jacket on the back of the chair, but Javi stands and leans across the table to stop you with a gentle hand on your wrist.

“Wait. You don’t have to go just yet, you’ve been drinking.” You sigh, knowing he’s right, but you only nursed two whiskeys all night long and are feeling tired beyond anything else.

“I’m okay, I don’t want to overstay. It’s been such a lovely evening. But I should get going home.” You stop reaching for the jacket, but you look at him sternly. He narrows his eyes for a moment.

“It’s a hike back into the city though, isn’t it?”

“A bit. Maybe half an hour or so.”

He pauses and takes a breath before he responds. “Let me drive you at least.”

You shake your head and sigh, hating to be troubling them so much. “I can’t ask that, then someone would have to come get me in the morning for my car, too? I don’t want to burden you all. It’s alright, I’ll manage.”

He tugs the jacket out of your hands and places it back on the table, still holding onto your wrist. “Come on, muñeca, give me something. If you won’t let me drive you then why don’t you just stay? You can head out first thing in the morning if you need. The guest bedroom is all made up already, and then you’re not driving back this late. Take it easy.” 

You sigh. His logic is sound, but you feel terrible about imposing do heavily on them after they cooked such a lovely meal for you and invited you over in the first place. The internal conflict is apparent on your face. Javi raises his glass then with a smirk. “I’ll offer you another drink? Or two. Three? However many you want, chiquita.”

You laugh lightly at the nickname and can’t help but smile back, slowly letting your guard down as you set your hands back down on the chair. “Alright. I’ll stay. But you owe me at least one more drink.” He smiles widely at you and moves over to the liquor cabinet, pulling out a clearly expensive bottle of tequila and showing it to you.

“What do you think? Or we can go back to the whiskey, instead.” Your little laugh turns into a full on giggle as he pulls out the tequila and you looks up at him from where you’ve seated yourself back down with a smile.

“Oh you can always get me to drink tequila.” He brings it back over to the table along with two ceramic shot cups, pouring you each a small cup before he takes a seat and pops the lid back onto the bottle. He raises his cup to you and you match his motions with your own.

“To… fresh starts.” He smiles as he says it, and you can tell his sincerity from his tone alone let alone the easy expression on his face.

“Fresh starts,” you repeat, clinking your glasses together before you each down the shot in an easy swallow. You hum, contemplating the taste, and nod along with it. “Oh that is good tequila. Dangerous.”  Javi laughs at your response but agrees with you, pouring a second small cup for each of them.

“We know a family in New Laredo with a tequila business close to Cancún. We always get it from them.” You nod and lift your glass, sipping at the liquid this time to get more of the taste. You contemplate it for a long while before Javi speaks up again, eyes searing into your own. “Thank you, also. For indulging him. He’s been talking about this all week, I’m just glad he has something to obsess over more than just me coming home.”

You tilt your head at him as he talks, noting the sincerity behind his eyes as he explains. It warms your heart that Chucho feels so strongly about your presence already. He’s been such a guiding light for you since the moment you arrived in town. “Its not an indulgence at all, Javi,” you respond. “I love Chucho. He’s been like a father to me ever since I got here, I honestly don’t know what I would’ve done without him. Maybe turned around and run back north already.” 

Javi chuckles at your description and reaches across the table to squeeze your wrist again. Your skin burns where his touches your own. “Well, thank you, anyway. It’s good to see him excited about something that isn’t me.”

“I should be thanking you, really,” you counter. “Thank you for letting me borrow him.”

He snorts then, laughing boisterously. “Muñeca, you can borrow him any time you want. No reservation required.” He laughs again and it makes you think back to the first time you ended up on this property - by accident. 

It was only your second day in town and you were just driving around, trying to get your bearings. Somehow, you missed the fact that after a certain point the streets and roads are no longer numbered or labeled, and you found yourself crisscrossing through farms and ranches without any idea which way was up and which way was down. You parked your car on the side of the road and cried, hard, with no way to figure out where to go from there. The gas tank only had a few more miles left on it and you felt screwed. You just wanted to go home. 

This place wasn’t meant for you.

But then, Chucho, like a guardian angel, came walking out from the ranch, right over to your car. Afraid that he’d yell at you to get off of his property, you rolled down your window and immediately started apologizing profusely, trying to explain your newness and inability to navigate the outskirts. You were afraid, worried that he’d go off on you or worse, but instead, he put a hand on your door and leaned into the open window with a gentle smile.

“Señorita. You look lost. Why don’t you slow it down, try that again, and I’ll figure out how to help you out of here?” The rest is history. He drove you to a gas station, picked up some gas for your car, filled it for you, and then gave you directions back into the city from the ranch. He didn’t let you try to follow them yourself though - he drove ahead of you, leading you the entire way. You don’t think you’ve ever been so grateful to another person in your life.

He invited you back to the ranch the next week, and since then, it’s been a bit of a standing date. You come over, ask him a million questions about the town and the area, and inevitably you help him with some kind of technology issue or bring him a home-cooked meal of some kind, one of the few pastimes you were more than glad to bring back with you to Laredo.

So, when Javi suggests that you were indulging Chucho, it sets a fire of laughter in your belly. If anything, you think he might be indulging you.

“I meant it, Javi. Thank you,” you counter. “You have an amazing dad. I wish I could steal him as my own, sometimes.” Blinking back at you, an interesting expression crosses his face for a brief moment. It’s so brief that you almost miss it, before he turns back into his smirking, good-looking self.

“Well, don’t think me coming home means you mean any less to him. I know it’s only been a couple of weeks, but he’s happy to have you around. I think he gets lonely out here.” 

“I would, too, if I were out here by myself all the time. But… he’ll be less lonely now, right? With you around again? Or are you not planning on staying?” You briefly wonder if this line of questioning is too intrusive, but you’re genuinely curious about it, so you let it slip anyway.

“Not sure, just yet. Sticking around for a while. Gotta figure out where things lead me next. Been thinking about taking over the ranch for him eventually, but I’ve never been the best rancher. Not like he is. Lots to learn.” You nod in agreement and sip at your tequila again.

“Makes sense. I’m sure tons goes into running a ranch like this. It’s a huge property, too. Chucho gave me both the walking tour and the horseback tour.”  Javi’s brows raise in surprise and he makes a face of approval.

“See, that’s how I know you’re special. Anybody can get a walking tour, but the horseback tour? That’s only for the best of the best.” You laugh a little to yourself again, loosened slightly by the tequila and made shockingly comfortable in Javi’s presence by his gentle banter.

“That so?” 

You realize, then, that his hand still hasn’t left your wrist.

You swallow thickly and he forces a response, eyes burning into you like sunshine through a magnifying glass. “Yeah. That’s so.”

There’s a long lull in the conversation as you look at each other, neither of you willing to break the eye contact that, in most situations, you’d feel horribly uncomfortable with. With Javi, however? It somehow feels… right. 

His thumb swipes across the bottom of your forearm, stroking your skin softly with that molten hot touch of his. It feels like it’s melting both your brain and your soul, breaking you down into a puddle for him that can barely remember its own name. His voice is smooth like whiskey when he breaks the comfortable silence. 

“You got someone waiting for you at home?”

You answer before you can think too hard about the question, which is probably a good thing. You’d likely clam up if you thought about the connotations too hard. “Home here or home home?”

He smirks and snickers for a moment, leaning in toward you across the table. 

“Either. Both.”

All you can do is shake your head, ‘no’, as he leans in further, one hand reaching up to your cheek as he brushes his thumb across your bottom lip.

“Good. I like that answer.”

Swallowing heavily, you feel the way your breath hitches in your throat, the way you naturally open your mouth a little for him, already overly willing to respond to his beck and call. Lifting your arm, you place your palm on the back of his, stroking the side of his wrist as he tugs your lip down for a moment before releasing it.

“Que linda muñequita…” Your hand trails down his arm, stopping to wrap around his elbow and lower bicep, squeezing softly. How can something so simple, so basic as eye contact and the palm of one’s hand, feel so damn erotic? You’re completely lost to it.

“Unos labios tan preciosos... besables, creo.” You blink back another sigh but can’t help the little whimper that falls from your mouth, closing your eyes in embarrassment as you take a long, slow, deep breath. His thumb slides away from your mouth, then, and you’re already regretting not having more control over yourself for a long moment until suddenly your train of thought is completely broken as there are a pair of warm, smooth lips on yours, moving slowly as his hand urges you closer to him.

You’re stunned by it, frozen in shock for a long while before your hand is squeezing his arm tightly and you’re kissing him back, meeting his every movement as the heat between you two quickens faster than you could have ever imagined. Your free hand floats up to the side of his neck, winding into the back of his hair and tugging slightly, like you might just float away if he pulls away from you now.

His lips are heavenly. Perfectly smooth, pouty, and plump, and the glorious scratch of his mustache on your upper lip while you kiss him sends you reeling. It’s not like you’ve been thinking about it all night, or anything.

His tongue darts out from between his lips, teasing along the seam of your own, and you open them for him happily, letting him lead as he starts to explore your mouth, tangling his tongue with your own. Another little moan slips out and you get the most gorgeously deep and rumbling groan from low in his chest as a reward.

“Muñeca… You’re killin’ me. That pretty mouth ‘a yours is making the most perfect little sounds for me already.” He pulls away from you and you gape at him, lips swollen and spit-shined and you have the delirious urge to bite that offensively gorgeous lower lip of his. He swipes his thumb across his own lip this time, a wild smirk on the side of his mouth as he stands, releasing you completely and stepping to the side so that he can push his chair in.

You’re nervous for a moment that you’ve been reading this wrong all along and have just managed to fuck it all up somehow, worried that you’ll have to walk out on Javi and Chucho, until Javi reaches his hand out to you, offering you help out of your chair. You take it, of course, staring up at him as you stand. He continues to look at you with that chilling smirk across his lips, quickly turning downright devilish.

“Pretty little thing you are.” He twirls you around in front of him, watching closely as he devours you with his burning gaze. You stop then when you’ve made a full 360, glad for the gentle reminder that, actually, you’re still not drunk yet. 

Thank fuck. You really want to remember this come morning.

There’s a question that’s threatening to rise to the surface, and you’re just loose enough that it starts to blurt out before you even havea  chance to stop it. “But what do we do about-” 

Javi cuts you off with a ‘shhh’ and a finger to your lips. “Don’t you worry that pretty head about a thing. We’ll figure it out in the morning. We’re two adults, no? Wouldn’t be the worst thing to get caught sneaking around.” You chuckle nervously and shrug.

“You don’t think Chucho would be mad?” Javi laughs then, a wide, genuine smile on his face as he does. 

“Oh no. I didn’t say that. He’ll be mad, but definitely not mad at you.” You sigh, put at ease by that statement, because Chucho was there first, and it was his home and his invitation and, in all honesty, It makes you a little sick to your stomach to think about doing something that would upset him and disrespect him so much. You blink back at Javi a few times and nod in agreement.

“Are you sure about that?” He places his hand at the side of your neck and leans forward, pressing his lips to yours once more before he’s pulling back just enough to whisper.

“Promise. I wouldn’t risk messing with the two of you - he needs you, and it seems like you need him, too. Now come on, time for bed, I think. Are you joining me in mine?”

Your body lets out an involuntary ‘squeak’ at his words, and as you watch him turn and walk down the hall. He pauses in the entryway, turning to look at you with his head cocked to the ide.

“You don’t have to, darlin’. Guest room is just down the hall - last room on the right. Mine’s just across the way. Your choice, I won’t hold it against you if you don’t want to.” He winks and smiles at you, melting your heart down just a little bit further, and then he turns once more, disappearing into the room you assume must be his. Chucho went the opposite direction to get to bed - you figure he must be in the master suite in a different part of the house - but it’s difficult to know you’d have to pass by Javi’s on the way to the guest bedroom anyway. 

How can you possibly say no? To that glorious hunk of a man? 

The chemistry between you two is palpable. You felt it like electricity from the moment you walked into the farmhouse this evening. It’s like the entire air around you was charged with static, somehow simultaneously pulling you in toward him and keeping you at an arm’s length away.

Fuck it. You moved here for you. You can fuck who you want to, too.

Before you have a chance to chicken out and change your mind, you walk briskly down the hall and pause in his doorway, staring in at the now topless man, sprawled across his bed as he looks up at you. 

“You still want me?” You ask.

He sits up quickly with a reply, “That I do, muñequita. Come on baby, come inside.” He sits up and pushes himself off of the bed, taking two short strides before he’s on top of you once again, pushing you off to the side and up against the wall just next to the door. One arm plants firmly against the wall next to your head, his torso within breathing distance of your own, and the other arm reaches to close the door slowly, letting the latch slowly settle into place with a ‘click’. He’s staring at you again, eyes meeting yours directly all the while. It’s so jarring to feel so seen by someone you hardly know, and yet so comforting at once.

Leaning in slowly, he brings your lips back together as he releases the doorknob and wraps his large hand against your hip and lower back, tugging your hips into his. You let out a breathy sigh from your nose as hips tongue presses back into your mouth, licking into every nook and cranny he can manage. 

There’s more passion, more pent up frustration to this kiss now that you’re in the comfort and safety of his bedroom, no longer at the whim of any possible prying eyes. Reaching up to his chest, your hands find his shoulders, pulling you more tightly into him as you reach up into his embrace. You keep your mouth open for him as you squirm, already feeling the rush of slick that is traveling to your core.

You’re breathless when he pulls away, his eyes several shades darker as he looks at you. “Fuck, Javi…” 

Half of his face turns up in a lopsided grin. “That’s the plan, muñequita,” and then he’s trailing his lips down your throat, biting lightly at your pulse point before his fingers start to work their way under the hem of your shirt. “I’d really like to get this gone though, that alright with you?”

The way he checks in with you before he just goes ahead and does it sends a shiver of appreciation down your spine. You don’t think you’ve ever been treated that well by a partner before, never been asked or confirmed with before doing. You arch up into his touch and shake your head frantically up and down, not wanting him to waste another second than he has to. “Please, Javi.”

The smirk on his face turns wicked as his hands meet at your shirt hem and tug it overhead. One wraps around your hips and the other around your back, unclasping your bra with a skilled precision that rivals your own ability to undress yourself in a rush. The bra slips forward off your shoulders so you let it pool to the ground, and then, in what feels like the blink of an eye, he’s managed to lose both your pants and his, and pour you both into the extraordinarily well-cushioned bed.

He’s on top of you, caging you in with his legs and arms, and you can feel the excessively well-hung length of him through his boxers, leaving very little left to the imagination as his cock hangs hard and heavy against your hip. It’s subconscious when you roll your hips up into his, but you groan at the friction and at the way you're able to feel him for the first time without the restrictiveness of denim in the way.

Javi nuzzles his cheek against yours for a moment, taking the time to gain back some of the intimacy that was lost in the fight to undress as quickly as possible. “Gotta get you nice n’ warmed up for me, darlin’. Alright?” You can hear the southern drawl start to come out the more worked up he gets, and it only adds to your arousal. He sits back on his heels, straddling your thighs, and shifts to spread your legs out wide on either side of his hips. He presses your thighs open and stares down at your still-clothed pussy, pausing for a long moment to just look at the very boring black underwear you just happened to have on today. 

He moves his hands to trail up and down the sides of your torso. He traces your ribs, your abdomen, the outsides of your breasts, until he settles with his hands just barely cupping the fleshy mounds of your tits. He hums, leaning down to press a kiss to the skin between them, and then up to your sternum, where he lingers, lavishing his tongue along your skin as he works across to one collarbone, and then the other. Your eyes close gently as you press your chest up into him, seeking out the contact hastily as his hand drops to the hemline of your panties, fingertips just teasing beneath it. 

“Oh fuck. Javi, I… can you- can you please touch me?” Your wanton need is so visible now, so palpable, that you can’t help but resort to begging. You need to feel him against you, inside of you. You’re dying for it. 

“Greedy little thing, are you? Hm… I suppose I can fulfill that request.” He smirks down at you, having abandoned your breasts for a moment while he moves his hands to your clothed core. Reaching for the band of them then, he pulls your legs together, up and off of his hips just enough to slide them off of you, and then tosses them to the side as he settles your legs right back down around his thighs. His fingers ghost along every curve he can find - your thighs, your mound, the outside of your folds, your lower belly. It’s a searing touch, one you’re grateful for as it short circuits your brain and makes you feel like a comfortable liquid, all for him. 

“Trying to take my time with you, muñeca, but you’re making it damn difficult.” Your breath stutters and you whimper a bit, reaching up for his neck to pull him down into a heavy kiss. 

You whisper back, “Then don’t take your time, Javi. Just fuck me.”

He chuckles a bit at that and acquiesces to the kiss, lips and tongues tangling with one another as your hands work their way into his hair. You tug - you can’t help it - and he moans at the feeling as you finally manage to suck that perfect bottom lip into your mouth, biting down gently. 

Javi groans in response, low and deep from his chest, and it’s like the reward you didn’t know you needed. Something snaps a bit in you as your ministrations speed up - kissing him faster, harder, and letting your hands wander down to the swell of his ass. You squeeze there, tucking your hands into the band of his boxer, and pull his hips closer to yours as you do so. 

“No patience, baby. I told you - need to get you warmed up for me.” His head dips low as he takes up a nipple in his mouth, suckling gently on the sensitive bud. You keen, pressing your chest up into him once again as his other hand leaves your mound and moves to pinch lightly at your other nipple, leaving neither without the perfect stimulation. 

He switches then, mouth moving to the other side, and you let your eyes close gently while he works you over. Javi stays there for a long while, moving back and forth between your breasts, until you’re absolutely squirming beneath him, begging for some touch in the place you need it most. 

“Please, Javi, I want your fingers. Need them.” He pulls off your nipple with a ‘pop’ and quirks a brow at you as he leans in for another quick kiss. 

“Need them, huh? Well… I always tend to my partners’ needs, so I suppose I must.” He chuckles lightly and presses his lips to your forehead, then cheek, then throat, sitting back into his heels again as he spreads your thighs open wide once more. This time, when he’s staring down at your core, there’s no cloth in the way of him taking everything in. His gaze is once again searing - it feels like he might burn a new hole right through your body if he isn’t careful enough - but the look he offers you in return is nothing short of famished. He’s craving you just as much as you’re craving him, needs you like a man starved.

He moves his thumbs to your folds, pulling them apart so that he can stare inside even better. Letting a line of spit fall out of his mouth, it lands directly on your clit, and you realize that you’ve never felt so simultaneously dirty and hot at the same time. His thumbs massage the outsides of your folds for a few moments more before he’s collecting the spit with one of them and using it to rub small, gentle circles just beneath your clit. Then he’s dipping the tip of his thumb into your entrance and your back is arching for him, silently begging for more. 

“She’s so greedy. Pretty, too.” Somehow him talking about your cunt like it’s its own person has you reeling even further. It makes your head spin at the lewdness of it all. “She’s dyin’ for my fingers, I think. Gonna let her have ‘em.” He smiles up at you then as he presses his index finger into you, slowly sinking from one knuckle to the next until it’s buried deep and he’s crooking it upward in just the perfect way that somehow has you already seeing stars. 

You grind your hips down onto his sole finger, already needing more, but he knows your body well enough already and as soon as the thought can take any legitimate root in your brain, he’s pressing another in just next to the first. 

“Ohhh, Javi-” Your eyes close once again, riding out the waves of pleasure onto his fingers while he scissors them inside of you, alternating between stretching you out and crooking them up perfectly into your g-spot. You plant your heels onto the bed on either side of him, letting your knees open wide to the sides to give him whatever access he wants. 

You want to give him all of it. 

“That’s a good girl. Look how wrecked you are for me, already. Mierda. I can’t wait to give you my cock, muñeca.” His free hand smooths along the inside of your thighs for a long while until he’s gripping tightly to one of your knees and pulling his fingers out of you, flipping you over onto your hands and knees. “Just keep your ass up for me, just like this.”

You do as instructed, settling your weight back into your knees as you suddenly feel something hot and wet at your entrance. It’s his tongue, you realize, swirling around and gathering up what feels like a copious amount of slick that he’s pulled out of you already. He laps at you sloppily, licking broad stripes from above your clit to your opening each time. He presses a kiss to it then, humming with pleasure, and then his tongue is replaced by three fingers this time, moving slowly and carefully into your core. 

“Had to fuckin taste you. Such a perfect little pussy, couldn’t go another second without it.” You groan deeply into the mattress, face pressed to the side as he continues to work his fingers down to the knuckle. He curls them too, using the added finger to press into that spongy spot inside of you while scissoring the others and it has you seeing stars already, perfectly working you up toward a building orgasm that you had no idea was lingering so close in the horizon. 

“Oh, oh shit… Javi. I’m not-I’m- fuck I’m gonna cum!” You bury your face into the mattress as you moan, trying to keep yourself as quiet as possible, and you roll your hips roughly. He chuckles and leans down, pressing kisses and little nips to the globe of your ass while he works his fingers into you so perfectly. 

“Good, muñequita. Be a good little doll and cum for me.” His words hit you like a ton of bricks, and so you do just that. It’s an instantaneous one, not the kind that feels like a slow roll to the finish line, but one that explodes out of seemingly nowhere, making your fingers and toes curl as he works you through it. You cry out, burying your face in the sheets in hopes of muffling the sound, and grind your hips back onto him, driving his fingers in even deeper. He takes you across the finish line and further still, slowing his ministrations, but never completely stopping until you’re a whining, needy mess beneath him.

He stands, walking over to the nightstand to fish out a condom and roll it carefully into his length. “I think you’re ready to take me now, muñeca.” He drags you sideways across the bed to meet him where he is now, and in barely a moment you can feel himself notching himself between your folds, drawing the tip of his angry cock up and down through the copious wetness there that will ease his path inside of you.

“Please, Javi, please.” You press your ass backward into him, hoping to punctuate your point with your own body, and you can hear him groan as you do so, one hand grips your hip tightly as the other aims his cock, the head just breaching past your opening. You curse under your breath - he’s a big boy - and he shifts to grip your opposite hip with his other hand, using them as leverage to pull you back slowly onto his cock, inch by inch until your ass is flush with his hip bones. 

He has you impaled on him now, just waiting right there, buried deep inside you for a long while as he heaves out a sigh and rolls his hips experimentally into you. You keen, lolling your head forward he hits places inside of you that have rarely been touched.

But then, he starts moving, and it’s like getting transported to a different dimension. Every thrust erupts a flurry of sparks in your vision, sends a shiver or a crackle of static all the way up your spine. And the sounds he makes - the fucking sounds, Javier - send you reeling. He’s driving into you with a reckless abandon, pulling whines and moans out of you that you do your best to fight down, but you can’t manage completely.

He notices - of course he does - and reaches forward, scooping up your upper body so your’e upright on your knees with his arm tightly around your waist, huge hand holding just beneath your breast. His other hand wraps around your mouth, tugging your head back to his chest as he continues to pump himself up into you. 

Well, fuck. You’re fucking close again. 

How? How does he have this kind of instant effect on you like this? You’re amazed, but you don’t have the brainpower to sit and think about it right now, anyway. Your mind and body are both too full of Javi and Javi only to be able to think about anything else.

“Shhh, muñequita. Quiet, now. You can do it.” His whispered words are hot in your ear, sandwiched between heady moans that set your belly alight with the arousal of it all. The arm around your waist dips lower, then, his large hand reaching for your clit as he starts to rub harsh circles into it. The brief moment of lucid clarity in your mind makes you think you can sense a shift to his thrusts, like a bit of a hitch or a stutter, and realize he’s probably getting close, too. You’d beg him to cum for you if you could, but his hand is so tight around your mouth he wouldn’t hear you even if you tried. 

Instead, you reach one hand behind you and around him, gripping tightly to his hip as if to ask him for harder, more, deeper, something, and the other reaches down to feel for the place where the two of you are most intimately connected, feel the shaft and slick and pull of where he’s spearing himself into you so deliciously.

He grunts a few times, head dropping to your shoulder for a brief moment as his hips stutter, and he admits, “You’re gonna make me come, baby. Fuck. Squeezin’ me so fuckin’ perfect like that, I can’t last.” You whine in response, wish you could tell him you don’t need him to last, just need him to keep fucking you, just like this, for a few more moments, and few more seconds, and then-

Then, suddenly, you’re crashing again, tumbling over the edge and into a pool of all things Javier Peña that you’re not entirely sure you’ll ever be able to pull yourself back out of again. You don’t particularly know if you even want to right now, content to let yourself meld into his body as your orgasm takes you over, body shaking and writhing with the sensations of it all. You can feel your walls squeezing him tightly, massaging him as they ripple around his thick, heavy cock, and then he grunts a few more times and he’s spilling over, too.

You pant together, breaths heaving against one another as you both still and start to settle, catching your breath. Javi releases your mouth, moves his hand from your clit, and eases you back down to the bed as he reaches down to hold the condom in place, pulling out carefully and gently rolling you over onto your back. He smiles down at you for a moment with a blissed out expression that you think might rival your own, before he bends over, kissing you softly on the lips and then the forehead as he finally speaks up.

“One moment, baby. Be right back.” 

He leaves the room briefly, you figure likely to go to the bathroom to clean up. When he comes back in he has a warm washcloth which he uses to wipe you down completely, and then himself, before tossing it at the hamper in the corner of the room. Climbing back into the bed, he wraps his arms around you, tugging you into his chest to be the little spoon, and then reaches down to the foot of the bed where the sheets are all bunched up. He pulls them over the two of you and settles back down behind you, lips meeting your upper arm, then shoulder, collar bone, and neck as he peppers kisses all along your exposed, sweaty skin.

“I feel like I don’t even need to ask, muñequita, but I’m going to anyway. Was that as good for you as it was for me?” You chuckle, turning over slightly, just enough so you can look at him with a big, stupid grin on your face.

“Oh, yes, Javi. That was fantastic. Stupidly, perfectly, amazingly, phenomenal. Maybe it was even better for me,” you tease him, but think it might actually be true. He smiles back at you and leans in to press another soft, tender kiss on your lips. You kiss him back just as sweetly, one hand lifting to rest gently on the arm he has wrapped around the front of your body. “I don’t usually… I don’t usually do that. Well, this… with random people? It’s, um… definitely not the norm for me.” 

He chuffs in response and rolls his eyes. “You don’t need to prove anything to me, muñeca. And, if it makes you feel any better, it’s really not so random. There’s a lot of backstory there.” You nod, admitting to yourself that he’s correct. You just never expected to be here when you met Chucho all those weeks ago. This was not the outcome you were hoping for - though you also have to admit, you can’t bring yourself to complain about it, either. You’re lost in your thoughts when he interrupts you with another kiss. “Get some sleep. I’ll make you breakfast in the morning and we can talk about… this. Okay?”

You smile, pretty happy with that answer. There was a part of you that assumed Javi wouldn’t want anything to do with you afterward, but you’re glad that the connection the two of you seemed to have from the moment you laid eyes on each other wasn’t just a one-way street. He must have felt it too.

“Yeah, okay.” He smiles and nuzzles his forehead against your cheek, urging you back down onto the pillow.

“Good. Get some rest. I’ll wake you up in the morning.”

The sound of his steady breathing and the beating of his heart ease you back into your exhaustion, which you had promptly forgotten about during the fucking. No complaints there, though.

“Mmhmm,” you mumble out, and before you know it, you’re asleep in his arms.

~~~

Read part II HERE

A/N: If you don't mind, please drop a like, comment, or reblog! They keep me going and I love your feedback! I'll be posting a next part very soon - it's almost finished!

[half-dead-writer]

gordon goose x gn/masc reader where the reader is tired of seeing gordon mopping about his current situation and they decide to give him a makeover, like they give him a suit, brush his hair and shave him up but they kind of… get turned on, so yeah

I actually wanted to write something moping-Goose related so it's a great idea! I kind of made it more comic-Gideon but I hope you enjoy it nonetheless!

Typical Roommate Stuff

When Gideon Graves showed up under your door, you knew your life would change. Whether for the better or for worse, you gotta judge that yourself. But maybe, having an anime-obsessed, overconfident and ambitious man at your house isn't that bad?

character: Gideon Graves / Gordon Goose (Scott Pilgrim Takes Off) words: ~9,5k reader: AMAB warnings: Gideon's weird behavior, light feminization (of the reader), kind of love-hate relationship, Gideon being, well, Gideon, overstimulation

𝔯𝔲𝔩𝔢𝔰 + 𝔪𝔞𝔰𝔱𝔢𝔯𝔩𝔦𝔰𝔱 / 𝔖𝔠𝔬𝔱𝔱 𝔓𝔦𝔩𝔤𝔯𝔦𝔪 𝔗𝔞𝔨𝔢𝔰 𝔒𝔣𝔣 𝔪𝔞𝔰𝔱𝔢𝔯𝔩𝔦𝔰𝔱

Your week had been busy as hell. If someone told you the Gideon Graves would wash up in your neighborhood and live under your roof for the next unforeseeable amount of days, you'd probably tell them they're crazy. Yet, here you were, seeing a sad shell of a man, moping around on your couch.

Of course, seeing his pathetic state when he showed under your door left you no choice but to bring him inside, not wanting the pouring rain to torment him any longer. Not too long ago you've been in a similar situation, caught during a wild rainstorm while waiting for your bus home - it was horrible, and you wouldn't wish it upon anyone that haven't wronged you. Gideon, who you now knew as Gordon, had a reputation of being a big asshole, which you couldn't really disagree with. Although you haven't seen him before he landed here, you could easily imagine how being a CEO got to his head. He hasn't shown you his "quirky personality" when first crossing the border of your house, but as soon as you showed your weakness kindness, he made sure to overuse it.

His original plan was to visit a long-time friend from his highschool years, but it quickly backfired after he realized she wasn't home. But instead of his old classmate, you showed up. Your objective was to quickly grab something missing from your kitchen in the nearby store, already equipped with an umbrella, ready to head out. Your house was next to hers, so it wasn't hard to notice a ball of patheticness curled up on Julie's porch. At first you thought it was just some random hobo picking a place to hide from the rain, but as your eyes focused, you noticed the man looked... quite familiar. And then, you made eye-contact. You couldn't just leave him like that, especially now that he acknowledged you.

Scooting over to him, you noticed his brows furrowing in an unsure squint. He was probably assured you're gonna chase him away, and he wouldn't blame you. Who would want some random man on their neighbor's porch, right? But to his surprise, instead of a rude send off, you hesitantly asked if he's alright.

And that's when Gordon became your roommate.

He was not supposed to stay at yours for so long, but his depressed state left you feeling kind of bad. Until it became annoying. You knew he had lost everything and was valid for feeling defeated, but you simply did not have the money to pay for two people living in the house. Especially when Gordon's use of TV was draining almost all of your money. He would just lay on the couch, watch anime, not shower and eat everything from your kitchen. Being depressed is one thing, but not doing anything to at least help around the house for a person who helped you for free, out of the kindness of their heart, was another.

You told him to clean after himself, clean himself, and find a job. He mulled over your request, promising to get better. But somehow, his words didn't sound sincere. And as you predicted, they weren't. He did what you asked - for 1,5 days. Then he started to whine, saying how it all doesn't matter anymore, how given up he is, and how the cruel world turned on him. All of the stuff you heard the first time he arrived here.

You were not really a confrontational person in general, but enough was enough. You gently yet firmly explained your reasoning. You simply did not have the funds to keep it up. Nor you wanted to. Well, maybe. But on your own terms. While being just slightly embarrassed to admit it, you did think G-Man was hot, from what you've seen of him before he became a leech at your house. But his behavior made it harder for you to even consider dating him. If only he wasn't such a pain in the ass...

Gordon, while prepared to hit you with another wave of complaining, did actually considered your words. You sounded serious this time, and it was probably just a matter of time until you acted on your words. He let out a prolonged, tired sigh, fixing the glasses on his face while avoiding your firm stare.

"...Fine." He crossed his arms in defeat, sinking into the couch. "I'll get a job."

Even though you wanted to believe his words, being "tricked" by him once before, you had to make sure he would fulfill his promise. While being G-man's babysitter was not ideal, you had to do something.

"Alright," you said, confidently putting your hands on your hips, determined to proceed with your plan, "we're starting tomorrow."

Gordon did not respond, only cocking his brow in hesitant curiosity.

. . .

Going past Gordon sleeping on the couch, you came home from your quick shopping trip. Since he obviously had no money, you had to buy him something suitable to wear. Going to a job interview in his stinky NO FEAR wifebeater wouldn't make a good impression, so you decided to buy him a suit. It wasn't as expensive as the ones he owned previously, but it still looked fancy. Putting it somewhere else for now, you returned to your living room.

Gordon was laying on his back, with one arm draped over his head, another hanging off the couch. His hair was mangled and all over his face, his chin had some stubble, and you were pretty sure drool was leaking out of the corner of his lips. It was... a sight. You made a mental note to remember that image in your mind for later. You probably wouldn't be able to see it again after he finally gets a job and moves out. ...Soon.

You cleared your throat before calling his name. No reaction. You tried speaking louder. Only a soft grunt came out of his lips, still not awake. You would not strain your voice by shouting, so you started poking his shoulder repeatedly. That woke him up.

He quickly lifted his arm off his head, jolting awake. He stared at you, processing the current situation, before wiping the saliva off his chin with a quick brush of his hand.

"What...?" He slowly laid back on the couch once he assessed what's happening, letting out a tired sigh.

"Get up. It's time for your glow up." You explained, looking at him expectantly.

Another groan got out of his lips. "...Eh, can I at least eat breakfast first?"

"... It's noon."

. . .

You occupied your time by mercifully cleaning his trash while he was busy eating his "breakfast". It would all end soon, the repeating words in your head kept you calm enough to not get pissed off for having to do it in the first place. In reality, you'd probably miss having him around, no matter how infuriating he was. You two had some good times together, mostly watching anime. You gave his serie a try - it was mid at best, but Gordon seemed entertained. And his reactions were just too cute to ignore. He seemed to instantly light up whenever you made a positive comment about it, even though he tried to brush it off as quickly as he became aware of doing it. He could not seem not-depressed, otherwise you'd throw him out, right?

Positively surprised at Gordon washing his plate after eating, you came up to him with your already established plan.

"Alright, since you're done, wanna start on your makeover?" You asked lightheartedly, not wanting to appear as threatening as yesterday. You thought this approach would work better than just pushing him to do it forcibly. Giving him some sense of... choice.

He just sighed, too given up to argue. "...Yeah."

"Don't worry, I'll help you." You offered, gaining an unsure raise of his eyebrow. "But first, you gotta bathe. You stink."

He groaned in dismay, slumping his arms like a teen who had just been asked to do their homework.

"...Unless you need help with that too?" You deadpanned, mostly joking. His focused expression had you thinking he probably didn't take it as such, which made you feel a bit embarrassed. He knitted his brows, thinking over your proposition for a bit too long for your liking.

Gaining a surge of arrogant confidence, he shrugged. "You can come wash my hair, if you wanna."

He didn't have time to look at your dumbfounded expression as he lazily walked past you, heading to the bathroom. Did he just- fuck with you??

"Wait-" You said unexpectedly, making him turn on his heel to face you. He had a smirk on his face. You felt yours getting hotter, acknowledging how your sudden remark must have sounded. "I gotta give you a clean shirt beforehand. You're not wearing your tanktop again, I gotta wash it."

He seemed almost disappointed but didn't show it much, patiently waiting for you to bring him some fresh clothes. You returned after grabbing some of the clothes from your room that could fit him. He lazily took them off your hands, disappearing past the bathroom doors.

The next few minutes passing were excruciating. Were you actually supposed to just, go there...? Wouldn't it be weird as hell? I mean, he would be naked. Yes, that's what people do before getting into the bathtub. But did he really mean it? Wouldn't you just seem like a fool by mindlessly following his teasing request? Probably. But... He'd be out of your hair soon, right? Then, you could both forget the potential cringe outcome of your decision. Not like many people would see the G-man in his most vulnerable position, or at least that's how you tried to rationalize it. But... were you really that chill with seeing his dick? You would rather not dwell on the answer. You didn't wanna embarrass yourself any further. ... Soap! You remembered you had a very bubbly soap, which would probably cover anything below the water. Check that off the list of the potential worries.

Two more minutes passed, and you had to make a choice, or else he would come out before you had a chance to make up your mind. You didn't know what pushed you to proceed with the stupid decision, but your knuckles soon met the wooden doors.

"It's open," he exclaimed in almost sing-song voice. God, what were you even doing?

Not daring to look at the focal point in the room, your eyes didn't meet his until you properly closed the door behind you, approaching closer like a cat scared of a cucumber. Thankfully, he was covered by the bubbles. He looked at you with a cheshire cat grin, obviously pleased and probably amused with your actions, leaning his arms on the bathtub's top.

"And here I thought you'd never come," he teased, squinting his eyes in amusement. How was this man so cocky while being naked in front of a stranger?

"I don't know why I came in the first place," you muttered out of embarrassment, but then quickly corrected yourself. "...I mean. I was supposed to help you."

His smirk became even more apparent, sloshing the water around by lazily adjusting his position. "And I really appreciate that."

You cleared your throat to chase away the leftover lump residing there. "So, did you... wash yourself, and all...?" Trying not to look at his exposed chest was much harder than you realized.

"Yep. Squeaky clean." He sized you up with his stare, making you feel even more on edge. "So, you gonna do your thing now?"

Ignoring the rising, uncomfortable feeling growing in you, you walked behind him, grabbing the showerhead. You weren't really sure if the feeling was of stress or... something else. It just felt too intimate.

"Close your eyes," you prefaced, shifting into a get-the-task-done mode to spare yourself the torture of looking too much into the situation. Gordon did as you requested, feeling the water drip down his hair. You were mindful not to get the shampoo in his eyes as you gently applied it. Gordon fully enjoyed the treatment, letting out a content sigh. It wasn't subtle though - as if he wanted you to know how much he liked your fingers playing with his hair. It felt ...weird.

The next few minutes were spent in a complete silence, filled only by the faint sounds of the water splashing due to his brief movements. He seemed completely relaxed, engulfed in the moment. If you weren't so stressed during the entire ordeal, you'd think he looked pretty nice like this. It could be a nice, domestic moment between you two, if only it didn't feel illegal.

Soon enough, the washing part of his head was done, leaving you to spray his hair with water, getting out the leftover soap. Briefly glancing at your work, he looked like a wet cat. ...Cute?

He opened up his eyes once he heard the showerhead clank into it's original place, looking over his shoulder. You went to grab the towel, careful not to be too rough while drying his hair. He patiently waited for you to be over.

"Five stars treatment, I see?" He shot you another one of his cocky remarks, making you roll your eyes, half serious.

"Yeah, you better appreciate it." You quipped back. "Now get dressed." You said, nonchalantly leaving the bathroom, just to think over the entire situation a few more times in your head.

Gideon lazily got out of the bathtub, using another one of his towels to get himself dry. He didn't hurry - he wasn't really looking forward to your next activities. Well, unless they were as fun as this one. He had a good time teasing you, even to the point of feeling pretty energized. Even though you'd probably deny it, he knew he had to have some effect on you. I mean, why else would you keep this loser of a man in his house? He knew he was hot, and he was gonna use it.

Examining your clothes, he thought... they weren't really his style. But, they'd have to do. Not like he had a choice in the matter. Slowly extending his hand to grab them, he stopped in the middle of the action. Glancing over the closed doors one more time, he lifted the shirt up to his nose. Not like you'd ever know he did that. It smelled of you. Not even embarrassed with his actions, he took another quick sniff, before putting it on himself. It wasn't his fault you smelled so good?

Gordon emerging from the bathroom startled you only a bit, distracting you from the repetitive train of thought. Your eyes traced his new look, with your clothes on him. You didn't know how much you'd appreciate the sight.

He put his glasses back on his face. "So, what now?" He asked casually while still making sure he didn't sound too invested. You had to know he wasn't looking forward to it.

Briefly squinting your eyes, you thought of your next move. "You need to get rid of the stubble."

"I need a razor for that."

"Well- back to the bathroom then," you said, gesturing him to follow after you into the now steamy and hot room. Gideon did as you said, entering the place he left from not too long ago. Grabbing your handy razor from the cabinet, you turned to him. "Can you shave by yourself, or do you need help with that too?" You raised your brow in a halfly amused expression.

"Hm..." He put on a dramatically thoughtful expression, "can I trust you won't cut me by accident?"

"...Um." You actually stopped for a moment. Well- You couldn't assure him of that, so you came clear, forcing him to manage his expectations. "No, actually, I can't promise you that." Just a bit guilty grin sneaked into your face.

He exhaled, disappointed, "fine, I'll do it by myself." He yanked the razor out of your hand, lazily approaching the sink to splash some water onto his face. Not wanting to just awkwardly stand there, you decided to remove yourself from the situation, heading back to return to the couch. Before you could properly exit, Gordon's voice stopped you.

"Shaving cream? Something??"

"Oh, right - on the top shelf of the cabinet," you instructed, glad of not forgetting to buy it last time you went shopping. You didn't use a lot of it, so Gordon had almost a full bottle. ...You guessed it wouldn't be as full next time you used it. Hearing the hum of acknowledgment, you were finally free to sit back on the couch. You used the free time to grab a comb from your room, prepared for your next task once Gordon was done with his shaving.

A few minutes later, Gordon greeted you with his presence once again. No stubble this time. Scanning over his face with your eyes, you noticed he really did start to look better. Fresh clothes, fresh face, almost fully dried hair. It looked so fluffy. You felt the urge to touch it.

"Can you sit on the floor?" Gideon gave you a confused glare, tilting his head just slightly. You quickly enlightened him, "It's gonna be comfier for me that way. I'm gonna brush your hair. You can watch TV in the meantime."

He seemed to accept your explanation, sliding down to sit cross legged with his back turned to you. You hunched over to entangle the comb into his hair, pulling his jet black hair on it's teeth. Your other hand secured the small strands of hair so the action wouldn't bring him any pain. You were right. His hair was soft.

Gordon watched the mind-numbing TV show, not daring to question your choice of getting so invested in his makeover. I mean, why didn't you just tell him to do those things himself? He was in no position to complain though, enjoying every bit of your merciful attention.

Even though all of his previous partners were devoted to him, he rarely got pampered. He was the one dolling up his possessions, he was the provider. Of course, he treated himself to all the joys money could give him as well, but rarely did his girlfriends brush his hair, for example. And you weren't even his? ...Not yet, at least.

He could get used to this. Completely relaxed, he dreaded the moment it would end. He would have to move out, and then, what? He'd have to look for another person to take care of him like that. And it's so hard to find someone like that. Of course, he could just go to a hairdresser, pay her to pamper him, but where's the fun in that?

With you occupied, he took the time to actually think over his plan for the future. ...You would be in there, for sure.

Although your movements were slow, sooner or later, the session had to end eventually. His hair was fully dry now, presenting itself in it's best form.

You retreated your hands, "I'm done."

He combed the fingers thru his hair, feeling pretty good. He almost forgot how good it felt to be all clean and well-maintained due to his brief depression episode. Well, glad you did it for him.

"Mhm. Anything else on your 'list'?" He asked, glancing over at you.

You put a thoughtful finger on your chin, thinking whether there was anything else you'd miss. You decided there wasn't.

"Well, no... But I have something for you."

His eyes lit with curiosity, "Hm? And what would that be?"

You scooted over to your room, bringing him the nicely looking suit, draped over the hanger. He analyzed the item after getting it into his hands, "Oh. A suit."

"Yep. You gotta have one if you're gonna go on a job interview." You watched as his sight examined the new thing, skimming over it with his eyes a few times. He seemed pleased. "Do you like it?"

"It's not bad," he responded very nonchalant, but you could tell he was happy.

"Wanna put it on?"

He cocked his eyebrow while glancing your way, but didn't care to come up with any more remarks. "Sure." He briefly looked over to the bathroom, wondering whether he had to head the cursed room once more to change.

"You can just quickly dress in here," you said, not like seeing him in his boxers would be anything outrageous, given you already seen him pretty much naked. He wasted no time, swiftly getting out of his pants. You did the polite thing and not stare as he got dressed. Once the pants were on, the top was quick to follow. He had lots of experience with buttoning up, wearing lots of suits in his glory days, so it went relatively quickly. Glamorously, he turned over to you to present himself in his new, fancy outfit.

Your eyes thoroughly wandered over his new look. He looked... Hot. Very hot, actually. It seems he noticed you staring, as another smirk was plastered on his face.

"Like what you see?" He taunted, his voice rasp and seductive. You felt your cheeks involuntarily heat up. Shit. Your lecherous stare was quickly averted, feeling as if you got caught doing something bad. He did notice that, too.

"You just look better than you do on the regular," you explained, trying to regain a bit of your pride back.

"Oh, is that right?" He approached closer to you, and you'd be inclined to step back, if not for the weird effect he had on you. You stood your ground, and soon enough, Gordon was mere inches from your face. He almost challenged you to do something about it. You could feel his warm breath against your skin with how close he got to your personal space.

"Well, you can look at me all you want," he teased, the sultry look not leaving his expression for a moment. "But, is that the only thing you wanna do?"

That left you speechless. How dares he- The sudden silence and appall radiating off of you was a good enough for him indicator that he got you wrapped around his finger. His smirk only widened, and the staring game began.

"Well, darling?" His use of a pet name only fueled your embarrassment further. "We both know you wouldn't come to see me in the bathtub if you didn't want it."

"Wha-" Your words hitched slightly, you were too caught off guard to process what you were gonna say next, "I came there because you asked me to!"

"No, honey, I said you could come, if you want to." His expression softened into amusement. "And, seems like you did. So, my point stands."

Silence from your side, again.

It took you another few seconds to gather your thoughts and game-plan. Well- Not like there was any point in trying to save your pride anymore. Trying to convince him otherwise would be pointless, he already made up his mind. And... granted you an opportunity...?

Trying to keep your voice at a normal volume, you finally gave up on trying to save face. "Well... So what?"

A very proud snicker escaped his lips, "so why not do what you actually wanna do?" His arm snaked over to your waist, pulling you ever closer, your bodies touched.

You were totally not in your comfort zone, but you couldn't deny, you were into this. Hesitantly, your hand slowly wandered over his chest, as a way to silently show him your approval.

"...Good decision." He grinned, wasting no time and swiftly placing his soft lips onto yours, fitting together a puzzle. Kissing him felt ecstatic - he was definitely a good kisser, probably the best one you seen so far. You didn't know whether that spoke more about him or you. As expected, his tongue invaded your mouth pretty soon. You meekly tried to reciprocate the intense kiss, giving him even more signals that he would be the one leading this tango of tongues. You didn't mind, you were just there for the ride.

His hands started to trace over your body with even less grace, hungrily grabbing what he now established as his. The pace had you feeling goosebumps, this guy was straight to the point. Too focused on his hands trailing down your lower back, trying to figure out whether he'd be bold enough to grab your ass, you almost didn't process his lips leaving yours, instead moving onto your neck.

A quite unmanly sound left your mouth as Gordon sucked a sensitive spot on your skin, slowly turning it red. Damn you, Goose, above the collar? How are you gonna cover that? Not like he cared in the slightest, though, quite the opposite - he liked marking his things. It was almost as if he wanted it to be very visible to people who had the chance to look at you, to see that you were already taken. It was too late to ask him to stop, and it's not like you didn't enjoy it. You were just afraid to see yourself in the mirror later.

His chest felt pretty good under your fingers, even if it was obstructed by the suit's fabric. Gordon didn't mind the attention, still assaulting your jaw, neck and throat with the continuous kisses. His teeth began to lightly scrap over your skin, teasing you in just the right places. His tongue brushed over the new marks, satisfied with the effect he had on you, that he was able to do that so fast.

He eventually pulled away, leaving you slightly breathless and flushed. Gideon took his time admiring your pathetic state before speaking in a low, sultry tone.

"Am I going too fast for you, sweetie?" He asked, pretending to be concerned. You'd think it'd be caring of him if not for the hint of sarcasm in his voice.

"You wish," you replied with a weak chuckle, trying to downplay the effect he was having on you.

He raised his eyebrow amused, the smirk returning to his face. "Oh really?" Gordon leaned a bit closer, "I'd think your breathing tells a different story."

He had a point, you clearly weren't hiding your excitement very well, but there were no way you were gonna admit that. One of his hands snaked it's way to your hip, making your breath hitch as it slid under the fabric of your shirt, while the other did what you anticipated for a while: grabbing a good portion of your ass, forcing another squeak to escape. You'd feel as if things were going too fast if not for the constant excitement he filled you with.

A smug grin appeared on his face once he felt how much you shivered from the bare touch of his cold fingers against your hot skin. This bastard clearly enjoyed having this kind of control over you. But at the same time, you couldn't help but feel aroused by the attention. He was probably the first person to rile you up so quickly. He wasn't even doing much, and yet, you were already putty in his fingers. A cheeky smirk spread across his face and you knew it wasn't a good sign.

Before you could react, he pushed you back until you hit a wall, pinning you between his body and the cold surface behind you, caging you entirely with his form. His sharp, sly eyes scanned your face, obviously loving your helplessness. Not giving you a chance to respond, he slotted his knee right between your legs, teasing your slowly making itself known arousal.

"Nf-" Your weak voice cutting through the silence got him even more determined to hear other sounds you could make for him.

A small huff left his lips at the sound of your moan, a mocking laugh following right after. You wanted to punch that smugness right off his face, but you were currently too busy dealing with another problem. You hated when he was like this, acting like a total prick. And yet, at the same time, your body seemed to betray you, reacting to it positively. You were quickly losing the fight against his advances, too lost in the pleasure he gave you. It was so tempting to just give up and just ravish him, but you still fought to keep your composure. Why were you holding back? Because you didn't want him to have the satisfaction of confirming that he did indeed have you wrapped around his finger.

Gordon leaned closer until his face was right next to yours, his knee still grazing against the sensitive spot between your legs in an excruciatingly slow pace. Your hips chased the pleasant feeling, lightly rubbing against him.

"You poor, poor thing." He taunted you, the desire was clearly present in your look, fueling his cockiness even more. "I bet you just can't wait for more."

Any possible response you could tell him would only incriminate you further, so you decided it would be best to keep your mouth shut for the moment, instead replying with a soft groan.

His unoccupied hand gently reached to hold your cheek. "What's wrong, princess? Cat's got your tongue?" He asked, his voice annoyingly smooth and velvety. The name irritated your pride just a bit, causing your brows to furrow together, even though his teasing grew on you a little.

He chuckled at your expression. "Oh, don't make that face sweetheart, you know you like it." He stated confidently, knowing how flustered the pet name was making you, despite your efforts to hide it.

His hand left the warmth of your face, going lower now. Giving his knee a rest, his palm took the job of granting you pleasure, rubbing the fabric of your pants, uncomfortably stretched by now. You bit your lip when his fingers brushed against your erection, you felt far too needy to keep up your unfazed expression.

"Stop teasing," you warned, even though it sounded more like a plea.

The corners of his mouth went up as you gave up trying to act as if you were in control. He was probably enjoying himself to the fullest, you couldn't deny that at this point it was pretty clear who was driving this ship.

"'Stop teasing' or what, doll?" He repeated, his tone dripping in mockery and arrogance. "Are you gonna do something about it?"

Gordon's hand was still making friction, not letting your body ease up. His touch alone made it harder to think.

"I- I will…!" You tried to threaten unconvincingly, still trying to maintain the little bit of dignity you had left. His response in the form of an amused chuckle made your blood boil. "Shut up," you muttered through gritted teeth, annoyed at how much his attitude was getting under your skin.

Gordon took notice, his hand moving even slower now, as if to spite you. "I don't think I like your tone." He stated with a displeased hum, stopping all of his movements.

You couldn't hide the displeased expression. Finally deciding it was time to do something, your surge of confidence was immediately halted. You didn't expect his hand to slip under the waistband of your pants, grabbing you in an unexpected hold, making you gasp in surprise. He leaned down closer to your face once again.

"You should watch that mouth of yours." Gordon warned, his voice now slightly cold and serious. He had fun messing with you, but at the end of the day, he was the one in control, at least in this situation. Even though the house he was living in belonged to you, your whole body now urged for his attention. He had to remind you of that.

His thumb was now gliding over the tip, his pace slow but steady. Your breath hitched in your throat at the sudden assault. His touch felt hot against your skin, so you instinctively moved your pelvis against the grip. The small movement didn't go unnoticed by the other man. With his other hand, he grabbed your chin, forcing you to face him. "Is that clear?"

You hated how commanding he sounded and how it was affecting you. Gordon could be a real dick at the most inappropriate times, but it somehow was still working for him. You tried to glare, pissed off that he was dominating you like this, but the look came out way less resentful than you intended, and he knew it.

"I hate you." You mumbled. You heard a snort in response.

"Well, I don't think your body would agree with that." He teased, the hand inside your pants giving another stroke that sent the shivers down your spine. You groaned from the feeling, your head leaning softly against the wall. You hated it, you hated that he was so damn sure of himself when he did that.

He chuckled when he saw the conflicted expression between anger and pleasure on your face. He loved to see you struggle to keep your act up while he was clearly the one in control.

"You look so handsome like this." He mused. "And the best part is, you're all mine." He whispered, the last word making your heart beat faster. Why was he so sure of himself? Since when??

"Am I?" You inquired breathlessly, cocking your brow at his bold statement.

"Yes." He said, still radiating confidence, "if you want me to continue, that is."

"And if I don't?" You countered with a snarky note in your voice, trying to regain the power you felt you lost.

Irritation invaded his features, leaving as quickly as it appeared, instead being replaced with nonchalance. The challenge in your voice clearly getting on his nerves. His hands disappeared out of your pants, and you halfly regretted your words.

You bit down on your lip, feeling slightly annoyed with yourself. You wanted to provoke a reaction out of him, and that's exactly what you got, but at the price of being left hanging.

"You know," Gordon said, his tone now seemingly less invested, "I suppose I've had enough of you for today anyway." He began to pull away.

"Have fun taking care of that yourself." He gestured towards your hard on, now painfully obvious.

"Thanks for the suit, though." He gripped it's fabric, as if to admire it again. "I guess I'll go looking for that job now."

You couldn't stop the frustrated forcing itself out of you. No way he was serious, he couldn't-

"Wait, no, please-" You blurted out, cursing yourself at how whiny you sounded. But he couldn't just stop after turning you on like that.

Gordon's face looked quite pleased with your response, he knew you'd have a hard time dealing with that by yourself. He stepped closer again, leaning towards you.

"I'm sorry, what was that?" He asked in a sickeningly sweet voice.

Your face burned with humiliation from having to be the one to cave in. You were the one in charge! He was the freeloader here, he shouldn't be pulling this kind of bullshit on you. You knew you had to swallow down your pride for this if you wanted to get what you craved, though.

"Don't leave." You choked out through the lump in your throat. "I'm sorry for being a smartass, okay? Just- ...please touch me."

Pushing out the words felt like having to vomit, especially when his smug expression was pulling at your nerves.

His smirk grew wider after your plea, completely satisfied from the position he reduced you to. "That wasn't so hard, was it?"

You decided it would be best to ignore his remark. Your cheeks felt as if they were on fire, you hated having to play his game. You shook your head, throwing away last bits of your pride.

"Good boy."

His voice was low, and the praise went right to your crotch. You were about to die from how embarrassed you felt, but you couldn't deny how his word affected you. It was worth it, you convinced yourself.

He chuckled, seeing how easily you reacted to his praise. He thought you looked cute like that, even though you tried to portray yourself in a more dominant light. It was endearing.

Clearing your throat, you finally spoke about more important matters. "Better take off that suit."

He tilted his head with an amused smile, were you commanding him?

"I don't wanna wash it if it gets dirty." You muttered, noticing how his expression softened once he got your way of thinking.

"Ah, of course." He complied, slowly undoing his buttons. The satisfaction was still present on his face as he watched your gaze follow his fingers, patiently waiting. He didn't even have to ask if you liked the view, seeing as your apparent boner spoke more words than you.

Finally, the fabric opened, giving you a good view of the pale skin underneath. After he finished taking the top part of his suit off his shoulders, he put it on the nearby chair. Your eyes couldn't help but admire his torso as he unbuttoned his pants too. He paused, noticing your lingering gaze.

"Not even gonna take off your shirt?" He asked, staring at your wholly dressed figure, his voice teasing and impatient.

"There's nothing stopping you," You shot back, starting to get impatient. He raised a brow at your reaction, a smug grin invited itself on his face again.

"Are you implying I should do it myself?" He inquired, interested in your request.

"Maybe I am." You quipped back, a hint of challenge in your tone. If he wanted to be in control so much, why not do everything for you?

Gordon chuckled while taking a few steps in your direction, closing the distance between you. The look on his face now resembled a cat that got a mouse in it's clutch. He put his hands on your sides, gripping the hem of your shirt. The smirk didn't leave his face as he leisurely slid the fabric up, over your head, pulling it off in one swift motion. You instinctively raised your arms, letting him undress you. When he finished pulling the shirt off, he tossed it next to the rest of the clothing, his gaze then falling on your naked torso. He had to admit, he liked what he saw.

"You know, you look better like that," He said, his eyes shamelessly roaming all over your bare chest. The comment wasn't expected, but you couldn't deny the shiver that went through your body after his praise. You really were a sucker for his words, it was embarrassing.

While you were trying to get your emotions in check, the man continued his exploration of your body, his palms touching and caressing it shamelessly. Your stare fixated on his hands slowly wandered lower, only now noticing the excitement present on his body. His underwear let you see it quite clearly now. You swallowed as you watched the obvious hard-on, you were so caught up in the view that when his fingers pulled down your pants, taking the boxers with them, you got a little startled. The cockiness was back on his face, amused at how distracted you were.

"Here we go, doesn't that feel better?" He said, glancing down at your obvious arousal. You couldn't deny you got bit self conscious as the feeling of cold air hit your skin. Gordon didn't seem to share the same opinion, quickly ridding himself of the underwear as well. He was quite proud of his physique.

And here you were. Standing naked. With the former owner of 2 record labels, a movie studio and 14 animal shelters. How did things manage to move so fast in so little time? You couldn't help feeling a bit overwhelmed, but you were also excited and nervous. The whole situation was surreal to you.

"Lie down." He instructed, not giving you time to think as he pulled you towards the couch. You fell once your legs hit the edge after he pushed you. You were glad for cleaning it beforehand, otherwise you'd probably have bits of Doritos stuck to you by now. On instinct, you leaned up on your elbows as your back hit the surface, but Gordon quickly pushed you down again, pinning you to the couch as he climbed on top of you.

"You stay there, doll." He said, as if sensing your urge to push back.

He put his hands on your chest, caressing your skin and running his fingers over it. He didn't wait any longer, starting to plant kisses over your neck and collar bones, tracing over the previously given marks.

The warmth of his member brushed against yours, sending a wave of electricity and impatience. You were both already aching for some sort of release, but Gordon had to take his precious time with you. Getting to see you at your limit was his main goal, overshadowing any other need.

"...Gordon," you finally uttered the sweet word he wanted to hear from the beginning. It was laced with desperation, urging for things to happen faster. You just couldn't take it anymore.

He knew exactly what you were begging him for, and he was going to deny you that for a little while longer. You felt his lips linger on your skin, sucking and nipping over the sensitive flesh, only silently looking at you with smug satisfaction.

"Please," you found yourself whining, "come on, just..." The rest of your sentence became incoherent as he moved his attention to your nipples, giving them the same treatment.

It was already driving you crazy when he suddenly paused, moving away from your chest to look at you again. Your eyes connected, as you were left panting impatiently. He couldn't help but grin, seeing what a mess he made you become.

"You need something, sweetheart?" He asked in a playful tone, he knew what you wanted. He just wanted to hear you say it.

"I need you to fuck me," you finally admitted, too annoyed at the excruciatingly slow pace he took. Your heart hammered inside your ribcage, eager for him to finally get on with it.

You had no idea how much it would affect him.

"Oh, I know." He deadpanned, his voice huskier now.

He leaned forwards, putting more of his weight against your body. His hips brushed against yours, making you let out a shaky breath.

"But do you think you deserve that after being a smartass?" he inquired, lolling his head to the side.

You bit down on your lip, a pang of frustration overtaking you. He was really going to make you go back to begging after you already embarrassed yourself the first time. You weren't sure if you could survive going through that again.

"I think I deserve that for letting you live here for free," you barked, honestly tired of his mind games. Your words seemed to be just what Gordon wanted to hear, soaking in the way he could get you pissed off. He let out a scoff, his eyebrows raised in amusement. He liked hearing your frustration, enjoying the attitude and confidence you showed.

"Please, just-" your words were shakier than you'd like "I can't- I need you, okay? Jesus, please, I-" You paused, closing your eyes for a second. His gaze was too intense.

He watched how your words became an incoherent mess as you continued speaking, taking in the image of you begging for him. The whole act of you being the one to give in drove him crazy. He hummed a few seconds to himself, seemingly considering whether you've shown enough vulnerability for him to finally give you what you wanted.

"Fine," He said with a sigh, finally taking some pity on you, as if your request was something annoying. " I'll give you what you need. Since you asked so nicely."

You were so desperate at this point, and he drank up the sight of you completely at his mercy, your body quivering under his weight. He really had you right where he wanted, he was going to make sure you would never forget this moment. Gordon leaned forward again, his body pushing down against yours. His head dipped down to your face.

"But first, say you belong to me." He sharpened his stare, focusing all of his attention on you.

"What?" You looked at him dumbfounded, not expecting that.

"I said, say... that you're mine. C'mon, Y/N. Don't make me wait." His tone was impatient, but in a dominant way. Somehow, him calling you by your name made an even bigger impression on you than his stupid pet names.

You blinked a few times, your brain starting to function again after the pause. "I... I'm... yours." The words sounded weird saying out loud, but you were ready to utter anything if it allowed you to finally be touched again.

The corner of his lips curled up into a satisfied smile, hearing the affirmation. You were finally starting to show the submission he wanted.

"There we go," he murmured. While he was busy cherishing the effect he had on you, a thought crossed his mind."Say it again."

"You know, this is getting pretty annoying." You finally spoke your thoughts, flashing him your unamused stare. It really was starting to get annoying. "You're gonna kill my boner."

You knew he probably got off to his ego trip, but really?

He snickered, amused at your response, grabbing both of your cheeks with one hand and squeezing your face degradingly. "Aw, is my buddy is getting annoyed? What a shame."

"I'll- I'll let you stay here for much longer if you finally get to the fucking point," he had left you with no other options. You had to use your last card.

At that, his eyes flashed with interest. Was this really the thing he was after this whole time? You almost felt heartbroken.

There was a long moment of silence, but you weren't sure if that was a good or bad sign.

"Interesting," he finally spoke, looking intrigued and satisfied. You were almost scared for what he was going to say.

"Are you offering to be mine? Completely?" His voice sounded smooth and collected, but there was an undertone of excitement to it.

Oh. Alright...? Was this his way of... asking you out??

"...Completely, as in...?" You asked, unsure if you got it right.

He chuckled amusedly, seeing you hesitate. "As in you'll only be mine. Nobody else's. That means no other people, no dates, no secret meetings, no nothing," His hand let go of your cheek, instead grabbing a lock of your hair and playing with it.

"...Are you asking me to be your boyfriend?"

He sighed, almost annoyed at your simple way of thinking. But to make things simpler, he gave in.

"I prefer the term 'mine'. Because that's exactly what you're going to be. Mine."

Of course, being treated like a disposable object wasn't really your taste, so you had to take a moment to think it over. The offer sounded risky to you. He was a self-absorbed, manipulative and obsessive man, you knew that pretty well by now. Not to mention he had some of the most ridiculous requirements you've ever heard of, while basically being a homeless man living in your house for the moment. He just- appalled you. How does a man like him even exist?

The silence stretched on, Gordon patiently studied your expression. He could tell you were hesitant, which was a natural reaction after he basically demanded you to be his plaything. At least that's what you thought he had in mind, judging by the way he said it.

"And... what do I get in return?" You questioned, looking him in the eye. The man seemed to be expecting that question. A smug look appeared on his face, as if he had already prepared a response for that.

"Well, you get me."

The answer was short and not very convincing, but Gordon was pretty confident that you would agree no matter what he said anyway.

You couldn't stop the light laugh escaping out of you. "I'm sorry, but- you're gonna have to lower your expectations."

A flicker of anger showed on his face, displeased by the sound of your mocking laughter. He wasn't expecting you to so blatantly reject him. He was so certain you'd say yes as soon as the offer left his mouth.

"What is it that you want, then?" He was irritated but still collected enough to ask that question. He couldn't let you have the upper hand now when he was so close to getting you. How could you not want him? It's true he didn't have much at the moment, but he would get it all back! And in the meantime, you should appreciate him as he is.

"I'll soon get revenge on Matthew, I will get my empire back-" He went on, until you cut him off.

"Respect, sweetheart." You put it simply, copying his way of using pet names. You were too smart to get used like that, and Gordon had to get it through his thick skull.

He suddenly snorted in disbelief, almost finding it laughable that those were your only demands.

"...Respect?" He had to make sure he was hearing you right. "And- that's all?"

He didn't believe you'd be so easily satisfied with just that, there must have been a lot more you wanted. But perhaps he miscalculated.

"I mean... I guess?" You said, thinking over any possible repercussions of your decision. "It's plain and simple. Don't be a dick. Well, at least cool it down a little."

He squinted his eyes, taking in the words he just heard. That's... That's all? You patiently waited out his momentary silence. Gordon had to pick his words carefully if he wanted to have you, and so his teasing was put on hold.

"Of course I will respect you," he tried his best to come off as sincere, but you saw through his fakeness right away. "What kind of boyfriend would I be if I didn't?"

Raising your brow in an expression that properly conveyed your emotions, you spoke. "You better start with fucking me properly then." You were still on the fence about actually giving him a honest chance, but at this point, you couldn't care. You just wanted to get off. You'd give this relationship more thought later.

As if a switch was flipped, Gordon's movements became softer, more calculated. This was his time to convince you, and he had to use it well. He spit on his fingers like a gentleman, lowering his hand to your entrance, tracing over it teasingly before inserting one digit with precision. You groaned softly, adjusting to the feeling. His finger pushed further, then retreated, repeating the action in a slow rhythm.

You appreciated the gentleness, but the change seemed too drastic. I mean, you were not a total vanilla, and you kinda dug how Gordon took the lead - when he wasn't being a total dick.

"...You can still lead with your pace, just-" You choked on your words - Gordon immediately picked up the speed, soon adding a second finger, searching for your prostate. He found it quite quickly, making sure to abuse it. Moans kept falling out of you, and you thought you were gonna come embarrassingly quick. The precum kept leaking, and Gordon seemed pleased at your reactions.

"G-ordon-" You squealed meekly, your desperate voice sounding like a sweet melody to his ears.

"Go on. Come for me," he purred, keeping up with the steady pace. The strings of white soon dirtied your stomach, he didn't even have to touch you.

He slipped his fingers out, giving you a moment to regain his breathing. In the meantime, he applied additional lube to himself and then aligned his hips with yours.

"W-Wait-" You weakly protested, still feeling overstimulated from your recent climax, but Gordon was too quick, already pushing deep inside you.

Your squeak was muffled by the rapid slaps against your skin. Thankfully he stretched you enough so it didn't feel as painful, but there was still some lingering uncomfortableness that slowly subsided with each thrust. He pinned your wrists above your head, locking eyes with you. Your flustered and sweaty face was like a beautiful painting, he could look at it forever. He didn't have the time to adjust the glasses that fell lower on his nose, not stopping the rough movements of his pelvis.

Each shove sent jolts of pleasure, hitting the exact spot to make you whine. You threw your legs around his back instinctively, giving even more control to him. Even though the situation was overwhelming, it felt heavenly. He surely had lots of experience and it showed.

"You look cute like that," he huffed out, a tired grin remaining on his face, "under me."

"I'll treat you well," he continued, "as soon as I get back what's rightfully mine-"

He freed one of his hands to slither down onto your dick, ripe with overstimulation already. He started jerking it, though it was hard to do conveniently with the pace he established. Your breath stuck in your throat, feeling like you're gonna explode any moment.

"You're gonna beg for me," he groaned, "I'll f-fucking show you-"

Soon enough, his thrusts became uneven and deeper, he was almost near his peak, and so were you. Keeping in mind his task of swaying you over, he was polite enough to ask with a strained voice, "you want me to mark you?"

You managed to speak through your halfly broken whimpers, "y-yes, inside, please-" You felt too good to say anything else, too sucked into the pleasure.

Gordon did as you asked, bottoming out in you. Your release came as soon as you felt the pleasant warmth fill your insides. Gordon took a moment to calm down his labored breathing, ignoring the sweat uncomfortably running down his cheek. He pulled out, leaving the cum to drip out of you. You didn't have the strength to get pissed about ruining your couch, untangling your legs out of his waist.

A few minutes of silence had passed until you both composed yourselves. Gordon tiredly flopped on the couch after you bent your legs so he could have space to sit on, finally getting a moment to readjust the glasses on his face. You stared at the ceiling, just reminiscing about the moments that happened a few seconds ago.

You had to take a bath.

Lazily getting off the couch, you looked at Gordon. "I know you just did not too long ago, but do you wanna take a bath?"

He turned your way, positively surprised at your offer. You just fucked, not like it would be anything shocking.

"Coming," he said calmly, securing his glasses on the table.

Following you, you arrived at the bathroom. You ran the warm water and got into the bathtub, waiting for Gordon to join you. He did, opening up his legs so you both could fit. Even though your relationship with him got pretty messy in it's details, it felt pretty nice. Post clarity, probably.

You still had your doubts regarding Gordon's honesty about treating you right, but you couldn't deny, the fuck was very good. You could keep him around, even if just for this purpose. Any issues stemming out of this decision would be a problem for your futureself.

"Want me to wash your hair?" He suggested, tone sweet like honey.

"Uh, yeah." You turned your back to him, hearing the pop of your shampoo opening. He poured some water on your hair and soon his fingers massaged your scalp with the applied hair product.

It was pretty relaxing. His movements were gentle and caring, so you had troubles not letting your guard down. You closed your eyes, letting yourself just enjoy the moment. After he finished getting the liquid out of your hair, he wrapped his arms around you, pulling you into an embrace. You leaned on his chest, appreciating the closeness.

"So, are you finally convinced I'm good enough for you?" He asked, putting his chin on your shoulder.

You hummed in thought lazily, "...Yea, I guess. I mean," you hesitated a bit but ultimately decided it wouldn't hurt your ego too much to spill out your honest thoughts. "I was already considering dating you."

"Oh?" He cocked his brow with interest, "Did you now?"

"Yeah. When you aren't a total asshole and a slob. You also look cute invested in that anime you watch."

He tried to brush it off, but you faintly heard the surprised sound escaping his throat. He then chuckled. "Really?"

"Mhm."

"Cute isn't what I'd describe myself personally, but fine," he exhaled amused.

"...You still gotta find a job, though." You stated, feeling the need to say it. "I don't have the strength to work for two people."

His chuckle unexpectedly turned more devious. "Well..."

"What if I said that while it seemed like I wasn't doing anything, I was actually thinking of an elaborate plan, one that would get my empire back?"

You found yourself intently listening to his words.

"...Together, we will be unstoppable."

[kimbap-r0ll]

Comfort in the Cold: Chrollo x reader

I was feeling a bit cold today ;-; It's a drabble so I'm not too sure what I was going with this story but I hope you enjoy!

Meteor City's location in the desert meant hot mornings and freezing nights. You had forgotten about how cold it could get in the city because of your time abroad, working as a doctor without borders for the Hunter Association but coming back to your home from time to time. You knew that Chrollo, whom you were in a relationship with for a long time, wouldn't be there. He was out exploring the world, perhaps searching for a meaning to his existence (one that he asked you about when you were about ten years old). He did leave you with a jacket he used to wear, so you had that to keep yourself warm when you went back.

Everyone greeted you with cheerful smiles. The children ran to you, little hands reaching up to you for you to shake. They all saw you as an angel, perhaps it was your job as a healer for the city but it was also because of your unnatural kindness. Meteor City was full of loving people, but your willingness to forgive past enemies of the city was remarkable. Chrollo even said so himself.

"I think Chrollo will be coming back in the next few days, he said he's bringing back a lot of money!" one of your friends, Bolero, said. He was one of Meteor City's metalsmith but he was also someone that aspired to join the Troupe one day. You said it was an impossible dream for someone who didn't know nen, but he told you that anyone could dream.

"I hope I can see him soon, haven't seen him in a while I'm almost forgetting how he looks," you said, dropping off your bags of medical supplies by your bookshelf. You owned a little apartment at one of the older towers in District B by the eastern outskirts of the city.

"Yeah, and after Pakunoda, I'm sure he'll want to see you again," he replied, but he suddenly gasped.

"Paku? What happened to her?" you asked, you only knew she went to Yorknew a few months ago, but you didn't know what happened.

"...It's nothing," your friend smiled at you weakly before turning around to head back to his own place. You sat in the silence for a while, wondering if something had happened to your friend. Hugging the jacket that Chrollo gave you, you tried to fight off the cold chill of the night.

That evening, Chrollo came back to Meteor City silently. He didn't want anyone to know of his condition, it could result in retaliation against the outside world but he didn't want that quite yet. He didn't want to see anyone's eyes look down at him in pity either. However, there was one person he knew he could find comfort in, and that was you. Sighing, he went towards District B.

It was late at night by the time the troupe leader knocked on your door. You were about to go to sleep and you were busy writing some notes down for your next expedition (which was within the NGL) when the knocking broke your train of thought. Someone? At this hour? you thought, closing your book and quickly running to the door.

"Hello?" you opened up at saw a looming figure. He was covered by the shadows of the building, but you knew immediately who it was. The pale skin, the solemn eyes, and an ominous cross adorning his forehead.

"Chrollo...I thought you were coming here in the next few days why didn't you tell me earlier!" you broke into a smile and opened your arms. He returned the embrace, closing his eyes and hugging you tightly. It was strange, he wasn't always this affectionate but it seemed as though he had missed you a lot.

"I'll only be here today, I set out tomorrow," he responded. "Until then, could you do me a favor?"

"Yeah, go ahead!" you motioned him to sit on your bed while you grabbed a few cups so you could get some tea.

"I...just want you to give me some warmth. Let me stay here for the night," he spoke softly, a little slower than usual too. You turned around and set the tea bags into the cups.

"Is something the matter?"

"...It seems I have been blinded, and I cannot use my powers."

"Oh," you felt your chest squeeze up like you couldn't breathe. You had heard of him stealing nen abilities, perhaps that's what he encountered this time at Yorknew?

"It's not stolen, I have just been commanded not to use any or I lose my life," he added on, sort of like he knew what you were about to ask. You sighed in relief, a twisted sort of relief since you thought perhaps his genius creation was stolen. However, you had to ask what happened at the city.

"It's nothing, just...let me be..." he closed his eyes, falling back on your bed and lying down.

You looked outside, there was no troupe members nearby. You would've expected the children to come by and shout that Uvogin was back, but there was only silence. You thought Pakunoda would give you a call that Chrollo was coming back but your phone had no notifications.

"It's cold tonight," you murmured. Looking up at the moon, you noticed how there was no clouds in the sky. The stars were much more beautiful in Meteor City than anywhere else.

"It is," Chrollo agreed, sighing.

You want to ask him what it is that is aching him so much that he doesn't have the energy to read you a poem he has written. He isn't acting like himself, almost like he has lost a piece of his soul. Walking over to the bed, you lie down next to him and wrap an arm around his chest. You're cold, but you could try to warm yourself up by being next to him. You take the coat he gave you and place it on you two as well.

"I'm surprised, you still have my coat," Chrollo turns his head in your direction, smiling softly.

"Of course I do! It's what reminds me of you and I feel comfort around it," you replied.

Chrollo didn't say anything. The two of you lay next to each other like that for a long time, forgetting about the tea that you were about to make.

In the middle of the night, you woke up to Chrollo hugging you, it was sweet, something that reminded you of a simpler time when you two were always next to each other. However, this time Chrollo wasn't smiling. He had tears.

You thought he was awake, but he was fast asleep. Maybe it was a nightmare, but he wouldn't let go of you. He murmured something about loss, but didn't say anything else. Hugging him tighter, you could only hope what happened in Yorknew wouldn't break Chrollo any further than he looked already.

[tomorrowusa]

'They cut heads off people': IDF major general describes aftermath of Hamas attack

A lot of people are still not clear about what happened in Israel last weekend. It was not a military operation, it was a massive terror attack.

It had no military goal that anybody can discern. Its only motive was to kill and kidnap a lot of civilians – and in the most brutal way possible.

Hamas acted like a cross between Hitler's SS and ISIS – and should be regarded as such.

People in the West who make excuses for Hamas terrorism are cheerleaders for atrocities. Do their friends and family know that they approve of babies being beheaded to further political goals?

To be clear, I am sympathetic to the plight of the Palestinian people. I believe in a two-state (or possibly even a three-state) solution. I feel that Netanyahu's Likud Party has harnessed the support of religious fanatics and ethno-nationalists to prevent such a solution and, as such, they are a danger to peace in the Eastern Mediterranean. Netanyahu is a power-craving dickhead who is on the wrong side of history.

The Hamas orgy of murder and brutality has done nothing for Palestinians and has resulted in a war that will not end until those who committed last weekend's atrocities are dead or off the scene for good.

Ukraine has suffered for centuries – not just decades – because of Russian imperialism. Stalin even starved to death much of the population in the early 1930 in a genocide known as the Holodomor.

And Vladimir Putin has renewed Stalin's efforts to eliminate even the concept of Ukraine. Yet despite this long history of persecution, Ukrainians have not been conducting mass murder sprees in Russian villages across the border – even though Putin's Russia has no qualms about murdering Ukrainian civilians either close up or by drones and missiles.

What Hamas did is not liberation or resistance. Nobody got liberated and many people in Gaza are now suffering because of Hamas.

Read the Hamas Charter. It is filled with anti-Semitic tropes which sound like they come from Mein Kampf. This is NOT anything like the Freedom Charter of the Nelson Mandela era ANC.

It is easily possible to be pro-Palestinian without being a shill for anti-Semitic mass murderers. But some people on social media haven't gotten that message.

[eirinstiva]

"I shall paint in every wart."

Hi!~ Novemeber is here and my dear friend Bunny Manders is back with the compilation of shorts stories A Thief in the Night. This time is the story Out of Paradise.

I need this as a giant print for my bedroom... anyway~ story time!

Raffles was a villain, when all is written; it is no service to his memory to glaze the fact; yet I have done so myself before to-day. I have omitted whole heinous episodes. I have dwelt unduly on the redeeming side. 

After The Knees of the Gods everything has a layer of sadness so profound it can't be hidden.

But at least there shall be no more reservations, and as an earnest I shall make no further secret of the greatest wrong that even Raffles ever did me.

WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO TO MY BUNNY, RAFFLES!!! ಠ_ಠ

One other was involved in it, one dearer to me than Raffles himself, one whose name shall not even now be sullied by association with ours.

It's time for some tea, I need all the gossip!

Bunny was engaged!

engaged

Oh, no! What happened? Why did you break up? Was it the economic problem? Your new criminal career? Or did she cheat on you with Raffles? Ok, my mind is running, there's something more here. Let's see what Raffles said about this situation.

His sympathy was the more grateful for the tactful brevity with which it was indicated rather than expressed. He only wished that I had told him of this complication in the beginning; as I had not, he agreed with me that the only course was a candid and complete renunciation. It was not as though my divinity had a penny of her own, or I could earn an honest one. 

Honestly, I agree with Raffles. I don't know if Raffles would invite Bunny to be gay do crimes knowing this. Would AJ help him from outside like he did with Teddy in Mr. Justice Raffles?

"Hector Carruthers!" murmured Raffles, repeating the detested name with his clear, cold eye on mine. "I suppose you haven't seen much of him?"

Carruthers? Carruthers like my friend Carruthers from The Riddle of the Sands? Maybe a distant cousin? Just a coincidence in choosing this surname has an alias? I don't know, but since I started reading that book in Letters from Carruthers my brain prepares for sailing.

I can't believe that Raffles is already asking for the details to do a robbery. AJ being AJ as always.

"Not if I know it!" said I. "A house I've dined in—a house I've seen her in—a house where she stays by the month together! Don't put it into words, Raffles, or I'll get up and go."

I thought Bunny would be against this crime, but Raffles mentioned Lord Lochmaben and Manders is ready to act.

"I'm coming with you," said I, running my arm through his. "Nonsense, Bunny!" "Why is it nonsense? I know every inch of the ground, and since the house has changed hands I have no compunction. Besides, 'I have been there' in the other sense as well: once a thief, you know! In for a penny, in for a pound!"

Bunny has zero resistence to Raffles' charm.

"You little rabbit!" he chuckled. "You shall have your share, whether you come or not; but, seriously, don't you think you might remember the girl?" "What's the use?" I groaned. "You agree there is nothing for it but to give her up. 

Dude...

How I wish I could make the whole world see and hear him, and smell the smoke of his beloved Sullivan, as he took me into these, the secrets of his infamous trade! Neither look nor language would betray the infamy. 

Bunny, listen...

"I must teach you the step," he whispered, shaking his head. "You shouldn't use your heel at all. Here's a grass border for you: walk it as you would the plank! Gravel makes a noise, and flower-beds tell a tale. Wait—I must carry you across this." It was the sweep of the drive, and in the dim light from above the door, the soft gravel, ploughed into ridges by the night's wheels, threatened an alarm at every step. Yet Raffles, with me in his arms, crossed the zone of peril softly as the pard.

Bunny is Raffles' hands, metaphorically and literally. Is this bridal style? I guess, now I know why Bunny is so... Bunny. Raffles is his whole world and he erases effortlessly every trace of Bunny's previous fiancée.

Take care of that bunny, AJ... his heart is made of gold.

[doberbutts]

for your tiefling oc in the tags of the ask game you just reblogged!!

skin: How comfortable is your OC in their skin? Do they grapple with anything that lives inside them—a beast, a curse, a failure, a monster? How do they face the smallest, weakest, most horrible version of themself? Are they able to acknowledge it at all?

Well, currently Panic is grappling with the mortifying idea of having a parasite chewing on his brain that really really wants him to turn into a mindflayer, which he is unsurprisingly less than thrilled about. He has a moment of, hah, panic when he feels the symptoms of the parasite begin to take hold, but his dream guardian kissed it all better so he's been trying very hard not to think about it.

In his current moment, Panic himself is pretty even-keel, and he stays that way throughout most of his story. The biggest thing with him is that he has invited people to share his life with him, and unfortunately he's got a chronic case of Loyal Bitch Disease and is incredibly ride-or-die about it.

In the fic I'm writing, which takes place after BG3, he has to confront the possibility that someone he holds very dear to him may be a lost cause, and it may even be his own responsibility to put said person out of their misery. Panic has multiple bad days in a row about this, because he has to weigh the love and loyalty he has to this person against the danger they represent to the rest of his group.

I don't think he's capable of acknowledging how much of a prick he's being to everyone else while he's worried about what he needs to do to resolve this problem. And, luckily for him, everyone else has a long history of him granting grace and compassion in their weakest moments, and so they also are trying very hard to not take it personally. I do think he gets a reckoning and a scolding when the problem resolves, but I have not written that far in just yet.

But yes, Panic in his weakest moment is only capable of staying on task to the bitter end. We will get this done and we will fix this because I don't know what else I will do if we don't, I can't stop to think about what happens if this doesn't get fixed, I can't stop to consider any delay or hesitation, we have to do this. Shut up about bathroom breaks and rest stops, we're sleeping only the amount necessary before getting right back to it, what do you mean this is hard??? It's important, put on your big kid pants and back to it because I can't, we can't, failure isn't an option, this has to work.

Additionally, though I haven't explored this side of him as of yet in any game setting, I think if someone were to kill one of his companions or friends in front of him in a moment of cruelty, we'd see him slide very quickly from lawful good to lawful evil. He'd be willing, devoted even, to playing by the rules, but we would also see him justifying horrific actions by explaining that it created a net positive. A goblin clan tears apart and eats his kobold friend? Guess who just gained a new mission of "no more goblins in faerun ever".

The doglike loyalty and devotion he holds for his friends are also unfortunately his biggest weakness when it comes to his mentality - someone pushing Astarion off a cliff is going to be sparta-kicked off the same cliff immediately after. You know the joke about how in a world full of magic and weapons and special armor, the concept of one dude running at you at 60mph in clothes with a fist raised is at such a high level of absurdity it's bordering on horror? Yeah the easiest way to activate that mode for Panic is to hurt one of his friends, at which point you will wonder if he's got a level or two in berserker class.

And the thing is. I don't think he knows this about himself. His monastery was never raided, and prior to Rukbah he never had any friends during his travels, so being faced with the possibility that someone he cares about might die in a horrible way with nothing he can do about it truly has not crossed his mind until now.

[sideshow-tornado]

4! 17! 34! 40! 41! 44! 45! 46! 48! 50!

ALSO WHY ARE YOU IN THE HOSPITAL?! ARE YOU OK?! ??!

4. Favorite 80's/90's tv show/s? Cheers, the 80s revival of The Twilight Zone, Perfect Strangers, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Frasier, Friends, NewsRadio, The State, Mr. Show with Bob & David, ER, The Practice, Dawson’s Creek, Felicity, My so-called Life, Daria, Tales from the Crypt, King of the Hill.

17. What was the last play you saw? The Music Man, local community theatre production.

34. What are you deepest, most nonsensical fears? (You don't have to share this, make something up, have some fun.) I definitely have a fear of everyone I’ve ever known who has died watching me at my most humiliating moments from some after life. Perhaps as a punishment to them?

40. How do your take your coffee/cocoa/tea? I don’t drink any of these often. Coffee usually a soy latte, green tea, and cocoa pretty classic with a marshmallow or some whip cream.

41. Something you really want to watch but can't for some reason or haven't yet? There is so much I haven’t seen in the past decade. Just off the top of my head I’ve wanted to watch other seasons of True Detective, only seen and loved the first. Always wanted to check out The Knick, also only saw first seasons of The Americans and Mr. Robot and want to finish those.

44. What are some of the little things that make you happy? I love making people laugh, whether or it’s by making a joke or doing something funny, or someone reading something I’ve written or hearing someone else perform something I’ve written that makes them laugh.

45. Name a few characters you relate to? Nick Miller from New Girl, Ser Jorah Mormont & Jon Snow from Game of Thrones, Ted Lasso & Roy Kent from Ted Lasso, Kitty Pryde from X-Men comics.

46. Describe some of the knick knack/odds and ends in your room? I have several Stars Wars, Marvel and DC figurines/toys. A ceramic sugar skull I got at a Day of the Dead festival in Mexico when I lived near the border. An old Joe Montana football figure I’ve had since the late 80s. I have another wooden carved figure of “see no evil, speak no evil, hear no evil” in the form of the three 🙈 🙊🙉 monkeys that my late grandmother had at her office for many years. I have a Peruvian fertility statue that I got from my late Great Uncle who was world traveler and artist.

48. What is a hobby you’d like to take up? I’d love to get a shop set up and work with either metal smithing or making resin art, maybe even metal restoration. Don’t know that I have any skill for any of it but it looks interesting and fun.

50. How does one make you smile? Others smiling and being happy does the job for me. It’s truly contagious.

And I’m now released from the ER. I do have a kidney stone moving down my bladder and have to follow up with a Urologist this week as it’s too big to pass on my own. Feeling better at the moment so fingers crossed 🤞 that keeps up.

[apompkwrites]

Made some drawings for the little lamb (draconia/falcone)

I made my original thought designs but then I saw the post about the ram like horns and the one where Young draconia would likely see magic as an evil thing hence why they would be Rollos accomplice, magic js unlawful, unjust, a border to cross to reach true equality. At first I thought it would be out of character for the lamb because though sir Falcone was killed by the use of magic, they never blamed magic it self for the crime, but the more I thought the more I realized they would and could find reason to hate.

Droconia, Falcone, the lamb/ram , how ever you refer to them, hates the social hierarchy. The hate that the richer is getting richer and the poor are getting poorer. Everyday the gap between those two is getting bigger. The more hatred that seeps through the cracks as those living in poverty live to resent life. And magic is a huge contributer to that divide. Those with an abundance of magic are likely to have an easier time while those without are left to rot and decay. It is because of the dependency of magic people have and the influence it has in social settings that the young dragon grew to find fault in magic.

Not all men were created equal: Some were born in lower class, some are smarter, some are born disabled, magicless, sightless, ect. The lamb knows that well, not all of mankind will be ever be true equals but that doesn't mean that they can't mend the gap as much as possible. And removing magic from the world will aid in that goal.

My first drawing of what was in mind below 👀

I fill as if once there was a time Rollo and the lamb were enemies of some sort in their first year attending the college. Both top students and well disciplined and yet fought eachother at the prettiest thing. Yet now they stand together as very friends greeting the students of night raven. Student council president and the head of the disciplinary committee, side by side, to keep eachother in check, checks and balances. To work without the other means to work without none. A perfect balance between the two, stasis of peace and tranquility, they stand as equals, not one above the other and not one below another. To think that the two were once rivals is difficult to believe but that makes you wonder....how? What happened?

Well idk I haven't thought that far through. But yeah they would totally work together to eliminate all magic cause why not?

Though the lamb is all about the law and the rules of the world, their morals is one of Saint. The believe in the innocent and guilty, but they also believe that some crimes are not always done in the name evil or without reason.

This was a quicker drawing with the ram like horns. As you see, the one facing the viewer is decorated in jewels and fabric. I like to believe that young Falcone once helped an art student with some personal issues and as a thanks made a prosthetic of some sort to *fix the horn. They aren't at all insecure about it at all, it's just part of them, unchangeable but they accept out of politeness and respect.

WWAWAWAWAWAWA PREBTTY ART <3333

def falcone and rollo would be a sort of academic rivals duo at first :OO like i can imagine them both being held in such high regard that they feel the need to compete with each other?

but maybe a heart to heart could bring them closer, hm? maybe confiding in each other about their individual upbringings. at that moment, when silence envelops both of them and they can't help but think about what the other has just revealed to them, they realize just how well they work together and how they can bring relief, not just to themselves, but to each other as well.

i love love love the idea of them having a prosthetic of sorts for their broken horn :OO such a pretty design <33

[muttsmischiefacademysblog]

I don't feel I am the right person for a (my) dog!

Audio - text to speech - 10 minutes 3 seconds duration - https://youtu.be/CVGtybWUv5c?si=t8Vb82o6hkw8o_1Z

Many people who are autistic/ anxious or have developmental, neurological or mental health conditions (Neurodivergent) don't feel that they are the right type of person to have a dog.

I was one of these people for many years, I worried I would make my dog anxious or stressed if I was to get a dog.

Working in kennels I wanted to take them all home and couldn't see just how much I was doing for them and how much they enjoyed my company.

Being referred to as quirky, highly strung, odd, sensitive, where my heart on my sleeve, weird etc or overlooked for my skills and talent because I am different. These are all extremely harmful and hurtful terms, especially when you are also overlooked because of someone's mindset about you.

People would be quick to commend me and tell me what a wonderful way I had about myself with dogs to put the most anxious dogs at ease. But when it comes to the crunch, it is always a case of being overlooked. Which is not ideal for anyone's confidence or harmful self beliefs because of others and their opinions and lack of empathy, tolerance and understanding.

I want to remind those like myself who are also neurodivergent or disabled that there is absolutely nothing wrong with us having dogs.

Some studies have found long term stress for humans can affect dogs also (but what they mostly found was this was actually with guardians who took their dogs to agility). (1)

Studies are extremely limited and work with a controlled section of breeds, sex, humans and environmental factors. For example in the study conducted by Sundman et al (2019). Their study was limited to 58 humans and their dog which was either a Border Collie or Shetland Sheepdogs.

If we look at another journal we find that there has been a study focused on Border collie behaviour. “Individual and group level trajectories of behavioural development in Border Collies.” This study focused on 69 Border Collies which placed an emphasis on the individual traits of each dog. (2)

So it is very easy for a journal to say that science has found evidence that stressed owners stress their dogs. However this is a very small study and not one to a scale where this could be said definitively or one that could be applied to real relationships as the individual guardian and their family would have to be evaluated by a psychiatrist, an independent observer such as a behaviourist would have to fill in the questionnaires about the dogs perceived behaviour in the home etc and then the researchers would have to interpret this data.

Which will never happen as this would just be too costly and many guardians would not want a live in behaviourist observing them nor would many people be open to a psychiatrist test to explore the five factor model and be assessed on their OCEAN traits of personality. (3)

OCEAN stands for openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness and neuroticism. For my Level 4 years ago I had to conduct this study on a cross section of willing friends who were also dog guardians. Some of them are neurodivergent and some not yet all scored very high for neuroticism. Which according to data doesn't make for a great guardian, except they were great guardians.

We can absolutely not base a person's ability to be a good guardian based on their developmental, neurological conditions or mental health.

All of my dogs support me and my mental health, they know when I am struggling and they offer comfort during these times. I am stressed most of the time and my dogs are not. If I have a particularly bad day this does not reflect in their behaviours, they aren't highly strung on walks, their fur patterns haven't changed, their diets and appetites haven't ever changed, playfulness or any other behaviour trait.

Zombie, my youngest is a special needs dog and his behaviour is the opposite of what a dog should express, for example when he's enjoying cuddles that he instigates, he doesn't look soft and relaxed like a normal dog. He looks the complete opposite and if you stop because you're worried about his body language he communicates to you that you fuss him and he isn't finished.

Many people said that I should euthanize him when he was younger and showed how different he was, but I persevered and made sure he was happy and comfortable just like my other dogs with different needs and arrangements made for him.

Now I am commended for all I have done for him and how he is excelling and enjoying life.

The relationship with your dog isn't about training and how your dog feels emotionally. It's about the connection you both have. Again if we look at the first study the dogs and humans both showed heightened stress partaking in dog sports.

The pet dogs did not show this level of stress and nor did their humans. The researchers themselves admitted this needs to be studied further for a complete understanding.

The most important thing is the connection you have with your dog. It doesn't matter if you're stressed, depressed, autistic or have another development or neurological condition or if you have a mental health condition.

The connection you have with your dog and how you live with them, bond with them, play with them, communicate with them and love them is what matters. A dog and guardian relationship where the dog and the guardian share a secure connection is what matters.

What many of us need to focus on whether you already have a dog or are considering adding to your family is self love which you can read about here and access self help tools. https://www.facebook.com/share/Aup95JhKk7BT4zCT/?mibextid=WC7FNe

Dogs also do help people with mental health problems, developmental and neurological disorders. Studies that have found that guardians struggle with mental health are actually based on the reactivity of the human.

Researchers found guardians of dogs may experience a form of caregiver burden as found in humans and families due to dogs being seen as a part of the family unit. (4)

This reference is cited from a journal which was exploring how mental health is impacted by dogs. This particular reference was in reference to guardians with reactive dogs.

These guardians displayed negative mental health due to their dogs behaviour and reactions to triggers but upon further analysis it was actually found to be due to society and not their dogs.

Through the data that the researchers collected they found that there were four major areas which could be analysed as to understanding the breakdown in relationships and the struggles of behavioural challenges in dogs.

Caretaking - expense of the vets, training, behaviour modification, breakdown in relationships, lack of understanding and support from friends and families.

Emotions - both negative and positive emotions were reported. Negative included emotions such as anger, fear, frustration, sadness and resentment. Whereas some reported feeling that they had a stronger bond.

Coping strategies - seeking help and getting support from trainers and behaviourists as well as some vets and therapists for themselves.

Lack of understanding and support - from the general public on walks, friends and family and social media. (4)

So when we look at these four categories, the dog isn't actually to be blamed. The frustrations all come down to money and having to spend more money than anticipated originally.

Lack of support from friends, family and even some professionals as well as unsolicited opinions from the general public and social media.

So here we aren't looking at dogs with behavioural problems as being the problem. We are looking at humans who are unable to deal with negativity from other humans and feeling that this all stems from their dogs behaviour.

Guardians are negatively impacted due to other' s opinions. So coming back to where I discussed how dogs improve and aid our mental health and or developmental or neurological disorders this is true. It is society and people which cause harm to guardians with dogs with big emotions.

People don't like to feel inadequate and some more than others, some guardians like myself can focus on their dogs strengths and support their dog through their anxiety and emotions and focus on a secure and healthy connection with the dog over training, trying to change an emotion quickly to “nip it in the bud” rather than heal the emotion or dog sports.

So to conclude you are good enough to have a dog. I wish someone had said this to me over a decade ago. People are so quick to criticise and be unkind and people aren't so quick to lend support, love and strength.

So if this has resonated with you, you are good enough for your dog and if you don't yet have a dog but want one. Welcome a dog into your family because you are good enough!

References

Sundman, AS., Van Poucke, E., Svensson Holm, AC. et al. Long-term stress levels are synchronized in dogs and their owners. Sci Rep 9, 7391 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-43851-x

Riemer, S., Müller, C., Virányi, Z., Huber, L., & Range, F. (2016, July). Individual and group level trajectories of Behavioural Development in border collies. Applied animal behaviour science. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5295634/

McCrae RR, John OP. An introduction to the five-factor model and its applications. J Pers. 1992 Jun;60(2):175-215. doi: 10.1111/j.1467-6494.1992.tb00970.x. PMID: 1635039.

V. Braun, V. Clarke.Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qual.Res. Psychol., 3 (2006), pp. 77-101

Image description - a baby Wolfdog chewing a frozen enrichment item under a table.

[fuzzydreamin]

VI, VIII, XVIII, XXV, & XXVIII for Nora & Al?

VI. The Witch-and-Sister Why might a stranger seek them out, and what is asked of them? Do they give it?

✪ Nora being the general of the Minutemen means a lot of people are usually asking a lot of her often. Usually to clear out hostiles or provide support with supplies or to mediate some issue with governance that they can't sort between themselves. She's fine with doing this, it's her job after all and she enjoys helping people, she just has to balance when she can get out to each of them among all the other requests.

✝ Alberta usually goes wandering and finds places and people to help out themself, so if someone's come looking for Al they're either from the Brotherhood or Abolitionists/Railroad. They haven't had a ton of close contact with working with the Brotherhood since the events of Fo3 and becoming a Sentinel, prefering doing their own thing and avoiding the mess that happened when Lyons died, but they usually leave her alone so Al would see what they wanted if called. They never turn down the Abolitionists/Railroad.

VIII. The Lionsmith What is the cruelest thing they’ve done that they do not regret?

I... actually can't think of anything for either of them right now. I'm sure they have/will do some pretty horrible things and probably be able to justify them, but I can't call any to mind rn and it might be spoilers if I did anyway. Sorry for the non-answer.

XVIII. The Sister-and-Witch Who is the closest person to them? How far would they go to protect them?

✪ Nora: Her companions. It's hard to chose any one of them. Since losing Nate and Shaun they've become a new family to her and she'd go to pretty extreme lengths to not lose that again.

✝ Alberta: Similarly, some of their travelling companions, like Butch, Charon, Fawkes, and Cross.

They'd both go to pretty far extremes to protect their closest people, as they both have issues with previous family and loss, and often put the wellbeing of those people above their own.

XXV. The Crowned Growth What do they find the most repulsive in the world around them? What are they disgusted with about themselves?

✪ Nora: The ease at which people like raiders and gunners take advantage of and ruin other peoples lives for their own gain. Likewise, how easy she finds it to kill people in the moment. She doesn't even know how many lives she's ended but the count is high and weighs on her. Won't stop her from doing the right thing though.

On yet another similar note; how bad she could realistically have become herself if given the wrong introduction to the wasteland and certain groups, like if the Institute had taken her along with her son she'd likely have worked with them for his sake.

✝ Alberta: Like Nora, they hate people who shit on and take advantage of others, but especially those who live in cozy settlements or the like and still aren't satisfied with what they have. Greed on top of cruelty.

Al isn't often too introspective, because if they think about themselves too much they really hate themselves, but an easy one is how their impulsivity and fear of commitment can hurt people they care about.

XXVIII. The Mare-in-the-Tree Describe them at their most dangerous.

✪ Nora: Nukes. Weird chemicals that don't just border into but leap right into the depths of supernatural fuckery. Access to high tech devices. The ability to play nice, infiltrate, and turn your own machinations against you. Nora isn't winning any fist fights but she can out think and out act most opponents. She's also very good at making friends of all kinds, so don't expect her to be alone. Getting Nora in this state usually means you've been identified as a direct threat to her friends and family.

✝ Alberta might not have as much direct access to artillery but is fully willing to go out blowing you the fuck up anyway. Will fight dirty. Like a feral animal. Good luck using technology to stop her, she'll be in and out of the system and hardware in no time. If you've really pissed them off they won't stop until you're less than dirt beneath their boot. No rest, no mercy.

[vexic929]

Pen, Marker, Crayon, Graphite, Tortillon, Eraser for Eoland Berrie and anyone else

Pen: what’s one minor moment your character regrets? A small mistake, but something they “can’t erase”?

Eoland has all but tried to erase the moment she considers her life to have been ruined - the day she met Barbara Allen

Berrie regrets a lot of things that happened in rapid succession and turned their life upside down lol probably most often she regrets literally running from the problems

Vice regrets not asking his boyfriend out when they first met in college, they just think it would be nice for them to have those years together as well

Marker: what’s one thing your character would never tattoo on their body, even if they were paid a million dollars for it?

Eoland isn't big on tattoos in general but, despite her obsession, you could never pay her to tattoo anything Flash related anywhere on her person

Berrie is easily embarrassed and shy I feel like you couldn't convince him to get a swear word or genitalia tattooed, they'd feel constantly like people were staring lol

H Wells you couldn't convince to get a tattoo at this point in her life full stop lol it doesn't matter what it is

Crayon: what was your OC like when they were four years old? Were they loud? Shy? Were they the resident “weird kid” or did they get along with others their age?

Eoland was shy and "weird" although she didn't really notice; she didn't want to play with the other kids either

Berrie was that 4-year-old that does not know a stranger lol everyone was her friend and they did not have an "inside voice"

Aria was an extremely sweet and loving 4-year-old, bordering on separation anxiety when it came to her family

Graphite: what’s something decently common that your character does in a unique or different way? (like how graphite is present in all pencils, but not everyone uses pure graphite)

Eoland grew up with the convenience of technology that has not been invented yet in the year she currently lives in so sometimes she expects things to be automated that are not

Berrie ties their shoes by criss-crossing their legs first and tying them completely sideways

Barbara doesn't towel off or blow-dry her hair, she just runs a couple laps around her apartment

Tortillon: does your OC “blend in” with the people around them? Physically? Metaphorically?

Eoland is very good at blending in when she's thinking about it but if she loses her cool all bets are off

Physically, Berrie generally just looks like every other teenager on Earth-100 but she tends to come across as overexcited and occasionally draws attention with how loud she gets

Vice actively tries to never blend in if they can help it, the more attention the better

Eraser: what’s one way this character has changed over time? Either over the course of their story, or over the course of designing them as an author.

Eoland was kind of nameless for a while because Eobard isn't a name with any cultural origins or meanings so I didn't have anything to go off of and there's not a lot of names that are similar, I stumbled upon Eoland by chance and thought it sounded perfect lol

The only things that haven't changed about Berrie are their name and origin lol I think one of the main things that changed tho is that she is not a superhero anymore, just a high school student

H Wells originally still had a living wife but the angst called to me like a siren

[ereardon]

For the fanfic writer game can you answer 👻🎁🔍?

👻 What is your wildest headcanon?

Idk if this is wild BUT I truly believe Jake Seresin goes hard at baking Christmas cookies. Like he's so precise about measuring and makes really elaborate bakes.

🔎 Does anyone beta read or edit your fics?

Nope! I do all of my own editing (I was a journalist/editor for several years before moving to PR) and this is kind of a secret hobby of mine that I just haven't shared publicly with family/friends! Something I do just for myself that makes me happy.

🎁 Have a piece of a WIP you want to share?

I have a Bradley x OC WIP I started but abandoned for the Come Back series. Here's a snippet:

You were pouring your morning coffee, Cracker Barrel mug in one hand and coffee pot in the other, when you spotted him through the edge of the front window. 

The sun was just beginning to rise, peeling back the darkness from the night before, and you spotted what could only be an arm flung across the green grass of your front lawn. 

Stepping out onto the deck, you squinted. The grass was wet from the rain shower that had hit in the early morning and the street was eerily quiet. You looked around. There were no cars parked nearby. 

And yet, somehow there was a fully nude man lying face down on your lawn. 

You put the cup of coffee down gently, slid off your slippers and tiptoed tentatively down the path and onto the grass, bending down to see if you were about to call the cops with a homicide investigation. And then you watched his chest rise with a breath and you sighed out, hand on your heart. 

“Thank God,” you muttered. You stood back up and took him in. He was tall, or long considering he was just laying there in the grass. Curled brown hair, tanned and incredibly muscular arms, back and legs. And a nice fucking ass if you did say so. Leaning back down, you tapped his shoulder. “Um, hi?” 

The man groaned but remained on his stomach so you circled your fingers around his upper arm and shook harder. 

“Hello? Excuse me.” 

“Shit,” the guy groaned, rolling over and flopping onto his back, giving you a clear view of his package. Your eyes went wide, but you couldn’t tear yourself away. He also had a perfect six pack, but you were staring a bit south of the border. He rubbed his eyes and finally looked up at you. “Who are you?” 

“I’m Caroline,” you said, crossing your arms. “And you’re naked, by the way.” 

“Fuck,” he said, scrambling to cover himself and then wincing in pain, one hand coming up to his head. 

You shook your head and sighed, uncrossing your arms and shrugging off your blue robe. “Here, put this on.” 

He stood and accepted it, tying it around his waist but it was tight. “Thanks.” 

“Come inside,” you said, turning on a heel and heading back toward the walk. “You can take a shower if you want. Call someone to come get you.” 

He followed you, head hung. “Where am I?”

You grabbed the coffee mug you had deserted on the steps and opened the door. “You’re on Miguel Ave. A few blocks from the golf course.” 

He nodded and stepped inside. You pointed up the stairs. “Take a left at the top of the stairs. Guest bath is the third door on the right. There should be towels and a bigger robe if you need it.” 

He stepped onto the stairs and then turned around, giving you a quizzical look. “Why are you being so nice to me? I’m a stranger. I’m a naked stranger.” 

[rikaklassen]

CW: discussion of the ongoing SARS-COV-2 coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic

Not happy about the CDC's decision to end any and all isolation guidelines. The recommendations are anti-science and anti-worker in the interests of the capitalist class. It's appalling business owners in the US (and Canada) rather chase profits of the next quarter rather than think about the long-term consequences of a labour force that is too disabled to work.

It's mind-blowing there haven't been a clean air revolution yet. Yes, we may not be able to do much about SARS-CoV-2 being endemic and constantly mutating; but there are some things we can do like better filtration, better air circulation, ceiling UV-C light disinfections, providing free or subsidized masks and respirators, paid sick leaves and so on. The working class deserves better and safer working conditions. And they should demand those.

While I may be Canadian and our recommendations are separate from American's, my best friend works in the service industry, more specifically, bars and restaurants, and many Americans cross the border for a myriad of reasons. And she is much closer to the border than I am.

I am really trying my best to make sure my friend is safe. She already has been reinfected a few times, and each time increases the risk of long COVID (eg. chronic fatigue, brain fog), cardiovascular disorders and other adverse health effects. I try to make sure she has the equipment she needs to mitigate reinfections, the safety net to take time off from work if necessary in the event of a reinfection. For her to attend and study at polytech acquiring a specialized skill so she could find a safer workplace.

Bestie deserves the world. It saddens me entitled customers, business owners, politicians, corporations and bureaucrats see her and many others as disposable. She deserves all the opportunities. Everything. The whole bakery.

I already send all of my paycheques and deposits to bestie. Every single penny I have. I shouldn't. She never asked; and she asked me to take care of myself first. But I gave her my words, and within my social circles, saying you will do something is taken very seriously and is seen as a promise. People will actually remind if you have said something and hold you to your words, even if you did not intend to make a promise in the first place.

I do give her everything I have anyway because my anxieties go away and I get peace of mind. Otherwise I just stay up all night ruminating.

People are tired of me constantly plugging PayPal, but here is her link: paypal.me/bglamours.

You're not obligated to donate. I will send anything I earned or received from families and the government to her regardless. But I have to try everything.