#We won't discuss how much tissue I used...

[tishinada]

Post-HW/Stormblood spoilers

I just got through the final bits of post-HW content and into Stormblood on New Leaf, and while it's always felt like Papalymo gets swept under the rug compared to some others, I made an extra point of clicking on people throughout that stretch and discovered there's a fair amount of comment on him outside the MSQ dialogue.

First, though, he has one moment if you click on him just after the reunion cutscene that can easily be taken as a flirt: Papalymo: "Mayhap it is my imagination, but you seem rather more rugged and world-weary than when last we spoke…"

There was also lots of foreshadowing (I only saved this one unfortunately): Homei: Though there are of course some few regrets for missed opportunities. A pity we were unable to deal with Ilberd and the Braves once and for all, for example…

I think Papalymo's request that he be allowed guardianship of Tupsimati and his comments off and on after that suggest he already had thought of using that ritual as a last desperate measure. And possibly his Echo had given him some warning in some form.

Then afterwards, it turns out that Papalymo had become a mentor to Coultenet, one of the minor scions: "Coultenet: They told us what happened with Papalymo, and I… Forgive me, there are simply no words…"

Hoary Boulder: Coultenet greatly admired Papalymo, and aspired to achieve the same lofty heights of magecraft. His loss was a terrible blow to the Scions…

Later you can get these comments:

Coultenet: Though it might be simpler to surrender to despair, I have chosen to resume my studies in the arcane. I received much wisdom from Papalymo, and I would put his advice into practice…"

Coultenet: Papalymo's absence will be keenly felt for some time. Would that we had the strength to aid others in his stead…

Lyse: …I won't let you down, Papalymo. I promise.

Alisaie: Papalymo had to know it would only be temporary. If Grandfather couldn't contain Bahamut with the power of a thousand thousand prayers, then what chance did his disciple stand, armed only with a broken staff…

Pipin: I returned from a survey of the Wall but a moment ago. We have yet to recover Papalymo's personal effects, I am sorry to say, but you may rest assured that we will notify you and yours the moment we do.

And a couple from the MSQ:

"Yda: Omega destroyed the cocoon… Yda: Papalymo's spell is fading. It was bound to his aether, you see…and if the connection is broken…"

Conrad: …My condolences for your loss, child. Lyse: …Papalymo laid down his life to save us─to give us a chance to make a better future for ourselves.

Papalymo and Yda/Lyse were the first Scions I met, and I always loved his testy big brother affection for Yda. But I think on the first play through, it's easy to miss that he had the Echo (especially since you don't know what that means yet) and how powerful a mage he really was. And you don't realize just how deeply he cared for Yda until afterwards (I think when Lyse unmasks is the moment Papalymo was cemented as one of my favorites.)

[b000mbayah]

Yandere aespa reaction to you crying?

Absolutely anon!

╭──..★..───────.★.───────..★..──╮

Karina

What happened?

You were both just sitting on the couch in the living room, enjoying a movie together when you suddenly let out a sob, your body jerking forward in response.

Karina had turned her head to stare at you wide-eyed as she took in the sight of you trying desperately to hide your obvious crying. Your tears had slipped down your flushed cheeks and dripped onto the blanket covering you.

How long have you been crying?

Karina leaned forward, bringing you into her lap as she let you cry into her neck, dampening her skin deliciously as she rubbed your back comfortingly.

"Hey, hey, Princess, what's wrong? Why are you crying? Who did this? I'll kill them, I swear I'll kill them" she growled, asking a thousand questions a second as she began to shake in anger at the thought of someone such as your boss even laying a grubby finger on you.

"No" you managed to squeeze out between sobs, albeit it being a little distorted due to the slurring of your drained voice. "No more killing" you whimpered, pushing your head further into her neck.

"But if they've made you cry then they should pay for what they've done" Karina resorted, gazing down at you.

"No" you repeated "I won't tell you, they don't deserve it… it was an accident"

Karina raised an eyebrow at your words, feeling off about them "was it actually an accident or are you just telling yourself that?"

Your silence was more than enough to give Karina the answer she knew was ought to become the issue. She wouldn't kill them in respect for you, but the assassin she'll hire will. Their death wasn't at the cost of her hands, it was at the cost of someone's job, someone else's hands.

Anything to keep her precious princess safe.

Giselle

She could hear muffled screaming coming from your shared bedroom when she arrived home from shopping. Giselle had instantly dumped all grocery filled bags and quickly made her way to the bedroom, already equipped for the worst to come.

But when she found you crying into your pillow, the sheets dishevelled and half your work clothes just thrown on the floor, she knew something much different was up.

Giselle could've guessed you were being harassed in one way or another, but since you were here and not at work for once- she knew it had something to do with that part of your life.

"Baby?" Giselle called out, stepping into the room and coming to sit by your side, causing a dip in the bed to form. "Why are you home? What's wrong?"

You mumbled something into the pillow, something about a customer and your boss. "Hey, calm down" Giselle's hand came to rest upon your shoulder, pulling you away from the pillow as your face looked like it had been sewn to it from the way it almost peeled from the fabric.

"Deep breaths, deep breaths please" Giselle helped to guide you through a more relaxed experience as your screams of frustration slowly subsided to a runny nose and puffy eyes.

"Here" Giselle smiled gently, handing you a tissue. You thanked her and sheepishly blew your nose before putting it on your bedside table. You'd end up cleaning it later anyway. "Now please, repeat that to me in standard words"

"A customer got me sent home… I think I'm losing my job" you frowned at the thought of having to go through multiple more interviews before getting another job.

"Why do you think that?"

"They were complaining about us being out of stock, claiming I sold the last dress in the style she had "put on hold" when her name was never on the list"

Giselle rolled her eyes at the common behaviour of people these days, she's witnessed a few of these occurrences but never had she thought once that you'd be put on the line for fire.

"When I wasn't looking she somehow got her name on the system- must've been when I went to get my boss for a proper discussion on the case. When we arrived back, all he saw as a confident women with her name in the system somehow"

Giselle groaned, standing up as she made her way to the door in a fit. "You're staying here, job or not, you're not leaving till this issue is resolved" Giselle told you in a darkened tone. But before you could even respond she had the door closed and magically locked from the outside.

You'd find yourself stuck in the room as she got back in her car to get information from your work. She'd need at least a name or camera footage before she'd be able to do anything, and trust me would she do everything.

Anything to keep her beloved baby safe.

Winter

When Winter awoke to the small sniffles of your sleeping figure, she narrowed her sleep dosed eyes at you, capturing small glimpses of a golden hazed tear slip down your cheek.

Her hands slipped out from under the covers as she gently shook you awake. Eventually, your almost silent sniffles turned into heavy breaths as you woke up half confused.

"What were you dreaming about darling?" Her voice was calm, considering the amount of anger and adrenaline now pulsing through her raging bloodstream.

"I- mmmm" you hummed, eyebrows furrowed as you thought hard before responding "Work"

"Who at work?" She asked, edging on your still sleepy mind.

You yawned. And then you spoke. "Some new boy- thinks he can boss all the women around like we're rats to his flute or whatever. Can I sleep again?"

"One more question, okay?" You only hummed, eyes still shut with the weight of sleep heavy upon them. "What did he tell you to do?"

"Mmm… fetch him lunch, scratch his back, mmm, something else. Can I sleep now?"

"Of course darling" Winter smiled through tight lips, stroking your hair calmingly as you quickly fell back asleep. However, as soon as you fell into rest, Winter got up to work, and you can bet that work involved that new boy.

Maybe she'll give him a taste of his own medicine. You scratch his back, she'll scratch it too- just three times harder with a knife or something else just as sharp.

Anything to keep her dearest darling safe.

Ningning

Ningning hadn't questioned why you were at the shop down the road for so long. You had left a good hour ago and she had yet to see any signs of you.

After a further five minutes however, you had re-emerged from that front door, hair a slight mess as your eyes brimmed with diamond plated tears.

Ningning had practically thrown herself at you, hands on your shoulders as she looked at you worriedly with widened eyes. "Why are you crying?" You shook your head, hanging it as you just kept silently crying into the air. "Sweetheart, please tell me. If they've made you cry I need to know"

You gulped.

"Some retail worker was creeping me out the other week- and- and I saw them again today. I was hoping they weren't working today, but they were."

Ningning had scowled, scoffing and spitting at the thought of someone making you uncomfortable, so much so that you had cried and returned empty-handed, wasting an hour of your time.

Without another word, Ningning had released your shoulders and dashed for her shoes and a jacket. You gave her a confused look as she opened the front door, fists balled into tight clamps. "I'll be right back sweetheart, see you in a second"

You had no chance to squeeze in another word as the door was forcefully slammed shut in one swift motion. You knew what she was going to do, and at this point, there was no stopping her from doing what she apparently does best.

You know Ningning is only trying to protect you, but you can't help but feel bad for the number of people she's killed for your convenience. She sees nothing wrong with it, so why bother? She'd never change her mind, not when it comes to keeping you happy.

Because she'd do anything to keep her swain sweetheart safe.

[teetlestansecond]

hear me out here, mayhaps rise!TMNT make a playlist that automatically puts their most listened to songs with their s/o or bestie but all the songs that the reader ends up adding from them is either depressing or "i slammed my penith in the car door" (btw really hopes this actually send tumblr mobile is sus sometimes jfjf)

this encouraged me to look at my spotify mixes with a few of my friends and the funniest thing is that my friend and i both have been playing edge of seventeen AND georgy porgy by toto so it’s safe to say we’re going through it out here rip

i used the wildest songs on my blended playlists for this do NOT ask me about my music taste

rise!turtles x emotionally unstable reader

gn!reader, no warnings just shenanigans courtesy of ya babe

Raph! ❤️

Raph listens to your blended playlist at least once a week, usually while he’s cleaning his room

because everyone knows the benefits of listening to music while cleaning. it’s the only way to push through cleaning a room

it’s a pretty chill playlist normally, but this week while Raph’s folding clothes he hears the waitress song “she used to be mine” for the first time and he has to take a second

he cries a little bit because everyone cries a little bit hearing that song, but after he gets over his own emotions he will be at your door and he won't be going away until you let him in so he can check on your wellbeing.

"heeyyyy y/n. i brought tissues. are you okay? are you sure? do you wanna talk about it i think we should talk about it -"

don't try and lie to him about it. if this song made it on the blend then you're simply not okay spare him the denial.

Leo! 💙

I fully believe that Leo listens to music all day every day. to hold the brain goblins at bay you know how it is.

he listens to the blend at least once a day and pays attention for any changes on your end because he's nosy like that. he's the friend that likes to see what his friends are listening to so he can make fun of them.

mostly he just leaves it at teasing but one time he does have to sit you down because your blended playlist has been adding more and more elton john songs but only the sad and nostalgic ones and it's all on your end and he's concerned.

he's especially concerned about elton john's hit song "Saturday Night's Alright (for Fighting)".

"y/n. are you fighting people on the weekends? without me? maybe i wanna fight people too i can't believe you're not including me in your fights-"

you have to convince him that, no, you aren't fighting people on saturday nights. does he believe you? no. are you telling the truth? you tell me bestie.

Donnie! 💜

Donnie mostly listens to his own music but he does periodically check your blended playlist just to get a glimpse into your mind.

he calls it a vibe check and you hate it but that's not going to stop him.

he checks up on your blend and finds all the sad hits like "Don't Fear the Reaper" by Blue Oyster Cult, "I keep Forgettin'" by Michael MacDonald, and "Somebody You Loved" by Lewis Capaldi

naturally he calls you up to discuss the results of your vibe check and you hate it

"hello y/n I'm just calling to let you know that you have failed your latest vibe check and so I will be inviting myself over. do you want pizza or ice cream?"

you would find it touching if you weren't so annoyed by it. besides it's not like you're the only one failing the vibe check - Donnie's had cbat on your blend for weeks and you are mad about it

Mikey! 🧡

like Leo, Mikey also listens to your blend every day, he enjoys the mix of genres and songs.

but his favorite thing is when you listen to meme songs so much that they end up in your blend. he'll play the meme songs on repeat and sing them around you to tease you.

like that one time you had "here comes the hurricane legendary katrina" on the blend for a solid couple of weeks. Mikey still hasn't let that go.

anytime it gets cloudy out he gives you this mischievous grin and you beg him not to but he doesn't listen.

"you know what that looks like, y/n? the hurricane.... KATRINA!!!"

you smack his shoulder every time and he laughs like it's the funniest thing on earth.

[formula-fun]

hey em! how does charles' labour goes? are max and charles even jn the same country or does charles go back to monaco for his last few weeks? in other news, do you have a snippet of the new chapter for us yet?

they're both in monaco, I can tell you that much! it's during winter break so they're together and in the same place.

This won't be in the next update, it'll be in any potential sequel that gets written. i do have a snippet from the sequel for you though since i dont know how long it will take to see the light of day--probably a while, unfortunately. cw pregnancy discussions of miscarriage etc etc

The little scanner thing feels weird and alien, especially with all the blue gunk on his stomach that it’s pushing around. He thinks he might be holding Max’s hand too hard; his face is all pinched, and he keeps giving Charles worried looks when the doctor is looking away. That might be because of the panic that’s souring Charles’ scent. He doesn’t know. Not for the first time, he’s glad their doctor is a beta. 

“Alright,” she says, cutting through the silence. A blur shows up on the screen, grey and hazy. Charles looks away; looks at Max, who’s still watching, his blue eyes wide with wonder. 

“It’s turned around a little,” she says. She moves the probe again, and Charles’ abs jump. He shivers against the cold of it; squeezes Max’s hand. “There we go. There’s the head, and those there are the hands. Everything looks okay.”

“Charles,” Max breathes. He tears his eyes away, looking at Charles. Charles holds his gaze, frozen. He doesn’t dare turn around. He feels ancient; he’s been here before. He feels seven years old, refusing to look under his and Arthur’s bed in case it makes the monsters real. 

“There’s the heartbeat,” the doctor narrates happily. 

Max doesn’t look away from him. The wonder on his face slips into worry. He flexes his fingers, but Charles doesn’t let go. Charles squeezes even tighter, unwilling to let him move an inch. Max doesn’t wince, to his credit. He doesn’t even blink. 

“Is there anything wrong?” Charles asks her without looking away. 

She hums and moves the probe. It feels gross; he feels nauseous and too small, like he can’t breathe. His muscles hurt from how hard he’s clenching them.

“No, everything looks good. You have a very healthy baby.”

Charles bursts into tears. 

Within an instant Max is in his space, his shoulder beneath his cheek, one hand gently guiding Charles’ arm around his neck. “Can we have the room for a moment?” Max asks politely, as if Charles isn’t sobbing into his shirt. 

Charles doesn't register the doctor slipping out, just that the probe is gone and Max’s hands are on him, big and warm and safe. He shushes him gently, soothing up and down his spine as he murmurs a constant stream of calming sounds, and normally Charles would feel patronized for being taken care of like he’s one of Vic’s babies, but he needs this. Besides, when he pulls back finally Max’s eyes are wet. He needs this, too. 

“Charles,” he murmurs, hushed. “You didn’t say it was this bad.” 

“I’m sorry,” he gets out. 

“You have nothing to be sorry about.”

“No, I shouldn’t be scared. It’s bad for the baby.” His breath catches on a sob as he says it: ba-a-aby. He feels sick from all the sobbing, and the tears are stinging his cheeks. 

Max just shakes his head. He’s watching him like he’s trying to figure him out, even as he wipes away his tears with a tissue pilfered from the doctor’s desk. The tear tracks just get replaced with new ones. Max’s kindness always makes him cry even more, and especially now when he’s hormonal; he should know that by now. 

Charles sniffles, long and drawn out. Max is playing with the fine hair at the top of his neck in the way that always makes shivers run straight down his spine. It does the same thing here, even now, and Charles slumps into him. 

“I thought you were doing better after you talked to your mom,” Max says quietly. “Did it help?” 

“It helped,” Charles mutters. “It didn’t make it disappear.” 

“I didn’t think it would,” Max replies. “I just thought…why didn’t you tell me?” His tone is soft, like he’s talking to one of the cats. His touch is gentle. “I thought you would tell me, like last time.” 

“I don’t know,” Charles says, shrugging. He wipes at his eyes. “One of us should be excited about this. I’m excited, of course, but I–I have to worry. I have to think about it.”

“To think about losing it,” Max guesses, but Charles shakes his head. “Charles,” he sighs, his voice soft. “Tell me, please.” 

“Losing it but not knowing,” Charles admits, barely above a whisper. He fixes his eyes on the hollow of Max’s throat, refusing to look at him. “Sometimes it just dies. Having a corpse inside of me for weeks and not knowing, and then knowing and not being able to get it out. Or sometimes the baby is born with no brain or no head or no skull and it dies after an hour, or it has no kidneys and they cannot find a donor in time, and then they use the baby as a donor for other babies instead because it is not going to live. I cannot–” his eyes well again, and he pushes the tears away with the heel of his hand. When he looks up, Max is watching him with horror. “I need to worry. I will be ready if I worry. They keep telling me not to, but if I have to–to get rid of it, or watch it die, I want to be ready. So you can’t tell me–” 

“No,” Max cuts in, his voice thick. “No, Charles, I’m not–you’re allowed to worry. Come here.” Max pulls him in close, breathing like he’s trying not to cry. It doesn’t seem like it’s working. Guilt wells in Charles’ chest. Charles closes his eyes and presses his face into his neck, breathing in the familiar scent of him. 

“Are you not worried?” Charles says into his shirt. “You have to be.” 

“Of course I’m worried. I didn’t plan a life around a baby. I’m worried about losing you,” Max says, and. Oh. “I’m not just sitting here waiting for you to have a baby. You’re the love of my life. We’re partners. Please don’t protect me from things like this.” 

“You never said.” 

“I know.” He swallows, his throat bobbing. “I think that makes me a hypocrite, then. But we need to be more open with each other.” 

“You won’t tell me not to think about it?” 

Max huffs out a wet laugh. “That would make me a hypocrite, too.” 

“What do you think about?” 

His scent goes abruptly sour, fearful and sad. Max takes a deep breath, shifting them around to hold Charles closer. “Can we not talk about it here?” he asks quietly, even though all his muscles have gone tight. 

Charles nods against his throat. “Yeah,” he says, immediately regretful. He nuzzles at Max’s collar until he reaches the scar just above his collar bone; lingers there and waits for him to relax again. “Yeah. Later.” 

Max nods against his shoulder. He goes boneless as Max strokes through his hair again, their bodies pressed together except where the slight curve of Charles’ stomach holds them apart, and—

“Max,” Charles chides even as he relaxes further against him, “the goo. It is on you too now.”

“It’ll wash out,” Max says, uncaring. 

“You will look like you have been attacked by an alien when we walk out. You look like you fought a giant slug.”

“Have you been watching those weird horror movies again?”

Charles pulls away from him finally to look at him. Of course Max had worn something nice for once, ever-afraid of the doctors, and of course his four thousand euro designer sweater is now covered in blue goop. A little gelatin-like chunk of it is hanging from one of his pecs, and Charles flicks it off with a snicker. 

When the doctor finally comes back in she brings a new shirt for Max bearing the hospital’s logo. She politely turns around while Max strips off his old one. Charles doesn’t, and ogles him shamelessly. 

“These are for you,” the doctor tells Charles, handing him a box of animal crackers clearly pilfered from the pediatric ward.

“Are they not for children?” Charles asks, but he takes them anyway. 

“You are having a child, so it is kind of the same thing,” she points out. “Anyway, nobody stopped me. I hope you are feeling better. Is there anything I can do to help? Any questions I can answer?” 

The long muscles of Max’s back disappear beneath the heather grey cotton. The word VOLUNTEER spreads over his shoulders in massive font, stretching a bit when he reaches forward to fold the sweater with the goo on it. Charles chews his cracker slowly. Max looks back at Charles when the silence stretches for a beat too long; catches his gaze and then rolls his eyes, his ears going pink. 

“Everything is okay?” Charles asks finally. “No, um…spina bifida, or anencephaly, or…” 

“No,” the doctor says firmly. “Everything looks normal. We’ll continue monitoring, but if either of those were risks we would have caught them by now.” 

Charles nods. He pushes another cracker into his mouth; ignores the prickle of tears in his eyes. 

“And Charles is okay?” Max asks, wandering closer. “The blood tests are good?” 

“Everything looks good,” she assures them. “Charles, you’re a little bit lower on iron than last time. It isn’t an issue. Just try to eat a little more red meat. Do you feel okay?”

“I feel fine,” Charles murmurs. “Stressed, of course, but fine.” 

“That’s understandable. Just remember everything is normal. There are always risks, of course, but for right now it looks like neither of you have anything to worry about.” 

Max lets out a long breath and sags against him. Charles, exhausted, hands him an animal cracker.

[alice-angel12x]

The secret world of Tevayt (Ch.2)

Part 1 (here)

As Lumine and Aether enter the renovated Inn, Xiangling happily greeted her long-time friends. She ran and happily pulled the twins in a tight bear hug.

“I’m so Happy You guys are here! How are you doing Aether?” Xiangling asked him as she let go of the twins.

“I could be doing better,” He said with a weak smile.

“Oh Is your heart not getting better?” Xiangling asked with a sad expression.

“There's going to be an operation to help his heart in a couple of days,” Lumine said.

“Well, I can’t wait to make an epic banquet when the operation is successful,” Xiangling smiled softly.

“Thank you, Xiangling,” Aether smiled weakly.

“Oh let me show you to your rooms,” Xiangling said as she helped with the luggage.

As the twins and Xiangling made their way down the halls, two little girls laughing and screaming came running down the hall. 

“Hurry Nahida, the tiny people are moving,” A girl dressed in red said excitedly.

“We have to get the food ready for them,” The girl in green added as she chased the red girl.

“Who were those two?” Lumine asked with a chuckle.

“Oh, those are Alice’s kids. The girl in red is Klee and The green one is Nahida. They kind of live here, when their mom is away,” Xiangling explained. “But at least their aunty Gold is always around.”

“Gold?” Aether asked.

“Yeah, she lives in the attic turned laboratory,” Xiangling smiled. “She says she’s an alchemist of sorts. Oh, there she is over there.”

Xiangling pointed to the stairs, and there was a smart-looking woman heading up to the attic. She had a strange beaker in hand.

As The three continued on, a room to the left was fulling of singing and music. Xiangling explained that the room belong to three girls who wanted to start a group. Barbara, xinyan, yunjin. They met many new people in the Inn. Like Ms.Jean the manager, college students Layla and Faurzan, the housekeepers Noelle and Thoma, and the regular visitors of Ningguang and Beidou.

Eventually, Lumine, Aether, and Xiangling made it to Ather’s room for the week. It was a simple room when Aether noticed a beautiful doll house in the corner of the room. Looking inside the furniture and decor were immaculate, this house must have been very expensive. 

Unbeknownst to the humans in the room, through a tiny crack in the wall, a pair of tiny eyes were surveying them.

_______________________

“Two new humans,” a red-haired borrower said. 

“How many?” a blond borrower asked.

“Two new humans, Mika,” the red-haired borrower said

“Right I will write this down Diluc,” Mika nodded.

“We should head back to come back with a plan. One of them looks sickly, so he probably won't be much trouble,” Diluc said as he made his descent down the nail stairway in the inner sides of the wall. Mika quickly follows since Diluc is the one with the lamp.

Back in the Colony, Everyone was gathering in the living area. Sitting, resting, talking, eating, and all sorts of things.

“I can’t believe Zhongli just agreed to just let you tag along with the Borrower team,” Kaveh sighed as he placed the silk flower down in the living room. “ It’s incredibly dangerous, and you still haven’t officially chosen your role yet.”

“And you chose a role you hate,” Y/n pointed out.

“Yes, but that’s because the Ei didn’t see interior design as a useful role in the colony, so I chose Post guard,” Kaveh sighed as he sat down at a nearby counter. “Just be careful okay? Humans are dangerous for a reason.” 

Y/n nodded when Keqing came to the living area. 

“Hey, this is the last call to write down what you need to be borrowed. If you don’t fill this out soon you’ll have to wait 2 weeks for the time,” Keqing said sternly, holding up a paper. 

“Wait I need tissue paper!” Kaveh said as he quickly rushed over to Keqing.

Soon more people started to gather around Keqing and began to write on the list. Soon Diluc and Mika returned and Zhongli greeted them as they began to discuss.

“We found 2 new humans in the house. However one of them looks a bit sickly,” Mika explained.

“He most likely won't be much trouble, and go to bed early,” Diluc added.

“Great job you two, oh, and Y/n will be joining your crew tonight,” Zhonghli said to them.

“Y/n? Have they finally chosen their role?” Diluc asked.

“No, but they would like to try this out before finally settling on one,” Zhongli explained.

“We’ll keep a close eye on them,” Diluc promised with a nod.

Zhongli calls Y/n over and introduces her to the caption Diluc.

“Hello, Diluc. I’m very excited to see what your work is like. I will do my best to stay out of your way,” Y/n promised.

“Just keep on your toes and stay out of sight,” Diluc said simply. “Get ready, we’ll be leaving in 20 minutes.”

“Right!” Mika and Y/n said.

—--------------------------------------

Y/n stood before Zhongli’s borrower team. It consisted of Caption Diluc, scout Mika, Scharamouche, Gorou, Kuki, Heizou, and Hu toa. As The group made their way to the main exit, the colony saw them off and wished them the best of luck and a safe return.

“Y/n! Be safe!” Childe called out from a window.

Y/n waved back as a gross creature started to sneak up behind them. Childe gasped and quickly drew his bow and shot at the cockroach. Y/n quickly turned to see the large creature, they quickly drew their bat and started to slug the roach. With a screech, it quickly scurried away into the dark.

“Nice work Newbie,” Heizou said as he clapped his hands in congrats.

“It’s just a roach Heizou, nothing to get excited about,” Scaramouche scoffed.

“No need to be such a downer, it’s nice to know we have a capable potential member joining us,’’ Heizou arguedwith a smile as he rests his arm on Y/n’s shoulder.

Scaramouche just rolls his eyes and walks off to catch up with the group. Heizou sighs and gives Y/n a friendly pat on the back as they caught up with the rest of the group. As Diluc stayed back to make sure everyone crossed the nail bridge safely, he turns to Y/n with a nod. Y/n looked down at the edge, it was a far drop. The nails were wedged into a wood beam, each nail spaced out just far enough for a large step between each nail. With calm strides, they made their way across the nail bridge as Diluc followed behind to keep an eye out for them.

At the end of the bridge, Kuki held out her hand to help Y/n off.

“How much farther to the first stop?” Y/n asked.

[sacredsanguine]

voicemails: a vignette (modern marvels. joesme, modern mafia au.)

"Hey, angel - hope you've had a good day. I just wanted to let you know I won't be able to call tonight, some last minute business came up for after the after-party." A sigh crinkles over the low latency of the voice-mail message. "But there's a redeye back home - set dress in five! Music! - so I'll catch that and see you first thing tomorrow. Give Ember a kiss for me. Love you. I'll see you real soon."

Sharp tone. One and a half seconds.

"End of message. To replay this message, press one. To mark for deletion, press seven. To return the message sender's call, press -"

---

Faint strains of Borodin colour an irritated voice, strings barely scratching through a low but imperative timbre. To quote an old interviewer: a voice as smoky as his hair, glistening with the same elegant sheen of well-wielded pomade and good taste. There is something of the Old Country's spirit in him, a keen spark burning through the adornments of his adopted country.

"Have some faith, dear boy. My family knows its capabilities - if she could not return, she would not be an Etoni. You see? Exactly. Yes - of course, very understandable. Please, feel free to stay there, much more convenient than going back and forth. Taran has also been...struggling with the sudden circumstances. The two of you would be of solace to each other, I hope."

The phone clicks onto its receiver. A second, crystalline voice echoes from a previously silent corner of the room: "Solace?"

"He is a deeply faithful boy." Clink: metal on porcelain. "Perhaps enough to make up for the wayward girl."

"Perhaps."

---

"There are no new messages. Previously saved message: Hey, angel - hope you've had a good day. I just wanted to let you know I won't be able to call to -"

Click. Dial. Ring. Ring. Ring.

"Sorry, the number you've dialed is disconnected or not in service." Click. Click. Dial. Ring. "Hi, you've just missed me. Leave a message after the tone and I'll be in touch."

Beep. Pause. Long breath. Click.

---

"Kitten, pick the fuck up." Car engines idling through thick glass pane. Ambient music; the scream of milk frothing. Click - metallic, alarm - cash register.

"The longer you take, the more rounds of chess I have to play with subpar pieces. Do not prove my parents right. Do not prove me wrong. Jesus."

---

Refrigerator hum. Click. Beep.

"Look, wherever you are, please just come back. Mom and Dad are losing their shit again. Please come back."

Pause.

"End of message. You have one new message and one saved message."

Whir.

"It's Kristi calling for Esme - I left a few messages on your cell. Call me back as soon as possible. We need to discuss the next show."

"End of message. You have no new messages and one saved message."

Whir.

"Saved message: It's me. He's saving this on the apartment voicemail in case you came here before any of us found you." Static silence. "We're looking. I'm looking."

Long silence. Beep.

"There are no more messages. To return to the main menu, press one. To play saved messages, press two. To hear or record a voicemail inbox greeting, press three. For more options, press seven. If you are done, you may hang up."

---

Ragged breathing. Ruptured lung - new tissue too thin. Pain or death: easy choice. Not new at all.

"Christ. She still going?"

"Mhm. Think we can set a new record. Broken at least five today - how many are there total, again? Go for a strike."

"Ha! Shit, I dunno."

"Bet she does. Hey, pretty girl - how many bones you got?"

One finger - bruised, swollen, caked with old blood - rasps up from the thick bundle of rope attaching wrist to wood. "Go fuck yourself."

Crack. "Bitch. Not so pretty now, huh."

Crack. Crack. Crunch. Buzz.

"Aww, that's cute. Who's Italian Delivery Slash Takeout? They've been calling for days. You must be a real loyal customer."

---

"Delivery for Joel Ryder."

Thud.

---

"Oh, Lord."

---

Click click click. Metallic. Bated breath. Shallow hurts less; no anticipation. Slice.

---

"Put the knife down. Now. Don't make this harder on yourself."

Click. Click. Metallic. Slide.

---

Cardboard unfolding: thick, stiff crinkle. Wet splash. One finger, severed. Gold chain unraveling - imprint of cross over two joints. Charm falls. Bubble wrap rustles. Black fur - crusty, dark - flakes.

Click. Whirr.

"Hey, angel - I just wanted to let you know -- whirr - Hey, angel - I just wanted to let you know -"

Paper unfolding. Soggy scrawl. "She's not so sweet without her heart. Five million alone at the airport, tomorrow 8 pm."

---

"Do not negotiate with them, boy. We have it handled."

Click. Clink.

"His disappointment will be dangerous."

"Ours isn't already?"

---

Slow, steady slide. Slice. Squelch. Sternum separates, silver flashes. Keloids bulge, swell like bark fungi after rain; clench.

The size of a pomegranate, glistening red and fatty, pink-streaked white. Silver flashes. Scream. Severed hand over snipped heart. They wet the stamp with the sweat off her neck.

---

"Hi, package for you. Yeah, it says to sign for it."

Scribble.

"Thanks! Enjoy."

Pause. Study. Slice. Unfold. Gasp. Thud.

Heart, one ventricle slashed, folded into the gentle grasp of a hand missing one finger. Fresh. Slowly oozing. Chipped nail polish: glossy sheer gold.

Laminated paper. Blood streaks over plastic, black twelve point serif. Left the ring finger for you, if you still want it. Fido says thank you for the delicious dinner. She didn't go down quick.

---

"Fucking bitch is right."

Spit. Cold eyes roll back. Viscera underfoot: squelching. Stolen jacket rustles. Cold metal on mangled muscle, burst blood vessels under skin like poison nebulae. Two shots; all business. Broken nails on tempered glass screen; quick taps.

Tap tap tap. Ring. Ring. Beep.

"Oh ye of little faith. I want steak and soft-serve when I get back."

Tap. Heartbeat of hesitation. Sharp crack. Plastic snaps. Tap tap tap. Ring. Ring.

"Hi, this is Courtney at--"

"Tell the angels there's a sinner crawling out of hell to get back to heaven."

Beep. Crunch. Crunch. Crunch.

Footsteps fading fast.

[medico-technology]

Benefits of Choosing the Best TENS Electrode Gel

Today transcutaneous electrical neuromuscular stimulation or TENS therapy for treatment of pain and discomfort is used more frequently. This non-pharmacological, non-surgical treatment eliminates a wide array of diseases through electrical currents of small intensity. Some people tend to take the tens electrode gel that has to be used with the TENS unit to be of very high importance even if the device is important. It plays such a big role in determining the success of your TENS treatment session that it can be classified as indispensable. In this post, I will discuss five major benefits of selecting the right TENS electrode gel. 

1. Enhanced Conductivity for Better Pain Relief

In TENS therapy, conductivity is crucial. Enhancing the contact between your skin and the electrodes of the TENS unit is the main goal of electrode gel. Selecting a superior gel will position you for a more successful treatment session. Because of its superior conductivity, the electrical impulses from your TENS machine can target the source of your pain more precisely by penetrating deeper into your tissues.

Consider attempting to enjoy your preferred music on a set of antiquated, clattering speakers. It may sound like something, but it won't be the full, rich sound you're looking for. TENS treatment follows the same approach. Like those old speakers, a poor-quality electrode gel might let some electrical current pass through, but you won't receive the entire therapeutic effect. Conversely, a premium gel delivers the therapy exactly where you need it, much like a high-end sound system.

2. Improved Comfort During Treatment

It's true that comfort is important, particularly when suffering. An important benefit of selecting a high-quality tens adhesive gel is that it will make your therapy sessions more comfortable. High-quality gels are designed to be kind to your skin, which lessens the possibility of irritation or pain that can occasionally happen with inferior goods. TENS adhesive gel ensures that the electrodes stay securely in place during treatment, allowing for consistent and effective pain relief throughout your session.

When did you last put on a pair of slippers for instance that were too tight for your feet? Of course, they must have been comfortable since their days were obviously ruined by that, but they did look great! In the same way, using low-quality electrode gel makes a session that should be therapeutic painful. The finest gels are meant to spread out uniformly and maintain their structure upon being utilized from start to finish of a certain procedure. This means no hot spots, no sensitive areas and no uncomfortable feelings which take your mind off pain relief and relaxation. 

3. Longer-Lasting Electrodes and Cost Savings

One benefit that may surprise you is that, over time, utilizing the best TENS electrode gel can really save you money. How? by prolonging the electrodes' lifespan. Good gel helps keep your electrodes intact and avoids premature wear and tear, which can happen with subpar items.

Think about this comparison: using inferior gel with your TENS electrodes is like driving your automobile on pothole-filled, muddy roads all the time. Yes, adopting the inexpensive method might save you a few dollars, but your automobile will suffer more damage, requiring more frequent repairs and replacements. Comparably, using subpar electrode gels can accelerate the deterioration of your electrodes and increase the frequency of electrode replacements. Conversely, a high-quality gel prolongs the life and improves the performance of your electrodes by functioning as a smooth, well-maintained highway.

4. Reduced Risk of Skin Irritation

Selecting a premium TENS electrode gel has many benefits, one of which is a lower chance of skin irritation. The greatest organ in our body and its first line of defense against the outer world is our skin. Any substance we add to it needs to be considered for possible reactions, especially if it conducts electricity. Better electrode gels are made with components that are less likely to irritate skin in the form of redness, itching, or other symptoms.

Consider your skin as a fragile garden. You shouldn't put cheap gels on your face in the same way that you wouldn't throw harsh chemicals on your precious flowers. Premium gels function as intended without endangering the environment, much like correctly prepared plant food. Aloe vera and vitamin E are two examples of non-irritating, potentially skin-beneficial substances included in many high-quality electrode gels.

5. Versatility and Compatibility

Finally, but just as importantly, choosing the greatest TENS electrode gel frequently entitles you to a product that has more compatibility and versatility. High-quality gels are usually designed to be compatible with a variety of TENS devices and electrode configurations. This adaptability can truly transform your life, particularly if you utilize a variety of gadgets or intend to replace your TENS unit in the future.

It is ideal to have an outstanding electrode gel that would mean the convenience of applying TENS therapy that can only be compared with universal remote control that works with all the devices. It therefore implies that a high quality gel should prove useful in every instance, from using a basic unit at home to using a complicated unit at a Physical therapist’s. This one will enable the consumer to spend more time focusing on what is important – pain control as well as elevating her/his standard of living. 

Furthermore, the best electrode gels frequently possess characteristics that allow them to be used under a variety of circumstances. A good gel can continue to operate whether you have dry skin in the winter or more perspiration when working out in the summer. To further increase their adaptability, several high-quality gels even come with extra characteristics like quicker drying durations or simpler cleanup. Selecting a premium electrode gel gives you a versatile tool that you may use to adjust to your changing needs and situations.

Conclusion:

Choosing the appropriate TENS electrode gel and ems electrode pads can have a big impact on your entire experience and outcomes, even though they may seem like minor aspects in your pain management journey. The advantages are obvious and extensive, ranging from increased comfort and conductivity to financial savings and decreased skin irritation.

[40sandfabulousaf]

大家好! Pa loves it when we take him out for a meal, so I introduced him to a restaurant which specialises in eel as an early Father's Day lunch. Anago and unagi are both so delicious that we ended up ordering a ni anago donburi each and shared an unagi kabayaki! We were too full for coffee after the meal; Pa went home to rest and I wandered off for a refreshing freshly squeezed guava and apple juice. Dinner comprised more veggies and plain zhou (congee) to maintain my nutritional balance for the day.

It's 2023; by now we can safely chuck aside the misconception that people who're slim starve themselves to stay that way. Many of us are very active and, without adequate food to fuel us, we won't be able to exercise the way we do. My Healthy Plate by Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health is 1 of the few remaining US nutrition recommendations that I agree with (except for boring and yucky whole grains). Take the following lunch: there's steamed fish, onion omelette, as well as stirfried beansprouts, bittergourd, brinjal and green beans eaten with zhou (congee), followed by a glass of freshly squeezed pineapple juice after the meal. It's not difficult to achieve and nutritionally balanced (and yes I eat a lot PLUS I move a lot).

Eating moderately healthy doesn't mean deep fried foods are completely eliminated; we either have them in small quantities or less often. Hae chor (crispy deep fried shrimp and pork rolls) is delicious and 1 of the dishes which SW, MS and I shared when we ate at a diner specialising in seafood white bee hoon (rice vermicelli). Very similar to our beloved local favourite hokkien mee (noodles cooked in a flavourful gravy with seafood), the seafood white bee hoon was very delicious. For veggies, we had qing long cai (dragon chives) stirfried with beansprouts. I am SO coming back again.

With wellness fads, for awhile, it was kale kale kale and now, avocado, berries, legumes, lentils, nuts and seeds. But to many of us here, eating well doesn't work that way, guys; if we want to eat moderately healthy, nutrition is not a trend, it is embraced as a way of life and we derive as much benefits as we can from variety. What we seldom eat is pretty obvious from the meals I've shared. Bread, fastfoods and creamy pasta are special occasion foods that we can forego for months. We seldom eat avocado, no matter how some health 'experts' from the nations with the unhealthiest health statistics of all try to ram it down our throats - if you say solidified oils at room temperatures are unhealthy, then avocado fats are solidified at room temperature too, why are they not unhealthy, hello?

The contradictions are many and many of us, after discussing so-called 'studies', doubt the findings. Basically, our trust is eroded and we no longer believe all these so-called 'studies' when they're funded by profit. Our health is too precious to simply believe what we read unless they're truly independent. Cross-checking helps and we'll continue doing it. 下次见!

[zaenight]

The dragon and her knight ch13

"Nova?" Bellamy questioned with a groan as he awoke, not feeling Nova in the bed.

As he sat up he saw her at her desk drawing,fast,like really fast.

As he grew closer he saw that her eyes were glazed over,and black blood was slowly coming out of her nose.

"Shit." Bellamy said grabbing a tissue as Nova let out a gasp and grasped his arm.

Bellamy saw the drawing,half of it was clarke's face the other was josephine's.

"Hey,hey,your okay,your safe!" Bellamy exclaimed as Nova gripped onto him.

"Sorry,im sorry." Nova said resting her head on his shoulder.

"It's okay baby,its okay." he murmered kissing her head.

-----------

After calming down Nova and Bellamy went to discuss things with her father.

"All right,in exchange for ignoring that you murdered clarke..." Bellamy started to tell her father as the door opened revealing Josephine.

"You build us a compound." He continued as Nova gripped his hand.

"And not that you have any say in it,but Bellamy and I are engaged,and with the baby coming,we would like to start as soon as possiable." Nova stated gripping Bellamy's hand.

"What about the mother and child,will they agree?,and your mother won't be happy to hear this." Russel questioned.

"I can handle my mother,and he can handle his people." Nova answered.

"How long will it take to build?,as Nova said the baby is coming soon,and our People will need to wake up soon." He asked.

Josephine cleared her throut,raising her brows at her father.

"Im assuming we're not invited to the wedding , shame." she said as Nova rolled her eyes not answering.

"Just a moment sweetheart , with all our people helping you , it will go much faster, talk to ryker about a work schedule." Russel explained to them.

As Nova glared at the man's name,she and Bellamy realized Josephine tapping her arm.

Morse code , Nova realized glancing at Bellamy,she gave him a pen and a notepad.

ALIVE... Clarke was alive.

"And you'll need a detail of about 50 of your own People ,

You'll build a wall that---" Russel continued.

"Bellamy,Nova are we agreed?" Her father said as they snapped out of it.

"Yeah , we're good--" Bellamy started.

"For now." Nova murmured.

"I'll order construction to begin , Nova , your mother would like to know of your... engagement." Russel said glancing between the two.

"You tell her , I don't need to hear anything she has to say."

"Let's go." Bellamy said to her and Miller.

-------

"Hey , remeber when Pike taught us morse code ?" Bellamy asked Miller as he wrapped his arm around Nova's waist.

"I slept through most of earth

skills , so..." Miller started saying.

"Ok , Josephine was tapping out Morse code on her arm." Bellamy stated.

"What does it mean?" Miller questioned.

"It means clarke's alive." Nova said with a smirk.

"And we're gonna get her back." Bellamy declared as they walked off.

----------

[batmanisagatewaydrug]

hey sex witch! long time listener, first time caller :) so i’ve never had PIV sex, and i’m reasonably certain that my hymen mostly never “tore” naturally (for lack of a better phrase) (ie: i’ve never really been Active and i’ve never used tampons.) i’m really, really into the idea of exploring vaginal penetration, but there’s a big mental block when i experiment with anything bigger than my first finger because it starts to feel sore like it’s being stretched which is really unsexy (so i stop and do other stuff instead.) is this something i should approach a doctor about, or are there at-home ways to deal with hymen tissue without traumatizing myself in the process? thanks in advance, i appreciate your work bunches! 

hi first time caller!

if we really are dealing with a case of an imperforate hymen here - a hymen that didn't wear away and widen the vaginal opening naturally, uncommon but possible! - then that could be something worth discussing with your doctor. if you have the resources to do so, an imperforate hymen can be perforated very easily by a simple surgical procedure. even if that's not in the cards for you, it wouldn't be bad information to have.

now, having said that, there's no reason to assume that any lingering hymen tissue won't be wearing away naturally now that you've started embarking on an exploration of vaginal penetration.

if I can do one of my painful metaphors for you - you're sort of in a position where you want to go run a marathon, but you're not sure you ever even learned how to properly stretch. what you want and what's actually physically feasible for you right now might be two very different things - but that doesn't mean they can't come into alignment! it just means there may be a need for some practice on your part to get to the place you want.

with that in mind, I'm going to recommend gently - gently!!!! - finding the sweet spot in that soreness, and starting to explore pressing on that boundary when you're having sex. (and yes, doing things alone counts as having sex.)

obviously I am hugely HUGELY against the idea that people with vulvas and hymens are supposed to experience searing awful pain and bloodshed the first time they have penetrative sex - we do not condone! a big part of the reason that so often happens is that many folks with vulvas go into their first penetrative sexual experience unprepared, unpracticed, under-lubricated, and nervous as hell - essentially, trying to run that metaphorical marathon without ever having run a day in their life or even bringing a bottle of gatorade along, but forcing themselves to tough it out anyway because they've been told it's supposed to suck.

however, it's not unheard of or even necessarily bad to encounter a little soreness along the way - the vaginal muscles are muscles like any other, and that includes some strange sensations when you start using them in ways that they aren't accustomed to. trying penetration with more than one finger makes you feel sore for the same reason my arms feel like wet noodles every time I spend a day helping a friend move furniture. there's a way I could make that stop - regularly using my arm muscles - but I'm not going to do that because lifting frankly sucks and I'm fine with being a weakling. in your case, where increasing your comfort with penetration is a goal, putting in that practice is much more worthwhile.

gonna keep comparing this to my flimsy little arms, actually, because it's useful now that we need to circle back to finding safe limits. as I mentioned, this will likely require pressing past some comfort zones that feel intuitive and perhaps cause some odd sensations. when I move a lot of heavy shit, my arms pretty inevitably start feeling pretty limp and useless. it's uncomfortable, and the feeling lingers, but that's something I can push through because I know that nothing is actually wrong. however, if I were to suddenly develop a tearing pain in one of my arms then yeah - it's time to sit down, slap some ice on that baby, and take a break from moving shit for a while, because I've clearly reached my limit for the day and continuing could cause serious damage.

do you see where I'm going with this?

listen, you don't have to enjoy the discomfort. pain isn't everyone's cup of tea, and I wouldn't want it to be - nothing is for everyone. I strongly recommend doing everything in your power to ease the process! trying different positions can help, as will an abundance of lube, and you may want to look into acquiring a series of vaginal dilators to help steadily increase the size of items inserted into your vagina. lavish attention on other parts of your body to help you relax physically and emotionally - that's SO important for comfy penetration! do whatever you need to do to make it a cool and fun time.

just know that in the process, there are likely to be some growing pains that are difficult to avoid. give yourself time and patience and see what you can achieve with yourself :)

[dunefeather]

A Problem Of Communication (18+)

Gurney Halleck x F!Reader

Sexual themes, nudity, unprotected sex, friends to lovers, age gap, fluff, angst.

Stress is a poison spreading slowly through your veins, strengthening its grip on your body. The best you can do is hiding it, you are too high ranked on Caladan to ignore this enemy. Responsibilities won't vanish despite your wishes.

"Was that this bad ?" Gurney chuckles sourly.

Gurney. You have known each other for years, serving House Atreides dutifully. Gurney, encountered during your promotion ceremony. Gurney, now sharing this bed with you tonight a decade later, like he's already done a few times by now. Who would have known you would end up having a relationship based on work and sex with this guy ? He's not exactly the kind of man that you usually consider as attractive. With his sharp jaws, features, his age and this buff form gotten from years of harsh training, he is the embodiment of what you were wary of in the military.

"Yes. It was really bad and you know it."

You leave the bed, rubbing the warm seed licking from your folds with your hands as you try to find your clothes. How stupid it is to try to find comfort in his arms. This man doesn't have intercourses on a regular basis and you chose to have a try after one of the worst days of your life. What an unlucky choice. Some random soldier would have been better maybe. But you don't have much contact with people other than the ones in your professional sphere. Gurney is the only one you shared such moments with. And tonight, it was nothing near to glorious. For you at least.

"And after all those times you can't even hold back ?" You say harshly as you put your dress back on, ignoring his ashamed gaze from the bed.

"I'm sorry." He answers with this stoic voice. "I thought you were liking it..."

"I was starting to like it, huge difference."

You don't even bother about putting your soiled panties back on, you just go to his bathroom and take some tissue to wipe everything off your thighs under your fabrics. What a bastard. You thought you could at least spend a good time in his company but no, of course not, everything had kept going downhill since the beginning of that stupid day.

"See you tomorrow sir" you mumble as you walk past his naked figure, reaching the door before he could even add anything.

You do see him but barely acknowledge his presence despite being on the chair right by your right. There is a few inches between you so fortunately, no unwanted physical contact is made. But as this earlier encounter didn't satisfy your need, stress is still at its peak. Hearing the Duke's voice may be soothing to some extent thanks to the current peaceful situation on Caladan, but it doesn't solve your problems.

"I think we need to talk." A barritone voice says by your side as you walk down some stairs.

"There is nothing to discuss about." You talk back bitterly at Gurney as he follows you.

"What if I try to treat you better ? I think there was some misunderstanding between us."

You chuckle, resentment clear enough so he doesn't add anything for a few seconds. But you recognize his attitude as he keeps walking, his determined pace echoing louder than yours once in the hallway. He wants his answer.

"Don't try Gurney, just do it." You snarl as you keep looking at some invisible point in front of you. "Just try to acknowledge the fact that people have different needs than you."

"I genuinely thought I was giving you a good time, you didn't sound that different from the other nights."

"It's not about giving it's about sharing."

Without warning the man, you turn to the hallway by your left. Still boiling inside, you snort as he follows you, catching you up after a few seconds.

"I am sorry." He growls with exasperation. "I thought we could talk about it today, after all it affected our meeting. That's what you didn't want right ?"

Gurney is right and you don't appreciate that. The Duke sensed that, everyone else did. You shouldn't have interrupted him so dryly on such unimportant matters.

"I can't focus properly when I'm so stressed and one of my closest colleague treats me with such disrespect."

"That's why I'm asking you a moment to discuss about it, I understand I was part of the problem. Just let me solve it."

Slapping him is your biggest dream. You know he is at least partially right. This man can be so old fashioned, not admitting he was the whole thing that aggravated your predicament yet thinking he can solve it all. But exhaustion is clear in both of your mind and body.

"And what is this magical solution ? Please I'm curious." You say sarcastically.

"What about a dinner ?"

This question stops you dead in your tracks, your widened eyes blinking as you attempt to find an explanation. You misheared him, right ? The man is standing right before you, his features softened just enough for you to think that... no ? You hadn't misheard him ? You've seen this man being grumpy, surprised, determined, even laughing at some rare occasion, but never with what you would consider as close to puppy eyes.

"A dinner ?"

"Yes. A dinner. In my chambers if you want it to remain private, or elsewhere if you want to get some fresh air."

"What would a dinner solve exactly ?" You blurt out as you try to regain your composure. "Just let's not talk about this again."

"See ? We can't work together if you keep on acting like this both during meetings and in private." He scolds you in a low voice as his gaze sharpens. "Leto is being suspicious and warned me about this problem."

"So he's the one who pushed you to go to talk to me ?"

Of course Gurney would never go to see you all by himself to talk about whatever your relationship is. The only times you see each other in private is either for sex or to work on some professional matter. You may have had some serious conversations with him but it was always in his bed after a good session, snuggling lazily against him in momenta of weakness, when loneliness got you craving for proximity with anyone.

"I've wanted to invite you somewhere for a while now." Gurney admits as he straightens his stance. "I just thought it wouldn't be appropriate."

"Like... an official dinner ?"

"No. Not exactly. Not at all even. Just you know... you and me. We have a lot to discuss I think."

Uneasiness is clear in every atom composing his body from his voice to his chest raising a bit more each time he breathes in. It's curious to see him reacting like this but after all... he is a bit like you, isolated from most part of the world amd drowning in his work. He can't have much opportunities to train himself to invite ladies to dinners. To be fair, you have never seen him accompanied.

"Well... this... would be with pleasure." You finally say with a soft smile at the end. "I didn't know you would go this far."

"I never know if there were clear boundaries or not." He admits with a scoff, a smug grin making an appearance on his face. "Maybe we should have had a dinner before going into all of this."

"It would have been better and we're both at fault here. Don't worry."

"So... in my chambers ? Or in a restaurant in the city ?"

For the first time in a decade, there is something more official happening between you. It's not that much the way he walks by you in his uniform, his eyes wandering discreetly over your dress as he gives you his arm. It's more about the way some of your colleagues present at their own tables turn around, their joyful conversation turning into curious whispers. You don't mind, you have more interesting things to do than paying attention to them. This openly flirtatious glint in Gurney's eyes is deserving more than some people who will spread the rumors.

Everything goes well, from this dinner to this heated session in his bed late at night. He's much more attentive to your reactions, communication is easier now that you got rid off those invisible walls you raised without noticing it.

"So... I think I was better this time ?

You chuckle as you look down at him, your eyes falling to his chest raising then to this mischievous and satisfied grin of his. His large hands rub up and down your hips, the area around his cheekbones still slightly pinkish from his efforts when he pounded inside you roughly at the beginning. His thick cock is still warmly wrapped in your vagina as you don't make any move to leave your current position.

"So much better." You coo as you stroke his bare chest, his eyes now on your naked breasts. "See when you listen to me ?"

"I should listen to you more my Lady, it was definitely our best night together."

"It sure was." You acknowledge with a smile. "Do you mind if I stay up there ?"

"Not at all. I'd never complain."

Neither of you have ever appeared so relaxed, barely moving as he closes his eyes. You bounce a bit on him when he moves his hips to get more comfortable but nothing more. You stay like this, your upper body exposed to the room air as you dominate this sleepy man. Sometimes you firget how buff he is due to his uniforms, but once taking you in a bed or training with you in some rare occurrence, you can't forget about being impressed. He's not buff like some narcissist asshole wanting to show abs. No, he's buff in a good way, showing he doesn't malnourish himself nor dehydrates himself. He's a man full of ressources that people tend to underestimate, seen as a grumpy old military man powerful mainly because he is Leto's right arm man. But anyone working with him knows better.

"Does it feel good to be warm down there ?" You ask quietly as his thumbs keep brushing your hips.

"Hell yes." He whispers with his eyes still closed. "I've never enough of this pussy. I could stay in there for hours."

You chuckle at his words, his eyes opening to your breasts bouncing a bit at your motions. Then they settle on your face, a soft smile drawn on his lips.

"Gurney, I knew you loved it, but I wasn't expecting such confession."

"Come here girl." He commands gently.

You do as said, an eyebrow raised as you remain wrapped around him, your breasts now pressing against his chest. You moan in surprise when his lips find yours, his hands now cupping your face to keep you in his range. You answer immediately to this contact, positively pleased with this whitish beard caressing your face. Each time your lips abandon each other's they let a low wet sound out before finding their path again. Gurney lets a growl out as he folds his legs slowly, pressing your hips a bit more into him. His cock twitches inside you and you bite his lips, feeling this need in your belly.

"Does Mr Halleck have some more to give me tonight ?"

"Make me, my girl, I know you can do it." He whispers against your lips.

He was right.

- - -

Thank you for reading, please comment and reblog if you liked it ! 😊

[darknightingale1]

I am so furious right now at the address given to the byu faculty and staff by Elder Holland, so I'm going to go off about it. It was a disgusting talk, and I don't see how anyone can ignore the hate coming from him during it.

He starts with going on about how important byu is to him, which I'm going to ignore most of that since it's trivial and not what made me furious. It's not until he starts mentioning "same-sex attraction" that things go downhill.

Also right before this talk, the president of the university talks about a program that is meant to end bigotry on campus towards everyone. Holland's rebutal is basically "No bigotry is part of this campus."

"We hope it isn’t a surprise to you that your trustees are not deaf or blind to the feelings that swirl around marriage and the whole same-sex topic on campus."---- No, not a surprise. It was huge news when the honour code accidentally left out gay relationships, and people were going around being gay on campus. Of course you didn't miss that, but then you immediately doubled down on your bigotry instead of working towards some sort of compromise.

"I and many of my brethren have spent more time and shed more tears on this subject than we could ever adequately convey to you this morning, or any morning. We have spent hours discussing what the doctrine of the church can and cannot provide the individuals and families struggling over this difficult issue. So, it is with scar tissue of our own that we are trying to avoid — and hope all will try to avoid — language, symbols, and situations that are more divisive than unifying at the very time we want to show love for all of God’s children."---- Sorry for the long quote, but the whole thing is utter infuriating bs. You're shed tears? You've shed tears while sitting on your mountain of gold, and while you blatantly attacked people who are different just to keep your stupid fucking power. You have the power to change all of this, and save everyone, but you won't. Do you have any idea how many tears I've shed while at your university (Idaho) because I didn't feel I was good enough for your stupid church. I tore myself apart that third year of university, and I hadn't even figured out I was bi yet because of this church. I don't care for your tears or your supposed scars. I survived, other people didn't. Other people are dead because of you so I truly do not give a fuck about your feelings. And whatever scars you got are your own damn fault.

"If a student commandeers a graduation podium intended to represent everyone getting diplomas in order to announce his personal sexual orientation..."---- Matt Easton was Valedictorian you absolute idiot. The speech was for him and approved by byu. I suppose he's telling them they did bad there, but the entire point of his speech was that it was hard, but he made it through. It was inspiring. Matt Easton actually made a great rebuttal on twitter.

"In that spirit, let me go no farther before declaring unequivocally my love and that of my brethren for those who live with this same-sex challenge and so much complexity that goes with it. Too often the world has been unkind, in many instances crushingly cruel, to these our brothers and sisters."---- Your love? Oh fuck off. You don't feel a shred of love for us. You don't know the definition of love. Your definition of love is control and conditional. You don't love any of us and would happily see us all disappear. Also "Same-sex challenge" is the stupidest phrasing ever, and I'd only like to say it's only a challenge cause I'm bad at finding myself a girlfriend.

"For example, we have to be careful that love and empathy do not get interpreted as condoning and advocacy, or that orthodoxy and loyalty to principle not be interpreted as unkindness or disloyalty to people."---- What love and empathy? You still misunderstand the definition of these words. Your love and empathy only extend so far as we can help you make more money and get more power. You only say things like this so people will think you're still a good person while you tell them to turn on their friends and hurt them for existing. If you're loyal to a principle that says I shouldn't exist or that it's better that I be dead, then you are unkind and disloyal to me. You can't have both.

"As near as I can tell, Christ never once withheld his love from anyone, but he also never once said to anyone, “Because I love you, you are exempt from keeping my commandments.”"---- You absolute idiot! You're twisting his words to fit your agenda. Christ never said he would only love you if you kept his commandments. He said if you love me, keep my commandments. You aren't showing an ounce of love towards anyone. Christ showed it to absolutely everyone, and especially those who were sinners. You know who he showed no kindness and love to? Rich people, like you. He literally said a rich man can't get into heaven. He literally whipped people for selling stuff in the temple. That's you. That's literally you.

"Musket fire? Yes, we will always need defenders of the faith, but “friendly fire” is a tragedy — and from time to time the church, its leaders and some of our colleagues within the university community have taken such fire on this campus."---- It's no longer friendly fire if you realize you're on the wrong team. And how dare you use a metaphor where you're the ones being hurt and persecuted. Always back to the persecution complex. You've killed people, you don't get to be the victim here.

He also at the beginning mentioned professors radicalizing students. Look, I had professors teach things a bit off the books that radicalized me, but what radicalized me more than anything was being squeezed and squeezed while having the entire church laid to bare. It was having a family religion professor yell at me for stating a fact, it was religion professors thinking they're better than everyone else on campus. It was the fucking family class that told me over and over how evil LGBT+ people were, and while I didn't realize it at the time, how evil I was for existing. Some professors taught what they were supposed to, but they aren't the sole reason for me losing my faith so destructively. Your school hurt me deeply, and this talk makes it so much worse. They don't care. They just want to cause more pain and suffering.

If you're a member and for some reason read this, think about what he said, think about how much that might hurt to read. Your prophets are fakers that have been corrupted by power and money. They shed crocodile tears to make you feel bad for them while they're covered in blood of innocent people. Really think about that.

I hope Elder Holland rots in Hell.

[starlightxsvt]

Sweeter Than Sweets l pt. 3

Pairing ➳ CEO! Seungcheol x female baker!reader

Genre ➳ fluff, romance, slight smut

Warnings ➳ light cursing, some nudity, implications of sex (forgive me if it's bad, this is my first time trying to write smut)

Word count ➳ around 4.1k

A/N: Here's the third chapter~ I'm really sorry for the delay. If everything goes according to plan then there's only one more chapter left! Thank you for giving this series such love, it means a lot to me. Happy reading!

part 1 l part 2 l part 3

Part 3: THE WEDDING

"It's okay, you're gonna be fine," Seungcheol throws a smile at you as you both stand at the front door of his parents house. You continue to smooth out your beautiful champagne coloured dress and touch your hair out of nervousness.

You are here. At his parents house.

The door is opened by a maid who welcomes you into the house. You both step in and take off your coats and you follow Seungcheol to the huge living room, where his mother sits with a book in her hands.

She squeals seeing Seungcheol, adoration crossing over her features as she wraps her arms around him and kisses his forehead. "You're here! I was worried you wouldn't show up!"

"You deserve a chance to get to know ___. She's amazing," his compliment brings warmth in your cheeks as he pulls you closer to his side.

His mother grins looking at you before pulling you into a hug, "Yes yes, of course." She kisses your cheeks before a soft bark comes from behind you and you turn to see a white fluffy toy poodle, wagging it's tail, eagerly staring at Seungcheol. The man in question grins before picking it up, "Heyy, Kkukma!"

"She's our family dog. Loves Seungcheol a bit too much," Seungcheol's mother explains and you smile, nodding before gently petting the dog who licks your hand in return.

You laugh. Seungcheol kisses Kkukma's forehead before announcing, "You guys continue chatting. I'll go play with Kkukma."

You swallow, watching him disappear into the garden and his mother grins at you, "Let me show you around."

His mother walks you through their elegant house while asking about how you met Seungcheol and such. You speak the rehearsed lines and she believes them easily, making you feel somewhat bad for the poor woman.

"Seungcheol really isn't good with women, you know," his mother says while you're served a cup of tea after finishing the tour.

You offer a smile in reply and take a sip. She continues, "He used to like a girl quite a while ago. Told me that he wanted to marry her. But sadly, she turned out to be a leech who was using him for his money."

"That's... awful," you frown. Seungcheol never told you about it. But then again you're his fake lover and you mentally curse yourself for getting too much into your role.

"I take it he didn't tell you about that," She smiles. "Don't worry, he's long over her. That just made him shut himself out more. He assumed that all women were after his money but I'm glad to see he found someone like you."

You cringe inwardly. You too, are here because of money more or less. You are doing all this because he promised you a shop.

"Me too," you agree with her, playing along. She smiles. A sound catches both of your attention and you see Seungcheol's father standing at the entrance of the living room, his wary eyes casted on you. You almost choke but quickly redeem yourself by standing up and saying hi. He disregards you completely with a grunt and walks away murmuring something unintelligible.

Seungcheol's mother sighs loudly, "I'm so sorry about him."

"It's okay, I understand. Seungcheol told me about him." You mutter.

His mother offers you a sad smile. "He's been so mean to Seungcheol. To us. It was my mistake that I married that beast."

You say nothing, just stare at the cup in your hands.

She continues, "I would have divorced him long ago but he would have taken full custody over Seungcheol. I couldn't win against a man like him and I couldn't loose Seungcheol."

"I see," you whisper. His mother gently holds your hand, "I sincerely hope you won't take his words to heart. He has always been like that. Nothing we do can make him happy."

You offer her a smile, "It's really okay, Mrs. Choi."

"Minsoo, please. You're gonna be me daughter in law soon," she smiles sweetly at you. "Which reminds me! We need to set a date!"

Warmth spreads on your face as you smile, "Yeah..."

And so she starts discussing with you about the dress the venue and such and you find yourself enjoying her company. She's kind and gives full attention to you and it fills the void created by your own mother. You know you're going to miss this woman after you're divorced.

-

Everyone gathers at the dining table during lunchtime, including Seungcheol's father. The environment is tense as Seungcheol takes a seat beside you, opposite to his parents.

Seungcheol drops a kiss on your temple and smiles at you, flashing his dimples and you almost melt into a puddle right there. Shit, have you got it that bad?

His father's eyes bore into the two of you, clearly disapproving.

Lunch starts as Seungcheol's mother initiates conversation with her son about work. It goes well for a while- you enjoying the served food and listening to them talk- until Mr. Choi decides to break it.

"What does your parents do?" He throws at you.

Seungcheol frowns, "Father-"

You stop him by squeezing his hand and smiling at him, "It's okay, babe, he should know."

Your eyes meet Mr. Choi's, "My mother separated with my father a long time ago so I don't have contact with him anymore. My mom runs a restaurant at the suburbs."

Mr. Choi is unimpressed, you can see it in his face as he seems to judge you even harder. Mrs. Choi, however, has a different reaction, "Oh dear! It must have been hard for your mother. I'd like to meet her sometime soon."

You smile at her, "My mom kind of isolated herself after the divorce but of course, I'll let her know."

Shit, you haven't even told her you're getting married yet.

Mrs. Choi's smile is kind as she resumes eating. Mr. Choi scoffs before grunting, "I still don't understand why you chose her, Seungcheol. I know you've always been stupid but now I know you're on another level, choosing her out of all women."

Wow. You're left dumbfounded at his straight forwardness. Beside you, Seungcheol grips the fork tight as his mother tries to chastise her husband. "Hyungmin, watch what you're saying!" she shrieks.

"What?" His glare is intimidating. "She's neither rich nor pretty. Your son could've had a better looking woman yet he-"

"Enough!" Seungcheol seethes making you jump.

This...isn't gonna end well.

You open your mouth to stop Seungcheol but he bangs his first on the table, teeth gritting, "What is your problem?" He glares at his father.

"I should ask that to you." His father is expressionless.

"All my life I've tried to be a good son, I tried to be good to you no matter how much of an asshole you were to me, to mom. I've accepted that you hate me, I've no problem with that but for once in your life, can't you be supportive of me?!"

His father scoffs, "How can I when you bring a thing like her?"

Seungcheol looks like he's ready to jump on his father as he bellows, "I swear to fucking God-"

"Seungcheol!" You grab onto his arms, trying to stop him as Mrs. Choi starts sobbing.

Shit. Shit. Shit.

"This is why I don't like coming here!" Seungcheol hisses at his mother before jerking free from your hold and marches away.

Seungcheol's father stands up, rolling his eyes, "And you expect me to hand my company to him?" It's directed to his wife.

Angry tears steam down Mrs. Choi's face, "He'd be a better president than you ever were! Your company has come this far only because of my son!"

Her words land on the back of Mr. Choi who blatantly ignores his wife and walks out of the room.

The room is silent except the sounds of Mrs. Choi, trying to get her tears under control. You hand her a tissue and sit silently, watching her dry her eyes.

"I'm so sorry," she says, her eyes casted down.

You offer her a small smile. Mr. Choi's words hurt you, definitely but it's not the end of the world. He's gonna be present in your life for only a small amount of time.

"It's alright, Mrs. Choi, it really is."

She sighs, gazing upon you, her eyes filled with...love. She stands up to embrace you in her arms and holds you there; your head to her chest as you listen to her breathe.

It's comforting and you feel a tear slip down your eye.

-

Seungcheol walks you all the way to your door like the gentleman he is. His mood is still sour and the car ride was filled with tension. You couldn't really blame him though.

You smile at him, "His words doesn't matter to me. I hope it's the same for you. You don't need to be stressed about what he says to me."

He looks at you, those rich brown eyes looking exhausted and he does something you never expected even in your dreams.

He hugs you.

His strong arms are wrapped around your small frame, your head pressed to his chest. Your heart beats furiously in your chest.

Is this really happening?

You inhale his scent deeply and when you wrap your arms around him too, you can't bring yourself to care. You want to feel him, to hold him. So you two just stand there in front of your door in each others arms for a long time.

"Would you like to come inside?" Your voice is small and shy as he pulls back to look at you. Shaking his head, he does yet another surprising thing.

"Can I kiss you?"

Holy mother of gods-

Your face is on fire, undoubtebly. Your mouth hangs low as you stare at him. Did he just...

He takes your silence as yes and leans in to press his lips against yours. They're soft and plush and he tastes somewhat bitter and sweet from the wine you had at his parent's house. It's addicting and you can't help but moan. He only dives in deeper, kissing you with such passion and need that you're left breathless.

He pulls back, his smoldering gaze on you and licks his lips. You swallow. Your panties are wet, fuck. You want to climb him like a tree but you can't bring yourself to move, locked in a trance.

A gentle kiss is pressed to your forehead that brings you back to reality and he mutters his goodbye, hurriedly ushering you in.

After you're in the safety of your home, you touch your swollen lips, mind traveling back to the kiss.

He kissed you.

Choi Seungcheol kissed you.

-

"Yes, I'm getting married," you repeat once more to your mother who stays silent on the other side of the line.

"Mom?"

"That's... sudden," her calm voice floats through. Yeah, and I'll be getting divorced too.

"Yeah, we've been dating for more than a year and yeah...he proposed me."

"Wow... nice." She pauses. "Did you fix a date yet?"

"Um, not yet but it's in the next two or three weeks. Also...Mrs. Choi wanted to meet you. Maybe...you could come and visit her sometime...I don't know." There's an awkward tension- it always has been ever since your dad left.

"I'll see if can manage time," she says.

"Okay..." You're about to hang up but her voice wavers through, "And send me a picture of your rich fiance."

"Oh, yeah, I will."

-

SOME WEEKS LATER

Jane squeals seeing you step out from behind the curtains. You're almost ready with the gown on and your makeup done, only the veil left to be put on.

"Oh my god!" She screams with glee, a grin on her face. "You! Look at you! Oh my god!"

You look gorgeous, undeniably. The wedding gown is almost too beautiful to be real and an expensive purchase, selected by Mrs. Choi. Your makeup and hair is done neatly and you almost don't recognize yourself. Jane only squeals from behind you time to time, saying how amazing you look.

"You're forgetting that this isn't a real wedding," you remind her, your tone bitter than you intended.

Jane raises a brow, "Why do you sound sad?"

Warmth covers your face, "I'm not!" It is a cheap lie, you do feel sad and you know that deep down you wished this was real.

Shit. You've got it really bad.

"Aww, babe," Jane hugs you tightly. "It's okay, it's gonna be okay. Who knows, Seungcheol may fall head over heels for you after seeing you in this."

You roll your eyes, "Not even in my wildest dreams."

A knock on the door interrupts you and your mother steps into the room, dressed in a cream colored dress, her hair neatly done. It has been a while since you last saw her dressed up.

"I'll leave you two to talk," Jane excuses herself, stepping out of the room.

"Hey," you smile tightly. She returns it. "You look beautiful," her words are short and her eyes are teary. There's a short silence before she sighs loudly,"I know I haven't been the best mom...but I'm really proud of you, I hope you know that."

You sigh; you really don't want to cry before your wedding- fake wedding. "It's okay," you give her a small smile and sit down in front of the mirror, "Can you help me with the veil?"

She steps in behind you and starts setting up the veil on your hair, speaking, "Seungcheol is a nice guy, I had a chat with him earlier. He'll take good care of you."

You resist the urge to heave out a sad sigh. Instead you grin as brightly as you can, "I know, right."

She finishes putting the veil on you and you stand up, looking at the mirror, gathering all the last bits of your courage.

"I could walk you down the isle you know...it doesn't always have to be dads," your mother whispers.

"It's okay, I'll do it on my own," you avoid her eyes. This is a fake wedding and you don't want her to walk you down the isle, no. Maybe when you get married for real one day- but not this time.

Giving your mother a quick hug, you step out of the dressing room.

The isle looks dreadful. Walking on a path full of thorns bare feet would've been easier. Seungcheol stands at the other end, his full attention on you. You inhale deeply and take small steps towards him- all the while his eyes on you. You are intimated and in the back of your mind you can't help thinking that this was a very bad decision. You feel pathetic. A bride without anyone to accompany her down the isle. A greedy woman agreeing to a fake marriage. A liar, lying to everyone through your teeth.

Each step only gets harder to take and after what feels like an eternity, you reach the end, stopping in front of him. His face doesn't give away anything. A small part of you wonders if he thinks you look beautiful- you hope he thinks that.

You take a step and get on the wooden stage with the help of his extended hand. The priest begins the ceremony. All the while, Seungcheol's eyes are dark, glinting like a predator who has finally captured his prey.

He smirks. "I do."

With tears burning in the back of your eyes, you repeat after him, overwhelmed with emotions.

When he leans in for the kiss, you forget to breathe as your lips meet and he kisses you softly yet passionately. The guests cheer for you and when you look at them, you see joy, contradicting to what you feel. For some reason tears threaten to slip but you smile, forcing them away.

One fake marriage can't end your life.

-

You enjoy the rest of the ceremony more than you thought you would, all the worries slipping away from your system as you watch everyone celebrate. Time to time you take peeks at Seungcheol to see him staring at you- his eyes dark and intense, sending a shiver down your spine.

You've spent a good amount of him hanging out with him during the weeks before your wedding, either at his apartment, yours or a nice restaurant. You've only found yourself more drawn to him as you spent more time and after each date ended you wanted him to kiss you like he did after that visit to his parents' house. Unfortunately for you, Seungcheol kept his hands totally off you, only giving you quick forehead pecks as goodbyes.

As your eyes connect, sitting next to each other after the dance, you find yourself craving for him. You want his hands all over you.

Is that wrong?

-

A sudden, new wave of embarrassment hits you as you enter the limousine after the ceremony. Seungcheol helps you get in before entering through the opposite door as you quickly collect your beautiful dress together and sit quietly, staring at your lap.

It's almost 9 o'clock and the traffic has faded away. Seungcheol is taking you to his penthouse, a place you've only heard him talk about, a place he said you'd enjoy living in.

You wonder how the next couple years would be. How will it be like to live with him? Will you sleep in the same bed every night? Will he even enjoy sharing his house with you? What if he hates having you around?

"Are you ignoring me?" Seungcheol's voice pulls you back to reality.

You try not to appear shy and flustered, "Huh? No, no I'm not."

"You've been awfully quiet since you've walked down the isle."

"Just... thinking." You reply meekly. Damn it, why do you feel so shy?

There's a silence as Seungcheol looks out the window, hands under his chin. You take the moment to appreciate his profile, ogling him unashamedly. You really, truly, want to be in his arms. And you should probably get your head checked.

"Do you regret doing this?" He asks suddenly.

"No! No, I do not," you protest to which he nods, understanding.

After a beat if silence his hand gently cups yours. You stop breathing. "I'll try to make your living as comfortable as possible. Don't hesitate to let me know if you have any problem." His expression is serious and you nod, throat dry. He smile is soft, showing just a bit of his dimples as he holds onto your hand, not letting go. You try to calm your breathing which proves to be an impossible task whenever you look at your joined hands.

After almost an hour drive, the limousine stops and your breath is sucked out as you get out of it. In front of you stands a huge building with the fanciest design and you can't wait to see what's inside. Seungcheol helps you with your dress and casually holds your hand as you both walk into the elevator. It heads for the seventeenth floor and during that whole period of time Seungcheol doesn't let go of your hand. When the elevator stops and you both step out into a large lobby, leading to his penthouse. Seungcheol swipes the card to open the door and it's only after you step into the apartment that he lets your hand go.

You probably look like a deer in headlights as you gawk at the beautiful home, equipped to unbelievably expensive appliances and delicate designing. With high ceilings and full length windows and beautiful pieces of furniture and marble fittings it's too pretty to touch.

All the while Seungcheol's eyes are on you, amused at your reaction. "You like it?" He grins.

"I...wow," you're speechless. "This is...huge." You say dumbly. Seungcheol laughs heartily before once again taking your hand, "Let me give you a quick tour."

And so he does, showing you around the house, the huge kitchen connected to the living room, the library, the study room the guest bedrooms and finally stopping before the master bedroom.

A king sized bed lies by the huge windows. There's a closet with an amount of space you could only dream of. The master bathroom is almost the size of your studio apartment and a wave of embarrassment hits you. Will you ever get used to this? You only feel more embarrassed when you remember that this isn't yours forever.

Shit, ___. Get a grip.

You plop down on the large fluffy bed and pry off your heels from your aching feet. You watch as Seungcheol stands in front of the dresser, slowing undoing his bow tie.

There's a small moment where you both lock eyes before you cough loudly, trying to ignore the butterflies in your stomach. Instead you quietly take off your earnings and reach for the buttons behind your dress- except, your hands can't reach them.

Seungcheol sees you struggling, "Let me do it for you." You almost let out a squeak, feeling shy and excited. You stand up as he appears behind you and starts to unbutton your dress, slowly.

It feels like eternity as you stand, holding your breath, blood pumping loudly in your veins.

Seungcheol's deep voice sends shivers down your spine, "There, done." He says that but doesn't move from behind you, his hands resting on your shoulders as the cool air hits you back. You, too, seems to be stuck on your place as you can't move a muscle. Your conscience slaps her head, what the hell is wrong with you?

"Did I tell you how beautiful you look?" Seungcheol's mouth is extremely close to your ear and you can't help but squeak, warmth spreading through your body like wildfire.

"You look lovely, so beautiful," His voice is deep as he strokes the column of your neck before turning you to face him.

Your eyes are wide like saucers and your face is on fire, literally. Just being this close to him, with none around, makes your brain stop functioning.

He leans in and captures your lips in a kiss, without any warning whatsoever. Your tongues collide and you let him take the lead, his hand grabbing your ass, unashamedly.

"Tell me if you want me stop, I don't want to make you uncomfortable."

"No!" You grab onto his broad shoulders and pull him towards you again, meeting your lips once more. Of course you want him. You've wanted him since God knows how long.

While peppering your face with kisses, he pushes down your gown for you to step out of it. The cold air makes you shiver as you're left in a lacy white underwear with garter belts. Seungcheol's eyes move over your, taking in your figure. He swallows before pushing you down onto the bed and climbing over you, hurriedly taking off his suit jacket and shirt.

His eyes are locked on yours and your heart is beating a mile a minute. He looks like some god, his black locks messy and his chiseled face staring down at you, his strong body on top of you. You can't stop yourself from ogling his torso when his shirt comes off, leaving his toned muscles and biceps for you to see. Before you know it, you're reaching out to touch him. Your fingers dance over his chest and abdomen before your eyes meet and Seungcheol groans, cupping your face for another kiss.

He's quick to strip you off your bra while literring your neck and chest with kisses and bites. After fully undressing you and taking yet another unembarrassed look at your body Seungcheol asks, "Are you sure?"

You whine, needy and impatient, "Yes, please, Seungcheol. Fuck me." You're surprised at your own eagerness but it only turns Seungcheol on, a devilish smirk on his lips.

"My pleasure sweetheart." He whispers before going down between your legs.

-

Soft morning light hits your face, waking you up in the process. It takes a while for you to assess everything and you feel your body, especially lower half, ache deliciously- an aftermath of the numerous orgasms Seungcheol gave you yesterday night.

A strong arm is wrapped around your waist from behind, making you feel warm and safe. You sigh, playing with the wedding ring on your finger.

You're married now. To Choi Seungcheol. Shit.

Instead of letting your mind start overthinking, you gently turn around to face your husband, careful not to wake him up.

He lies there, fast asleep, his beautiful features relaxed, the morning light giving him an angelic glow. Before you can stop yourself, you're reaching out to stroke his face, your gentle fingers tracing his skin. He's so soft, so beautiful. Your heart constricts, thinking about how much you want to spend the rest of your life in his arms.

You'd be more than happy to be by his side, sharing a home with him, helping him whenever he's in need, making a family-

A sudden realisation that you tried to bury all this time dawns on you, bringing tears to your eyes.

You're in love with Choi Seungcheol.

Taglist: @chimikima @all-i-needislovee @peekabooseoksoon @masterpiecejoonie @sorrywonwoo @sweetiescoops @diamondsvts @insidesvt @bononswife @ayla-hathway @kpopssuregi @justasoftstan @top-crop @wainrain @jisungsdreamy @moon-asia @rocketink @hobis-hopeworld @coppertrashi @honeyyjihoon @seoulnights5 @rjsmochii @1-800-fandomsdestroyedme @mimaisiomai @gyubagebin @chrryhwa @junsfei

A/N 2: Please know that reblogs hold a special meaning to writers, so if you enjoyed it please reblog. And if can spare a few seconds, kindly reblog with comments. The feedback I get from everyone encourages me to write, so please do that 💖.

Also, Choi Seungcheol please come wife me up.

[bored-storyteller]

Second part of the request for @amevinil239

25- Twisted Wonderland- Kalim, Azul, Leona, Riddle x Reader

Anger and home pt. 2

Kalim Al-Asim

-I'm not sure what can get Kalim into arguing, but I'm pretty sure if you're stressed out, his behavior can be irritating sometimes.

-Mostly, Kalim will be blind to your problems. It's not that he doesn't want to see them, but he simply can't.

-And he doesn't listen. Trying to tell him with good manners that you really would need his support and not having to satisfy his whims is difficult.

-Furthermore, Kalim is a good person, perhaps a little childish, but he is not stupid or submissive. If there is a misunderstanding and he feels he is right, he is stubborn on his arguments.

-In any case, he would never intend to hurt you, ever.

-After a fight he will be the most wounded in the soul of the two, and if you run away from him the world will collapse on him.

"That's enough!"

Your voice is so high that it burns your throat as if it were sandpaper.

You never thought you would reach this level of anger and desolation, not with Kalim.

He's angry too, you've never seen him angry. His expression is serious, almost adult.

By now you are tired of making him think. He has never experienced what the suffering of people like you means. It is not his fault.

Yet you can't forgive him, you can't stop being mad at him.

"I just want to go home! Where all this doesn't exist!"

It's not so true, and you know it. You miss home, so badly. But you could never pretend again that this world doesn't exist.

You don't want to look at him again, partly for your badness, partly for shame.

You turn around and run away, hoping he won't hear your sobs. You don't see how much those words hurt him, all the realization you suddenly threw in him.

Curled up in the most hidden corner of the garden, you know he will come to you. Because Kalim is a good person, really good, and he doesn't want to make people suffer.

He knows that because of him many can suffer, you, Jamil... and he hates himself for not knowing how to protect you from this, even if he could.

Sitting next to you he is silent for a while, letting himself be hurt by your sobs.

"I know ..." he murmurs sadly "But ... I'd miss you so much ..."

Those words increase your sobs, but they push you to untie yourself from your knot and push yourself towards him. By placing your head on his lap, you let yourself be caressed by his sweet hands. He is probably crying too, but both of you have finally come close. Because you know that if you are with him, you are a little bit at home anyway.

Azul Ashengrotto

-It is not difficult for Azul to hurt people, nor is he usually too sorry about it. He has suffered so many wounds that he can no longer empathize.

-If something about you doesn't suit him, he will tell you. Usually, however, he will maintain a gentlemanlike air that will soften his criticisms and make them look like advice.

-But there may be that time he says that extra thing without even looking at you, assuming you will listen to it.

-It will probably not even be a discussion, you will lose the desire to stay in his presence before he understands how seriously you are angry.

-If the Leach twins are there, they will be the first to understand how serious the situation is and they will exchange puzzled looks, hoping that Azul will look up from his documents and look at you before it is too late.

-When Azul also realizes it will be like a bucket of ice water on his head. He can't say how bad you looked to him, but it's too late to fix it.

-He won't lose its composure, but it won't let you go anyway.

"I want to go home away from all this!"

Azul can't stop you while you rush out the door.

He just looks at the door from where you're gone out with a surprised face. He hadn't noticed that you were crying.

Jade looks at him with the worried expression of someone who knows how serious the problem is now.

"Do you want me to bring them back?"

Azul shakes his head, and clearing his throat returns to do his job.

You, locked in your room, you don't know how irritable the Octavinelle leader remains for the rest of the day.

You feel alone and abandoned. An apology would have sufficed, but not even the threat of leaving seemed to scratch his heart.

If you can't count on Azul you know that a void will open inside you that will make you feel even more out of place in that world of magic.

You are about to give in to tiredness and sadness. Now all you want to do is disappear between your sheets, but before you can go to bed someone knocks on your door.

Slowly you go to open it. Azul is in front of you, his expression is serious and composed, but in his hand he holds a small paper bag. From the good scent that comes out you know it's your favorite dessert.

"Can I come in?"

His voice is calm and diplomatic, yet it is softer than usual.

You step aside even if you try to stay hard on him. You are still angry, and he realizes it.

He doesn't know how to behave, you know, you see him as he enters your room.

"I know you want to go home."

His voice resounds after a few minutes in silence.

"But until then, please stand by me, even if I'm just a good-for-nothing octopus."

You know how much those words cost him. You don't know if you'll ever hear them again, but you know they are worth more than a million apologies.

You approach him, and slowly taking the bag he brought and you open it.

"Do we eat it together?"

Leona Kingscholar

-Arguing is tiring, it must be serious for Leona to really engage in it.

-Leona listens to the complaints by puffing, he will answer every now and then but she will drop the whole discussion, yawning and maybe giving you reason.

-If it gets serious and he gets really angry, though, you'll see his animal side. If there is an incomprehension between you two that hurts him, he will struggle to restrain himself.

-He could really say things that can hurt you.

-Leona is used to people who are afraid of him. From an early age he was considered "frightening" because of his power. He never really felt appreciated despite his efforts. If you run away from him he will feel really bad.

You exploded at his last growl.

"You know what ?! I hate this place! I want to go back to my house!"

You threw up those words on him and ran away, giving birth to your tears that fell from your cheeks.

Those words hurt you too. You missed home, it is difficult to be divided between two worlds (which you perhaps love both).

You leave a broken Leona behind. His green eyes stare at the spot where you are gone. The prince's mind is good at digging under the surface more than he wants to believe. Did you just tell him you hate him? What do you want to run away from him?

He is not stupid, he knows that you miss your home, but the malice and pain with which you spoke to him displaced him. Maybe he really went overboard with you this time.

Leona doesn't often feel the urge to do something, yet now he wants to talk to you right away. But he doesn't follow you. You would probably chase him away and it would make him and you feel worse.

He only looks for you later hoping that you have calmed down, but he finds you curled up in the greenhouse, with your face hidden in your knees tight against your chest, crying.

Carefully sit next to you, not too close or too far. He knows you know he's there, and you're not sending him away. Good.

"Do you ... really want to get away from me?"

As if he had stung you with a pin you look at him. You are certain you have not said those words but Leona's surprisingly serious (and sad) gaze stops you for a second.

"I won't stop you if that's what you want ... but ... I ..."

Even if he doesn't want to, you feel the knot in his throat from the crack in his voice that prevents him from completing the sentence. You didn't want to hurt him like that, you didn't want to leave him.

Cautiously you approach him, and silently snuggle against his shoulder.

The prince lets you act, while his tail surrounds you widely and his cheek rests on your head.

"I know you miss home ... but I'm here."

Riddle Rosehearts

-Riddle is a demanding person, you know. He is a good boy, but he can easily throw your mood under your shoes.

-For him everything he says is important, so it is often dangerous to challenge him. When it happens it's because he really hits you.

-Yet he won't understand it. He will support his views in anger without realizing how deeply he is digging inside you.

- A stupid argument can get really heavy with him if you don't give in, and sometimes you know it's okay not to give in.

-Riddle knows he has to improve himself, but only realizes it when he's done the damage. And most of the time he doesn't know how to fix it.

Riddle feels a failure when he sees you running away.

He still hears your last words inside himself: "I want to go back to my house!"

He knows everything they mean. All your pain, and all the pain he causes you.

He sighs heavily, bringing a hand to his face and hiding it against his palm.

"I did it again, didn't I?"

Trey only looks at him sympathetically, without replying. All eyes are on the leader, but he doesn't care.

He swallows that wave of impotence that overwhelms him and straightens himself, parading among the students with a determined step, to look for you.

This is no time to be a capricious child, Riddle. It must find you and support you. This is what a leader must do.

You, sitting on a bench, clasp your arms around yourself, seeking comfort in yourself, as you try to silence the tears.

Again Riddle swallows his anguish and approaches you. He's afraid of your reaction, but still he gives you a tissue to wipe away the tears, because that's how a leader behaves, right? He wants you to trust him. He wants to be responsible for you.

"I know you miss home ... and how difficult it is for you to settle here ..."

He begins with a gentler voice. You are not pushing him away, so he dares to sit next to you. hoping to do the right thing.

"But until ... when you can return to your world let me help you."

He doesn't see you reacting, but he feels that your sobs have stopped, maybe he is on track.

"Can you forgive me?"

Finally your hands move, and with a slight thanks you grab what he gives you, cleaning your face.

Riddle feels relieved, it would have been difficult to lose you.

You look at him, and smiling shyly you nod, sure that you forgive him. How can you not forgive such a lovable boy?

[suganovakawa]

𝐒𝐀𝐔𝐃𝐀𝐃𝐄 .

PAIRINGS : tooru oikawa x fem! reader

GENRE : angst , romance

WARNINGS : bits of cursing here and there

SYNOPSIS : tooru doesn’t understand how special you are to him until he comes close to losing you forever . as he struggles to comes to grips with his feelings and balance it with his future , you still have to recover from your own injuries , but without your memories to assist you .

𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐓 𝐎𝐍𝐄 < [ 𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐓 𝐓𝐖𝐎 ] > 𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐓 𝐓𝐇𝐑𝐄𝐄 .

the playoffs are soon ; why is it so hard to please tooru ?

word count : 1.4k

saudade masterlist.

SAUDADE

( 𝐧 . ) a nostalgic longing to be near again to something or someone that is distant , or that has been loved and then lost ; “ the love that remains ”

⠀just how many girls has he waved at today? you huffed to yourself as tooru continuously paid attention to girl after girl, giving them a soft smile and wishing them a good day as they stood by, simply waiting for their presence. you could've stood around for a tissue for some of them, they looked like they were about to start drooling at any given moment.

⠀jealousy travelled through your body, as shameful as it was to admit. oikawa was walking next to you, but that was as far as interaction was between the two of you. he hardly even looked down in your direction, mindlessly giving his fans the attention they craved. iwaizumi was right, it was hard to tell if you and the popular third year were dating or not. you shook the thought away subtly, just a shake of your head, rendering such worries as selfish.

⠀after all, you knew exactly what you were getting into when you confessed your feelings to tooru.

⠀it just would've been nice if he tried harder to give you some attention too, you know?

⠀your gut could tell oikawa kept a minor grudge from the other night, when you and iwaizumi just about dragged him out of the place. you apologized to him - multiple times, actually - and he even said he was fine, that your care for him was completely understable. hell, he even solidified it with a kiss to your forehead.

⠀so why did it feel like there was a wall separating you from him?

⠀you opened your mouth to say something to him as you and him approached your lunch table, but stopped abruptly when approaching the others. the volleyball team ate together, but today was a special occasion: tooru had some last minute things to discuss with the rest of the team regarding the upcoming playoffs.

⠀their main focus was to just get through the other teams in the way, then to give it their all against shiratorizawa. on multiple occasions seijoh kept a steady lead against that all-star team, only to be thwarted by that damn ushiwaka. watching shiratorizawa steal the victory from aoba johsai's hands was infuriating to say the least, and having to repeat the process over and over again was just insanity.

⠀you were just the manager, so there wasn't much you could do to contribute to their discussion. volleyball wasn't your forte. but for the sake of the others, you tagged along alongside tooru so you could at least listen to the conversation. it wasn't like you could sit anywhere else, anyway. most of the girls slowly began to shun you when you began to date the brunette.

⠀hanamaki was the first to acknowledge your guys' presence, signaling for the others to pull your seats out so the two of you could sit down. tooru, surprisingly, let you sit down first, placing a hand on your back as you slid down into your chair. he soon followed with his own, his hands folded and perched on the table. he waited for the other guys to stop and pay attention, that same scheming glint in his eyes he always has before and during a game.

⠀"this is our last chance this year to win against shiratorizawa." you could see tooru's fists clench at the name itself, tension rising by the second. "we have to do something to guarantee a win. altogether have the potential to beat ushiwaka, it's just a matter of putting such actions into motion to prove it." he looked to hajime, sat in between kindaichi and matsukawa. "any ideas, iwa?"

⠀"me?" the ace shot tooru a confused glance, an eyebrow cocked upwards as he watched the captain lean back in his chair. "why would you want to hear something from me?"

⠀"well, you and him are both aces. i figure if you think hard enough, there's something you could give us that could give us a shot against ushiwaka." he then laughed. "or is your brain not big enough to come up with such thoughts, dear iwa-chan?"

⠀you pressed your lips together as you watched the spiky-haired male visibly show his irritation towards the setter. the others hadn't bothered to say anything, either too busy eating or just caught up with the tension. maybe even a little bit of both. since there was nothing you could do, you tried to mainly focus on your own lunch, but the discussion was becoming too interesting to ignore.

⠀"what even is there to know about ushijima?" iwaizumi placed a hand on the back of his own neck, letting out a sigh as he shrugged lightly. "he's a crazy powerful guy, if that wasn't obvious enough. the main problem is stopping his hits, nothing technical. if we strengthen our defenses we may just have a better shot at beating shiratorizawa. we know they rely on him to rack up the points when they're in a pinch; and he damn well delivers."

⠀tooru clenched his jaw when hajime finished speaking, the gears spinning in his brain as he tried to figure out a way to better their chances. what the ace said was far from incorrect. the playoffs were in two days; it wasn't like they could practice enough in such a short time to surpass the defense levels of date tech, but it was worth a shot, wasn't it?

⠀"you're too focused on shiratorizawa, oikawa." issei crossed his arms, earning a head whip from the captain. "don't invest all of your time on that school, just because you have a score to settle with one of the players. there are other schools, too."

⠀"like what?" oikawa scoffed at his comment, waving it off with his hand. "we've not had any trouble with other teams, so i'm not concerned about them. it's shiratorizawa that-"

⠀"karasuno put up a pretty good fight the last time you guys played them, you know."

⠀your mouth opened before you could even process what you were going to say, and before you could stop yourself, your voice had already laid itself out on the table. your mouth shut up completely as tooru turned his attention to you, his eyes growing agitated that you even mentioned that school.

⠀"karasuno? karasuno?" he spat out, his head fully facing in your direction as his sharp brown eyes narrowed, almost intimidatingly. "don't make me laugh. what they pulled the last time we played them was nothing but a fluke. their strongest weapon is that quick attack that tobio and shrimpy have. and from what happened last game," he sneered, "they won't be much of a problem."

⠀"but they're practicing too, tooru." you've heard of karasuno before, the wingless crows. from what you witnessed at the interhighs, however, their current team could not be referred to such a title anymore. their first years were a force to be reckoned with - even an idiot could see that. "obviously they're not going to be better than our team, but it doesn't hurt to be wary of them, right?"

⠀"y/n." tooru was clearly getting annoyed with you, but you ignored that dropping feeling in your stomach. "we know karasuno has tricks up their sleeve, but it's nothing we can't handle. they have their strengths, and we have ours. it just so happens that our strengths are more superior to theirs." he poked your nose with his index finger before continuing. "believe me, my darling, they are not a threat. they can only pull so many tricks up their sleeve, and all we have to do is stuff each of them, one by one."

⠀the first and second years appeared mildly concerned as oikawa lectured you for your measly suggestion, yahaba and watari giving each other side glances. mattsun and makki were sharing the same looks, but they didn't dare interrupt the captain, for fear that they, too, would get the same treatment.

⠀there was no winning against tooru.

⠀"sorry, tooru." you muttered, looking down at your lap, giving up whatever reason left.

⠀you felt an arm wrap around your shoulders, looking up slightly as your boyfriend pulled you closer to his chest, giving you a side hug - since both of you were still sitting in chairs. he didn't look happy, but his irritation had lessened. "just leave the volleyball stuff to me, y/n. alright? just be our cute little manager, and we'll go from there."

⠀"sure, tooru." even with the lack of enthusiasm, your head instinctively rested against his chest, taking a deep breath and quietly listening to his heartbeat. your ears blocked out whatever tooru said to the others after that, since you surely didn't have a reason to listen in.

⠀still, that sinking feeling in your stomach refused to go away.

[klaineaddictsfanficrecs]

Fic Name: Light Up the Sky

Fic Author(s): Misscriss2012

Fic Summary: AU. Kurt and Blaine meet on the Fourth of July.

Part of the Klaine Summer Fic Challenge on Tumblr. Prompts filled: Fireworks, Pool, Picnic, Biking, Boardwalk, Beach, Concert, Camping

Fic Trope(s): Blind Blaine, Summer Klaine, Age Gap Klaine

Fic Length (Word Count): 70,853 words

Fic Rating: Mature

Fic Warnings or Triggers: Age Gap (Blaine is 17 and Kurt is 27- Everything is consensual and has parental approval.)

Fic Status: Complete

My Review:

I'm going to address the elephant in the room first, and address my warning. Usually, I do not read age gap fics where one of them is underage. However, the age of consent in Ohio is 16, and it's 17 in New York (the two states where the story takes place), and everything is consensual. They also have parental approval. This is something that is personal for me because my husband and I have a 6 year age gap, and because of the laws in my state, if we would've had sex before I was 18, even if I consented, it could've been considered statutory rape. My mom actually brought this up (and I threw it back to her that we were not sexually active until we were married after I turned 18.) I know that laws vary, especially in the states, so I wanted to make sure that I address this. I am in no way condoning or criticizing the relationship in this story. However, I have to address it because I know a few people that read this fic may be teenagers. This is a work of fiction, and as I said, everything is consensual, and the parents are aware that the relationship becomes sexual, and they approve of it. Okay, that is all on this topic.

About this story, this is the first fic that I read by this author, and I absolutely fell in love with her work. I subscribed to it as she was publishing, and I eagerly awaited updates because it is so well written. There are so many reasons that I love this fic, so I'm just going to mention a few of them.

First and foremost, Blaine is precious. Even though he's blind and is unhappy with his life at the beginning of the story (his parents are extremely overprotective at first), he has an amazing sense of humor and an adventurous spirit. He hates being treated differently because of his disability, but he also has to overcome a lot of challenges because of it, especially since he hasn't always been blind. In addition, because of his parents' overprotective nature, he has to get used to doing things for himself. I have to say that I love how the other characters encourage and support him in this.

I love Kurt in this because of the way he supports Blaine. I won't say that he doesn't screw up in this fic because he makes more than one major mistakes as he is learning to adjust to being in a relationship with a blind man. But what I love about him is that he doesn't write Blaine off because of his disability, and he supports him completely.

I have to say that I love both Kurt's and Blaine's families in this, especially the fathers. Burt is just an incredible dad (in canon and in this story, and Marcus Anderson (Blaine's father.) is amazing. I was worried at first because Blaine's parents seem to ignore the fact that he's gay, and I feared that his parents would be homophobic. Fortunately, they both become supportive of their son. But it's Marcus that I deeply respect in this story because he realizes his mistakes with his son and works to rectify them, and then helping his wife realize that they have to stop treating him like a child. I also have to give props to Kurt and Burt for that though because they point this out, and Marcus realizes that they are right.

Another thing that I love about this story is that the author's versions of Kurt and Blaine are flawed (as any person is) and she treats them like people. This isn't written as a fairy tale (although it ends beautifully), and that's what I love about it. Oftentimes, I read fics where I'm completely aware that people don't act or talk like that in real life. However, I feel like I'm a fly on the wall watching this story play out because it feels so real. It's not overly dramatic. It just feels authentic.

I feel it's important to discuss Blaine's disability, and the way all of the characters handle it, (Even though they didn't all handle it well at first). I feel like I can completely relate because I have a child with a disability (both my child and I have Asperger's) and I work with students who have disabilities (ranging from autism, cerebral palsy, and blindness. Most of the time, people with disabilities want to be treated with empathy, not sympathy. I really love how the author really addresses this by telling this story from multiple perspectives, specifically Blaine's. I just want to hug the author for really addressing these issues, and I love that by the end of the fic, Blaine is confident and happy, and his family and loved ones are so supportive. It's just beautiful. This story makes me cry like a baby every time that I read it.

This might be my longest review yet, and I could say so much more. However, I think it's best to just let you see for yourself how beautiful this fic really is. So, go on. Just have a box of tissues handy.

Fic Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7327432/chapters/16644001