#While I Was Working. even after i had requested it be extinguished because i was getting a migraine. fuck them lol)

[supercantaloupe]

I was just googling around to see if there's any perfumes that smell like artificial cherry bc 1. I've been wanting to be a Perfume Person for a while now. Like get into wearing scents and stuff. & 2. I used my dry shampoo that smells like cherries and I love it so much... Anyways ppl online were saying that if you want artificial cherry smell you're probably better off with body spray, so I looked that up and it's a lot cheaper? So like, jackpot for me! Now I'm contemplating buying some 🍒

Question for you: Do you wear perfumes/etc? And even if not, what's a smell you really like?

i don't wear perfumes or generally use scented body products, i both have shitty sensitive skin and am easily prone to headaches, so i tend to avoid strong scents and skin contact with fragrances when i can because they can be a migraine and/or skin rash trigger for me :( like i'll use a lightly scented deodorant on my underarms but other than that i don't use any products on my skin or clothes or hair or whatever for the purpose of Scent. i'll occasionally light a scented candle in my apartment if like i just took the trash out and it's a little smelly but i don't burn it for very long otherwise i give myself a headache. i've been very slowly burning through an apple scented candle from trader joes for like a year and a half at this point lol

i do enjoy a good scent though...the kind of artificial fragrances added to candles and perfumes and stuff are too strong for me but i love a good natural scent. the inside of a bakery/cafe is a great smell. all that pastry crust and ground coffee. baking smells are almost always amazing tbh just like baking bread or muffins or cookies, top tier scents. warming winter spices like cinnamon and clove are wonderful, and especially cardamom, i love the fragrance of cardamom so much i always throw a few pods into my hot cocoa. and roasting chicken. smells like home!!

[ask meme]

[ghoulsbounty]

hi i heavily request something where the reader and the ghoul(cooper) are travelling together and it’s night time, they’re outside trying to get some sleep. the reader is sleeping beside cooper but they get cold and they subconsciously move towards him and grab him, laying on his chest. HOW WOULD HE REACT? 🫶

Until Tomorrow

Cooper Howard (The Ghoul) x Bounty!Reader 

Warnings: sliiiiight mentions of smut (18+), alluding to masturbation, a bit of angst, mentions of canon-typical violence/torture, control, small mention of barb if you squint, mention of sex work (not reader), Cooper is mean.

Word Count: 1.2K

A/N: This is just a little ficlet that I've left open ended in case anyone would like a part two. I didn't want to go full-guns blazing into a smut fic since you didn't specify, but I am more than willing to do so, Anon 🫡 I’d love to know what you all think to this, and feel free to send me more requests 💌

👉Read part two HERE👈

"What are you up to?" the Ghoul's voice pierced the eerie night, sharp and accusing. The darkness shrouded the makeshift camp, the bitter wind cutting through with relentless force. His eyes narrowed as he watched you approach, tension thick between you.

You dropped to your knees, wrists sore from the tight bindings he had reluctantly removed. The sand greeted you with a thud as you settled beside him, maintaining a cautious distance. You needed warmth, but you couldn't get complacent with your captor.

"It's freezing," you stated matter-of-factly, shifting against the sand to carve out a somewhat comfortable spot, however impossible. "You let the fire die."

The Ghoul glanced towards the extinguished campfire, a thin wisp of smoke rising lazily into the frigid night sky. The remnants of charred wood and ash lay scattered around it, the faint scent clinging to his clothes as he reclined against the dunes.

"I can start it up again," he offered, a sardonic smile playing on his lips. "If you fancy being deathclaw chow."

Your gaze widened as you glanced into the expanding darkness, the absence of the fire amplifying the encroaching shadows. Terrifying howls and snarls reverberated from the depths, prompting a chilling question: were the creatures lurking out there truly more fearsome than the man holding you captive? The notion of a swift demise by claws and teeth seemed almost preferable to the prolonged torment of captivity. While the Ghoul might not be the one to end your life, delivering you to the cartel as he had pledged would render him just as culpable. In that sense, he might as well be the one to pull the trigger himself.

After your first escape attempt, the Ghoul's demeanour turned even harsher, though the dehydration was a greater torture than any physical aggression. He justified his restraint, explaining that he refrained from inflicting worse harm only because you were required in perfect condition, and he took pride in fulfilling his bounties meticulously. However, his rationale did little to mitigate his rough treatment. To him, a few small bruises and the sting of restraints were acceptable, especially considering your spirited defiance.

But in the span of a few weeks, that defiance began to wane, and resignation crept in. You felt like a sacrificial lamb, resigned to its fate, being led to the inevitable slaughter.

"I'll take that as a no," he remarked, snapping you out of your reverie as he shifted beside you. Even he seemed affected by the cold, evident from how he huddled in his duster, arms crossed tightly over his chest in an attempt to retain warmth. You couldn't help but envy his layers, wishing for more of your own as you wrapped you arms around your torso. 

You maintained silence, willing yourself to sleep as you turned away from him. Any further interaction felt uncomfortably intimate.

Cooper listened to the sound of your ragged breaths battling against the cold, your body trembling beside him. The wind was particularly brutal, the kind he would normally seek refuge from in an abandoned building. However, your sluggish pace throughout the day had resulted in him setting up camp in the exposed wasteland, devoid of shelter or respite from the elements. Your punishment, he had said, for dragging your feet.

He could endure it; he had endured it countless times before and would do so again. But for you, he wasn't so sure. Despite your initial bite, you had turned into a meek little thing in the palm of his hand. A small, niggling part of him wondered if he had been too harsh, but survival instincts dictated otherwise. When an animal showed its teeth, you put it down—figuratively speaking, of course, he couldn't risk losing his bounty caps. 

This new approach seemed to have worked with you, perhaps a bit too well.

As you shifted beside him, turning to face him with closed eyes, Cooper felt like prey ensnared in the hunter's grasp, awaiting the next move. An uneasy panic gripped him at the sudden feeling of helplessness, but he willed his breath to steady. You released a deep sigh as you pressed your body against his side, and he stiffened at the unexpected closeness. Your arm draped across his abdomen, and a leg hitched and hooked around his thigh.

Cooper was nearly ready to question your apparent lack of brains when he noticed your breathing, deep and steady. His words died in his throat as he felt your arm tighten around him, drawing him closer to you like an anchor. It wasn't a conscious decision to seek him out; rather, a subconscious response to the biting cold, he reasoned. Yet, it did little to ease his discomfort as the warmth from your thighs spread over him, seeping into his core and igniting a sensation he hadn't yet entertained with you.

He found himself mesmerized, watching the rhythmic rise and fall of your chest, his gaze drifting to your parted lips as you released another sigh. Your nose pressed against his shoulder, and he could swear he felt the warmth of your breath through the layers of fabric, igniting the burnt skin beneath.

This wasn't real, not to you, and certainly not to him. By morning, he would carefully remove himself from your embrace, restoring the intended distance your unconscious mind had breached. You would remain oblivious, and only Cooper would bear the weight of knowing how his muscles longed to reach out to you, to touch you without the shadows of anger and conflict looming over them. He cursed the memory from a distant life that surfaced in his mind—a loving touch beneath soft sheets, a foolish adoration for a lover turned stranger.

His fingers twitched, restrained by the firm crossing of his arms over his chest. If he could just maintain this position, he could endure the night. If he could ignore the sensation of your leg tightening around his thigh, your knee brushing against his growing arousal, he could make it through. He chastised himself inwardly for his weakness. He should push you away, keep you bound and isolated from him, be indifferent to whatever dangers might befall you because it would have been your own fault. But Cooper needed those caps. If he could just survive the remainder of this journey with you and keep his sanity intact, he promised himself a visit to the next inn, where he could seek solace in the comforting touch of those who were more than willing to accept a ghoul's money.

Still, he didn't expect anything to compare to the softness of your breasts pressed against his side. Something snapped within him at the sensation, a jolt of electricity coursing through his body. The wild thought crossed his mind that perhaps you were warming to him, not just seeking warmth for yourself. He had broken you, after all, hadn't he? Or at least, he was on his way to doing so. He couldn't help but wonder: if he woke you, would you pull away or press yourself closer?

A foolish thought, but one that haunted him nonetheless.

He lay in silence, listening to the rhythm of your breath as he stared up at the stars. Waking you wasn't an option; he wouldn't risk the inevitable panic and distress of you finding yourself half-straddling the monster who had stolen your freedom. He would let you sleep, indulging in the fantasy that you felt something other than contempt for him as he waited for the sun to rise. Until then, he justified to himself as his hand slipped from its restraint under his arm and found the buckle of his belt, it would be a shame for a solitary man not to indulge.

[dragonridernoobie]

Hey I've been stalking your page for a while because the transformers and undertale stuff you do are immaculate and very pleasing and I've been thinking quite a lot about Megatron so I'm here to request some Megatron (and possibly some soundwave and shockwave)with a male Predacon reader the kind of similar to perking (if that's how I say his name right) but they're like very old and they somehow survived the great cataclysm that extinguished all the Sparks of Predacons and basically they became a gladiator and met Megatron and stuff like that thank you hope you have a great day and make sure to eat and drink as much water and food and hope you have some good sleep =]

Will do, also welcome to the page, you are always welcomed! Thank you for liking my work to, it makes me worried people don't like it when people don't reqest. So don't hesitate to request or ask anything! So I will try my best for you're reqest! Have fun reading!!!

TFP Decpticons X Prediction Reader

(Not my art)

^^^YOU^^^^

Megatron

Megatron met reader when was still in the pits of Kaon

When he was a gladiator, Reader would have challenged him when he kept beating everyone that challenged him.

Megatron would have been cock but realized real fast how strong a pute predicon was.

In this, though, he wouldn't know reader is a predicon since reader would be in her cybertronian form.

Once he got his aft handed to him, reader would spare him, since they felt petty for him.

Years later, I think megatron would find reader again when reader has a cybertronian artifact and my god. Thus dude would be pissed.

He would remmber how reader kicked his aft and hurt his pride.

For once, he would forget about the autobots and attack reader..............he got his aft beaten again.

After his pride was hurt again, he would do 2 things. Depends on his moods.

1. He would ask reader to join him only if he realized reader was a predicon.

2. He would a little bit better if he finds reader was a prediction but wouldn't even dare to invite them to the decpticons. Dosent want somone on the team that could beat him.

Soundwave

I think Soundwave would meet you when he went to go fetch an artifact.

He would go to a frozen lake and brake the lake to go underneth the ice.

When he finds the artifact, he also finds a predicon wrapped around the artifact.

Soundwave would do his mission first and try to take the artifact but when he tries, the predicon would wake up.

I can see him being hit and thrown around for the first time by the predicon.

Once he is above the water, he tries to open groundbridges to get rid of the predicon.

When all else fails, he tries to fight the predicon but when it's too much, he would flee.

He would show megatron the recording he got of the predicon to show he had a good reason why he failed.

Megatron would understand, and tell his old friend to get some rest.

Rip you. The whole decpticon army is after you.

If you get cought and taken by the decpticons. Soundwave would actually try to get you free.

You earned his respect.

Shockwave

Shockwave would have met you while on cybertron.

While he was stuck on cybertron, he would start the process to collect fossilized predicon parts.

That's when he met you. You cought him stealing some of you're brother and sisters dead remains and attacked him.

He was surpised a predicon was still alive but it won't stop him from his mission.

For once, Shockwave met somone more stronger then him and Megatron.

I can see you and Shockwave forever in a battle. You attack him on sight and he keeps trying to come and steal parts.

I think this would go on for a while intel he asked for a truce and told you that he can bring back you're species.

You're choice but if you accept that and let him take you're family remains, you where with him every step of the way when he made predaking.

If you don't, you try to kill him, which is very understandable.

I can see him somehow getting away with a peice and finally starts to work on predaking.

Once predaking was made and the story continues, you would take predaking underneth you're wings when he comes to cyberton.

Teatch him you're species ways and how predicons survived.

[steddieas-shegoes]

Request: Hellfire night is happening post spring break from hell, it's at the apartment of Steve & Eddie. Steve has an intense migraine & chronic pain flare ups. He can barely make it through the door. Eddie has to bring Steve but Steve is in pain and wants to stay close to Eddie. So they play dnd with Steve essentially curled up on the couch near Eddie.

MY DARLING!!!! STEVE SUFFERING TIME!!! I know I shouldn't make him suffer so much, but it's just that he's so easy to make suffer. But this one is so so soft, and so comforting. Steve is loved so much, it makes the hurt not so hurt-y. As a migraine sufferer myself, there are times when I genuinely consider just laying on the floor and hoping I pass out so I don't have to feel it anymore. I do base a lot of Steve's experiences off of my own (though mine is less head trauma and more genetics), but I hope other people can see themselves in it and get some comfort, too. I also used a new little cute term of endearment inspired by one of my favorite regular customers at my last job who called his wife of 64 years sweet love from the day they met, even when he was talking to other people about her. - Mickala ❤️

---------------------------------------------

If he’d gotten his shift covered at work today, he probably wouldn’t be in so much fucking pain.

But he needed the money, and when he first woke up, the pain wasn’t that bad. He’d had worse.

After hours of customers asking him to reach the top shelf, screaming babies and children not getting the ice cream or candy they wanted, and a few too many old men complaining about the prices of bread, Steve’s headache escalated from minor pain to unbearable, and had spread throughout his body.

He’d gotten somewhat used to the aches he sometimes woke up with, the throbbing pains in his joints when he spent too long on his feet or tried to do too much exercising. Some days were less tolerable than others, but today was the worst he’d had in a while.

Every breath stung, his lungs pushing against his ribs, his ribs pushing against his skin, his skin on fire.

And when he arrived at his apartment, he knew it was about to get worse.

He could hear Eddie, his booming voice painting a picture for all of Hellfire. He didn’t need to see him to know he was probably standing on his chair or, more dramatically, the table.

Any other time, Steve would be endeared, would walk in and say hi to everyone, give Eddie a kiss on the cheek before he made his way to the shower and then make snacks for the group.

Tonight, though, Steve didn’t even know if he could make it past the couch.

Or to it, for that matter.

Maybe he could just use the rug at the door as a pillow for the night. Everyone could step over him as they left, or maybe they could all just stay the night so he wouldn’t get woken up.

He was shaking with the effort to make it through the door, the key missing the lock the first couple of tries because his hands kept wobbling.

Eventually, he got inside.

He leaned back against the door, his body screaming at him to be horizontal instead of vertical. He let out a groan, which hurt more than he planned.

The dining room area got quiet.

“Stevie? That you?” Eddie’s voice sounded concerned, even without seeing his face to confirm.

He couldn’t answer. It hurt to even think about answering.

He let his eyes close, the pain in his head dulling for just a moment with the light from the living area being extinguished. It wasn’t even that bright, just one lamp in the corner and one on the table by the couch, but it still felt blinding when he opened his eyes again.

Eddie was standing in front of him now, hands reaching towards him but hesitating to actually touch.

“What’s hurting, sweet love?”

All Steve could do was let out a small whimper, and even that was more pain than it was worth.

“Everything?” Eddie whispered, getting closer, but still not touching. Steve could almost feel the heat coming off of Eddie’s constantly too-hot skin.

“Mm.”

“Alright, you wanna go to the couch?”

Yeah, he did, but he didn’t think he could make it. But as always, Eddie read his mind.

“I’ll carry you if it’s okay to lift you,” he suggested quietly.

“Mm.”

“Okay, assuming that’s a yes,” Eddie responded at the same volume as before, though Steve knew he was smirking, could hear the way his mouth was curled up at the corner, amused.

Before Steve could even try to form a response, Eddie’s arms were under his legs and back, lifting him up and cradling him against his front.

Pain shot through his entire body, but he bit his lip so he wouldn’t make a noise. He didn’t want Eddie to feel bad about something outside of their control.

“‘S okay, angel. Let it out.”

He let out another whimper, louder than the last. He heard footsteps coming into the room and assumed everyone here for Hellfire had decided to check in.

He opened one eye, but immediately regretted it, inhaling sharply as he squeezed his eyes shut again.

“Can someone shut off the lamps?” Eddie asked as he managed to set Steve down slowly, gently on the couch.

Eddie’s fingers were barely brushing along his forehead, moving his hair away from his face with the lightest possible touch.

Steve felt a tiny bit of relief from laying down, though his head decided to start pulsing as it lay flat against the cushion.

“Lap?” Steve asked, forgetting for a moment what he’d walked home to: the weekly D&D campaign.

Eddie needed to be a DM for them, he couldn’t sit out here with Steve.

“Alright, everyone grab the stuff, we’re using the coffee table. I don’t need my notes or screen so leave it, and so help me, if I suspect any of you looked at them, I will kill you all in a trap,” Eddie said from the floor next to Steve.

Steve could hear light footsteps moving out of the room and then Eddie’s whispers in his ear.

“Gonna lift your head for just a minute while I sit. Want you to turn so your face is looking at me, it’ll block out the light when we turn them back on. I can rub your shoulders and back that way too.”

Steve couldn’t really nod, but he tilted his head up just a bit to show he was okay with it, though they both knew it would be painful.

Eddie was fast though, didn’t want him to suffer a single second longer than he absolutely had to.

Before Steve could process the zing of pain through his head and neck, he was already situated as comfortably as possible on Eddie’s lap, face turned into his stomach.

One of Eddie’s hands gently cupped the back of his head, holding him steady so he could completely relax.

He did, or as much as he really could with the level of pain he was at.

“You take anything?” Eddie asked as his other hand started slowly rubbing his shoulder, just a light pressure to ease him into more touch.

“Mhm.”

He’d taken something at lunch, and then again when he got off of work and didn’t think he’d be able to drive home without something in his system.

It seemed like it was actually kicking in now, though that could also be Eddie’s practiced attention to all the worst areas of pain.

The kids were slowly coming into the room, Steve could hear them setting things on the coffee table as quietly as possible, whispering amongst themselves.

It was suddenly extremely hot in the room, and Steve knew that was just part of the crash as the medicine kicked in further. Normally, he was alone or only with Eddie, and could strip and lay on cool sheets with a fan blowing on him, but he couldn’t with the kids here.

He knew if he asked, they would go. They were good kids, and they’d understand, and Eddie could reschedule for the next day since he was off.

But he didn’t want them to have to rearrange everything because of him, not when Eddie was so excited about a new character introduction for tonight.

“Alright guys, gonna have to keep it to a whisper,” Eddie said, the rise and fall of his stomach as he breathed lulling Steve into a calm state, though not quite sleeping.

Eddie continued to run the campaign, everyone being as quiet as possible, only Dustin having to be reminded once to keep his voice down when he got a bit overexcited about getting past the guards surrounding the water they had to dive in to get to some kind of map.

It was all very complicated to Steve, and he couldn’t keep on a good day.

Eddie’s hands rested on his body the entire time, slowly rubbing circles into any part they could reach, fingers running slowly through his hair.

Steve drifted at some point, and when he woke up, the room was pitch black and Eddie’s hands had stilled, resting on his arm and head.

Steve blinked up at him, moving his head only enough to squint up at Eddie’s face.

He was passed out, mouth wide open, head leaned back along the back of the couch.

He had no idea what time it was, or how long they’d been like this, but he wasn’t going to wake him up.

He noticed the pain in his head had dulled to just the occasional sharp pinch in his forehead and most of his joints seemed like he could move them without wanting to crumble to the ground.

He slowly rolled onto his back, but Eddie let out a loud snore and immediately opened his eyes when he felt the movement.

“You okay?” He rasped.

“Better,” Steve smiled up at him, reaching a hand up to cup his cheek. “Thanks for taking care of me, baby.”

“Anytime, sweet love. You wanna move to the bed?”

“Can we take a bath first?”

Eddie looked over at the clock.

“It’s past midnight, are you sure?”

“Yeah. Just wanna relax in a bath with you for a bit.”

Eddie leaned down to kiss him.

Sometimes he did that; Just kissed him instead of using words to reply, showing him instead of telling him in the best way.

These kisses were different from his other kisses. They were softer, less hungry, loving in a way that Steve didn’t think words could even say.

“Let’s go relax in the bath, then.”

“Did the game go okay?” Steve asked as he slowly sat up.

“Yeah. Kids were worried about you.”

“I’m okay. You told them I’m okay, right?”

“I told them you’d be okay. They just love you,” Eddie said, standing up and stretching his arms above his head.

“I love them, too.”

“You’re kind of our north star, Stevie.”

“Oh?”

“Mhm. We’re a bit lost without you. That’s why it’s hard to see you hurting like that. Not just for me, but for all of us.”

“I’m fine now.”

Eddie didn’t respond, left a kiss on his forehead, and started walking towards their bathroom.

“Come be fine in the bath with me!” He said over his shoulder.

Steve obliged. He’d be fine anywhere as long as Eddie was there to take care of him.

[lookingformoondrop]

FINALLY SOMEONE WHO WRITES FOR THE COFFIN OF ANDY AND LEYLEY!!!!! THANK YOU <33333

Gonna ask some relationship hc w leyley!! It could be yandere if you like (I mean she is one already but-yk)

Ashley Graves X gn!reader - Relationship Headcannons

TW: Ashley is manipulative, she's a red flag but I'm colorblind, everyone has a foul mouth, mentions of cheating and kissing, Ashley is very emotionally dependent.

♥︎ Notes: I thought about making Ashley a yandere, but then I reflected on what Anon said and thought... they're right, LOL. I'm always happy to supply content for TCOAAL, and I really appreciate everyone who takes the time to request! I hope these meet your expectations. <3♥︎

Ashley Graves is impulsive, stubborn, cleverly stupid, and a pain in the ass.

If I had to describe dating Ashley I'd say it's like riding a roller coaster but never knowing when it'll drop.

When you first met her, you were blinded by her beauty (her tits) and decided to walk up to her for a number.

She was flustered that someone was interested in her, sure she's had people walk up to her before, but it was because they were always more interested in her brother than her.

But once she realized you were in it for her, she never let you go again.

It started with frequent house visits. She'd sleep over without asking, and just like a stray-cat that cuddles up to you, you couldn't say no.

She'd try to cook you for you! Every morning where she aserted herself into your day, you'd wake up to the wonderful smell of burning shit. When you went to your kitchen with a loving fire extinguisher in your hands, you'd see she was cooking eggs and some unidentified meat.

You'd walk up behind her and kiss the nape of her neck, never telling her you're only doing this because her hair smells like cherries and if you don't you're pretty sure you'll pass out from the smoke.

"Y/N, why is there a fire extinguisher in your hands?"

"Early Christmas."

"Liar."

Dates were fun, too! Even though you'd organize the actual dates like eating out, going to amusement parsl, carnivals, and the like, her dates would be along the lines of staying at home and cuddling. You might call it boring, but to Ashley, a perfect date would be where you're both left alone with only eachother to give company.

No one, and I mean NO ONE, would be able to see her precious Y/N except her.

And not that you minded anyways, you enjoyed spending time with Ashley, even if half that time was her being exhausting.

Speaking of which, exhausting, you ask? How is little ol' Ashley exhausting?

Be it a nice co-worker, a pleasant stranger, a funny waiter, or even that woman who works at the deli that gives you that cheap vegan processed ham with bacon bits, Ashley hated the fact you even acknowledged them.

It often became her favorite topic to annoy you with.

While cuddling on the couch (iykyk), Ashley began to look at you with intense eyes. You knew what these eyes meant. It was a warning sign that she was about to ask you something that could potentially piss you off. Of course, she didn't care about that part, all you needed to know was she was going to ask and you'd better be honest.

"N/M, do you love me?"

"Sure I do, you're my girlfriend after all."

Ashley wrapped her arms around your neck a little tighter, "So then," her face darkened, "would you ever cheat on me?"

You sighed, this line of questioning was becoming less and less of the 'would you love me if I was a worm' deal and more of the 'whose that bitch you were talking to' deal.

"No, Ashley, I wouldn't. Why would you feel the need to ask me that?"

Ashley raised her head from your chest and opened her mouth, her final statement ready to fire,

"So then why do you still look at other people if you would never cheat?" Her eyes narrowed on you.

You groaned and rubbed your temples, "Jesus Ashley, now I can't even have simple eye contact with people?"

She blew a breath of annoyance, "why would you even make eye contact?! I'm the only one you should be looking at, N/M!"

You went to push Ashley off of you, already sick of her shit.

"No! Do you even still love me?! All you do is go to work, go to school, hang out with your stupid friends, and ignore me!"

"I'm not doing this with you AGAIN, Ashley! Just because I know or talk to other people does not mean I'm screwing them! Jesus Ashley, you would think we'd be over this by now..."

Ashley pouted and blinked the tears in her eyes away, "...fine. leave me then, see if I care."

She sits up and goes to the opposite end of the couch.

"You're sitting on my feet, Ashley."

Ashley turned her head away and ignored you.

You hated it when she got her way, but you also couldn't stand to see her so upset. After all, she was only upset because she missed you.

Sighing with defeat you said softly, "I'm sorry I don't pay enough attention to you, Leyley. Life distracts me sometimes, but that doesn't mean I don't still love you. This weekend I'll cancel with my friends and we can go on a date. "

She hummed, "id rather we stay in and watch a movie."

"Which movie?" You coax your girlfriend for a smile,

"...Hypergore Splatterbrains 4," She looked at you and grinned.

"There's my pretty girl," you wrapped an arm around her waist, "alright, you happy now? Will you stop bitching about people in my life who I will NEVER cheat on you with?"

She brought a finger to her bottom lip, "Nah, maybe a kiss will convince me?"

She looked at you with a devious smirk, you sighed. "Cmere you," Ashley giggled and jumped on top of you, sharing a loving kiss.

Yeah, Ashley is exhausting.

But in a way, you're happy she's yours. You couldn't be happier, even if her cooking skills are shit, she's a tad bit possessive, and she leaves passive aggressive notes in your lunchbox when you go to work.

You love her either way.

"Hey N/M?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you love me?"

You sighed with content and wrapped your arms around her waist, "Yes Leyley, I love you. Do you love me?"

Ashley laid her head on your chest, listening to your heartbeat,

"I love you, N/M~"

Thank you for the ask!<3

[nebbyy]

 Leo Valdez x Child of Aphrodite!reader

A/N: I haven’t got much to say this time, just a reminder that requests are open and will remain this way for some weeks at the very least:))

Warning: absolutely none (maybe some swearing? But like, two bad words), just pure fluff. Also, reader uses female pronouns

It was kind of against your destiny to fall in love: Aphrodite is bound to never return Hephaestus’ love, so that they’re stuck in a loveless marriage. With the two of you, it’s the total opposite

The exact same MOMENT you see the boy in camp, disheveled look, face covered in machine oil and dust, you’re, absolutely smitten

It’s the classical “she fell first, he fell harder” type of trope

He notices you pretty early on too, but he doesn’t even try to approach you at first

I mean, no way that the prettiest child of Aphrodite could ever even look into his direction, you’re wayyyy over his league

It takes Piper’s help to start things up, when she accidentally stumbles upon Leo while she was taking a walk around camp. “Oh how rude of me. Y/N, this is my best friend, Leo”

It would be embarrassing to write down just how much he’s stumbled on his words the first time the two of you talked, just because of how he was absolutely captured by your godly beauty

He comes to find that you’re also a lot more than you’re looks: you’re funny, smart, clever, strong as fuck, and one of the best friends Leo has ever known

It doesn’t take long for him to realize that he’s completely and irrevocably in love with you, but oh boy how long does it take him to confess it to you

He had prepared this big, fancy plan to take you by the beach, with candles all around, a circle of rose petals and in the center of it a picnic filled with all of your favorite foods waiting to be devoured

Too bad he didn’t check the weather that morning, or he would’ve seen that a storm was expected right on that evening. He might’ve asked for Percy’s or Jason’s help too, maybe they could’ve done some big-god shit to prevent the rain

Nevertheless, you both found yourself soaked wet, standing by a line of extinguished candles, the petals long gone with the wind, and the food watered down to a soup

He wanted to drown himself in the sea right then and there, but he was quickly stopped by your laugh coming from behind him

Oh gods, where you making fun of him? Did you figure out what his intentions were? It must’ve been it, I mean, how could you ever want to have anything to do with him other than simple friendship, he’s been so stupid so reckles-

His track of thoughts was interrupted by your hands grabbing the collar of his shirt and pulling him in for a loving kiss, your skilled lips so soft and comforting against his much inexperienced ones

“You could’ve just told me you liked me at Camp, you know.”

“Wait, was it that simple?”

You laughed again shaking your head at his cluelessness, and he swore the sound of your laugh could’ve been the only thing he needed to live from that moment on

Okay no maybe food too, but you get the idea

You spend most of the time chilling in cabin 9 while he works on his projects, chilling in his bed or peaking at what he was doing

He definitely calls you dove for obvious reasons

Best believe that as soon as you guys are a thing all his flirting with every girl that moves is OVER my boy does not come from the streets he’s a loyal mf

After the curfew you usually sneak out to chill in some secluded area in the forest, and cuddle for hours in the moonlight

And whenever it rains, you waste no time to go at the beach and dance in the rain, reminiscing about the day you two got together

Oh, and get ready to see Leo as an emotional wreck anytime one of you is on a quest, when he’s unable to text you or hear anything from you for days or even WEEKS

He’s sure that’s worse than Prometheus’ destiny

Overall it’s like a golden retriever - siamese cat relationship, 10/10 would recommend

[agaypanic]

you should do a reese smut like your first time or something , don't have to go into explicit detail , I think he would be a good one to start off with

The First Time (Reese Wilkerson X Reader Smut)

Masterlist

Request Something!

Summary: For some reason, Reese gets trusted to be alone in the house. He uses this opportunity to take your relationship to the next level.

A/N: I don’t usually ask for feedback but since this is my first smut I’d really love to know what yall think. If it’s bad, I’m never attempting to write smut again lmao

CW: p in v intercourse, virginity loss, fingering

***

“You have the emergency contacts?”

“Yes.”

“You have the hotel’s phone number to reach us?”

“Yes.”

“You know where the fire extinguisher is?”

Reese rolled his eyes at the countless questions his mom listed as she sped around the house for last-minute things to put in her bag. She and Hal were going to a work conference for the weekend. Dewey was at a friend’s for a sleepover, Malcolm was at some overnight nerd fest with the rest of the Krelboynes, and Jamie was with the babysitter because although he took all those baby care classes, Reese still can’t be trusted to be alone with him.

This all meant that Reese would be alone in the house for more than 24 hours. It took a lot of convincing from Hal, but Lois finally decided it was time to trust him to not destroy their house too badly while they were away.

“Mom, you and Dad are gonna be late.” She whipped around and stared at him, like she was trying to get into his head. See what he was thinking, if he was even doing that. She stepped closer to her son.

“I don’t know what you’re planning. But just know that I will find out about it, so don’t even think about doing it. Whatever it is you’re gonna do.” Then after exchanging goodbyes with his parents and trying to get Lois out the door, Reese was finally alone in the house. He watched through the front kitchen window as they drove away before walking across the room to the phone. He dialed a number, looking around in the fridge for something to eat while he waited for the person on the other side to pick up.

“Everyone’s gone. Come over.”

***

“You’re positive your family is actually gone, and this isn’t some kind of test to see what you try to pull?” You asked Reese as you looked around the house, suspicious that this was all a trap. Hands landed on your waist, pulling you close to him.

“I checked every room and every closet. We’re the only ones here.” Reese kissed your head and then cut you off before you could respond. “Just relax.”

You sighed. It’s not that you didn’t like the Wilkerson family, far from it. It’s just that if Lois found out that Reese had you over without her permission when he was barely allowed to be in the house himself, she’d probably have your head.

“Fine.” You said reluctantly. “So, what do you wanna do first?”

“I could think of a few things.” You immediately recognized the tone in your boyfriend’s voice and pulled away from him. You wagged a finger in front of his face, backing away towards the kitchen.

“I don’t think so, you horndog.” You laughed at his offended expression. “How about lunch?”

After a delicious lunch, courtesy of your boyfriend, you two spent the rest of the day watching movies. You took turns picking them out, all horror movies. Well, your picks were horror movies for Reese, like Clueless, Pretty in Pink, and Legally Blonde. You thought he should broaden his taste in entertainment. You were about to watch one of Reese’s picks when Reese went on about Elle’s court scene.

“I’m just saying, Y/n. I’ve been to court enough times to know that that’s probably not how court works.”

“It’s a movie, Reese. That’d be like me saying this dude getting his eyes scooped out like ice cream isn’t realistic.”

“Of course, it’s not realistic. This is how you’d do it, you-”

“Oh, Jesus. Shut up, Reese.” You laughed, not wanting to hear Reese’s explanation.

“Make me.” There was a hint of seriousness in his tone, something you didn’t hear often coming from him. You looked at him with a raised brow, and he straightened up from his slouched sitting position.

“What?”

“I, um… You heard me.” You ignored the guy getting murdered on screen and scooted closer to Reese, leaning into him. 

“Say it again.” You whispered, so close to him but still feeling so far. You felt a hand on your back, pushing you closer to Reese.

“Make me.” You practically pounced on him, straddling his lap and kissing him like he was your life source. It was a clash of lips and teeth, hands gripping and pulling on anything they could reach. Your lips trailed away from his, and Reese was about to protest when you started nipping at his neck. He groaned loudly, and God, you’d do anything to hear that sound from him again. He moaned your name, hands slipping down to your hips and thighs. “So good.” He murmured, pulling you down on him, and your breath hitched as you grinded against him. You pulled away from his neck to look at him, panting. Suddenly aware that you were in his family’s living room watching a slasher film, you gulped.

“Maybe we should do this, uh, somewhere else?” You suggested, brushing away the hair that fell in your face. “I mean, unless you wanna stop, I don’t-” You cut yourself off with a yelp as you were practically thrown up in the air. Reese, wrapping your legs around his waist and holding you tight against him, sped off to his room. Even though he was lean, Reese was so strong. It was so hot, you almost made him stop in the middle of his stride so you could have him right here and now.

He shut the bedroom door with his foot and dropped you on his bed.

“You’re absolutely sure no one’s here?” You asked, sitting against his headboard. He crawled onto the bed until he was hovering over you, cupping the back of your neck.

“It’s just us here. Relax, Baby.”

“Make me.” He immediately went to the crook of your neck, acting like a vampire with the sucking and biting. You pulled at his hair, so glad that he didn’t find the time to gel it the way he usually does because running your hands through his soft frosted tips felt so lovely.

Reese trailed down to your chest, hands slipping up your shirt. You sat up enough for him to tug your shirt off, almost salivating at the sight that he’d never get sick of. Before he could try to litter you with kisses and hickies, he helped you pull his shirt off, and you almost moaned just from looking at him. Burying his head between your tits, he reached around your back and fiddled with your bra hooks.

“Reese, please.” You didn’t know what you were begging for. You just knew you wanted him to do something about the ache in your core that was for him. He smiled, lifting his head to look at you.

“Want me to make you feel good, Baby?” Jesus.

After a shy nod, he slipped a hand down past the waistband of your pants. A finger softly glided down before pressing against your clit through your panties. A second finger joined the other in circular motions while he watched you for a reaction. Your back arched, and you moaned, so Reese decided he was doing the right thing and kept going.

“What do you want, Y/n?” He asked, not stopping his movements. 

“Reese.” Was all you could say, too focused on the pleasure he was giving you.

“Come on, Baby, gotta hear you say it. What do you need?” If he didn’t have a hand down your pants right now, you might’ve been able to think straight. You took a deep breath.

“You.” It was quiet, and at first, you weren’t sure if he heard you or not.

“What?” He grinned, definitely hearing you. “Say that again for me.”

“Need you, Reese. Please.” You whined as he withdrew his hand, but he shushed you with a kiss. His hands worked to take up his pants, so you sat up so he wouldn’t fall on you from lack of support. Kicking them off, Reese then helped you with your pants, leaving you both in your underwear. You palmed his hard-on through his boxers, and he groaned in your ear, something you’d never get tired of hearing.

Reese scooted away from you just enough to reach under his bed into a box. He pulled out a condom and held it before you, catching his breath.

“Are you sure about this?” He asked, and you could’ve melted on the spot from his look of sincerity. You nodded, clasping your hands around his neck to kiss him.

“So sure.” You whispered against his lips before pulling back to see his face clearly. “You?”

“Fuck yes.” He kissed you once more before guiding you to lie on the bed. Your breath hitched as he kicked off his boxers, taking in the sight of him. Seeing him in all his glory just made you wetter. Reese rolled the condom on himself before hooking his finger on the sides of your panties, pulling them off gently but with a sense of urgency. He settled between your legs, and you moaned at his weight on you. “Ready?”

“Ready.” 

One hand interlocked with yours, holding them by your head. With the other, he guided himself to you. After one last look for reassurance, he slipped the tip in and buried himself inside you. You were a moaning mess, trapped in his arms underneath him while arching your back. He stayed still to give you time to adjust, but you needed more.

“Move.” You groaned, and he did as told. Starting slow, he thrusted in and out of you, still holding your hand while his other kept him up. Soon enough, Reese couldn’t control himself and started going faster, pounding into you with every bit of strength he had. You wrapped your legs around his waist, moving to meet his thrusts.

You started clenching around him, and he knew he wouldn’t last long if you kept it up. His hand left yours, going down to play with your clit. You whined from the pressure, clawing at Reese’s back as he thrust relentlessly.

“Reese.” It came out as a high-pitched moan. “Reese, Baby, I think I’m gonna… I’m…”

“You can do it, Baby.” He swiped loose strands of hair out of your face. “Come on, Y/n. Come for me.” His words, accompanied by his thrusts and the pressure on your clit sent you over the edge. The way you squeezed him pushed him over as well, and you soon became a mess of moans and limbs. 

He buried his face in your chest as you both caught your breath. Reese attempted to pull out, but you were still clenching around him, so he stayed put. You ran your fingers through his scalp as you looked up at the ceiling, all energy lost.

“So…” Reese cleared his throat, looking up at you. “How, um, how was that?” You gave a lazy smile at his sudden shyness.

“It was good, Reese.” You sat up just enough to kiss his head before collapsing back on his bed. “So good.”

Eventually, the two of you had to get up. You took a shower, and Reese put you in his clothes before setting you back on his bed, which was now covered in clean sheets. He left briefly and came back with a sandwich and water.

“Here.” He gave it to you, and when you noticed he didn’t have any food, he waved you off. “I’m fine, Baby. Now eat.” Ignoring him, you split the sandwich in half and gave him one of the pieces. He rolled his eyes but still kissed you in thanks before eating it, you following suit.

[ladylooch]

Begin Again - [Anthony Beauvillier]

A/N: First off, thank you for requesting someone new! It always pushes me as a writer and I love how detailed this request is! It helped guide me to this achey, beautiful love story below. Second, thank you to the answers and DMs I received to help me learn more about Tito! It helped me get a clear vision of him as a character. Could not have done this with out you! Third, this has been a long time coming! Thank you for your patience. I hope you love it!

Word Count: 2.7k

A white hot heat has settled into the crook of your elbow as you stand behind your soon to be sister-in-law. Your brother is tearfully saying his vows to her. You should be crying. You should be focused on the words he is promising to help him uphold in times of trouble. 

Instead, the leftover touch of Anthony Beauvillier haunts you.

How could you both have thought you could pretend to still be in love? Well, you weren’t pretending. But he was. The leaver. The “we need to talk” from three weeks ago. Those weren’t your words. The were his. And just like his touch, they haunt. In the middle of the night. When you’re on your way to work. When you picked him up from the airport and both agreed you would pretend to still be together. You both wanted your brother to be happy. Anthony is his childhood best friend and he’d kill Tito if he knew what had happened in New York three weeks ago. 

But what did happen? You were barely sure yourself.

All you knew is being with Anthony used to be so easy. Then it became unstable and lit on fire. Then it was at your feet in ruins before you could even grab the extinguisher to try to save it. Personally, you want to blame Lou Lamoriello. Isn’t it his fault for trading your ex boyfriend? Because everything was difficult after Anthony was traded. 

And when the season ended, those difficulties followed you around. What were you supposed to do? He didn’t seem to want you with him in Vancouver. Even when you visited, he was distant and distracted. This man that you once knew like your favorite shirt because a stranger. 

He pulled the plug. He asked for space. You gave it to him. He went back home. You stayed in New York in the apartment he had until September.

“You can stay as long as you need.” He had told you, not looking at your face because he couldn’t stand the tears glistening down your cheeks in the afternoon sun. 

“I don’t want to stay here.” You had bubbled through those tears. He nods.

“Until you get back from home then.” He gives a curt nod, licking his lips. “I’m here for a couple more days to tie up some things.” Like us? You can’t help but cry harder. “Mat said I could stay with him.” Your heart breaks all over again. Mat Barzal already knew? God, that makes it so real.

“You deserve so much better.” His heartbreaking whisper were the last words before he shut the door to leave.

But you didn’t want better. You wanted him.

Now here he was, standing across the other side of the aisle while your brother kissed his new bride. You come too, pulling your gaze away from Anthony to focus back on the love. You cheer with the rest of the crowd, then hand your new sister-in-law her gorgeous bouquet of white roses. Your smile is fake, you can feel it in the tight pinching of your cheeks. But it passes well enough.

You haven’t even recovered from his touch when you first walked down the aisle together, now his haunting is coming for your other arm. You smile, like you’re so sickeningly in love with each other. Anthony smiles back too. Only you notice it doesn’t reach his eyes. Then you turn back towards the aisle where the photographer is taking pictures.

You pray the tears in your eyes pass as happy as you walk by your parents. 

- - -

Without alcohol, this night would have gone to shit immediately after the ceremony. Your new sister-in-law greeted you with her first words being “You and Tito are next!” You swayed in her arms at the painful reality of how untrue that is going to be. Anthony heard it too and he reached out to you for a moment, squeezing your hand in acknowledgement. You had ripped your hand away, unable to stand his comfort when he was the one who did this to you.

But then your good friend vodka found it’s way into your cup. And you forgot. Anthony found beer. And the alcohol took the painful edge off everything. You started talking. You laughed together. You told embarrassing stories of your brother together. It felt like normal and you chased that buzz with drink after drink until you found yourself in the bathroom, looking at your drunk reflection.

What are you doing, you wonder to yourself.

You watch your teeth tuck your bottom lip into your mouth. You swallow shakily, reaching for your glass and downing the rest of your drink too.

This is going to hurt you in the morning. Are your inner thoughts about the alcohol or him? 

Either way, you brush those thoughts to the side. It feels so good to pretend, to step out of the crunching heartache even if it is only for a few hours. You get to live in this other world, the one you wish you still had, where it makes sense when he brushes his fingers along your shoulder with his hand draped across the back of your chair. You shiver now in the cool bathroom, like he’s right there with you still, touching you, soothing your broken heart temporarily.

Your heels clack against the tile as you leave the bathroom, coming face to face with Anthony. You pull in a deep breath that raises your shoulders. He smiles gently, then glances over his shoulder to see if anyone is around. You’re alone.

“Are you doing okay?” His face is sincere, concerned. You refuse to believe it is pity. 

“Yeah. Great!” You respond brightly. 

“Okay. Um, they are insisting on playing our song.” You freeze. “I tried to play it off, but your brother is not listening. They literally have the DJ ready for the second we walk in.” If you never heard "My Best Friend” by Tim McGraw ever again, it would be too soon. You’re not sure you can do this. “I’m so sorry. This was dumb.” He whispers, seeing the way your face shatters at the mere thought of dancing with him to this song with what you are now. The song you always knew would be your first dance song.

“Yeah, but we are committed.”

“Maybe we should just tell them. Stop the whole thing…” The last thing you want to do is have the stabbing pain of heartbreak return. So your drunken self pushes you right along to just go with it a little longer.

“No, let’s tell them tomorrow. Like we planned.” He nods, looking over his shoulder at the large event space that seemingly awaits for us. “What do you want to do?”

“Dance with you one more time.” You respond quietly. Your fingers meet his, lacing together in the way you always appreciated- with perfect weight and grip. Anthony stares back at you, his gorgeous blue eyes drinking in your beautiful face. You think, for a moment, that he might lean in towards your face. His free fingers come to tuck a stray curl behind your ear. Then he cups your cheek for a moment before leading you into the room. 

The gentle stroking of guitar strings greets you both immediately. You smile to your family who is eagerly watching your approach.

“I hope y’all aren’t going to make us dance alone.” You tease easily. Anthony looks at you in awe as he leads you into his body to begin to sway back and forth.

“You’re so good at this.”

“Being an NHL girlfriend meant a lot of pretending.” He nods, knowing all the ways you’ve stood by his side the last few years, even if it was difficult for you with the spotlight.

“I’m sorry about that.”

“You were always worth it.” You murmur, tears in your eyes. Anthony sees them, frowning deeper. He tugs you into his body, encouraging your head to rest against his. 

You feel every inch of his hand at the small of your back. Your eyes close as he uses it to pull you close. Then you both move together again like you have hundreds of times before. It’s almost like nothing is different. You lean your head into his, feeling the smoothness of his jaw against your temple. Your eyes closed as he sighs, turning his face into your hair. You can feel the inhale of him taking in your perfume. The one he picked out years ago on a shopping spree in New York. A lifetime ago now.

I fall in love all over every time I look at you

I don't know where I'd be without you here with me

Something about this song makes his touch different. It’s more consuming. His finger prints press deeper into the exposed skin of your back. You breathe in the scent of him, wanting to memorize this memory no matter how much it will hurt later. 

“Ant..” You murmur, feeling him shudder as he sucks in a deep breath. “Are you okay?”

“No. This all feels like a mistake.” He whispers back.

“I know. I miss you.” Your respond.

Life with you makes perfect sense, Tim McGraw sings as Anthony’s lips brush against your cheek. 

“You look so beautiful tonight. Took my breath away when I saw you earlier.” His hand presses you tighter more. You turn your face towards his. He makes the move, brushing his lips against yours, testing your acceptance. Your face crumples as you place your hand on his cheek.

“Kiss me like this is it.” He doesn’t hesitate, bringing your faces together again. Every stroke of his lips cracks any repair that’s been done to your heart. But fuck, it feels so worth it to have this with him. His tongue strokes against your bottom lip, then nudges between your teeth, melding with yours. 

“Baby.” He whispers, briefly pulling away for air. 

It feels so easy right now. Drunk on vodka and champagne with a room saturated by how easy it is to be in love when both people try. All the struggles, the distance, the ache, the impermeable walls are non-existent. So is the reality that he is no longer yours.

Because he doesn’t kiss you like it’s the last time. He kisses you like this it’s all beginning again.

“I’m leaving for Vancouver tomorrow. Come with me? I don’t want this to be it. I don’t want to give up on us. I want to try again. Harder. The way you deserve.” His nose rests to the side of yours. His fingertips press into the back of your head, ruining the remaining, lopsided curls. You can still taste the beer from his mouth in yours.

“How about you tell me that tomorrow morning? When it isn’t like this…” He sighs, stepping back, looking rejected. “And I’ll get on that plane with you.” You drunkenly agree. He looks down at your face, buzzed off beer, with slightly blood shot eyes. He closes his eyes as the song fades out. 

“Give it up for Y/N and Anthony!!! The next couple to get married!” The DJ bellows.

You and Anthony stare back at each other, unmoving and unable to pretend any more.

“You are right. When it isn’t like this… I will go.” He steps backwards. It feels familiar. You startle, feeling tears prick your eyes at his sudden retreat. The walls close in as he takes another step back. 

“Ant.” You sound desperate, choking. 

“It’s okay. I’m sorry for what I have done, mon amour. I’ll see you.” His fingers drop from yours as he turns.

You call out for him. But Anthony is already gone.

- - -

A knock on your hotel room door the next morning may as well be against your actual brain. You startle against the soft, white pillow case, looking down at the mascara residue left behind. Drunk you didn’t seem to care about taking all your make up off. Combine that with the tears you cried and the black, inky mess looks like a war zone. You rub at your face then slowly push the covers back. You assume it’s your mother coming to scold you for running off suddenly last night.

It’s not.

Outside, looking as delectable as ever, is Anthony. You stare at him through the peep hole, feeling frustrated and really hungover. He holds two iced coffees in his hand and a brown paper bag is pinched in the middle of his pinter and middle fingers. He raises his fist to knock again, but you open the door to stop him.

“Hi. You ready, beautiful?” 

“Is that a joke?” You mumble, squinting against the light of the hallway.

“No, we gotta get going. You may want to shower though.” His eyes stay locked on yours. You reach up, coming away with black flakes from under your eyes.

“I’m not going anywhere with you.” You hiss at him, despite your pounding head and thick, dry tongue.

“But you said-“

“Anthony.” You grumble. “My mouth feels like a cotton ball. My head hurts so fucking bad I wanna rip it off. And you walked out last night without any explanation! I don’t care what I said when I was drunk off my 11th vodka soda of the night. You left. Again!” 

“Yeah, I left, so I could sober up and do this.” He gestures to him outside the room. Then he hands you a cup of coffee and a croissant. “You know the best croissants go early here. I was waiting outside at 6 am for this.” He points to the logo for The Patisserie, your favorite place in your hometown. “I meant what I said last night. I don’t want this to be it. I want you to come with me today. I’m so sorry about how things ended and what I did to us, babe. I love you so much. It was never about that. It just got so hard; I was so lost, felt like I had lost everything I knew. I didn’t know what to do. Then you were slipping away from me too.”

Oh, how true that felt to you now. How you tried to hold on to him tighter but felt him slipping through your fingers. You had seen how much he was struggling. You didn’t know what to do and you had some blame to share in the distance that was created.

“Where would we go today?” You murmur.

“Vancouver. To find our new place.” You stare at him, the hangover clouding your brain but none of the shock on your features. Move to Vancouver with him? “You said tell me that in the morning and I’ll go. So here I am, telling you in the morning. Will you go with me? I’m sorry it took me so long to ask, but I can’t live without you.”

If words can truly heal, those did it for you.

You’re not even thinking, which is why you drop the coffee and the pastry at your feet, staining  the carpet in the process as the cold liquid leaks out from the plastic cup. Your arms are around his neck, crashing his face down to yours. The kiss is beautiful, full of love and greedy need and wandering hands as he grips your ass to lift you into his arms. 

You still have more to discuss, like why he gave up when things got hard, the way it hurt when he did what he did, and how you’ll both double down on the commitment this time because you know how awful life is without each other.

But in the meantime, a plane is leaving for Vancouver from Montreal in two hours and you’re going to be on it with Anthony Beauvillier.

[arcanarubinaito]

First Kiss

Quick little Author’s Note!

I haven’t planned this far ahead for their story, so I’m winging it. Idk if this will stick or if I’ll change it, but I enjoyed writing it :>

Summary:

Auric and Muriel had spent months out in the Southern wilds alone together, and attended a masquerade ripped straight out of a fairytale, slept in the same bed together multiple times; yet they have yet to share their first kiss. Sometimes, things are just slow to happen—and that’s not always a bad thing.

Tags:

SFW (<18), 1.2k Words, Vesuvia Weekly, First Kiss, Muriel, Auric Alnazar, Apprentice OC, Original Character(s), Romantic Relationships, Muriel/Auric, Muriel/OC, Fluff

By now, Auric and Muriel were used to nights like this—huddled together in front of a fire, Inanna dozing at their feet while embers swirled within a smoky haze. He had long since adopted the habit of burrowing himself under his companion’s cloak to help conserve heat. It wasn’t necessary anymore now that they were back in a warmer climate. However, Muriel didn’t object to it and it seemed both of them needed that familiarity and comfort right then. The only thing missing was the sound of a whetstone scraping along the edge of a spear.

Their tent was tucked away from the rest of the encampment to give them some semblance of privacy. Being around crowds again was just so exhausting; the noise of other people alone made it hard for Auric to sleep. Muriel wasn’t faring much better, the shadows under his eyes deeper and more pronounced than usual. His gaze fixed upon the fire, the light reflected in amber against a deep, somber forest green. Muriel’s eyes always seemed to carry a sadness Auric could never hope to extinguish. Even with all the progress they’d made together, Muriel was still haunted by his demons in a way that wasn’t so easily shaken. In a way, Auric was too.

He must’ve been staring because Muriel’s distant gaze slid quickly away from the flames to focus on him. It was one of those rare times where he made eye contact and held it longer than a few fleeting seconds; and Auric couldn’t look away even if he wanted to. “Are you okay?” Muriel’s voice rumbled softly, just barely breaking the silence. His hand twitched towards Auric’s, loosely looping their pinkies together in a tentative request for contact. The apprentice was more than happy to oblige and he slid closer, wrapping both of his hands around Muriel’s outstretched one. They slowly laced their fingers together and Auric rested his head over the other’s shoulder. He then pulled Muriel’s cloak closer and pressed in against his companion’s side with a long-suffering sigh.

“I’m… tired.” He responded after several seconds of silence. “Mostly just tired.” Words were never rushed between them, something he’d grown to appreciate in moments like these. There were plenty of other emotions and troubles, but Auric didn’t care too much to try and sort through them right now. He began to drag his thumb slowly over Muriel’s knuckles and felt every little raised scar. Little nicks from working with his hands mingled with larger, older splits from various fights. It was only a small part of a larger tapestry that made up Muriel’s life, one that Auric had woven himself into.

They lapsed into silence again, though it was more comfortable than before. Muriel made a motion to lift his arm and Auric reluctantly let go so that he could wrap it around his shoulders and pull him in just a little closer. Through the bushes, they could see the lights in the camp slowly flicker out one-by-one as fires were extinguished and people began turning in for the night. Auric watched for a little longer before he spoke again. “Are you okay?” He asked quietly.

“No.” Muriel's answer came almost immediately. And why would he be? It was just one thing after another, and they didn’t have any room to breathe. To think. To feel anything other than urgency and stress, and stars above how Auric wanted to feel something else for a change. The hermit shifted his weight slightly to turn towards Auric, looking like he wanted to say something more. His mouth opened slightly, and after a few seconds of struggling the words finally slipped out. “But I’m glad you’re still here.” The fire crackled softly, throwing Muriel’s features into wild shapes and shadows. He was still looking directly at Auric, with the softest expression he’d ever seen on that man’s face. There was a little flutter in Auric’s heart, an emotion that he hadn’t felt before he met Muriel and yet it felt familiar in an aching sort of way. He’d been experiencing it a lot recently, and it was only after talking to Asra that he could put a name to it.

Auric had experienced crushes before, but he had never fallen in love. Not that he remembered, at least.

“I’m not planning on leaving any time soon.” He replied in a murmur.

Muriel’s hand slowly slid from Auric’s shoulders to carefully tuck some loose hair behind his ear. For a moment the man’s hand hovered with uncertainty before Auric slowly pressed his face into his palm. Relaxing, Muriel stroked his thumb gently along the scar that was cut into the smaller man’s cheek, one that had only recently healed over. “I still don’t really understand why.” Muriel’s voice was still just a soft, rumbling whisper. “… but I believe you.”

The apprentice’s lips curved into a slight smile. “Good.” He said quietly. Auric’s hands lifted, one wrapping over the hand Muriel held to his face, and the other reaching up to cup his in turn. His eyes briefly flickered down to Muriel’s lips, the rare, faint smile that creased them. Something about their proximity right now was electrifying, and all the worries and fears of the past few days began to melt away.

“Can I kiss you?”

The question fell from Auric’s lips, unbidden, and the effect it had on Muriel was monumental. His eyebrows shot up and his mouth fell open, and slowly but surely a soft red began to overtake his features. It started in his cheeks and slowly spread out, to his ears and down his neck; then grew more intense, as the poor man began to stutter and stumble over his words. Eventually Muriel snapped his mouth shut, giving Auric a wide-eyed stare.

He nodded slowly, and Auric leaned in.

It was very hesitant at first, a soft and quick brush of lips against each other. When Muriel didn’t flinch or pull away, Auric braved something a little longer; and in response, his companion—no, his partner pulled him in closer. All the nights they’d shared together, curled up in one another’s arms for more than just shared warmth. All the times they’d held hands with entwined fingers, the laughter they shared, that loving warmth that had slowly grown in Muriel’s eyes over the weeks. They weren’t just companions, they were something far more by now. He slowly ran his fingers through Muriel’s hair, tangling them in the darker strands and being careful to not disturb the braids and ties in place. It wasn’t a desperate, lustful exchange; it was slow and gentle, cautious even. Not too unlike how their relationship had panned out up until this point.

Lifetimes passed in a few fleeting seconds, and they slowly pulled away from one another. He could still taste the mead lingering on Muriel’s lips from earlier that evening, mingled with citrus and spice. Muriel’s hand was still gently cradling Auric’s face, and his other hand was steady at the apprentice’s waist. “… I—uh… um… thank you.” The man mumbled in a slight daze, averting his gaze quickly. His blush seemed to deepen with a hint of embarrassment this time.

Before Auric could say anything back, Muriel leaned down to steal another quick kiss—and this time it was Auric who was left in a stunned and flustered stupor.

[alwritey-aphrodite]

I adore the autumn prompts list. Could I possibly request reading by candlelight with Roy Kent please?

2023 Fall Blurbs

One of the things you loved most about Roy was learning about all of his little quirks, finding out all of the facets of himself that he hides from the rest of the world. While you could never know just by looking at him, but sharing a house and being together more than you could imagine, you know that Roy loves scented candles.

According to him, it had started as a gag gift from his sister, a lavender candle that was supposed to help relieve stress, and he found it so effective and calming that he went out and bought more. Roy is never one to pamper or spoil himself, never thinking he deserves it, but the one thing he’ll consistently buy to treat himself are scented candles.

Sometimes, though, you need to nudge him to expand his boundaries, knowing that even though he sticks to calming scents, there are more out there that he would enjoy if only he let himself indulge.

The thing about Roy was that he would do anything, buy anything, for you, and sometimes you need to use that to your advantage. Walking through the stores whenever Roy joins you on your shopping trips, you make sure to stop and smell the seasonal candles and add commentary on whether or not you think it smells nice. You know you can’t be too obvious, so you settle on little hums or a quiet “that’s nice” when you know Roy would enjoy the scent.

Coming home from work the next day, you’re met with a bag full of fall candles, mostly scented like various autumnal desserts or activities, like pumpkin pie or simply leaves, and you grin to yourself knowing that your plan worked. Roy, who would never do anything nice for himself, will spoil you whenever he feels like it, and it’s amazing to you just how observant he is, how wonderful he is to buy you something simply because of one offhand mention that you’d liked it.

Some days when you return home from work, you’re met with the lingering smell of apple pie or pumpkin waffles, as if Roy had been burning the candles but extinguished them before you got home, as if he didn’t want you to know that he uses them and enjoyed them. Tonight, though, you’re able to leave work earlier than usual and even with your pit stop to buy takeout, you’re home much earlier than you’d typically be.

Instead of announcing yourself, you slip off your shoes and close the door as quietly as possible, leaving the takeout on the kitchen counter before you pad upstairs to your bedroom, knowing that’s where Roy prefers to read and unwind after a long day of dealing with the Greyhounds.

Unsurprisingly, as you sneak your way to the bedroom door, and you peak in through the door that’s been left ajar, you see Roy propped up on the bed, engrossed in his current read while candles flicker on his nightstand and his dresser, casting an orange glow throughout the room and creating a subtly sweet scent that you know Roy enjoys but would never admit.

Not wanting to embarrass him or cause him to stop using the candles, you turn to leave right when Roy glances up from his book, and you miss the soft smile that blooms on his face when he notices you.

“You’re home early,” his gruff voice cuts through the silence of the house, but you can practically hear his smile as you turn around.

“Happy Friday,” you respond, not wanting to reveal that you’d hatched a whole plan to prove to yourself that Roy was using and enjoying the candles.

“Smells good in here,” you quip, and Roy just shakes his head with a smile, marking his page in his book and keeping the candles burning.

[finniestoncrane]

Your One True Nemesis

Chapter 24: also on AO3 Masterlist Here Arkham!Riddler x Female!Reader, word count: 1.2k literally. literally the most childish argument ever. i am banging their heads together i swear request info • prompt list • send me a request • kofi • masterlist minors DNI!! 🔞 cw: arguing, bickering, being STUPID

You had assumed that it wouldn’t be the last time you heard from Eddie, but it had now been almost a week and he’d managed to avoid the temptation to come by and gloat. Or so you thought, as you sat at your desk impatiently tapping a pen as he stared at you from the shabby sofa in the makeshift waiting room.

He’d come in that morning, having requested a meeting with Oswald under a pseudonym, but he insisted that his reasons for being there were legitimate, though he wouldn’t divulge any of the details to you. He sneered at you, derisively, suggesting that you were just a lackey, the assistant, same here as you were in the sewers.

After finally managing to get him to sit down and shut up, you’d realised there was a thumping in your chest, heavier than usual, as though the adrenaline, the bickering, has brought up feelings from before, somehow. Typical, that his cruelty would be the thing to fan the flames of the desire you thought had been extinguished.

And there he was, dutifully, for once in his life, sitting quietly as asked. As though he knew that would drive you crazy. Because he must have known, in his seemingly infinite wisdom, that you wanted nothing more than to just talk to him. Misguided, perhaps, you engaged him again.

“At least you made an appointment this time.”

He looked up, eyes penetrating your own as he spoke with a smirk.

“I’m nothing if not a careful abider of the rules.”

Scoffing, you rolled your eyes and returned your attention to the screen in front of you, pretending to do work while keeping an eye on Eddie in your peripheral. He kept staring at you, refusing to look away. You wondered if he even noticed he was doing it.

“I… don’t even know how to respond to that, Eddie.”

“Shall I pose an easy question to you then? How are you enjoying your work here?”

There was an element of sincerity behind the question that betrayed the cruel grin he had pressed on his lips. A part of you wanted to give him honesty. You craved it actually, to be able to scream out how much you hated it here, how horrible the work was, how disgusting Oswald was turning out to be. But you didn’t want to give Eddie the satisfaction. Something in you, possibly deluded, thought he might genuinely, and much to his dismay, miss you, or possibly even be jealous of Cobblepot. And if there were even a slim chance of that being the case, it meant you had the upper hand, and you’d much prefer to hold on to that for as long as you could. If you were playing a game together, you wanted to at least play it well, even if you might have no hope of winning. So you lied.

“I’m perfectly fine working here. It’s interesting. Much less manual labour involved.”

“And the clientele? You find them… interesting?”

“Listen, they might not be the most civil of people, but at least there’s some variety. I’m not stuck in a one on one constantly.”

“Strange, I would think I was a far more appealing conversationalist than anyone who might walk through these doors.”

“You walked through the doors.”

He grimaced.

“Yes. Well.”

The conversation seemed to dry up so quickly, even his insults were wearing thin. With a heavy heart, you turned your attentions to the screen once more, but were quickly interrupted by his voice.

“Actually, now that I think about it, there may be an opportunity coming up with me again. I require some assistance to get all the robots up and running. Would you know anybody who would be interested in taking such a job?”

Looking to the side of the monitor, you let a soft smile curl up into your cheek.

“Eddie… are you trying to get me to come back?”

“Certainly not, although if it were of interest to you that might be acceptable. There is so much work left to do, after all. Doesn’t it drive you mad? Doesn’t the messy, untidy lack of completion gnaw at your soul? Besides, it would be handy to not have to teach someone new all of my rules. But I have no intention of asking you to return. I don’t beg.”

“Of course not.”

“No. Of course not. And if you were to return, I would have to put you through the interview process again.”

“Are you kidding me?”

“Do I joke about matters of such seriousness usually?”

“Eddie. If you want me to come back you can just say that. And I might. But I’m not going through another interview and induction. I mean what do you take me for?”

He raised an eyebrow, taking a second longer to answer than he normally did, as though he were thinking over his response. But he decided to go with it anyway.

“Do you really want me to answer that?”

You let loose an incredulous laugh, throwing your hands into the air dramatically.

“Are you being completely serious right now? Is this what you came here for? To insult me? To dangle what could be construed, to anyone who knows your idiotic methods of socialising, as an apology, and then pull it away?”

Eddie stood up suddenly, taking a step forward to your desk and pointing his finger out at you.

“This was never an apology. Do not get my words twisted, I won’t have people thinking I owe you anything.”

“Oh my god, Eddie! Grow up!”

“You grow up!”

An exasperated groan left your throat as you tossed your head back in your chair, shooting back up to continue the argument.

“I cannot believe you! Why would you even want me back? You hated having me there! And according to you, I did more damage to your stupid robots than anything else.”

“You did!”

“Well… good! I’m glad! I’m glad I hindered your progress.”

“I am too! You know what? I wanted you to destroy the robots! I did! That way, I knew how to make them better. If even an idiot could break them, then so could Batman. See! It was all part of my immaculately constructed masterplan. So there!”

“Oh, I believe every word of that.”

Halted in the middle of the small room by your ignorance towards his words, he seethed, unbreaking eye contact that you gave straight back to him. You couldn’t back down now. You almost had him. Or did you? Surely this was pushing him further away? But at this point, that might be the best thing to do. The kindest thing to yourself. And maybe to Eddie as well.

“I think I’ll be fine staying right here, Eddie.”

There was an almost imperceptible, miniscule drop in his façade, when his lips twitched into a brief frown. Triumph gone, everything lost.

“Fine. I hope this suits you well.”

Turning from you he headed to the door. You opened your mouth, ready to call out about the appointment he had made. But you knew it was pointless. He had come for one reason only, and he was leaving without it.

[rascalthehamster]

Hi can I request hcs of yandere vanny?

Yandere Vanny

You weren’t really close with Vanessa. She always kept her distance from you.

Originally you were one of the day security guards. You worked the closing shift so you would see her in the changing room from time to time.

You tried approaching her every once in awhile. Saying hi but getting no response. Asking what her weekend plans were but getting a very blunt answer back. At some point you just gave up trying.

When you were promoted to the night shift you were excited. No more having to deal with shitty kids with their even shittier parents. Plus double the pay?! Who WOULD reject that?

The worst part was Vanessa. You’d be taking some of her shifts, but she deserves the rest. She works every night at the pizza plex and deserves a day life AND a night life. One that didn’t revolve around pizza and singing robots.

You signed all the necessary paperwork, and got prepared for the night.

Your list of things were to wander the pizza plex at least every other hour and that when the animatronics were out, to stay in your room unless absolutely necessary. Sounds simple enough, the worst part would be the boredom that would inevitably appear.

You did your first walk around and everything seemed alright. All the cleaning bots and security bots were working.

After your walk around you pulled out your phone. There was nothing better to do.

After about 30 minutes you got an alert on your computer screen saying that movement was detected. You used the camera to survey the room but found nothing that could have triggered it. You decide to just pretend it was a glitch and continue wasting time on your phone .

The next alert you got was that the animatronics were let out. You were told that this was normal. You roam an hour, then they do, then you roam etc.

You couldn’t help but scroll through the cameras and watch them wander around. What mischief could they possibly get into when no one was around. Monty went straight to his exhibit and so did Roxy but with hers, Chica was in the cafeteria while Freddy stayed in his room.

Another alert caught your attention and you jerked your head to see what it was. This time it was closer to your security room. It didn’t flash that an intruder was there, but instead that a fire had started.

You grabbed the emergency fire extinguisher and rushed out to the hallway. Your heartbeat was the only thing you could hear as you followed your mental map of the pizza plex, eventually making it to the fire.

You successfully extinguished it but before you could calm down and find the source, you were tackled down by something. You were so shocked by the experience that you dropped the extinguisher.

Your arms and legs were pressed down by a giant animatronic alligator. You tried pleading with it but all it did was stare at you with purple eyes, it looked lifeless. Normally they were so full of personality, you knew this because you had to watch over their concerts and meet and greats.

However he had a thousand yard stare and slightly slacked jaw as he gripped your wrists down.

The next thing you could hear was static. Your vision began to redden and blur. Monty released his grip from you, leaving red marks. You could barely move as your stomach churned. However you could peer your neck around and you could see the other animatronics standing in the doorways, just as lifeless as Monty was.

The static got louder and your vision blurred even more as a skipping figure appeared in your vision. It was a bunny.

You didn’t recognize it. It wasn’t in the line up and you never heard of any rumors of them adding in a new animatronic.

No it couldn’t have been an animatronic, it’s movements were too lifelike. You could applause the craftsmanship of the main cast all day but they still had their quirks that just barely broke the reality.

But this one, was clearly human.

It skipped around the room, as if it wanted to toy with you. You tried getting up but the weight was unbearable.

It spoke but it was barely audible over the increasing static. The voice being barely recognizable. As it got closer to your face you saw the knife it brandished.

It pressed the cold blade against your hot skin. Making you look up into red, lifeless eyes.

You tried running away but your body was frozen in place.

“Are you having fun yet?” It said as it pressed its knife further into your neck, drawing blood.

As it dropped down the knife you finally recognized the voice. It was your co worker Vanessa. You tried pleading with her but all she did was look through you.

She was finally through with your whining and began to slowly gab the knife into your throat. The more you begged the deeper it went.

You’ll learn this lesson soon enough. She’ll promise that.

[enaelyork]

Nébuleuse [O.Krennic X F!Oc-Tarkin Daughter] [PART 2]

🌔Taglist🌔 : @fenharel-enaste, @alotofrandomfangirling, @starlady66

Click here for join

PART 1 - PART 2 - PART 3 - PART 4

Chapter prompt : After her argument with Krennic at her father's gala, Vicky must reconcile and finds herself in the midst of interesting proposals and facing a difficult and unsettling choice.

Content: Sexual Tension rising - Provocation - Jealousy stade one 😁 - Toxic trait.

The fear of seeing my father summon me to his office swelled in me as the next day passed. And yet, nothing came, to the point of seeing all my distrust extinguished and my shields lowered. But I had forgotten, with the months spent on Bonadan, his favorite tactic, which was to corner his prey when he was least suspicious.

—What are you doing up at this hour?"

His shadow had appeared in the door that connected our vast kitchen to his luxurious office. It was no earlier than four in the morning standard time, and I intended to set sail to join friends in an abandoned warehouse that once served as our epicenter for a whole host of illegal things. He must have anticipated my plans because he was wide awake and there was a gleam of sternness and satisfaction in his eyes that didn't bode well for me.

—Sit down.

I had tried to justify myself by presenting the glass of iced tea I was holding in my hand, but it was useless. Everything was superfluous with him and I knew that if I didn't carry out his request immediately I would end up in that chair that he was pointing to me one way or another.

—You should stop drinking this crap. He began as if to delay the moment when he would drop the ax on my head.

—It is beneath the Tarkins to enjoy the frivolities of such a drink. You need something more bitter.

— Yet you serve it to mother every evening when you are present. —Your mother is not a Tarkin and the only credit we can give her is having fathered two. You will drink caf, is that understood?

I was silenced, unable to spit my contempt at him for his way of controlling our lives. Father is not a man without feeling. He just loves us in a radically opposite way to my definition of love. As for my mother, the time is long gone when I am convinced that there is an ounce of affection that bound her to father. Her lust for prestige and power has locked her into a loveless marriage and she needs a few doctor droids and a good dose of medicine to accept it.

—It’s good that we meet, because I have to talk to you, Vicky. About you and your situation. —About my situation?

I raise my eyebrows. Until now, my situation had been of little interest to him. He let me work on Bonadan, hang out in the swanky spaces of Coruscant, and build racing ships to compete in illegal competitions. His impartial gaze told me, however, that tonight, party was over. — Your teenage crisis has gone on long enough. He began in a monotonous tone. Your mother and I agree that at your age, you need a job and a function within the Empire.

It wasn't a teenage crisis. I put my skills to the service of people who needed them. I helped. But I knew that all these arguments involving compassion and generosity had no impact on my father.

—I work, father.

—It is not a job to tamper with parts to build useless ships. You're an engineer, Vicky, in aerospace. It' is high's time to put your skills at the service of the empire.

—And if I refuse?

The smile that split her lips sent chills down my spine.

—So you know there will be consequences.

He knows. I immediately think. He knows my traffic does not only involve my skills. That I serve friends, that I help them meet their needs while they are illegal. And I know my father and his determination well enough to know that all he has to do is snap his fingers and send them all to jail.

I was trapped, cornered, and yet unable to hate him.

Because I understood it. That in his eyes he was doing what was best for me.

—And what is the program?" I imagine you have already planned everything.

— Somehow.

He left a certain mystery hanging over him. A sort of annoyance veiled for a moment his impassive air and his features carved coldly in the marble of his white skin.

—I spoke to the Emperor just this afternoon. He is delighted to see you back here and remembers your intelligence well. So I suggested that he get you into the advanced weapons program.

Did I hear correctly? He wanted to get me into one of the biggest science machines in the empire?

—Advanced weapons?" You want me to build destroyers?

—Currently only as a maintenance worker. It is out of the question that you benefit from my notoriety to make a name for yourself. I forged mine in blood and sweat, so will you.

I laughed. Literally. It was so huge that I couldn't come to my senses. My father was lying to me, he had another idea in mind, an idea so Machiavellian that he was ready to humiliate me by making me pick up spare parts in a hangar in the name of the Empire.

— Where is the scam? Make your real request.

And he gave me everything I liked he gave me. His smile. Not the scornful one he gave everyone, but the one that went with his mask of pride. My finesse reminded him that I was his child, his last born and undoubtedly his greatest success. Even though he couldn't articulate it, I knew it whenever he thought of me that way.

—Last night I witnessed a very interesting scene involving you and Orson Krennic. A small household scene of which I did not miss a beat, just like all of my guests.

I wanted to bury myself six feet underground. If he had found out that I had stolen Grandma's brooch from someone else's purse, I was finished definitly

—You know who Orson Krennic is, right?

He tried to reassure himself. I wanted to answer him something like the worst motherfucker in the galaxy, but I refrain. Seeing my lack of response and the question mark in my eyes, he saw fit to finish me off.

—Your future boss, starting tomorrow.

—No way.

I leaned back in the chair, palms out, rejecting the bonds that were forming in my head. I categorically refused to be my father's instrument in any of his despicable shenanigans, especially if it involved the man on whom I had thrown a glass of water and whose gaze I had found very too magnetic.

—I'm asking you to approach him and work your way up the ladder to get enough clearance to meddle in his business.

— I understood better his fine speech on merit. My father is smart enough to know that a meteoric promotion of his darling daughter into the higher echelons of the program would titillate mistrust as to my true function.

—That will never happen. Don't you think it's going to be okay after what happened?

—Krennic is currently working on a project that I can’t tell you about, but which belongs to me. And he wants to take credit for it. I cannot accept that my work is taken over in this way and meddling in it directly is not an option.

I sigh deeply. Divided between the desire to insult him and to slap him. I was finished and I knew it because there was no one more determined than my father in this world and elsewhere.

—It will take me years to level up enough for you to spy on him.

—I do not think so, no.

— And why this ?

—Because I saw the way he looked at you. It literally took my breath away. This sentence. These words. As if suddenly my brain had decided to come back to him, to his impassive face and pursed lips. To the curls of his water-soaked hair that I slapped in his face.

—You are a perfect target for him. And it's up to us to make him understand that his methods can turn against him. What do you say ? —I don't have the skills to watch him, ask to Ellie.

—Ellie is currently in a situation that does not allow me to trust her.

I understand that he won't delve into the subject, but the annoyance I see in his eyes is indescribable. I don't know what's going on for my sister, but it really upsets my father and I don't want to be there when the lightning strikes her shoulders.

— I don't have the skills to keep an eye on this man.

—Yes. More than you think. I'm not asking you to seduce him, I'm asking you to be close enough to the circles of authority to steal information for me and I know it's up your alley, right?

I take a deep breath, digesting the mess I've gotten myself into.

—He will never trust me. Right now he hates me and it's mutual.

This simple statement could have convinced him. Yet when I get up to turn back and go back to where I came from, defeated and defeated by someone stronger than me, he holds me back, gently pushing his hand on my wrist.

—It's in your genes to despise Orson Krennic, Vicky, and be sure to harbor that dislike."

I bow my head. My gaze struggles to fix it for more than a few seconds. Father saw the way Krennic looked at me, but I don't know if he saw the way I looked at him.

And this terrifies me.

Doubt shoots through me and the unsettling conviction he's warning me seeps through my veins as I let his fingers slide down my wrist and step away from him without looking back.

***

I had every intention of catching up with my friends failling them the day before. What could be more normal, then, to invite them to a prestigious evening organized by Exquise? This Coruscant bar is reputed to be the most upscale in town and to accept only a handpicked clientele based on prestige and bank account. None of them could afford this kind of luxury and it was the least we could do to offer them access to make me forgive.

I had put on a simple black dress that came to my knees, its scoop neck stopping at the birth of my chest. My look was enhanced with black lace gloves up to the wrist and contrasted with my leather ankle boots that could have walked the floor of a mechanical workshop.

My hairstyle was nothing but a chaotic bun in which I had fixed a dark velvet ribbon and the brooch removed a few days earlier from the bag of the bitch who was strutting on Krennic's arm. I did not know where this animosity towards this stranger came from apart from the fact that she had, in good faith, bought a stolen object and I had decided not to think about it any more when entering the effervescence of the place. There reigned here a warm and moist atmosphere, a penumbra attenuated by the multicolored neon lights which danced at the same rhythm as the customers on an insane electronic music.

— Shall we sit down?"

I nodded to Erkani as he grabbed my waist and pulled me to a bench set back from the dance floor. Tall and imposing, his emerald gaze contrasted with the darkness of his hair and his tattoo-riddled skin. He had sent Saiyan to get us a drink and was taking advantage of this little alone time to make up for lost time.

— You are beautiful, Vicky, really.

We exchange a soft look. Erkani is part of the same engineering class as me, but specialized in mathematics. He's the closest thing I've had to a friend since I was a teenager, with a few added perks. Benefits we regularly bestow on each other as two desperate souls in destiny were clearly incompatible.

—I guess we have Wilhuff to thank for your absence yesterday.

I chuckle, my mouth hidden behind my gloved hand. The idea of ​​him calling my father by his first name makes him the worst rebel in the whole empire. We do not discuss the subject further. Erkani being in a good position to know how uncomfortable discussing my family sometimes makes me feel uncomfortable, he rather prefers to tell me that we are now colleagues.

—I'm on Coruscant. Rather die than set foot on Geonosis and pray it never happens to you. he throws at me. The situation there is explosive and I'm not just talking about the natives. I wish he had told me more. Let me know in full detail what a mess my dad had just gotten me into, but Saiyan arrives just in time to take the ongoing conversation and add his two cents. Unlike us, she is not an engineer, but a scientist, which makes her an essential asset in the capital and she explains to me that she has worked on high-performance ionic shield formulas for larger surfaces.

We spend long minutes discussing this and that, including rumors implicating my sister in an adulterous relationship with a high-ranking empire officer. But seeing my ignorance, they refuse to provide me with the slightest detail and instead offer that we toast to our reunion.

It was then that the waiter came to place a glass of water on the table, right in front of me, as if it were for me, plunging my table into amazement.

—I didn't order anything. I said coldly, barely considering him. Do I have a head to drink water?

—It's offered

— By who ?

My head followed the gesture of his chin and my eyes landed on the bar, crashing violently into the electric blue of his gaze.

Him.

He was very busy. You could almost believe that he arranged for me to be in the front row of the pathetic spectacle he offers me. He wears a uniform, his high black leather boots and before removing his headgear to reveal his hair oscillating between darkness and greyness, contrasting with the electricity of his gaze and the mischievousness of his luminous smile.

It's not the same. I thought, scrutinizing the sublime beauty that hangs from his neck like one hangs from a rope. That was probably what she was doing by offering him her adoration. One of many on his long list of hopeless cases desperate for a little attention, money and sex.

Poor daughter.

—He says it's for the mess the other night and...

—Fuck that bastard. I said out loud without realizing it. I dodge Saijan's remarks about Orson Krennic buying me drinks and getting back to my business. At least I think so, because my eyes don't agree. I see his hand sliding down her spine, his fingertips teasing the bare skin she offers him and his lips so dangerously close to her ear it makes my stomach ache. My thighs squeeze together wondering what effect his touch can have and I'm practically sick of it.

I don't give in, refuse even to show him the slightest interest. Because I know it. I feel it. Despite everything that is happening, despite it being her body he is touching, his eyes are riveted to mine. Don't leave me, tracking down the slightest reaction that could betray my interest or my bitterness.

—Do you want another drink, honey?

Erkani leans towards me, whispers this proposal in a warm voice with a delicious accent. It was the opportunity I was waiting for, the one I dreamed of to give him the final blow. His arm rests on the back of the bench where we are sitting and I savor the moment when Krennic discovers it. I grab the glass he offered me and slowly put it to my lips and take a sip, crossing my legs under the table, knowing that from where he is, he doesn't miss anything.

What the fuck am I playing?

It doesn't take long for my friend to return with two glasses full of ocher, fizzy liquor. We toast, embracing our arms like an old couple after exchanging their vows and my eyes finally leave my main interest to dive into the emeralds of Erkani for a moment that seems to me forever and which was abruptly interrupted by a loud clearing of the throat.

—You're going to have to leave this table, young man. I have to discuss with miss.

His voice rumbles like thunder as his shadow looms over us, pulling me a little away from my friend and his hand too busy caressing my thigh. I may be a little drunk, but seeing him so close to me with such a somber expression on his face made me sober immediately.

—And if she doesn't want to?

—It s fine, Erkani. I handle.

I don't handle anything at all. My sitting position allows me to hide my trembling legs, but I am sure that my gaze and all that it betrays does not escape him. That he even loves it.

My friend gestures for me to call him if I feel the need and gives in to Krennic's blatant authority, who doesn't wait another second before sitting down.

—Nice brooch, baby Tarkin.

I want to slap him. Bad idea to start on a good professional relationshp.

—You have nothing better to do than taunt me, Orson?

—It’s Commander Krennic, but okay, I’ll settle for a thank you for the drink tonight.

—I'll call you whatever you want when you stop giving me stupid nicknames.

He chuckles, gestures to the waiter to serve us a round, placing his hand on the file just behind me. As if he definitively asserted his authority and his property. Bad idea, he will quickly understand that I am not a trophy.

—It's too bad you take it that way, I'm here to talk business.

— It must be very important if you have abandoned your evening pastime.

My words betray my contempt and arouse his amusement. This is shit. I really look like a poor girl.

— I am sure that my proposal will interest you.

—I'm not sure I want to hear it.

He lifts his glass to his mouth in such a slow and delicate way that I'm sure he's doing it on purpose. As for me, I remain hooked on his eyes and his proposal, mustering all the good will in the world to refuse it pronto. I'm almost ashamed to admit that being born Tarkin doesn't make me immune to his confusing magnetism.

—I heard your father was offering you a place in the Advanced Weapons Project, a place that doesn't suit your qualifications. I have other things for you, much more interesting. I blink to hide my surprise. Of all the possibilities considered, he chose to surprise me. —Are you bypassing my father's decision?

—I run this program, no matter what he think.

— Really ?

I barely hide the irony of my question, bursting into a laugh so powerful that I almost spill my drink. He turns his head away, pursing his lips sourly. It upsets him and I realize that hurting his ego is more exquisite than any candy, than the sweetest revenge.

— Why offer me a job when you don't know my skills?

—You're a Tarkin, isn't that enough to assure me of the quality of your work?

— My skills are not limited to my name.

— Really ?

He laughs, I focus on the contents of my glass in which I dip my lips, taking care to lower my eyes to better return to the charge.

—Which post ?

—Workshop chief.

—Workshop chief ? I repeat in disbelief. It's five grades above what my father offers me. My surprise seems to please him even if he compresses his jaw not to show me his satisfaction.

—You become a team leader, as an engineer that’s the minimum.

—In which unit?

— You will have to oscillate between Geonosis and here, it will allow you to change air when the need arises.

I digest the information, trying to hide my confusion in alcohol. I don't know how he manages to do this, but his offer is exactly what I need, what I'm looking for. It almost tastes like an escape.

—Geonosis is the planet you work on, isn't it?

It's his turn to raise his glass to his lips. He winces at the way I point out this detail to him and that's when I notice how the distance between us has shrunk considerably. I gave him ground without even realizing it.

—We may see each other there often and share our shuttles.

—Are you keeping an eye on me?

He doesn't respond immediately. Just batting his eyelashes at my hands hovering over the table. I have the impression that he wants to ask me which of us is going to watch the other and that he abstains, too amused by the little game that is taking place between us.

—I want to see what you are capable of.

—Let's be clear: I'm not the kind of person you buy, Orson.

On the other side of the room, his previous guest is staring at us with an evil eye. Krennic's head is tilted so hard towards me that he could kiss my neck and touch my shoulder with his fingertips. I don't know why I don't push him away, stay in his embrace and let my foot stick to his leg, my thigh pressing against his. In a final act of pure provocation, I see him grab my glass and put his lips to it to take a sip. I don't miss a thing of the show. The way his mouth envelops the crystal and hugs its shape, inviting me to imagine he's only doing this to give me a glimpse of what he might be doing to my own body.

—Oh, i know that. You're priceless, baby Tarkin.

I gently snatch my glass from his hand, brushing the lace against the leather of his gloves. Our eyes haven't been able to break contact for several minutes and his breath hangs on mine.

—She's getting impatient. I whisper, looking down, trying to put my lips on my drink exactly where he left the trace of his. I guessed the superhuman effort he had to make not to tip me over on this bench, because it was exactly the one I imposed on myself so as not to beg him to do it.

—Do you accept my offer?

— I'll think about it.

I whispered it so close to his mouth that my lips could have touched his effortlessly. But I had to leave before I ended up on his knees rubbing against his thighs, begging him to put an end to this desire that was bubbling in me, signing my death and my banishment from the Tarkin family.

—I'm not very patient, baby Tarkin.

—Well, time it's come for someone taught you how to be, Orson.

And I pulled away from him, as if to escape from an uncontrollable current that is dragging me into chaos. I don't know how he reacted to my running away, but he didn't try to catch me, or even order me to come back and sit with him. I was convinced, when I joined my friends, that I had already accepted his proposal a long time ago. And I didn't like it at all.

[cocrante]

I Start Over With You

[SOLANGELO FANFIC]

summary: After the great battle against the forces of Gaea, Camp Half-Blood and Camp Jupiter had formed a long-lasting alliance. Everything had gone well, and everyone was ready to start anew. This included Nico, who, after confessing his feelings to Percy, was prepared to open a new chapter in his life—perhaps the happiest one the Fates had ever written.

note: the chapters will be updated every Wednesday. If you want to read upcoming chapters of the fanfiction in advance, I invite you to follow me on Patreon. Subscribing is not necessary, these chapters will be added for free on the platform on Mondays and Fridays. Following me there is just a kind and free gesture to support my work c:

nda. I remember when this chapter was published, years ago, the opening lines sparked a lot of discussion. I studied piano for five years, but it's been a long time since I played. I can only read music now. The opening lines were particularly debated because, in string instruments, B-flat and G-sharp are, in fact, the same note. However, in singing, for example, there are different variations of notes, and not all are perceptible (in this case, we are talking about a 1/9 variation), and only an absolute ear can recognize the difference. I liked the idea of Will being able to grasp the different nuances of pitch in notes, especially because this character tends to underestimate his abilities.

Reblogs are highly appreciated c:

[CHAPTER 5]

THE LAST THING WILL EXPECTED, WAS TO HEAR NICO SING. He never thought he would accept his challenge and start singing, and he wasn't even off-key. Of course, there were always those little imperfections like hitting a B-flat instead of a G-sharp, but they were nuances that only someone with perfect pitch would be able to catch. Will was enchanted.

After the song, which Nico deemed embarrassing, the boys in the circle were dismissed to return to their respective cabins. Finally, the son of Hades was free to rest and mentally prepare for the next day. It would be his first ro wing lesson at camp, and he wasn't exactly sure what he would have to do. He would rely entirely on Will's teachings, hoping he could explain how to row as well as he could heal. "See you tomorrow" Nico said, ready to head toward his cabin. "See you tomorrow!" Will replied enthusiastically. "Sweet dreams" he added, unable to contain his radiant smile. "Yes. You too" he replied, leaving behind the now extinguished campfire and with Will watching him disappear into the darkness.

He made his way up the camp in silence, heading straight to cabin number 13, where a warm and soft bed awaited him. Opening the door, he immediately made his way to the mattress and collapsed soothed by the sweet sounds of the night, he fell asleep. It was a dreamless sleep, which was a rare occurrence for a demigod. He woke up a few hours after the first light of dawn, disturbed by a pesky sunbeam kissing his face. The boy grumbled in his sleep a couple of times, muttering for someone to draw the curtains and let him sleep for five more minutes, but since his request went unanswered and the one sunbeam became two, Nico decided it was time to get up. He stretched and yawned a couple of times, first rubbing his face to wipe off the last traces of sleep and then running his hand through his hair to tidy it up a bit. He spent about twenty minutes in the bathroom, mostly trying to fix himself up and get rid of that undead look— unfortunately it seemed to be hereditary to always look like a zombie. He sighed, changed his clothes, and slipped on his shoes before heading out to have a substantial breakfast, convinced that Will would tire him out.

At the dining hall, there were still a few demigods, some had finished their meal while others were still waking up. Nico grabbed something to eat and went to sit at his usual table, intending to take his time to fully wake up. Occasionally, he glanced over at the table occupied by the children of Apollo, but Will wasn't there. He thought that Will must have already gone down to the lake and was waiting for him, as he thought it impossible that he was still sleeping in bed. Slowly, more and more people began to fill up the dining hall, taking seats at their own tables or joining others, and just as more people started to arrive, Nico finished his food. He wiped his mouth with a napkin and headed down to the lake where an impatient Will was waiting for him. "Good morning sunshine!" Will exclaimed as he saw a gloomy-looking Nico approaching. "Good morning, Solace" Nico replied simply, noticing that Will had already pushed a two-person boat into the water. "I thought someone else was coming" he confessed, knowing that usually a substantial group was needed for rowing. "Ah, no" said Will, running a hand through his hair. "I thought it would be more productive with just the two of us" he explained. "Okay" sighed Nico, feeling nervous enough being on a boat in the middle of the water. Will quickly explained the procedure for rowing, which involved leveraging certain parts of the body in a harmonized way with each other. Will was confident they wouldn't capsize. "All clear?" he asked, sure that he had explained everything. "Yes" confirmed Nico, already impatient to get back on solid ground. "Great! Let's go" exclaimed Will, walking down the wooden pier with Nico following him at a slow pace, thinking back to years ago when after the war against the Titans, the campers, caught up in a burst of euphoria, pushed Percy and Annabeth into the lake. He shook his head, dispelling the unpleasant memory. Nico took a couple of deep breaths, thinking to himself "what was I thinking?" then climbed down the ladder and got into the boat, taking the second seat so that he could follow Will's arm movements. "Ready?" the enthusiastic boy asked, already untying the knot that held the boat to the dock. "Ready" Nico tried to sound enthusiastic, but his voice betrayed him.

Will did most of the work, and Nico tried to keep up, pushing the oar with all the strength he had in his body. "Use your legs" Will repeated from the front, occasionally suppressing a laugh. As they reached the center of the lake, Nico slowly became more familiar with rowing. Will was right in saying that it was all about synchronization. "You know, I didn't expect this" Will suddenly said, catching Nico's attention, who was already focused on not tipping over. "What?" he asked with a scoff. "That you can sing" Will smiled. "Really, you have a nice voice" he concluded, turning halfway to look at him. "Ah—" Nico simply said, not expecting such a statement. "You sing well too" he tried to compliment him in return, feeling his cheeks flush. He wasn't used to giving compliments, he was a disaster with words and he didn't even know if that could define him as such since it was a fact that Will could sing. "Yeah, I can handle singing" he replied with feigned modesty. "But there are better ones" he lowered his shoulders with a sigh, thinking of his other siblings who were much better at hitting the highs and lows of a song. Nico pursed his lips, he hated when Will downplayed himself. He had many other abilities and was as good as the other members of his house, he just convinced himself otherwise. "Maybe" Nico muttered. "But I didn't mind hearing you sing" he said, not finding anything else to say to make him understand that he really liked the way he sang. "Was that a compliment, di Angelo?" Will asked ironically, truly surprised by what he had just heard. "No" Nico's ears turned red. "To me it sounds like it was" Will teased. "Think what you want" he huffed, and in the next second, he pulled his lips into a gentle smile. Will couldn't help but laugh at that answer, he appreciated Nico's effort, aware that it wasn't easy for him to open up to people and he found it difficult to express in words what was on his mind. "Thanks" he said after finishing laughing, turning his face to look at him, and Nico simply nodded. "Would you like to come to the infirmary later?" Will asked him after a few minutes of silence. "I'm meeting Jason after this" he told him. "Ah, okay" he tried not to show any disappointment in his voice, but he wasn't sure if he succeeded. Nico, although he would have enjoyed spending a whole day with him, knew well that he couldn't stand up Jason again, but he still hoped to finish the training at the arena soon. "But I could still come after training" suggested the son of Hades, who wanted to spend some more time with Will.

The boy in front of the canoe nodded, thrilled that he would be joining him later in the afternoon.

[CONTENTS]

1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 • 6 • 7 • 8 • 9 • 10 • 11 • 12 • 13 • 14 • 15 • 16 • 17 • 18 • 19 • 20

[laurawriteberry]

Secret Admirer

Valentine's Day was approaching.

Alicia always dreaded the day because it reminded her of how alone she was. All her friends were dating, getting engaged or getting married, while she hadn't had a date in years. Nobody had appealed to her beyond an initial attraction, which never lasted long. About as fleeting as a flickering candle on the verge of extinguishing.

But as she walked over to her desk, she saw a handwritten note waiting for her. She looked around at her colleagues, trying to determine who had given her the note. But nobody looked in her direction or even seemed to notice her. She frowned as she picked it up, anticipating either a reminder about something, an urgent request or a cruel joke. Instead, it was a compliment. A genuine compliment? Or a cruel joke after all?

Her work friend, Lily, chucked her bag down on the ground, collapsing into her chair. "Ugh, the tube this morning." She then noticed the handwritten note in Alicia's hand. "What's that?"

"So not you then." She handed it over, giving Lily a chance to read it. "Any ideas?"

Lily looked up at her, smile breaking free. "You have a secret admirer."

"Oh, c'mon. Nobody here likes me."

Lily raised an eyebrow. "Do I have to remind you about Josh? Raj? Ben!"

"Oh god. I forgot about Ben. I wonder how he's doing now."

"Well, maybe he's not over his feelings for you."

"He's gay."

"Oh."

"Hm. I'm determined to find out who it is."

"Good luck."

A few days passed, each day with a new note and a gift. A small box of chocolates. A mini teddy bear. A single rose. A free lunch from her favourite place. All personalised gifts based on what she liked. She'd tried to figure out who the mystery person was, but there were no clues, no suggestions, nobody looked particularly smug or guilty.

She naively thought, as she went home on Friday, carrying her gift home, that she'd have a break over the weekend. But to her surprise, she woke up on Saturday morning to a bunch of flowers and a note from whoever her mystery person was. Her roommates gathered around the flowers, and it was then Alicia filled them in on her secret admirer. All of them had theories, but like Lily, and now a handful of other colleagues, nobody was any closer to figuring out who it was. It had reached the point where they were considering people beyond the office, which had created endless possibilities.

"Perhaps it's that cute barista," said Morgan as she looked at the handwritten note.

"No, it'll be someone she sees everyday on the tube but doesn't notice them," said Stacy.

"Pfft, please. It'll be someone local to her, like her neighbour."

Alicia ignored them, focusing more on the handwritten note. She'd tried to convince all her colleagues to handwrite something for her, to see if their handwriting matched, but either this person was good and had cottoned on to what she was doing, or it wasn't someone she worked with. She couldn't tell whether that was more or less infuriating.

Over the weekend, she tried to ignore the secret admirer and enjoy herself, but as Monday approached, she couldn't stop herself from practically rushing into work, determined to catch the person in the act. Or see if anyone was surprised by her sudden appearance at 8am as they strolled into the office.

But her plan was scuppered almost immediately as there wasn't a handwritten note this time, but instead, a notebook. She picked it up and inspected it, then had a thought. She'd left after most people, but not after everyone. Someone could've left the notebook on Friday night, meaning it'd been here the whole weekend. She opened it up, expecting to see a blank notebook, only to see words.

Alicia,

You've had a week's worth of gifts, but now it's time to up the ante a bit. You see, I like puzzles and riddles and mysteries. In fact, I sometimes think it's more fun trying to solve it than actually finding the answer.

In that vein, here is a scavenger hunt. Each day, there'll be clues for you to find and solve. Alone. If you need hints, you can text the below number. It won't reveal anything about me directly, although my roommate won't appreciate it as much, so maybe limit the texts. For emergencies only.

Should you solve my scavenger hunt, your prize will be a date on Valentine's Day. I know, cheesy. But hey, you can't have everything.

Good luck. You're gonna need it.

She scoffed, putting down the notebook, but a smile was on her face. She loved a challenge, and evidently, whoever this person was, they knew this about her too. She bit her lip, wondering whether these scavenger hunt clues would give any indication of who the mystery person. But knowing them, whoever they were, they wouldn't make it that obvious or easy, right?

Valentine's Day had arrived, and so had her date.

Her last clue had given her exact details of where to be and when. They'd given her a vague sense of what to wear, so she assumed a casual meet up, but it could turn into dinner or going out somewhere nice. She decided on a combination between casual and formal with a floral dress and boots. Chic, low key, and fashionable.

Her friends and colleagues had all wanted constant updates about the date, but she wanted to keep it hush hush. Like her secret admirer, she wanted this to stay between them. Have a moment to themselves.

She arrived outside the Sky Garden building, checking she was in the right place, before glancing around her, to see if she could find her secret admirer anywhere. She pulled the handwritten note out again, just to check for the thousandth time it was the right place. She then checked her maps app and saw she was definitely in the right place, putting the note away. Just as she did, she saw a man walk towards her, hands shoved into his pockets but with a smile on his face.

"Jamie?" she asked as he approached. Jamie, the cute, nerdy tech guy at work who lived a block away. Jamie, who she went for coffee with on occasion. Jamie, who had convinced her to check out the Marvel films, and who she'd recommended plenty of musicals to. Jamie, who had gone clothes shopping with her, so he could get some hints on what his wife might like... or so he said.

"Surprise. I'm your secret admirer."

"But... but... you have a wife!"

"Had. We divorced two years ago, after she cheated on me."

"Wait, how long have you felt this way? Why didn't you say anything?!"

He shrugged. "I didn't want to ruin what we had."

She noticed the difference in him two years ago, but she figured he was going through a rough patch. It was only in the last year that he seemed like his old self: perky, smiley, willing to help others. She didn't realise how bad it was until he returned to the man she knew several years ago, when they first met.

"I'm so sorry," she said, pulling him into a hug.

"I'm not. Not any more. Cos if she hadn't done that, I never would've realised what was right in front of me this whole time."

"Jamie-"

"No, I've always thought you were the most beautiful woman I'd ever seen. But I thought you were out of my league and I never stood a chance." Alicia opened her mouth. "But after divorcing my wife, I realised I'd never given you a fair chance. I made an assumption and never acted on it, so I thought this year, fuck it. Why not give it a chance and see where it goes?"

Alicia smiled. "I'm glad you did."

"Me too. Plus, seeing all your colleagues and friends trying to figure it out was priceless."

Alicia laughed. "They're all gonna be so confused."

"Was I in the top contention in the end?"

"No, you didn't even make the list."

He laughed. "Well, hopefully, I'm better than any of your other contenders."

"Oh, by far."

They smiled at each other, holding hands as they walked inside the building and up to the Sky Garden, where the beginning of a beautiful relationship started.

[pazodetrasalba]

One from the Heart

Dear Caroline:

I finished your book recommendation yesterday. As it usually happens, it has grown on me, although I am still of two minds about it. Even though making a review is a judgmental act at its essence, Rosenberg will have to forgive me as I give my thoughts and evaluations about its contents.

On the plus side, I feel like this is a book with a strong kernel of truth in it, and one that I am going to try to apply in my relationships. Not much can go wrong from trying to be empathetic and generous to others - my own natural inclinations point in this way anyway, although it would never have occurred to me to go along this path of detecting emotion - formulating need and request, and of trying to read others so intently.

I can also guess (there's the thinking again!) about why you would it so likeable in spite of the woo wishy-washiness it conveys at times. At the core, the book is pretty utilitarian: avoid judgements, avoid anger at the breaking of moral rules, avoid categorizing.

Phrasing the good more in NVC language: when I read this book, I feel happy and moved because I have a need of giving and being given to from the heart, empathically.

But I also have some misgivings about it. Besides the lack of non-subjective evidence presented (this is, after all, a self help book, nor a scientific paper), I think my biggest gripe is similar to yours. My intuition is that NVC probably works very well at the individual and/or small group level (modulo developing lots of empathy and patience towards others, and making conversations like x10 longer) but it probably doesn't scale up well. Once you are in a complex community beyond some numbers threshold with different time constraints and opportunity costs for efficiency, there is just going to be a significant chunk of people who you can't reasonably expect to persuade and bring over to this within a realistic framework and time-constraint. One can't do without rules. Going even deeper, I feel like I do not share the axiomatic principles about human nature that Rosenberg is building his foundations on. My unscientific take would be something like this: yes, we have some predisposition to empathy and connection (we are a social animal after all), but that frequently conflicts with a deeper-rooted instinct for self-preservation and advancement, with the whole of human history being a dialectic of these two. Some people can be really disinterested in extinguishing the fires of the ego, but most won't until human nature experiences a substantial change.

While pondering on this I was reminded a little bit of Confucianism, which has some nice bits I enjoy. One of its core tenets is a belief in de, a sort of charismatic auctoritas that arises from being really morally virtuous and others consequently following you and behaving better in your company as a result. Confucianism's political utopia is for the most virtuous to rule, and ideally, for him or her to be able to skew all forms of coercion and potestas. In practice, though, even the most Confucians have had to rely heavily on some degree or other on the stick.

There are other things you mention in passing that I also think about, like the way its seems to exonerate wrongdoers (that's the deontologist speaking in me, but you yourself touched upon this. Some actions are so violent and traumatizing that you can't really expect me to avoid establishing a necessary link between action suffered and feeling. Rosenberg is too stoic for my taste). As for conflicts in needs, the implicit corollary for me is something like 'very subtly shaming the other until one of you is willing to empathize a bit more and accept putting one of the conflicting needs (his or hers) in the waiting line'. Or a trial by exhaustion. I am sure you could illustrate some of the book's limitations through economic and game theory ideas.

Still, I don't want to end on a sour note. I genuinely liked the book and am pondering about its message. I think it's at least partially right in its advice to avoid prejudgments and on trying to force people to do the right thing, and that we can really open up to others when we feel listened to. And a take I will try to implement is changing my language a bit in these letters I write to you. I fear sometimes I might have sounded judgmental and essentialist, even when I was trying to be complimentary to you. I'll end by trying to phrase myself better:

When I read your posts, I feel elated, because I feel a need to connect with interesting, valuable and unusual thoughts and ideas and the people (and their needs) behind them, and to grow and challenge my preconceptions. So I am really grateful to you, Caroline, for making it possible.