#You have to manually go see her if you want her in your party

[nobuverse]

v; Persona ( Kagetora )

Persona: Bishamonten

One of the Four Heavenly Kings in Buddhism. God of Warfare.

Arcana: Temperance

Signature Skills / Attacks: All Physical Attacks, Medium level Hama / Light Skills and some Almighty damage

Main Weapons: Spear, but can use any melee weapon. Refuses to use a gun or any other type of ranged weapon.

While this was made with the themes of Persona 5 in mind, this can be easily applied to / adjusted for any of the games

Something was wrong with that child, they would say. The little girl who seemed incapable of understanding others emotions, didn't react to her siblings tears when she wrestled them with her inhuman strength. She was seen as a monster, even by her own family. A demon in human skin.

Its for this reason that she was handed over the care of the monks at a young age - believing she could be exorcised in one way or another.

The monks, of course, found no demon within her. She instead was raised on the four noble truths of Buddhism, dedicating all her time to trying to be a virtuous person.

So when that rebellious child, Nobunaga, accused the head monk of her temple of being a greedy, self interested man - she became enraged. She would not let everything she'd worked for be tossed to the winds by being accused of following the guidance of a fake.

But the full name which was uttered aloud, the accusation that this temple was nothing more than his treasury - it forced the truth in front of her eyes.

Though she would continue to deny it for quite some time - brute forcing her way through the shadows with only her spear and her inability to fear pain, a few days of being trapped in the palace finally wore her down. Redirecting her anger towards the man who had used her to help collect offerings for all these years, she vowed to take back the prayer beads she'd made for him as a young child. With this, she formed the pact with Bishamonten, asking him to lend his strength to exorcise the true demons.

In taking her treasure back, she did not realize she'd also taken his - and the place began to crumble. With it, they were able to make their escape.

Now brought back to the real world, she found her mentor's attitude drastically changed - but she could never look at him the same way again. She kept the beads to herself.

Still only seventeen, she now sees the world with uncertainty - but still vows to uphold the heavenly principles she was taught to follow. Still, things have never gone quite back to normal since. Not to mention, there is those strange dreams of coffins lining the streets she keeps having...

[creedslove]

BETRAYED - PART TWO

Pedro Pascal x f!reader

Summary: Pedro invites you to be his plus one for the night but his attention is caught by another woman and leaves you with a broken heart

Warnings: angst, age gap, established friendship, unrequited love/one sided feelings, Pedro being a dick

A/N: I'm so sorry but I can't manually tag anyone on the post, the app won't just let me do it!

1.6k words

PART ONE

When Pedro woke up in the next morning he knew he had screwed up. He knew he had screwed up bad. Though he barely remembered what had happened, he just had a gut feeling he'd screwed up. His head was pounding from his excessive drinking the night before and his back was sore, he groaned in pain as he shifted in bed and flashes of what happened the night before crossed his mind.

Clothes flying around the room, scattered on the floor, sloppy kisses, dirty touches, he had no idea how he'd look at you and tell you your night together didn't mean what you probably thought it meant. He swore to himself he wouldn't touch you, no matter how bad either of you might want, he knew he couldn't lead you into thinking you had a chance of anything romantically happening between you both. He sighed heavily before turning in bed and being shocked to see you were not the woman who was lying next to him.

If he hadn't slept with you, then, who did he sleep with? What was her name? He had no idea. The man cursed under his breath as the stranger slept deeply in his bed and grabbed his phone. He felt his heart pounding with anxiety, worried he'd done something embarrassing in public, but luckily, he hadn't. He was still the internet's sweetheart.

He let out a sigh of relief and managed to get out of bed, stumbling towards the bathroom and getting under the shower so he would clear his mind. The cold water poured over his naked body as he rested his forehead against the wall tile, he was definitely too old for that routine or partying, drinking, fucking. He shook his head as he replayed everything that happened the night before, from getting styled, to taking you to the gala, dancing with you, having a few drinks and then leaving with another woman. She got him horny, he was a man after all, he was single and he was free to be with whoever he wanted, so he decided to end his night with some female company. What was so bad about that?

But Pedro knew what was that bad about that. He simply ditched you for someone else, he already knew about your feelings and even if the two of you pretended it didn't exist, he was conscious enough to know it wasn't polite to make you go back home on your own because he'd found something better to do. As his towel hung wrapped around his waist, he checked his phone again, it explained why you hadn't replied to any of his drunk texts. He knew he'd play it cool and let you take your time.

Exiting the shower, he found the naked stranger in his bed, and god, she was gorgeous. She smiled at him, noticing how his gaze burned her skin. Pedro knew there was nothing he could do for Y/N at that moment, so he just shrugged and jumped into bed again, letting the woman tangle her legs around his body.

•••

You had a rough day as everything that happened insisted on being on your mind. No matter how much you tried to forget it or let it go, you were brought back to that night every time you closed your eyes. Your face still burned with the shame and humiliation you felt. Even if no one seemed to have noticed, you never felt so exposed to Pedro before. And you also couldn't believe the nerve he had to drunk text you during the night, he repeatedly asked if you'd arrived home safely, as if he cared about it at all. If he did, he wouldn't have told you to take an Uber home while he drove that skank back to his house, undressed her and fucked her all night long. You honestly felt sick to your stomach just to imagine him grabbing his phone to send you a text while she probably had her mouth or other holes busy with him. At that moment, you wanted to erase Pedro from your existence, and hoped he would give you a break, not wanting to face him at all.

However, it took him a week before he was again after you, he texted you at random hours during the day, always asking you if you wanted to facetime or hangout. It baffled you how he simply acted as if nothing happened and was unable to give you space when you clearly didn't want to be social. You always declined his invitations and though you still replied to his messages, anyone who had access to them could tell you were being nothing but polite and distant from him, because that's exactly what you wanted: distance.

Pedro on the other hand, just couldn't accept that, you out of every single person in the world would never do that, I mean, stay away from him? Not a chance. He knew you'd rather be by his side as a friend than be without him, and he wasn't afraid to admit he was that selfish. He didn't want you out of his life, even if he couldn't give you what you wanted, but at the same time, he couldn't sacrifice his freedom like meeting women because of you. So once again, he told himself he would accept your decision of having a break for him, but he wasn't going down without a fight.

Showing up at your job at the end of your shift was the solution he came up with. In his mind, it was the perfect plan. There were enough people so you'd be too shy to tell him off, but not crowded enough to drag everyone's attention.

You were just finishing your tasks with some of your co-workers when you saw him standing there. He was in his regular sweater, glasses on and a messy hair that showed he'd been out in the wind. He smiled sweetly, his warm brown eyes scanning the tight jeans you were and the high knee boots had on.

"Hey Y/N, can we talk?" He asked as if nothing had happened, he stared into your eyes with his puppy ones and slowly took both hands to your face, cupping your cheeks and stroking them gently.

"I missed you, mi cariño" he mixed the two languages knowing damn well how that made you weak at the knees.

You're heart raced and your breathing wasn't steady anymore, the butterflies got all agitated and you bit your lips, before reminding you it wasn't real, it was just one of his tricks, how Pedro learned to read you over time and used this on his favor.

You gently held his hands and took them away from your face "I'm sorry, I was busy" you gave him a lame excuse and he knew it was bullshit, but still, didn't care at all.

"It's okay, princesa, I wanted to see you… wanna go for a coffee?" He asked sweetly and frowned softly at your refusal. You had never said no to going out with him.

"I really can't, Pedro, I'm still in the middle of tasks here and I can't leave early" you half lied as you were indeed very busy but if it was any other occasion, you would always make time to him.

He sighed and took a step back "alright hermosa, just… stop by Saturday night, I'll have some friends over, it's our group and I'd really like to see you there, you know it is never the same without you" he said in a sweet way and said goodbye, leaning towards you and pecking your cheeks, dangerously close to your lips.

•••

Saturday arrived faster than you could tell, if you were excited about the dinner party the week would've probably dragged itself, but as you were still feeling awkward, in a blink of an eye, you found yourself checking your makeup in front of the mirror. You didn't take long to get dressed and knew you should get going, so you wouldn't be too late. You decided to take an Uber instead of driving, unsure of how much you'd drink. When your screen lit up, the first thing that drew your attention was the headline to some high profile gossip website that said

'Pedro Pascal seen with mysterious beauty blonde as he's out'

You felt your hand shake lightly and your whole body heat up again, clicking on the link and being redirected to the article that said he was spotted a couple of weeks ago walking down the street with the woman whom you immediately recognized as the skank from the party. The text said some fan recognized him and snapped a picture of the two while out for lunch but it only went viral on TikTok two weeks later.

You could see she was still wearing the same dress she did at the party which was an obvious proof they'd slept together and she didn't have spare clothes to change while he took her out for lunch.

He took her out for lunch. The son of a bitch had told you to go home by Uber late at night knowing you had drunk considerably and that could make you an easy target in case the driver or anyone else had bad intentions. And yet, he made sure to take her out for lunch and drive her home like a real gentleman.

You couldn't believe what you were reading, as angry tears blurred your eyes, you threw your phone onto the bed and began taking off your clothes. To hell with Pedro and his dinner party. Judging by his behavior in the last few weeks, there was a huge chance the skank would be there as well, and you would not humiliate yourself like that, not for him, not for anybody.

"Fuck you Pascal" you mumbled under your breath as you removed your makeup and turned off your phone.

-----

A/N: I hope you guys enjoyed it!!! Part 3 is coming soon!

[pia-nor481]

A Halloween special

Daniel ricciardo x reader smut 18+

1.7k words

"I don't get it sweetheart." Daniel said looking, down at his girlfriend. She'd been invited to a house party on Halloween by a few of her friends, who insisted she bring her boyfriend. They were told to dress up for the night of drinking. Daniel had the idea of going as the joker and Harley Quinn. Although she shut him down immediately, she had a much better, dirtier idea. "It's fine if you don't get, almost everyone else will." She laughed lifting the make up brush higher on his leg. "Could you at least tell me why you're painting my leg black. I already have a tat of my other thigh." He said, watching her paint the letters on. "Don't get me wrong, I love seeing you in a short skirt and showing off your tits, but it don't know who I'm supposed to be." She was wearing thick framed glasses and had her hair tied up high. A slutty school girl costume was easy to come by this time of the year. "Baby, I'm gonna freeze. I'm going out wearing just as black shirt and boxers. Not to mention, you usually steal my jacket when your cold, which you will be considering you're wearing next to nothing." She stood up quickly going for a kiss.

"It will be fine, we are inside the whole night and we'll be drinking." She spoke quietly, fingers brushing through his curly hair, his hands made way to wards her waist, pulling her closer. "You are so hard to resist right now." He huffed out, running his hand all over her sides, slipping them below the red school skirt briefly. "I can tell." Dropping down to her knees to finish painting his leg, Daniel let a out a groan at the sight, clearly expecting her to suck him off, disappointed when she picked up the brush. "Oh, don't tease me like this, everyone will be able to see." She gave a small giggle and a smirk as a response. Once finished, she stood up, dragging him in the direction of the door.

"You fucking minx." He let out with an exaggerated sigh, helping her down the steps of the house, guiding her towards the car. While diving, Daniel kept looking over to his girlfriend, he couldn't spend hours admiring her like he wanted, so he had to settle for a glace every minute or so. The drive was long, maybe an hour or so of torture for him. He couldn't even touch her for long as his hand needed to be on the gearstick, cure the manual car. They could hear the music from the end of the road. Daniel felt his anxiety rise slightly, he didn't anticipate this party being so big, it was like something from a film. "You will be fine, Danny, I promise." It was like she could read his mind, always knowing how to make him feel better. He parked the car opposite the door a few houses down the road, most of the space already being used.

As soon as she got out of the car, grabbing his hand, she dragged him through the door. He was happy to follow, as always. They quickly reached the kitchen, looking for alcohol. Daniel's hand's remained on her body the whole time, many of the other guys in the room couldn't keep their eyes off her; he felt the need to protect her more than ever, she was his, no one else's. He was the one she spent hours on the phone will, he was the one she came home to, he was the one making her cum. Doing shot after shot was easier than nursing a full drink, so they felt the buzz a lot faster than usual. She always got handsy when she was drunk, Daniel was aware of this, and he didn't see a problem with it. So he walked her to the living room, where the music was coming from. He was immediately bombarded with the smell of green; But he couldn't care when she was feeling him up until she could feel the beat of the song in her whole body. "Owen Grey and a slutty school girl, that's quite funny." She turned her head to the side, upon hearing her friends voice. It had reached a point where she got giggly, so out of it that she couldn't articulated a proper sentence. She was right, Daniel didn't know who he was dressed up as, but her friends did. "I'll be right back, I'm getting another drink." He didn't like her going off on her own in in a situation like this, but he had so many questions for her friend.

"Who is he?" Daniel shouted over the base. Her friend have him a weird look, painted with confusion, Daniel clarified, "Owen gray, considering I'm dressed up as him and she's not told me who he is." Her friend giggled, pulling her phone out and heading straight to safari. "You seriously don't know?" Daniel gave her a look of disappointment, this amplified after he saw what was on her phone. She laughed out watching him walk away.

Blood rushed through Daniel's body, he was scanning the room for her, he wasn't furious, but almost jealous. He couldn't believe his girlfriend dresses him up as a pornstar to go to a Halloween party, it was unbelievable. He was slightly out of breath when he reached the kitchen, from walking with so much pace. She looked so inviting, if he wasn't on a mission now, he would have sweetened her up a little bit, maybe even played with her hair just because she was so stunning.

"I can't believe you, sweetheart. Honestly I'm shocked." He said, placing his hand on her lower back, as she took another shot and poured him one. "What?" She was clearly more than a little tipsy and Daniel planned to join her. Her hands quickly made way up his chest, pulling on his shirt once she reached the collar. She was intoxicated with him, she wanted him there and then, he would tell. "Come on, before I fuck you right here."

They hurried off up stairs, Daniel let her up before him, claiming he was there to catch her if she slipped or fell, and with those shoes and the volume of alcohol she had drunk in the time she was away from him, it was very likely, he also wanted to enjoy watching her. He could see up her skirt from this angle, and he could see where her stockings met and it only got him hard. Daniel smacked her ass once she reached the top step, her gaze shifted left and right, searching for the bathroom.

Once inside, he pushed her up against the door by her neck, careful to not restrict her breathing. Their lips connected quickly as she pushed her pelvis towards him. Daniel’s hand slid up her thigh and into her underwear, feeling how wet her cunt was. “You are fucking soaked baby.” She whined into his mouth, struggling to breathe. It wasn’t rare for Daniel to get rough with her, they had long conversations about what they enjoyed or wanted to try in the bedroom. This was definitely on the list.

“Come here.” Daniel said, walking away from her and towards the mirror. She was keen to follow, not wanting his hands away from her, even just for a second. He pushed her against the counter, with just seconds for her hands to support her weight, she looked up at him through the glass. Daniel always liked to take his time with her, so he began to undo the buttons of her shirt, as she pushed back slightly, pressing her ass against his cock. Normally he tell her off for this but he was becoming too desperate, this was made apparent by the tent in his boxers.

“Be good. Yeah?” Daniel rasped out, pushing her skirt up and pulling her underwear to the side. She arched her back as he pushed his cock in, not wasting time in teasing her. Her head dipped low, looking down at the sink with closed eyes as he began to rock his hips back and forth. She moaned rather load and quickly tried to cover her mouth with her hand. “No. None of that. Not after today, making me dress up as a porn star. Do you think Owen Grey could fuck you as well as I can?” She clenched upon hearing the name and stayed silent, choosing to focus more of the sensation he was giving her. “Answer me.” Daniel enjoyed being dominant, it quickly became second nature when they were together. “No, Danny. Only you could.”

“That’s what I fucking thought, baby.” Wherever Daniel said something particular harsh or degrading he’d follow it up with something sweet, to ease the pain just a little. She began to get drunk on the feeling, the buzz was quickly approaching so she pushed her hips back on his to meet the thrusts. She wanted him deeper. “That’s it. Good girl. Make yourself feel good on my cock.” His hand edged slowly back towards her underwear. Wanting to rub her clit. He wanted to feel her clench around him, he wanted to hear her voice as she neared ecstasy, he wanted to see the pleasure he was giving her.

Her moans got louder, the faster he began fucking her. She was so close, so close to the edge that her eyes began to roll to the back of her head. As a response Daniel grabbed her hair and pulled so she was looking at the mirror; looking at him. “Keep your eyes on me baby, you’ll cum.” It just felt too good, too much for her. The risk of getting caught mixed with the alcohol made it all so much more pleasurable. “Please Danny.” She spoke, cumming hard and fast, shaking in his grip, struggling to stay up right. Daniel followed soon after her. The look on her face, the fact she was on cloud nine just sent him over the edge.

Her makeup was smudged and the glasses she was wearing were no where to be found. She noticed a few buttons on the sink as he pulled out of her dripping cunt. “I know, baby, I know.” Daniel said stoking up and down her sides with his tattooed hand. They kissed briefly again, not wanting to break contact. He pushed her underwear into the right place before tucking himself back into his boxers, letting out a light laugh. “Let’s get home sweetheart.”

If this looks or feels a bit rushed that’s because it is. If there are any mistakes let me know. <3

[risswirly]

Unexpected Chemistry

SYNOPSIS: After transferring to Blackwell you're quickly adopted into the vortex club. However, in search of something less superficial, you find yourself drawn to your lab partner GENRE: fluff NOTE: I rarely see the reader in the vortex club so let me know if you want me to write another with this trope! WORD COUNT: 1.7k

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It had only been a week since you started attending Blackwell yet your life was already being turned on its head.

A girl named Victoria Chase had been your tour guide during your first few days and despite being a little shy you somehow made a good first impression and she'd decided to adopt you into her clique. The vortex club was far from your usual scene. Parties, constant drama, alcohol and drugs were not things you particularly enjoyed and in all honesty, the effort it took to keep up with their rapid-paced life was exhausting. However, you played along with it all, despite being unable to stand half the club's members you quickly discovered the power these people held and decided the pros of being in the "popular" group outweighed leaving. 

You sit alone on a desk near the back of Ms Grant's class, fidgeting quietly with the lab equipment in front of you. Despite the decent size of the vortex club, none of them shared this class with you, which you honestly preferred. It gave you a few hours a week to escape their constant fussing, even if it did mean having to be alone. 

Ms Grant leans on the front of her desk and students hush as she begins the class, "Alright, today we're going to be doing an experiment based on what I covered last lesson. So you know what that means, partner work!" She claps enthusiastically with a grin while the class perks up at the mention of an experiment. "I'll walk around and hand out these instruction manuals for you to share with your desk partner." She states before grabbing a stack of sheets and begins passing them out. 

You sit silently as you watch your classmates break out into chatter. As you observe them joke and enjoy each others company you feel a twang of sadness knowing you don't have the same carefree and comfortable friendship with any of the vortex club. Deep down you yearn for a genuine connection that isn't just fuelled by shit-talking and partying. 

"Ah (y/n), you don't have a desk partner do you?" Ms Grant snaps you out of your train of thought with her question. You shake your head with a weak smile looking at the empty seat beside you, not that you minded all that much. She shakes her head and places her hands on her hips "That just wont do will it." she jokes trying to lighten your mood a bit before scanning the room quickly. "Ah yes, you can partner with Warren! He's usually the leftover student but since you've joined we now have an even number." With a fond smile she points to a boy sitting alone a few rows in front of you. 

You quickly gather your things, holding your items close to your chest before making your way over to the lonesome boy. You place your books down on the empty side of the table prompting him to look up from the instruction sheet.

Once his head turns toward you, you're finally able to actually get a good look at him. His fluffy chestnut hair hangs down in front of his face slightly, while his brown eyes look back up at you. He's wearing a dorky graphic tee that sits loosely over his lanky frame. You feel your face warm up a little as your eyes trail over his features. 

Damn, he's cute. 

You ignore the thought and pull out your new chair. "Hi" you greet him with a small wave, putting on the confident act you've been keeping up all week "I think I'm your desk partner now" You add on as you take a seat. "Oh hey" He smiles softly, his eyes linger on you for a second longer as if lost in the details of your face, before he quickly glances away. "I'm Warren" He introduces himself sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck a little embarrassed for staring at you.

"Im (y/n)" you smile back warmly. Maybe this could be a chance to make real friends! Friends away from the Vortex Club and its reputation.

"Yeah I know" he chuckles quietly to himself as he begins to set up the lab equipment. "Pardon?" you ask with a furrowed brow, not exactly sure what his comment is meant to mean. His gaze flickers back to you and his eyes widen as he realises how his words may have come across "OH, no no, I didn't mean that in a bad way. Its just, I think practically everyone knows who you are by now" He trails off. 

Well there goes that hope.

"Ive only been here a week?" You laugh lightly, taken slightly aback by his remark. God damn it, just how popular was this stupid club?  He laughs along with you at the absurdity of it, "I mean, people spend months sucking up to Victoria and Nathan trying to be apart of their group." he says with a slight look of distaste at the mention of the two. "You just sort of waltzed right in. People wanna know who the mysterious, pretty new girl is and how she got into the vortex club in just a few days." 

You pause for a second, reflecting on his words before speaking again. "I didn't exactly ask to be in their little club" You mutter just loud enough for Warren to hear. You didn't like the thought that so many people had already formed opinions on you simply because of who you'd become friends with and you felt a need to disprove these assumptions. 

He stops setting up for a moment, looking at you with a raised brow, "What do you mean by that?" he asks softly. You study his expression for a second and instead of being faced with judgement you see not only curiosity but also genuine concern in his eyes as he awaits your response. 

You take a deep breath, well here goes nothing. "Victoria is the first person I'd met, and since she added me to her group so quickly I haven't exactly been given much chance to make other friends." You look down at your desk, avoiding his eyes. You sigh before adding, "The vortex club isn't my crowd... but it seems like everyone else has made up their minds about me". This was the first time you'd actually been able to tell someone that, it felt like a weight had been lifted off your chest and you breath a little easier. Now there was actually someone that knew you, someone that you had been honest with, that had allowed you to open up and express yourself.

But now there was a deafening silence and you immediately cringe to yourself as you realise how pathetic you must seem to him. Maybe you'd gone a little overboard with the confession, I mean this was literally the first time you'd even met the guy. You turn away from him trying to hide your embarrassment. 

He takes a moment to think about what you've said before leaning over the desk slightly, trying to catch your gaze, "Well... Im talking to you now aren't I?" He answers softly. 

You meet his eyes, he looks back at you with a gentle smile, his gaze filled with understanding and optimism. You feel a smile tug at the corner of your own lips after seeing his doe-eyed look, "Sooo, you don't think I'm a stuck up rich kid?" You chuckle with a sarcastic tone. He leans back slightly after seeing your mood lighten back up. You notice his eyes soften as they trail over your face again, as if he's taking his time memorising your smile.

"Perhaps I might've before, but, I see now that I was wrong.. I mean half the vortex kids wouldn't be caught dead talking to me in the first place" He adds, seeming more amused than ashamed. As the two of you joke and tease the vortex club for its elitist ways, you mentally capture an image of his wide grin and note how his eyes sparkle as he beams and you realise just how much you missed genuinely laughing with someone.

You take a long sigh to you catch your breath and smile to yourself in a moment of comfortable silence, "Mysterious, pretty new girl huh?" You ask glancing back at him with raised brows and a smirk. You watch as his smile falls and his eyes widen, his face turns a shade of red as he remembers what he'd called you. He clears his throat and averts his eyes trying to cover up his accidental slip from earlier "So erm, my friend is having a small get together this weekend, would you um maybe wanna come? I can introduce you to some people.. help you make new friends?" He asks shyly as he rubs the nape of his neck. You giggle at his less-than-smooth topic change but smile even wider at his offer. A chance to expand from the vortex club, a chance to express and be yourself without the pressure of needing to always look cool.

"Yes! I'd love to go!" You smile widely, not even bothering to try and hide your excitement. Warrens face lights up as he mirrors your own enthusiasm "Great! I'll send you the details, here-" He quickly pulls out his phone and hands it to you with a blank contact for you to fill out. Your heart flutters slightly as you type in your details and his little smile as he looks over them after you hand him back his phone only fuels the feeling even more. "I'll message you tonight. Um about the party of course! U-unless you'd like to talk about other things too?" He stammers awkwardly, a little nervous after getting your digits.

As he runs his fingers through his hair, trying to play it cool, Ms Grant passes by the front of your desk looking at your lack of experimenting. "Look, I'm always glad to see students getting along but this experiment is important." She reminds the both of you then walks off hiding a pleased grin. The two of you sheepishly smile realising how sidetracked you'd gotten before eventually getting back to work. 

For the rest of the class the two of you practically refused to shut up, joking, laughing and talking about almost everything. It felt like you'd reached a light at the end of a tunnel, finally basking in the sun after the storm that had been the past week. As you watch Warren struggle to wipe the grin off his face you think that perhaps, just maybe, this school wasn't as bad as you thought.

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[lostbookmark]

MDNI 🔞

Main Masterlist here

Summary: After a failed engagement, you move back home and reconnect with your friends. Maybe, just maybe you can find love with someone you never expected.

Pairing: Neighbor Yoongi x Teacher F. Reader

Warnings: Explicit Sex, Swearing, Cheating (Not Yoongi), Fighting, Protected/Unprotected Sex, Toxic Past Relationship,

Genre: Enemies(?) to Lovers, Neighbors to Lovers, Small Town Romance, They own a farm, Hurt-Comfort, Slight Angst, Romance, 

A/N: A small teaser for my next story that won't come out until WHISPERED VOWS is complete.

“Kookie, let her talk,” Hobi scolded him.

“Y/N!” You look up and see Jungkook waving at you excitedly from under a large Tannie Farms sign. “You're here!” Jungkook comes around to the front of several white tables that stand under a large tent from where the sign dangles and hugs you tightly. Your eyes widened in surprise at the act of affection. You bring your hands up and tentatively pat his pat in return. “Are you back for good? Joon said, "Joon said that you're going to work at his school. Are you going to help us every weekend?”

“Sorry, I just really missed you,” he whispered to you. Guilt. You feel so fucking guilty.

Hobi and Jungkook showed you how to stack all the produce in wooden crates that they were going to sell and how to keep them looking presentable. The more uniformed they were, the more appealing they supposedly were. They chatted away telling you all of their ideas to expand their products at their spot here at the farmers market and in the local stores as you stacked and fixed the wooden crates like they showed you. They told you how they wanted to start selling baked goods using the fruits and eventual nuts that they grew, but none of them could bake that well. Jin was the closest to making something edible, but it just wasn't good enough. 

“I missed you too, Kook. Don't worry, there is plenty of time to catch up. Okay, show me what you want me to do,” you tell him, a fake smile plastered to your face. You link your arms together as you make your way to their spot. 

“You could help with that!” Kook said excitedly. “Your  breads were always so good when you made them in school. OH! Your birthday cakes were amazing. We always looked forward to everyone's birthday because of your cakes.”

“I never got one,” a deep voice soon joined the conversation. Yoongi walked by you carrying a crate of tomatoes.  

His dark hair that you always remembered him having was now a darker blonde. He looked the same, though. He looked good. He was still handsome with an arrogant aura around him that he always had. You were actually surprised that he was carrying something. You figured business and marketing manager meant a cushy office, not manual labor. Someone who would never give up his weekend to help work the crowd on a hot summer's day. You thought it was more suit and tie than flannel and ripped jeans. 

“We were never friends,” you shot back at him. 

Yoongi turned and pinned you down with a glare. You swear you can feel your cheeks heat up, and you don't know if it's from anger or attraction. Your small, very, very small, almost microscopic crush from high school might still linger….maybe. 

“Okay,” Hobi says, clapping his hands, drawing your attention back to him. “Our price list is here on the sheet for your reference. Just entice people to come with that pretty face, and Kook will ring them up.” Yoongi scoffs. You quickly pick up an ear of corn to chuck it at him, but Hobi takes it away from you just as fast. “Listen, I know you two have had your differences in the past, but we are actually adults now. Just be cordial, at least.” 

"Fine,” you say, feeling ashamed that you let Yoongi get to you. 

“Okay,” Yoongi agrees and shrugs nonchalantly. “I have no issues on my end.” 

“Great,” Hobi says happily with a clap of his hands. “Let's get this party started.”

[thetempleofthemasaigoddess]

Gentleman caller

Sanji x reader. NSFW!!

This fic was inspired by Usopp visiting Kaya at her mansion at night. One Piece of course is not that sort of story, but... what if things were allowed to get a little more spicy?

TAGGING @holymusicalmothman @b7717 @mcereal @aamon47 Thanks for asking!!

*****

"Are you sure you don't want a glass of warm milk before you go to bed, miss?"

"I am sure, Kyla." you answer politely. The truth is you haven't drunk a glass of milk to help you fall asleep since you were ten (that is, almost half your life) but your governess keeps asking, every single night, and every single night you answer no; still, you know she does it out of worry and affection for you, which you sincerely appreciate "I think I'll go now; will you tell my father good-night for me, when he returns?"

Kyla promises she will, and returns to the kitchen to clean up after dinner, while you walk out of the villa's large dining room, cross a long corridor and climb the stairs to the upper floor, finally reaching your bedroom.

Except for Kyla in the kitchen you are alone, since the cook and the gardener, who do not reside in the villa, already left, and your father is as usual busy with a business dinner. You don't feel lonely exactly, since that state of affairs has been going on since your mother died when you were still too young to remember her, but it does feel a little weird to live in such a large place, no less than twelve bedrooms on the first floor alone and at least six other rooms that have been closed for years since you literally don't know how to occupy them, when it's only the two of you... a waste of space, even though you and your father often host parties and receive many guests.

And the most important of those visitors by far is going to arrive soon, a person your father has no idea has already visited so many times before...

You take off your shoes, and spend a few minutes in the en-suite bathroom refreshing yourself before closing the bedroom's door behind you. You sigh, happy and excited, as you let yourself fall on the bed, observing the room you have slept in since you were maybe six and that you will soon leave: the desk cluttered with paper models, scarps of fabric and sewing tools; the two mannequins wearing your latest creations, a green cocktail dress and a simpler but elegant light blue men's shirt; the bookstore full of sewing manuals, fashion catalogs and the biographies of your favourite designers; the large poster on a wall, depicting a famous, elegantly dressed model... and the glass door that, only a few minutes after you have retired to your room, starts being hit by tiny pebbles, picked from the garden below.

Your guest is here. You happily stand from the bed, glance quickly to the full length mirror on the wall to make sure your hair is combed and in order, and reach the glass door to quickly step onto the balcony.

Standing in the garden under you like a suitor ready to serenade you, more handsome than a fairy-tale hero and beaming as if about to see all his dreams come true, is him. The former assistant cook of your family, your best friend in the world, your...

"Sanji!" you call out to him, voice barely rising above a whisper as you wave your hand at him, a greeting he returns in kind, clearly happy to see you, hidden among the trunks of the centuries-old trees; the night is particularly dark, heavy clouds covering the crescent moon and most of the stars, but his smile is brighter than any other source of light.

"Are you alone?" Sanji asks urgently as he glances all around him; no one has reason to visit the garden at this hour and the balcony is oriented towards the back of the villa, far from the main entrance through which your father would come in, but you both know how imperative it is to keep your rendez-vous secrets.

"I am; my dad hasn't returned yet and Kyla is in the kitchen. You can come up."

When you decided you would meet in secret at night, five years ago, you had offered to find a rope for him to climb, but Sanji never needed it. Tonight, as usual, you look on as he nimbly climbs the tree closest to the villa's wall, clinging to the huge trunk and then to the largest branches until he's jumping above the balcony and directly in your arms.

You embrace each other, your profiles standing out against the light filtering from the room, and for a full minute neither feels the need to talk. Sanji's arms hold you close by the waist, his lips pressed against your temple in a chaste kiss; you lose yourself in his scent, the costly perfume you bought for him because you knew he liked but couldn't afford it and and that never fails to make you shiver, as you enjoy the sensation of his slim but strong body pressed against yours.

"Do you have it?" you ask after a while, pulling away just enough to look at him in the eyes; you thought about nothing else for days, more nervous than if it had been your own future career at stake "The answer from the school. Did you receive it?"

"I have."

"... and?!"

Sanji, as usual neatly dressed in one of the dark suits he wears at work, smiles at you, his fingers brushing against your face; a small backpack hangs from his shoulder. "Can we go inside before we talk?" he proposes "I have something for you as well."

Knowing he brought you a treat from the restaurant he works at makes you happy, but nothing beats the simple, pure pleasure of his company. Wordlessly you take his hand to lead him inside, leaving the now empty balcony behind.

*****

Your friendship with Sanji began exactly one decade ago; you were the only daughter of a powerful politician, living alone with him at the villa and whose pathological shyness had left her virtually friendless, him a newly orphaned boy your father had decided to hire as assistant to the cook, so that he could support himself. One afternoon, you visited the kitchen to ask for a snack, since you were starving and dinner was still hours away; the cook told you that he was sorry but your father, already then worried for your weight, had strictly forbidden him from feeding you between meals. You noticed Sanji, busy scrubbing a large pot in the sink, but he seemed so focused on his job you decided not to disturb him to introduce yourself.

You left, disappointed but unwilling to insist, out of respect for both your father and the cook who was just following orders, but a few minutes later, as you studied in the library, he joined you, a nervous smile on his face and a salami sandwich in his hands.

"Please don't tell anyone, especially not your dad." he told you as he put it in your hands "I hope you liked it, I put some mayonnaise on it because I saw the cook used it to prepare your school lunch yesterday."

You did (and still do) like mayonnaise on your sandwiches, and in that moment you were doubly astonished: that he heard your request for a snack even though he had looked so engrossed in the cookware to wash, and that he had decided to risk your father's wrath to help you, less than a week after being hired.

"Thank you, I... thank you so much! That was very kind of you." you told him, for once forgetting your shyness "My name is (name). What's yours?"

"I'm Sanji. And don't worry; I'm sure your dad means well, but no one should starve, especially not at our age. Don't tell anyone, ok? I know he forbade the cook from feeding you snacks, and i'm not supposed to visit the family's wing of the villa without a valid reason."

You obviously kept his secret, and from that day on, you and Sanji quickly became inseparable, spending together all your free time from school and work; he secretly fed you every time your father's concern about your weight made the cook limit your meals, and you used your allowance to buy him cooking books he studied to pursue his dream of becoming a famous chef. Apart from your father, you had never loved anyone like him; Sanji was the other half of your soul, an acerbic but steadfast feeling that made you sure you would never feel alone, as long as he were by your side, and you would not have left him for all the treasures, and the good food, in the world.

Your father, who was happy you had finally made a friend and didn't mind you had chosen the kitchen boy and not one of your school mates, who belonged to the city's most affluent and prominent families, never had anything against it... at least until you were both fourteen, when he suddenly decided it was inappropriate for the two of you to spend so much time together; as a sign of peace, he found Sanji a more prestigious job in a famous restaurant at the other side of the city. That, in your father's opinion, would have meant the end of your friendship, but it obviously didn't: and after all, with all the sandwiches and portions of dessert he had snuck you, hadn't your friendship been based on secrecy since the very beginning?

For five years Sanji has spent with you almost every evening he is free from the restaurant; he climbs the trees next to your balcony and you let him in, and sometimes you spend the whole night talking, or leave together to visit a bar or go dancing. Is it dangerous, should your father discover what you are up to? Undoubtedly so, especially since you know he only worries about you, whether it is about the food you eat or the places you visit in a large and dangerous city; but you are an adult, more than old enough to decide how to live your life, and Sanji is always ready to protect you when someone bothers you in a club, and he would never feed you something that could seriously endanger your health. You don't know why exactly your father has suddenly decided you mustn't be friends with him anymore, but you are determined not to lose him, especially now that your relationship has started evolving beyond mere friendship... and your own dreams risk separating you forever.

*****

"So? What did the school say?" you insist as Sanji closes the glass door behind the two of you; your heart is pounding, wishing with every fiber of your being you could change the decision the commission must have taken days ago "Did you get in?"

For years Sanji has dreamed of attending the most prestigious cooking school in the country, the Baratie Culinary Arts Academy in the capital; this year he has finally reached the required age to enroll, but the entrance examination, that your friend has taken two weeks ago, is notoriously difficult, especially for who, like Sanji, also has to apply for a scholarship. Your friend was meant to receive the results of his exam today, and you had decided you would also share your own secret with him... and then, hopefully, you would both have something to celebrate.

"I'll tell you in a minute."

"Sanji, please... I haven't thought about anything else all day!" you complain, fearing your friend's reticence is due to shame for his failure; Sanji, busy emptying his backpack on your desk, smiles, before rubbing the back of his head.

"The truth is... I haven't opened the letter yet." he admits "I hoped we could do it together... mainly because I don't have the courage to do it by myself."

There is nothing wrong with wanting a friend close when one is both scared and excited for something, but in that moment your heart breaks for Sanji: he has lost his parents, had to take care of himself since he was still a child, and while he has a good job and could try again next year, being refused admission to the Baratie would break his heart.

You wait patiently as Sanji quickly sets the table for the two of you: cutlery, napkins, glasses, a bottle of water and his latest effort in the kitchen: two portions of a delicious chocolate cake, bigger than what your father would allow you to eat but still relatively small, since your friend does care about your health.

"This looks delicious, Sanji!" you exclaim, as always happy to taste your friend's latest creations "But wait..."

You walk to the small fridge next to the door, almost hidden under a pile of scraps of fabric left over from your latest creation and that you will find a use for one day, and retrieve a small but expensive bottle of champagne that you have bought in the afternoon.

"I thought we could use it to celebrate; I have also taken two flutes from the kitchen." you explain.

"I still don't know if I got in, (name)."

"I'm sure you did. And if the chefs at the Baratie can't see, and taste, how extraordinarily talented you are, it's their loss." you point out "You wanna open it?"

A minute later you are sitting face to face at your desk, cake and champagne ready to be enjoyed, the white envelope Sanji took from his backpack in your hands.

"Shall I?" you ask softly; your friend, who has never looked so pale and so young, nods.

"Please."

You both hold your breath as you open the envelope and then unfold the single sheet of paper inside. You make sure Sanji cannot see your face as you read...

"So? What... what does it say?"

"Sanji, I'm so sorry..."

"Oh, God..." your friend, heartbroken, stares at you for a moment before slumping on his chair, face hidden in his hands "I can't believe it... I was so sure..."

"I'm sorry because you have some very difficult years ahead..."

"... what?"

"Of course. Nights spent studying, sharing a room with six other people, waking up extra-early to go to class... Really, I don't envy you..."

Finally you look at him, beaming, while Sanji's eyes grow bigger as he slowly catches the meaning of your words.

"You mean...?"

"You got in! And you got the scholarship as well. Oh, Sanji, I'm so proud of you! I knew you could do it!"

You stand and embrace, laughing with shared delight. "I can't believe it." Sanji murmurs, still as he looks at the admission letter, signed by Zeff, a famous chef who is the Baratie's headmaster "There were so many people at the exam, and at one point I was so nervous I spilled a bowl of vinaigrette on my apron..."

"As I said, an important school like the Baratie, with so many experienced chefs, couldn't not recognize your talent." you point out, happier than you remember ever being "Classes start in a month, you'll have to give your notice at the restaurant."

"Yeah..."

Sanji takes your hands in his, kissing them devotedly. "I could have never done it without you." he murmurs, with the sort of gaze and inflection that, years after your first kiss, still makes you shiver "All the books you have bought me... and it was you who convinced me to apply. I owe you so much, (name)."

"You would have done the same for me; and we both know the two of us are beyond this sort of talk. I am so happy for you, truly; I know you will become a great chef."

Sanji smiles, circling your waist with his arm as he uses his free hand to pick one of the flutes from the desk. "Shall we celebrate, then?"

"Actually..."

"Actually?"

"Actually, I also have something to tell you." you admit, a new, excited smile opening on your face "You know that important fashion school in the capital, the one many of my favourite designers attended?"

Fashion has always been your greatest passion; you have designed clothes since you were a child, and thanks to a family friend who owns a large tailor shop you have learnt the basics of the trade, how to cut fabric, sew and tailor an item of clothing. Your father, who approves of your interests, has offered to introduce you to some fashion designers his friends or associates are acquainted to, but you are determined to accept no recommendations and take no shortcuts; just like Sanji, and any person who has to work hard to realize their dreams, you will pursue your education, earn an apprenticeship at a fashion house, and in time, hopefully, open your own and make a name for yourself as a designer. It will take you years and fashion is a famously difficult field to break into, but you are determined to give your all, so that whatever the future may bring you will be free from regret, and live doing what you love.

"Of course; the Nefertari Vivi Fashion Institute." Sanji promptly answers; miss Vivi is one of your idols, a ground-breaking designer who has revolutionized the fashion world and then focused on teaching, establishing one of the best-reputed educational institutions of the field "So what?"

You smile, still excited almost a week after receiving your own letter, that you asked your father to open for you.

Sanji gapes. "You are kidding."

"I am not!"

Your friend laughs. "And you didn't tell me anything!" he exclaims, and you apologize, telling him you didn't want to disappoint both of them in the not unlikely event you were not admitted.

"But you were?"

You still can't believe it yourself. "I was! There was no exam; I only had to send miss Vivi some of my creations, and a few days ago I received the acceptance letter."

"(name), that's amazing!"

"I know! I can't wait to begin. I also apply for a scholarship, but unfortunately I didn't get it."

Sanji asks whether you plan on asking your father to pay for your classes, but you shake your head: you need to learn to take care of yourself, living alone once you'll move to the capital and earning money to support yourself. To this end, you have contacted a friend who lives in the capital and owns a bookstore: she has accepted to hire you, and you have sold your jewels to pay your tuition fees.

"(name), you didn't!" Sanji exclaims, flabbergasted "Those were your mom's things..."

"I know." you sigh, still feeling saddened and a bit guilty even though you know you did the right thing "But this is my future we are talking about, the opportunity to build a career, and a life for myself, without my father taking care of me or using my family's money to buy whatever I need or want. I want to earn my keep, Sanji; I want to prove I can take care of myself, and that I am more than a spoiled little girl."

Sanji softly points out that no one who knows you could ever think that; he smiles, his handsome face expressing a joy too great and deep for words, as he takes you in his arms once more. "So we are both moving to the capital to study." he mentions "And pursue our dreams. Which means we'll both be very busy..."

"... but we won't have to hide our relationship anymore." you happily finish for him, having already reflected on the matter; you plan on living in a student residence, since their rooms are cheaper than other types of accommodation, and guests are usually not admitted, but at least you will be able to meet in the open, having dates like any other couple instead of having to hide like a married man with his mistress, lest your father learns about your relationship "I can't wait! In a month we'll both be living in the capital, studying with the best in our fields, and nothing will stop us from being together. I... I don't think I've ever been so happy!"

"Me neither." Sanji agrees, one of the flutes in his hand once more "Shall we drink to our future? And then enjoy the cake?"

You agree, but you barely have had the time to clink your glasses together when a sudden noise reaches your ears: an unexpected, but otherwise innocuous noise, at least for who, unlike the two of you, has nothing to hide...

A soft but firm knocking on the door.

Sanji looks at you, suddenly tense; you turn your eyes to the door, wishing to be able to see beyond it. "Yes?"

"(name), it's dad. May I come in?"

The flute almost slips from Sanji's fingers; terrified as if a whole army were standing at the other side of the door, ready to barge in and tear both to pieces, you both nonetheless act quickly, having prepared for such an occurrence since your first nocturnal meeting. Your friend quickly retrieves the flutes and the champagne bottle, while you do the same with the cake plates and the other things placed on your desk; a moment later, Sanji has slipped under your bed, a dusty and uncomfortable hiding spot where nonetheless he'll be safe from your father.

I hope.

"(name)? Is everything all right?"

"Just a moment, dad! I'm coming!" you answer, hoping you sound less nervous, almost terrified, than you feel; you quickly glance all around you, making sure no trace of Sanji's presence is visible, and finally go open the door.

"Hello, dad. How was dinner?" you ask, approaching to kiss him on the cheek; even though he interrupted you and Sanji, you're happy he came to say good-night to you before retiring to his own bedroom.

"Pretty good, even though the lemon cake was not up the restaurant's usual standard. Are you ok?"

"Yes, of course; I was... preparing to go to bed." you answer vaguely, before something in your peripheral vision makes you tense; it is Sanji's backpack, placed where your friend had left it less than half an hour ago: on the bed, perfectly visible.

Shit. SHIT. Shitshitshitshit...

You move a step to the right, so as to prevent your father from noticing the backpack; it is not as compromising as if he had found Sanji's tie, or his shoes, but he could notice the backpack is a men's model, and inside he could find your friend's personal documents, five years after he had forbidden you from having further contact with him. Don't look at it. Don't see it. Please please please...!

Thank God your father, a clever and perceptive man, seems unconcerned with out-of-place objects in your room. "I was thinking tomorrow we could go buy a new suitcase for you; you need a large one, since you'll have to bring most of your things when you'll move to the capital. I hope you'll allow me to pay for that at least."

You smile, grateful for the offer and even more for the intention. "Of course, dad. Thank you."

He smiles, taking your hands in his. "I am so proud of you." he murmurs "I have always known you had a great talent for fashion, but being admitted to such a prestigious school... You'll become the greatest designer of your generation, I'm sure."

"Dad..."

"Please, let me be happy for you. You know I'm always there if you need something, right? I know you have found a job, and you are smart and mature enough to take care of yourself, but if you ever need money, or you want to come home, you can do it; no judgement. Oh, I wish your mom could see you..."

You bite your lip, suddenly unable to talk; a lump of emotion blocks your throat. You are happy, and grateful, that your father supports your desire to move to the capital and attend the Nefertari Institute, especially since he's so protective and you know he wished you would one day follow his footsteps and go into politics, and while you can't wait to start your classes and enjoy life in a big city, the thought of leaving him, and the house where you were born, fills you with sadness... and guilt.

"I... I will never thank you enough for everything you have done for me." you murmur, stepping closer to him to hug your father "And I'm sorry if... if I ever made it hard for you, especially after mom died. I love you very much, dad. I'll be back often to visit, I promise; and I'll miss you so much."

"I'll miss you too, my darling girl." your father answers; he's moved as well, but better than you at hiding it "But I'm so proud you're beginning your life in the world. And I hope you'll let me visit you as well."

"Of course! Every time you can."

"Good. Now, we should both go to sleep. I'll see you in the morning."

He kisses you on the forehead, and soon after he's closing the room's door behind him. You are still staring at it when, a minute later, Sanji joins you, resting his hands on your shoulders.

"Are you all right?" he asks softly; he has known you long enough to perceive what you are feeling, the love for your father and the guilt for the relationship you are carrying out behind his back, the efforts you are making to build a life for yourself away from his protective but constrictive influence and the way you'll miss him terribly and feel guilty for leaving as soon as you could.

"Yeah, just... I was just thinking."

You sigh, turning to face Sanji, desperately trying to return to the carefree joy of five minutes ago, and drive away the melancholia filling your heart. After all, it is normal for children to find their way in life away from their family, and your father is still young, dedicated to his job and career, and has many friends and a new partner he is very close to; he'll be all right, and whatever loneliness and melancholy he will feel, you know he will accept it.

"Your father is a good man." Sanji points out as you both retrieve your drinks and plates from the wardrobe you had hidden them in "He didn't even know me, but he gave me a job when I was alone in the world, and then he found me an even more prestigious one at the restaurant; every berry I ever earned I owe it to him. I'll never forget all the help he gave me."

You smile, happy to hear your friend talk well about your father. "You still have a good opinion of him even if he forbade us from being friends?"

"Well, I shouldn't resent him for that, since we never stopped seeing each other. And he only wanted to protect you, which I can understand."

You blink. "... sorry? What are you talking about?"

"Right, I... I never told you, did I?"

Sanji rubs the back of his neck, suddenly bashful. "You never wondered why your dad was suddenly against us being friends?"

You had. "Well... I thought it was because we weren't children anymore... and you a boy and I a girl..."

"Exactly, but... there was something else. When I was fourteen, I... I wrote you a letter; there was something important I needed to tell you, but I couldn't find the courage to do it in person. I left it on your pillow one day while you were in school, but your father found it... and read it."

You wait for Sanji to elaborate, but he seems focused on staring at the floor, avoiding your gaze. "It was... something inappropriate for a father to read...?"

"Nothing vulgar, if that is what you are wondering; but... it did say I wanted us to be more than friends, and this is what your father opposed, not that I was an orphan without money and prospectives, but because he thought you were too young for that sort of relationship. So... so he asked me to leave things between us as they were, and when I refused, he decided it was better to separate us, and he found me a job at the other side of town, forbidding me from contacting you again, at least until you were of age."

He looks at you, tense since he has no idea how you could react, but the truth is you don't know either. "He sent you away because he didn't want us to date?" you recapitulate in the end, flabbergasted "What would have been so wrong about that? Lots of girls get a boyfriend at fourteen, and he knew you, he knew you would treat me well..."

"Well, he's always been protective of you. Sorry, maybe I should have told you before..."

"It's ok." you reassure him, even though you are not completely sure of it yourself; you understand your father's reasons, and appreciate he didn't simply kick Sanji out in the street, but at the same time you can't believe all of it was to stop your best friend, a boy he knew posed no danger, from confessing his feelings "I... I'm so sorry, Sanji..."

"Well, it wasn't so bad; and as I said, I really don't have a reason to complain, since we did end up becoming more than friends. I felt guilty lying to your dad... but I couldn't give up on you."

He smiles, as he picks one of the flutes up from your desk again. "Now, can we please have a toast to our future?"

You do, happily enjoying your late-night snack; you delicately clink your glasses together before taking a sip, and then feed each other cake, your knees touching under the desk.

Silence has fallen on the room, and on the two of you, as usual when you are with Sanji a comfortable, peaceful silence that you don't feel the need to fill with small talk; you smile at each other, both happy and excited at the future opening in front of you... a future that you will face together as you have always done, finding strength and support in each other.

"Does chef Zeff teaches any class at the Baratie?" you ask after a while; you know the extent of Sanji's admiration for the principal of the cooking school, and it would be amazing for him to learn personally from his idol.

"Not for first-year students; but I heard that he sometimes gives one-on-one classes, if he finds a particularly talented pupil."

"... which means he'll leave all his other classes to tutor you exclusively, as soon as he tastes your True Bluefin sauté... or your salami sandwich."

Sanji smiles; he knows how much faith you have in his cooking abilities, and he never stops being grateful for it. "You're exagerrating."

"I'm not." you very seriously protest, as you clean your dish from any crumble of cake; you know watching your diet means taking care of your health, but you would happily eat three more! "A month and he'll let you skip a year or two, I promise."

"Well, if you are so sure..."

A few minutes later Sanji is putting the dirty plates and cutlery away in his backpack, while you observe the sky out of the glass door, leaning with one shoulder against the wall.

"Once we both live in the capital we won't have to hide anymore, but we'll be so busy with school..." you consider "I'm afraid we won't have a lot of time to spend together."

"Still, it will be an improvement from what we have now. And all the city's school dormitories are in the same campus, which means we can visit each other every time we want."

You nod, still pensive, and a moment later Sanji's arms are circling your waist, his chest pressed against your back.

"It's going to be all right." he murmurs, his lips brushing against the shell of your ear in a way that makes you shiver in such a pleasant way "We are going to be all right, I promise, no matter how busy we are."

"Oh, I know; believe me, I'm not doubting my feelings, or yours. We have waited for so long to be able to live our relationship in the open, and I can't wait to be able to see you every day, even for five minutes between classes or to cram together at night. It's just..."

You turn in his embrace, almost apologetic as you smile at him. "I feel so happy, as if all my dreams were coming true: attending a great school, not having to hide what we share. It is almost too good to be true; and I'm almost afraid to wake up and find out it really was just a dream."

Sanji is too kind to make fun of your fears; he considers them as he holds you close, equally aware that no matter how steadfast your feelings for each other are and even though both of you have rightfully earned admission in the schools of your dreams, you are both beginning a new chapter in life, and neither knows what future may have in store for you.

Still, it is pointless to worry about tomorrow, and Sanji decides that more than reassure you, he wants to make you forget your fears, even if just for a minute. "You know what I'm thinking about?" he asks after a minute, his tone pensive "That I've been here for at least thirty minutes, and I haven't kissed, or been kissed by, you, even once."

"Ah, that won't do."

"It really won't. So..."

He grins, happy to see you smile as well, and when he lifts your chin with his fingers you obediently close your eyes and offer him your mouth to kiss.

Almost three years have passed since your first time, in this very room, and kissing Sanji still makes your heart tremble; he is sweet but passionate, not aggressive but intense enough to leave no doubt about his feelings, and his intentions. You enjoy the feeling of his mouth on yours for a moment before kissing him back, Sanji's lips hot against yours; you feel him smile, his hands now holding you by the waist while yours gently caress his hair and neck.

"Gods, you taste so good..."

"It's the cake, Sanji."

"No, it's not. You are delicious, (name); absolutely... mesmerizing..."

You keep kissing for a while, as your hands start moving on each other's body; Sanji whispers your name, suddenly breathless, as your mouth descends towards his neck, at first gently pecking at the delicate skin of his throat, and then sucking hard enough to make him moan.

"(name)..." he murmurs again, and you smile, circling his hips with your arms; you nuzzle at his chest, the soft fabric of his shirt so familiar and comforting against your skin, and wish you could stay like this forever.

You feel Sanji's hands move on your hips and back, his fingers brushing against the hem of your skirt.

"I like this one." he murmurs in your ear; he is aware of the effect he has on you and exploits it mercilessly "Is it new?"

"Made it myself." you answer proudly; you had seen the skirt on a fashion magazine, and rather than buying it you had decided to see whether you could recreate it "Does it look good on me?"

"You look absolutely ravishing, my darling..."

And ravish is exactly what Sanji seems intent on doing; a minute later your back is pressed against the wall, with a very handsome, very amorous young chef intent on making you forget your very name.

Sanji's back and shoulder muscles are taut under your hands as they run all over his body, like a beautiful clay statue molded by your touch; you can feel his heart pounding against your chest, the tenseness in his body as he tries to restrain himself in order not to unsettle you, not to take more than what you would be ready to offer. Dear Sanji, you think fondly as you arch your back to press your chest against his and finally, finally feel his hands grab at your buttocks, don't you know at this point you don't even have to ask?

Sanji's jacket is the first item of clothing to go, falling on the closest chair after you helped him take it off; he returns the courtesy freeing you from the heavy sweater you wear, leaving you with a tight camisole, the different colour of your bra visible under it. He smiles, clearly appreciating the view, but a moment later his expression turns serious, almost reverent, as he gazes at you, almost as if he couldn't believe he's really holding you in his arms.

"I love you so much, you know that?" he murmurs, and no matter how many times he has already uttered those words, you know how deeply he means them, how utterly and hopelessly devoted he is to you and to what you hope to build together. To be the object of such an intense ardor is... humbling, since you're not quite sure you deserve it, and you could even feel guilty for it, if your feelings for Sanji were not equally deep and strong. You don't remember a day in which you didn't love him, ever since he risked your father's ire (and, consequently, the job he had just gotten) to feed you, there has always been a special place for him in your heart, a place no one else could ever occupy; Sanji is the other half of you, someone who you don't need in order to live but who you want to share your life with. Without him you could go on; but you know you'll never feel complete ever again.

And to express everything you feel -all the love, the joy that fills your heart when he's by your side and the hopes you cherish for your future together- you are unable to say more than...

"I love you too, Sanji."

... and that is more than a little frustrating.

You know what you share goes beyond physical attraction, but you can't deny it is flattering, and exciting, to know you can have that sort of effect on Sanji, a man attractive and charming enough he would have no troubles attracting a date; you sometimes think about the girls he meets at work, or the clients he could easily flirt with when he has to cover for a waiter at the restaurant, but you know he is being sincere when he swears you're the only one he cares about, and that he has never betrayed your trust. On the other hand, you are not good with words and Sanji doesn't care for expensive gifts, which makes you fear, sometimes, you could do more to prove how much you care for him, and how committed you are to your relationship; the truth is, you love him so much, a feeling deeper and more encompassing than anything you thought you would be able to feel, that you lack the words to express it, and any declaration, no matter how grandiose or romantic, would fall short of your actual feelings.

Then, you suddenly realize, maybe you shouldn't tell him; after all, like your father always says, actions do speak louder than words...

Sanji's stares, eyes wide open, as he sees you take off your camisole. A moment later, he hurries to unbutton your shirt, and you move to help him, and somehow, maybe because you're in a hurry or because your hands are shaking, you tear off a button.

"Oh, Gods..." you stutter, embarrassment filling you "I'm so sorry, I... I'll sew it back on, I promise..."

Sanji shakes his head, as if to say you needn't worry; he is a sight to behold, short of breath, his usually pale complexion turned pink with excitement - with lust. He looks at you, he looks at your hands still holding the two panels of his shirt, and orders:

"Tear it off."

"... what?"

"Rip it off me. (name), please, I want you to undress me."

"Are... are you sure?" you ask again; the idea is more than a little exciting, but the experienced seamstress and future fashion designer in you hesitates at the thought of ruining a perfectly serviceable item of clothing.

Sanji grins, desire and affection filling his brown eyes. "Yeah, sure; it's an old one. Please, darling..."

"As you wish..."

A sound of tearing and ripping fills the room, and a moment later Sanji's shirt, now missing every single of its buttons and irreparably damaged, lies on the floor, while he's naked from the waist up - and Gods, just looking at him is enough to make you forget any hesitancy you may have... including the ones regarding the presence of your father, in his bedroom at the other hand of the corridor.

He smiles, more than aware of the effect he's having on you, as he shamelessly stares back at your body. "Come here, my beauty." he invites you, and a moment later he has taken you in his arms once again, your hands moving on each other's newly exposed skin.

"Let's move to the bed." you propose in a whisper between kisses, and laugh softly as Sanji hurriedly picks you up, bridal style, to carry you and delicately lay you down on the light blue sheets of your bed. A minute to take off your shoes, and he has joined you; you are kissing again as he makes quick work of your bra's clasp, but Sanji stops to admire you, lying under him, and for a moment he seems unable to speak.

"You are so beautiful." he murmurs; he looks you in the eyes, to gauge your reaction and make sure he's not overstepping, before letting his hand brush against and then close around your breast "My (name)... I've waited for this moment since I was maybe twelve, you know?"

"You could have told me before."

"A gentleman never asks, he waits for the lady to offer."

You smile, shamelessly enjoying the sensuality of his touch, the delicious sensation of Sanji's warm hands caressing and stimulating and gently squeezing the warm flesh of your chest; he sees you jolt when the pad of his thumb finds your nipple, and smiles, and you smile with him.

"Well, this lady is offering." you point out a moment later; you want there to be no doubt or ambiguity about what you want "I want you, Sanji. Will you make love to me?"

Unexpectedly, and while you can see the desire in his eyes as he looks at you, he hesitates. "You know we don't have to do it." he softly points out "You don't... owe me anything; I don't want you to think this is something we need to do in order to make our relationship last, or since we have been together for a while..."

"I know. I... I just want to live this with you; I want you to be my first, as well the last. I want you, and I'm tired of hiding it."

"(name), I..."

"Sanji, please."

That last word, as well as the tone you utter it in, being begged to take you in his arms and make you scream, would make even the most dispassionate man forget himself, and Sanji is far from that. In a whisper, he asks you to lift your hips, and takes both your skirt and panties off; he licks his lips as he looks at you, as if anticipating what he is going to do to you, and delicately lifts your foot in his hands. His first kiss is placed on your ankle, and then the second at the bottom at your calf, and the third a bit above it, and then on your knee and on your thigh until Sanji is lying on the bed between your open legs, and the sensation of his tongue and hips doing magic on the most hidden part of you is so delicious, so lurid and at the same time heavenly, you have to press your hand to your mouth to keep yourself from screaming. You can feel the wave mounting inside you, and you couldn't stop it even if you wanted to, and a minute later your first real orgasm hits you, and you are shaking in Sanji's grasp as he licks you like a man starved, proud and excited by the pleasure he was able to give you.

Your eyes meet above your heaving chest; you are both smiling, breathless. "That was... amazing." you whisper, and Sanji grins as he reaches to kiss you once more, neither bothering about the taste.

"We have just started." he assures you "Will you help me with my clothes, darling?"

He stands from the bed to let you take his trousers off, smiling softly as he sees how your hands shake; a moment later he's finally naked, and you can't help gulping as you gently take his erection in your hand, heavy and hard. You swallow, and instinctively lower your face to it to lick the tip.

Sanji jumps. "Shit..."

"I'm sorry, I thought... that was ok..." you stammer, suddenly alarmed "Did I hurt you?"

"Hurt?" he repeats, completely breathless, as if he had never heard that word before "Quite... quite the opposite. I... (name), I..."

He can't find the words to describe what he wants, but thank God you know it already, and this is miles beyond what you had already experience in, but you must be naturally talented, or perhaps this is one of those things you simply know how to do. You keep Sanji's eyes in yours as you take his erection in your mouth, swallowing it almost to the base and using your lips, your tongue and even (cautiously) your teeth to give him pleasure; he moans, bucking his hips, his hands caressing your hair.

"God... you're so good, baby... you take me so well..."

Emboldened, you wish you could make him climax with your mouth, but Sanji asks you to stop after a while, smiling as he sees you pout. "As much as I love the feeling of your mouth, there is somewhere else I'd rather come." he tell you as he cleans your lips with his fingers "Let me take care of you."

A silent nod is the only answer you feel able to give, and the only one Sanji needed; your hand guides him back on the bed where, a slight and natural awkwardness covered by your kisses, Sanji lies above you, gently caressing your hair as he lifts your leg above his hips.

"I love you." you murmur; you feel barely able to breathe, but those words easily leave your lips, as natural as a breath "Sanji, let me be with you forever."

He smiles, pressing his forehead to yours; he isn't inside you yet, but the intimacy of that moment goes beyond what you could describe in words, the marvelous feeling of being one, a closeness born from love and passion and trust and empathy. You doubt you will ever feel anyone as close as Sanji is in that moment, and that makes you happy.

"Nothing and no one will ever come between us." he murmurs "I promise."

*****

You spend what feels like hours locked in an embrace, exchanging lazy but hot kisses as your hands explore each other's body. Your fondling makes Sanji grow turgid once more, and he has to use your pillow to suffocate his screaming (yes, screaming) as you do get to make him come in your mouth; he gets even a minute later when you both find out that you really enjoy your chest being sucked, which Sanji does until you are a moaning mess, begging for mercy, and he has to gift you your third orgasm, this time using his fingers, to make you calm down.

This night is perfect; this night feels as if it would never end. Unfortunately, this is not the case, and an hour before dawn, after he risked for the second time to fall asleep with his cheek pressed against your chest and your fingers in his hair, Sanji reluctantly abandons the warmth of your bed, and of your body, to get dressed. You both know it can't be helped; if your father discovered him in your bed, even now that you are an adult and about to go live on your own, the consequences would be catastrophic.

"Things will be different once we have moved to the capital." you reassure him as you pick up what is left of his shirt to throw it away "I want my dad to visit, but we can tell him we met again on campus and decided to date; he does like you, and he'll accept I am old enough to have a boyfriend."

"I hope he will." Sanji considers, as he ties his shoes; he hesitates for a moment, and then: "What if I wanted to tell him the truth?"

"You mean...?"

"About us, yes. I could have never given up on you, (name), but I didn't like lying to your father; I owe him so much, and I'd like give his blessing to our relationship. Don't you?"

Nothing would make you happier, even though, you must admit, the prospect of having to confess you have deliberately disobeyed him for five years is not pleasant; you love your father, and the last thing you have ever wanted was to disappoint him, even though there is no price you wouldn't have paid if it meant being with Sanji. You admire the fact your boyfriend wants to be honest with his benefactor, and you need - no, you want to be as brave as he is.

"Then we will tell him."

"Are you sure?"

"I am. It's not going to be pretty, and I know he'll be very angry, but he deserves the truth. We all do." you point out with a sigh; then, seeing Sanji is almost done getting dressed: "Wait..."

You stand as well, and walk to the mannequin wearing the men's shirt, an elegant light blue model with white collar and cuffs. You return to Sanji to offer him the shirt. "Here, wear this."

"... are you sure?"

"Of course, I had planned to give it to you to celebrate your admission to the Baratie. Try it on, let me see how it looks on you."

It looks great, even though it is perhaps more because of Sanji's good looks and physique than anything else; he carefully buttons it, and happily looks at himself in the full-length mirror. "My favourite tie will go perfectly with this."

"I know, why do you think I chose this colour?"

Naked as you are, you don't feel cold, especially as you feel Sanji's gaze lingering on your body as his brown eyes admire the flesh he has lost himself in just two hours ago, but that he's not yet sated by.

Soon, your smile tells him as you return the gaze, committing the beauty of his lithe but strong body to memory, as soon as we have moved to our dormitories, or as soon as my father has to leave for one of his work trips. I want you again too; I think I'll never stop wanting you.

As usual Sanji seems to understand you without the need for words, because he smiles once more and, as soon as he is done admiring himself in the mirror (which you cannot blame him for; the shirt does look amazing on him!) he takes your face in his hands to kiss you once more. "I am so happy." he murmurs "Happy we got to share this moment. I... I do want to be with you forever, but..."

"... but you are happy I was your first, and you mine. I know, Sanji; I feel the same."

You spend a precious minute like this, your foreheads touching, your fingers intertwined, as you breathe in each other's air and savour that new form of intimacy. In this moment, you are not afraid Sanji can doubt your feelings anymore; but in any case, you promise yourself, you'll still make sure he knows how much you love him, every day from now to eternity.

In the end, it's time for your boyfriend to go. He takes his backpack and insists you put your nightgown on, in case one of the neighbours looks out of their windows, before you accompany him on the balcony, where a last kiss sees him climb over the parapet and cautiously reach the tree's closest branches.

"Thanks for the cake! It was really delicious."

Sanji winks at you, mischievousness dancing in his eyes. "I think you thanked me enough already."

"Oh, you are so vulgar..."

Your laugh follows him as Sanji quickly climbs down the tree, finally reaching the ground safe and sound; he looks up at you and waves, and you wave back, and "I'll be back soon; I promise." he says, and you nod as he starts walking away, and remain where you are until Sanji has disappeared, hidden in the murmuring darkness surrounding the villa.

[thechaoticdruid]

[Firsts] (1/2)

Pairing: Astarion x Named F!Tav

Plot: Astarion's been acting way too flirty lately. Seriously it was starting to weird Winnie out. She knew the man flirted with pretty much everyone in the group, but lately since she'd given him a taste of her blood it seemed much more targeted at her and very aggressive. Could he actually be attracted to her? Pfft! No way!

Content/Warnings: Sexual themes, sexual humor, light smut, no actual sex yet, making out, dry humping, groping, violence, blood, death, Winnie has very low self esteem, Astarion being a perv, Virgin MC, Astarion bullies Gale, Gale has one sided crush on MC, oblivious MC, Astarion being Astarion, body issues.

Second part: [2/2]

~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~

Things had kinda been weird for Winnie ever since she'd discovered one of her companions was a vampire. Astarion had always been rather flirtatious with the members of their merry band of weirdos, but now it was different. Ever since he'd gotten a taste of her blood his flirtations seem much more targeted towards her. 

Winnie would most often brush them aside. It didn't mean anything after all. Either Astarion was just a naturally flirty person or he wanted to butter her up so she'd be more likely to let him have more of her blood. The female druid was certain these flirtations weren't anything serious. 

Men like Astarion did not pursue women like Winnie. The human female wasn't exactly sure anyone would ever pursue her, but it definitely wouldn't be someone as breathtakingly beautiful as the pale elf. 

Winnie glanced around the blighted village before pushing through the door of an old abandoned house as she began to remember something one of the elder druids in her circle said when she was a child. “She's nothing but a weed amongst the flowers.” The old bitch had said.  Winnie rolled her eyes with a sigh as the others scouted the area.

“This looks like a suitable place to make camp.” Gale stated, looking around.

“It'll serve.” Lae'zel added and dropped her pack on the ground near an old fireplace. 

“It'll be nice to at least have a roof over our heads for once.” Shadowheart chimed in as she walked over and glanced over an arrangement of books that littered one of the walls. 

“Pft, if you can even call it that! This hovel is practically crumbling!” Astarion exclaimed.

“If you'd prefer to sleep elsewhere, be my guest.” Winnie replied before setting her own things down.

Wyll looked over the fireplace and checked around the house for any fire wood, but unfortunately there didn't appear to be any in sight. 

“We might want to go find some wood to build a fire before nightfall.” He suggested.

“I can do that.” Winnie stood up, “I'll see if there's anything else we can scavenge nearby.” 

“I'll go with you. It would only be the gentlemanly thing to do, accompanying a lady.” Gale piped up.

“Yeah sure, come if you want.” Winnie shrugged before turning and leaving the ruined house.

Gale followed after her before the two were also accompanied by Astarion.

“I’m coming too.” He said, sauntering up behind Winnie. 

“I'm surprised Astarion. I didn't think manual labor was your forte, nor yours either Gale.” The druid female hummed.

“Well I'm not about to let you go and do all the work alone!” The wizard added.

“And I never said I was going to help, watch Gale fail miserably to impress you perhaps, but I am certainly not going to risk damaging these nails for firewood.” Astarion sassed looking over his pointed vampire spawn claws with a pout.

Winnie rolled her eyes, ”good gods, might as well have let me go alone.” The druid female muttered, walking off ahead of the two men. Her eyes scanned the blighted village. The place was crawling with goblins and even though they let the party pass through on the count of them being ‘True Souls’ Winnie wasn't very convinced that they would be friendly enough to offer her group supplies. 

Her and the boys continued to search about, Astarion seeming all too pleased to give Gale a hard time today. Eventually after passing a large gate and strolling towards the edge of the ruined village the three adventures came across a shed.

Winnie stepped towards it, immediately coming to a halt as she began to hear low grunts and moans coming from the other side of the door.

“Oh dear….” Gale exclaimed, a look of horror adorning his bearded face.

“Do I even want to know��?” Winnie turned pale with disgust.

“I do! Sounds absolutely disgusting heh heh heh..”Astarion chuckled with a mischievous glint in his crimson red eyes. 

“You want to take a peek be my guest, but don't expect me to rush in after you.” Winnie rolled her eyes looking back at Astarion. 

“And here I thought you'd be interested in joining the fun, darling.” Astarion gave Winnie a wink before swinging the door open, a giddy shit eating grin spreading across the pale elf's face. 

“Oh gods….” Winnie gasped as she and Gale looked forward seeing a bugbear and a lady ogre in the ahem doggy style position. The two humans' faces were filled with horror and disgust while Astarion still had that same stupid grin on his face.

“WHAT THE HELLS ARE YOU DOING!?” The bugbear screamed as he pulled away from his lover. 

“Uh…. I'm very sorry! W-We were just leaving!” Winnie said nervously, face turning red in embarrassment.

“You two make a lovely couple by the way!” Gale said, trying to deflect any tension, but the two lovers did not seem to appreciate the compliment.

“Kinky.” Astarion clicked his tongue with a smirk. 

“MOMENT RUINED! I SMASH YOU!” The ogre suddenly pulled out a huge club and slammed it down right in Winnie's direction. Luckily the druid was able to leap back just in the nick of time. 

The bugbear began to charge in her direction only to receive an arrow to his shoulder, swiftly shot by Astarion who’d quickly climbed atop some nearby crates.  Winnie quickly unsheathed her scimitars from her back, rushing the bugbear and slashing him across the chest.  The she-ogre growled and took another swing at Winnie, prompting Gale to cast magic missile hitting both the ogre and bugbear. 

The bugbear let out a loud scream of pain before dropping down onto the ground.

“NO GRUKKOH!!!” The ogre shouted, tears welling up in her eyes before she glared at Gale with pure hate and rage. “YOU WILL DIE!!!!” 

Quickly before she can move to smite Gale with her club Astarion is quick to notch an arrow and fire it, hitting the ogre right in the left eye. Gale hits her with a bolt of lightning before Winnie makes a dash to run behind her. She then turns and uses her druidic magic to summon a vine from her hand and lasso the ogre’s leg, yanking on it hard. The beastly female tumbled back letting out a cry as she fell to the ground. 

Winnie then took the opportunity to leap up on top of her and slam her scimitars right down into the ogre’s chest, piercing her heart. Blood splattered upon the druid as she pulled her blades out of the she-beast’s chest, getting on her face and shoulders. She panted and hopped down off the large corpse. Astarion's ears turned a bit pink as he glanced over at the blood drenched female.  Honestly he had to admit…..That was kind of hot…

“A pity we had to put an end to the two lovers.” Gale spoke up.

“Better them than me.” Winnie said wiping a bit of blood off her face.

“Darling, hold on a moment. Allow me to help.” Astarion said, quickly rushing over to where the human female stood. Her strange fushia colored eyes looked back at him with curiosity. The vampire ran his thumb over her cheek, collecting a bit of blood before all too eagerly sucking it off his digit. His thumb pulled out of his mouth with a wet pop. “That was a very….enticing display you know?~” He purred seductively in her ear just quiet enough for Gale not to hear. 

“Uh…Thanks…” Winnie looked off to the side checks turning bright red. 

“Ahem! Well shouldn't we return to work? The sun’s nearly gone and we have yet to find some firewood!” Gale piped up, trying to change the subject before stepping in between the rogue and druid.

“Actually darling, I think our dear druid should probably take a rest. She did most of the fighting after all.” Astarion put his hand on Gale’s shoulder.  “And offering to get the firewood for her would definitely be the gentlemanly thing to do.” 

“You're not going to offer to help me are you?” Gale rose an eyebrow.

“Oh gods no! My dear wizard, you can't expect me to leave this sweet little thing all by herself?” Astarion said before moving piece of Winnie’s messy brown locks out of her face.

“I'm perfectly fine guys….I can actually just go get the wood by myself….” Winnie said feeling Astarion's hungry eyes leering at her. She took a deep breath, trying to calm her nerves. Why was he being so aggressive with his flirting today?

Winnie wasn't exactly too worn out, but at the same time she really didn't feel like feeding this overgrown mosquito tonight. Partially because she had been getting devoured by actual mosquitoes left and right since they’d wondering the wilderness. 

“I'm not sure if it's wise to leave a lamb alone with a wolf.” Gale gave Astarion a suspicious glare. 

“Hey! If anyone’s a wolf it's me!” Winnie pouted and crossed her arms. She was rather offended Gale didn't seem to acknowledge her most used wildshape.

“A wolf and a panther then.” Gale said.

“How dare you! I would never lay a finger on our darling leader!” Astarion crossed his arms.

“Okay, I think we've wasted enough time already.” Winnie said before wild-shaping into a black bear and wandering off to collect the wood herself.

~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~• 

Later that evening after Winnie had brought back the firewood she shifted back into her human form and hid herself away from the others, making herself comfortable in what was left of the ruined house’s bedroom.  She glanced up at the mirror beside her, studying her face. Dark circles colored underneath her eyes, left by sleepless nights. Messy brown locks that never behaved no matter what she did.  A scarred lip from her first real battle. And her body oh how she despised it. It was far too plump for her tastes.

"Nothing but a weed amongst the flowers."

“Why would anyone ever fall in love with you? You're disgusting!”

“Just as fat as a deep rothé and twice as ugly!”

“She's definitely gonna die alone.”

Winnie’s brows knitted together before she stood up and slammed the mirror into the wall, shattering it into a million tiny pieces. She breathed in and out, taking a moment to process what she had just done. The young druid honestly had no idea what had come over her. Why were these tormentful thoughts all coming back now?

Surely there were better things to be thinking about!? The disgusting parasite in her brain for one! She needed to get it together, or risk turning into something much more grotesque.

Winnie needed to get some air. She left the house through the back entrance and stepped off into the nearby forest, breathing in and out slowly. She closed her eyes and just took a moment to listen to all the soothing sounds of nature. Frogs croaking, crickets chirping, an owl hooting above the trees and footsteps…

Wait, footsteps!?

Winnie quickly turned around, her hand reaching into her pack for a blade when she noticed a familiar pair of red eyes looking back at her.

“I was hoping I'd finally be able to get you alone.~” 

“Astarion? Look, I'm really not in the mood to give you blood tonight. Maybe tomorrow?” Winnie sighed and rubbed the back of her neck.

“Oh, I'm not here for that darling. I'm here for you.” Astarion approached, eyes looking her up and down as his perfect pretty lips formed a painfully fake looking smile.

“You need my help with something?” Winnie tilted her head in confusion.

“In a manner of speaking. I've grown rather attached to you if I'm honest.” Astarion placed a hand on his hip.

“Ah, well that's sweet of you to say. I'm really glad to have made some friends on this journey.” Winnie said with a smile. 

“Oh my sweet. I'm not talking about friendship. I'm talking about desire.~” Astarion leaned a bit closer. His breath hit Winnie’s face as he slightly towered over the short female.

“I…. Don't follow….” Winnie said awkwardly. Astarion blinked and then proceeded to pinch the bride of his nose.

“Oh for gods sake. SEX. Darling, I'm talking about sex.” Astarion said with annoyance, crossing his arms. Winnie’s face turned bright red as he finally spelled it out.  It finally explained why he seemed so aggressive with his flirting lately. But at the same time Winnie just couldn't believe Astarion was actually making a pass at her. Her of all people!

“You're joking, right?” Winnie chuckled nervously.

“Why would I be?” Astarion gave her a confused look.

“Wouldn't you rather spend a night with one of the others? Lae'zel or Shadowheart? Or maybe even Wyll?” Winnie asked.

“Ha! Please. As if I'd waste my time with one of them! I have standards, dear.” Astarion said sassily.

“I'm just…You have seen me right?” Winnie said, looking away shyly. Astarion couldn't help but frown for a moment. Winnie seemed very....well insecure. It was clear she didn't seem to believe he could in any way find her attractive. He was however quick to resume his flirty persona.

“Indeed, I have and I find you to be rather delectable looking.~” 

“Yeah, yeah stop messing with me, okay. It's not funny.” Winnie rolled her eyes and turned to leave. Astarion internally panicked. Fuck. He couldn't let her leave. It would completely ruin his plans! 

“I'm not! I crave you!” Astarion quickly grabbed hold of her and pinned her to a tree. Winnie let out a grunt before looking up and blushing darkly.

“I want to feel you squirm under me.~” He said huskily. Winnie was at a complete loss for words. What the hells was she even supposed to fucking say to that!? Her heart was pounding so fast and she honestly felt like if he said one more word she'd faint right there. “And I know you want me too.~ I've seen how you look at me. How your heart races when I'm near. And don't think I haven't noticed the little lustful glances you give my backside you naughty thing!~”

“I-I-I…OKAY YOU'VE MADE YOUR POINT!” Winnie said, and pushed against him, making him back up.  She wasn't sure how much more of this she could take before she suddenly melted into a puddle. Winnie was not used to this kind of attention at all. “Sorry I just…I'm not used to this…” Winnie said, a bit embarrassed, “feel like I'm going to explode…Heheh…”

“Cute.” Astarion smirked at Winnie’s nervousness.

“I've never been with anyone if I'm honest….Hells I’ve never even been kissed.” Winnie looked down, honestly feeling rather ashamed.

Oh gods, why did you say that!? Stupid! Stupid! Stupid! 

Astarion then gently took her hand, “I would be happy to teach you.” He said before planting a soft kiss on her hand. Winnie took a deep breath, nervousness filled her belly. She looked into his eyes and nodded, “okay.” 

Astarion cupped her cheek, his crimson red eyes staring into her pink ones as he rubbed a cold thumb over her cheek.  Winnie closed her eyes and puckered her lips, slowly anticipating for him to make the next move.  She felt his breath hit her face before his soft lips met her own. At first it was sweet and innocent, nothing but a chaste little peck. But then he pushed her back up against the tree and pressed his body against hers. Winnie gasped feeling Astarion grind himself against her, allowing him to snake his tongue into her mouth deeping their kiss. His free hand reached down to cup one of her ass cheeks, giving it a firm squeeze through her pants. 

“Mmmm!” Winnie moaned into his mouth, her arms slowly finding their way around his neck as she squirmed. She could feel a hard growing bulge prod her core as he pushed his hips against her own. His tongue swirled around her own, exploring and dominating her mouth, but eventually she was forced to pull back for air.  A string of saliva connected their mouths as they pulled back. Winnie panted, staring back at the vampire who was seductively licking his lips. One of his hands was still groping her ass. 

“A-Ah!~” The brunette haired druid let out a whimper as the elf pressed his clothed cock into her. 

“You make such adorable sounds, darling.” He purred before planting another kiss on her lips. Winnie quickly returned it before Astarion began to move down her jaw, trailing kisses lower. 

His tongue lapped over her neck before he quickly began to suck on the delicate skin eagerly.

He kept one hand on her ass while the other reached up to undo her the buttons of her shirt.

Winnie bit her lip as she felt the cool air hit her breasts, her nipples hardening quick.  

Astarion smirked, his eyes hungrily eyeing her well endowed assets. Who knew she could fit something so big under her shirt? If he'd known they were this large he'd have bedded her sooner. Astarion licked his lips before leaning in to plant a kiss on top of one of her breasts. Unfortunately before his mouth could make contact with her skin he ended up being rudely interrupted. 

“There you two are-” Gale's voice trailed off, his face turned bright red.

“Is everything okay….Oh….” Wyll’s eyes widened as he peaked out from behind Gale.

“What is it? Did something happen!? Oh well that's interesting…” Shadowheart said, appearing behind Wyll. 

“Chk! As expected. It was only a matter of time.” Lae'zel seemed completely unfazed as she stood beside Shadowheart.

“Ooh Winnie! Get it!” Karlach cheered, jumping out from behind the others, tail wagging with excitement.

“Do you fucking mind!?” Astarion hissed and pulled back, glaring at the others as Winnie quickly turned away and buttoned up her shirt.  This was so fucking embarrassing! Her pink eyes quickly scanned the area for a hole to crawl inside.

“And here I was worried you were planning on eating our dear friend. Although I suppose I'm technically not wrong….” Gale hummed.

To be continued………

Note From TheChaoticDruid: Just gonna say, the last part was inspired by an infamous Dragon Age Inquisition scene. XD And I was going to try to fit both parts into one, but it just got so long that I decided to cut it in half.

[canmom]

Comics mini-Comints: Dungeon Meshi

reread dungeon meshi through to the end. still such a great manga. here are immediate thoughts - if I end up having time and energy I hope I can write something that goes deeper!

ironically i was only a few chapters from the end when I stopped keeping up, but I was struggling to remember all the characters and context, so reading it through in one go was definitely an ideal way to achieve maximum impact there.

ryoko kui does a very elegant job of handling a transition from 'silly antics' to 'big dramatic fantasy' while still keeping the central thematic throughline - eating and being eaten, belonging to an ecosystem, the significance of sacrificing others to achieve your own desires. a lot of setups pay off in a way that feels meticulously planned - and of course the crux of the final showdown revolves around characters attempting to eat each other, of course the big payoff is a huge feast that symbolically unites all the conflicting factions. it is maybe a bit too neat and happy for my taste, but it's undeniably tightly executed - it never loses sight of what it's about. especially compared to something like Frieren, it's an incredibly coherent serialisation, up there with e.g. Fullmetal Alchemist.

kui's art style deserves all kinds of praise - it feels effortlessly simple, but it clearly communicates all sorts of different shapes and body types and it's really fun to see her play around with remixing the different visual elements when she switches the races around. in general Laius's autistic monster loving ways clearly reflect kui's own deeply felt appreciation for all the ways people and animals live (accentuated further by all the extra sketches the scanlators tuck in). in a way you could kinda call it like Parts Unknown the fantasy manga.

the stakes of the final conflict are interesting - there is much to be said about the framing of 'desire' and its fulfilment, of this occult idea of 'the infinite'. lots you could put in relation to other manga, and also buddhism. (in particular I really want to develop a comparison to Made In Abyss, there are so many parallels, it just might be too spicy for tumblr lmao).

one thing I really like about it is how much its fantasy dungeon-exploring setting owes to D&D and other TTRPGs, rather than videogames. monster ecology has been a fascination of that game since the early days of Dragon magazine, and Kui sharply zeroes in on some of the intrinsic conflicts baked in to that fantasy milieu, notably the lifespan thing, while smartly avoiding the traps of 'evil races'. there's some really fun nods to the weirder monster manual entries. and in a story with so many characters and factions, it does a genuinely incredible job of furnishing everyone with understandable, reasonable motivations, conflicts drawn from their context just like the monsters are explained by their ecology.

and one thing that I particularly appreciate is like... how much it is able to simultaneously understand and sympathise with a character and also show us how and why they'd rub others the wrong way. it's impossible not to like our main group, they're all such charming dorks and the manga leads you along with all the crazy rpg party shit they do, but at the same time you definitely find yourself thinking 'guy's got a point' in the kabru chapters lmao. I'm projecting hard bc i don't really know a thing about ryōko kui but laius def feels like the sort of depiction of having an autism that you can only do if you've lived it.

but yeah, it's a fuzzy ending where it all turns out well. but what's the deeper thrust of it all? there's a funny moment where marcille is like 'maybe in the end our journey is about learning to accept death' and the grouchy old gnome guy completely laughs this off as naive, because death doesn't mean anything. and indeed their big plan pays off, and falin does indeed come back just fine. but still, through all of this it asks you to bite the bullet that being a living creature means eating to survive, at the cost of other creatures, with the other side being that one day you too will be eaten. in contrast to this honest way of being is the beguiling fantasy of infinity, where all your desires are immediately fulfilled - this is shown as a dangerous path of corruption that produces madness and manipulability. having limits and rubbing up against the wishes of others, or 'doing things you don't want to do' as izutsumi's arc puts it, becomes necessary for having some kind of definition as a subject. the thing that makes the demon concrete as an entity is a desire, or appetite, that can't immediately be fulfilled.

of course we can connect this to the idea of narrative conflict. a standard advice for putting together a plot is to ask what each character wants and why they can't get it. wanting something implies movement. and indeed over the course of this story, we see that while having too many desires fulfilled too readily leads to incoherence and callousness, equally a character who is left catatonic as their desires have been eaten by the demon must be reawakened to activity by finding a new desire.

it's kinda Buddhist innit. neither the opulence of the palace nor asceticism. desires are what tie you to the world. but mixed with ecology: what a creature does to find the energy to live is what defines its lifestyle, its form.

this is probably where I'd start talking about entropy gradients and shit if i wasn't typing this on a phone at 1:30am lmao.

but yeah - it's a powerful move to go from 'D&D monster recipe show sendup' to 'living with the inherently violent nature of being an organism fated to live in a finite sum game' and yet Dungeon Meshi makes it feel natural and convincing, while remaining tremendously charming and funny throughout. ryōko kui is definitely some kind of genius, and I can't wait to see what her next act is gonna be. it's all definitely making me appreciate the act of eating a lot more.

next story on my plate is probably The Flower That Bloomed Nowhere, which sounds like it will present a very gnarly thematic contrast.

[romanestuffsposts]

I love your page so much! You are so sweet and a great writer 💓💓💖💖

If you feel comfortable, if possible, 🥺 can you do one with daddy’s and the reader on the way from somewhere and they get into a car accident? 🥺 the reader gets hurt

Hi there love! 💜

Ohh thank you so much sweetie you're so kind!

Of course i'll write it for you, i'm sorry if you had to wait to see it written. I hope you'll see it ^^

Oh and if you want to go take a look, i already wrote something like your request, right here ❤️

Enjoyy <33

****

Warnings : car accident, blood, panic, hospital, traumatic, wounds, broken bones, comfort, pet names, emergency, mention of surgery, mention of being paralysed, accident happens during the night, shock state,

Pairings : Daddies!Stucky ; Daddy!Bucky x Papa!Steve x Little!Reader

Summary : you come back from a birthday party at the tower but end up in a car accident with your daddies

****

you were coming back from the tower. It was Kate's birthday today so eveyone came over to celebrate it with a delicious meal. Everyone came with something to eat or drink and everything were dropped on the dinning table to be eaten afterwards.

You had so much fun, you love everyone that’s there so of course spending your afternoon with these people is a good planning for your day. You couldn’t help but be sad when you had to leave. It was getting late and even tho it’s a party day you can’t forget your daily planning at home.

Your Daddies were talking while you were busy watching the side road passing by as you speed through the road. Your ears were concentring on the soft music playing at the radio. Everything were perfect, the day was, the moments spending with the family were, the drive back home was perfect and relaxing.. yea, everything were good. So why ?

Why do you find yourself on the middle of the road, in the middle of the night with no car to protect you from the cold night ?

You look around you, your vision is blurred, your ears are buzzing and your head hurts too much to ask yourself questions about what happened.

You can see your Daddy coming toward you, he has blood trickling down his left temple and his eyes are glassy. He cups your head in his hands and you see his lips moving but you don’t hear him. You just stare into his eyes.

‘’Steve she doesn’t react!’’ He yells panicked, his gaze never leaving yours ‘’is she still awake ?’’ He asks more calmly.

He’s used to event like this from his past in the army. He knows he has to stay calm for the three of you, if everyone is panicking, nobody will be able to help each others.

He tried to move but he’s blocked in his seat. He groans from frustration, he can’t move so he has to talk to explain what Bucky or you has to do and he hates it. He hates the fact that he can’t help manually.

‘’Bucky you have to listen to me’’ he breathed out ‘’Do not move her, even tho she seems fine you’re not sure of it so don’t move her’’

‘’but what do I do then ?’’

‘’You still have your phone on you ?’’ he hears Bucky says yes ‘’alright then call an ambulance, tell them where we are and explain the state of emergency we are in’’

‘’Steve she’s freezing cold, her shoes are gone and her t-shirt is completely worn and wet’’ he worriedly says

‘’the only way you can help her is if you call help!’’ Steve hears Bucky on the phone and he takes this time to breath out and check if he feels all his body. He knows his upper body is fine because he moved but he doesn’t know for his legs.

He wiggles his toes inside his shoes and sigh in relief when they move. Good he think to himself.

Secondes later, Bucky is at the window looking at Steve ‘’they’re sending someone.’’

~

The next morning you open an eye, it was hard at first but after some minutes you finally come back to yourself. You look around you, everything is white and it’s too much light for your tired eyes.

You moan in discomfort which is followed by other noises. Secondes later your daddies are by your sides ‘’easy baby’’

Oh, your daddy’s voice. It was a nice sound to your ear.

You open your eyes to see your two favorite heads looking down at you ‘’take the time you need, princess. We have water if you want to’’

‘’What happened ?’’ You quietly ask.

‘’We got into a car accident yesterday night but we’re all fine. The doctors took good care of us since we’re here’’ your Daddy smiles

‘’You had to go into surgery for your arm because it was broken and you hurt your ankle too but you’ll be back on your feet quickly. The doctors aren’t worried about that’’ your Papa reassures you. ‘’You hit your head pretty bad too, you had needed stitches’’

‘’And so did i’’ your Daddy shows you his temple where he had stitches with a smile to show you it’s nothing serious. It reassure you a bit more but it’s probably because you don’t have your eyes on it.

You look down at your ankle and see something white that start under your toes and that stop near your knee. You never had something like that before. You look at your arm and see the same thing. Your eyes start to tear up about the fact that you won’t be able to run around, or taking bath, or playing with your friends. You scared of the pain too.

‘’Hey babydoll don’t cry, you’re not going to have it forever, once it’s fixed we remove it. You will be able to do il the funny things you usually do I promise you’’ your Daddy kisses your forehead

‘’Yes and plus, during the time that you’re like this we’ll have to do everything for you. We’ll have to carry you, to let you sleep with us in the bed, to massage you’’ he sighs ‘’it’ll be horrible’’

You giggle through your sniffs. Your Daddies shared a look, they were scared to not be able to cheer you up.

‘’what your Papa said is good things for you but we also have some privileges while you’re like this’’ your Daddy grins, he walks toward the end of the bed as you watch him ‘’what ?’’ You ask

‘’Well’’ he sighs and looks down at your pink toes who are peering up from the plaster ‘’we can tease those little toes whenever we want and you couldn’t do anything about it’’ he lightly wiggles his index finger under your toes.

The sudden feeling make you laugh and then try to retract your feet which is impossible.

He laughs and stops ‘’yea, I’m sure we’ll have all lots of fun during this time’’ he winks

[writingsbychlo]

UNDER THE MISTLETOE (day eight)

summary; on your final day, you and az spend some time with kallias, while vivianne plans a party and a few surprises.

word count; 8848

notes; the last part!! I hope you guys love it 🤍

The hustle and bustle of the palace had been apparent from the very moment that you’d opened your eyes this morning. Azriel had been curled around you when you woke up, soft whispers of good mornings until the two of you had been ready to get out of bed. Now, as you stood at the bottom of the main stairway, staring in shock at the flurry of motion and hustle of workers, you felt like that peaceful morning had been years ago.

“What…”

“Viv.” You both jumped as Kallias appeared beside you, slipping out from the corridor beside the stairs and clutching a mug of tea in his hands, still steaming. He looked even more shocked and frazzled than the both of you, eyes wide as you stared out at the crowds. “Viv is throwing you a party.”

“Why?” The words tumbled from Azriel faster than you could process the statement, a giggle leaving you as you nudged him with your elbow for his brashness. As though sensing herself about to be teased, Vivianne wove through the crowds, steely gaze fixed on her husband, whose eyes only widened when he saw her.  

“Shit, I—” 

“Kallias!” She did not seem pleased, and his spluttering came to a halt as she stopped before the three of you, one hand coming to rest on her hip as the other clutched a clipboard. “You said you were going to get more berries!”

“I think we have enough berries.” 

She only scowled, a look flashing across her face that told all three of you the berry debate wasn’t over. When her attention moved to the both of you, her expression became far sunnier. “It was brought to my attention last night that we didn’t have a Christmas party! You can’t not have a Christmas party at your first Christmas.”

“It was a joke,” Kallias grumbled the words into his tea, sipping from him and wincing. 

“A joke I’m taking seriously.” She pinched his cheek, and he only scowled deeper. “Plus, it was a challenge, and I never turn down a challenge. You told me there was no way I could get a whole Christmas party together in less than a day. Well, not only can I do it, it’s going to be a fantastic party, at that.”

“Viv, you really don’t have to do that for us.”

“Oh, this party isn’t for you two, anymore,” Kal sighed, turning to face you both and shrugging. “This party is purely for my wife, at this point.”

“You won't have a wife if you keep up all this attitude.” She sniped, and he finally smiled at that. 

“Uh-huh, sure.” He looped an arm around her, pulling her into him until her clipboard was pressed to his chest, and he left a wet kiss on her cheek. “You’re not going anywhere, so I’m going to keep complaining.”

Wiping at her cheeks, she was doing nothing to hide her blush or her smile, as she softened against him and kissed his cheek in response. “You’re lucky I love you.”

“I love you too, snowflake.” With a final kiss to her lips, Kallias let her go, leaving a less than discrete tap on her ass as she walked away again, and you chuckled, turning to hide your expression in Azriel’s shoulder. When you emerged again, his attention was on the two of you. “While Viv takes care of everything else, it’s my job to distract the two of you today. You can’t be here in the ‘prepping area’.”

“So, we’re going out?” Excitement raced through you at the chance to get a little more sightseeing done before you left, your only regret is not having gotten enough in before it all to see everything. You would have to come back for sure. 

“We are.” Scanning his gaze over you both, Kal smirked. “You two might want to change, we’re going to do some manual labour today. You’re gonna’ be busy and cold.”

You idled for a second longer, before he was ushering you back up the stairs, telling you to be back in ten minutes. The pair of you stumbled over your own feet, giggling as Azriel compared him to Cassian on a training day, and falling back in fits of laughter against the door of your room. 

“So, can I at least get away with wearing my leathers for this?”

“No!” Your giggles were renewed, standing up to point at him as you wandered over to the packed cases sitting at the base of the bed, knowing you were going to have to gently unpack them to find some warmer clothes again. “Not the leathers!”

“What’s wrong with them? You’re going to have to get used to them, baby. I mean— I really don’t know how you haven’t already, it’s been—” You spun to him, throwing your jumper at him as you stripped it over your head in order to add some more layers underneath first. “Hey!”

“There’s nothing wrong with the leathers, that’s the whole point!”

“That’s the whole point?” He echoed, balling up the fabric and throwing it back at you with force. “Oh, I get it. Do my leathers distract you, baby? I did tell you they made my ass look good.”

“Go and get changed!” Your cheeks warmed, shaking your head at him and shooing him out of your bedroom, into his own, the door slamming on his laughter. 

He had his own cases, and you rifled through your own, sorting for jeans and layers and thicker socks, until you had a pile to change into, and had to refold everything back up, including the outfit you’d already chosen. You’d barely finished getting dressed again when the door reopened, and you nudged your re-packed bag back under your bed with your foot.

When Azriel reemerged, your mouth went a little dry at the sight of him. Adjusting his collar, his head was tucked down, and you were given a chance to observe him. He had donned the leather pants of his training gear, tucked snug around his thighs and into his boots, one of his siphons now clipped onto his belt. Two sat over the backs of his hands in their straps, half covered by the sleeves of his thick flannel coat. With a dark grey long-sleeve underneath, the shades of pale blue threaded through the fur-lined jacket were a startling contrast to his usual moody outfit choice, and your mouth dried out.

He looked like he was glowing in the Winter scenery. 

“What?”

His head snapped up, and you wondered how he’d known you were staring, preparing to look away, before the flustered haze cleared for just a second. You’d likely been sending him all of those astonished feelings down the bond, and it was that bond that meant you were absolutely allowed to check him out, whenever you damn well pleased.

“Seriously, what is it?”

“I’ve never seen you in that jacket before.” Your throat felt dry, and you swallowed a couple of times, taking a few steps closer to him. He raised his hands, waiting for you to walk into them so he could settle them on your hips. 

“I bought it for this trip. There’s a lot of outfits I didn’t get to wear, we’ve spent considerably more time out of our clothes than in them.” You grinned, running your hands up his forearms, and scanning your gaze over him once more. He tensed a little, flexing the longer you stared, and you bit your lip. “You’re checking me out.”

“Yeah, and what of it? You’re hot, and you’re mine.” Reaching one hand behind him, he jumped as you grasped at a handful of his ass, his cheeks going red. “Turn around so I can check out the rest of you.”

“Only if you’ll do the same for me.” His sultry whisper lost all effect as his blush remained, and you pat the same cheek you’d grabbed, before pulling your hand back to his hip. He’d managed to do up the buttons under his wings himself this time, likely to avoid becoming the same wobbly-kneed mess you’d reduced him to last time as he fought all these new instincts that same way you were. “Kiss me?”

“You don’t even have to ask.” You mumbled, leaning up enough to meet him halfway, clashing together in the middle. 

It was messy, and lazy, and so sweet that your heart skipped a beat. His lips were in languid drags over your own, noses bumping with the occasional breaths taken. Sliding his hand under your thick jumper, you shivered at the brush of the cold metal of his clasp on your skin, pulling back with a gasp and pressing into his hand more. 

“I don’t think I’ll ever get used to this.”

“I hope you do. I hope you start to see my kisses as a part of your everyday life, I hope you grow to expect them, I hope—” You cut him off with another kiss, grinning against his lips as he returned it more than eagerly, chasing you again when you pulled away. 

“I get it. You’ll be there every time I need a kiss.”

“Every time.” He promised, stealing one final one, before stepping back. “I believe we still have two minutes to spare.”

“There’s no way we’ve been less than ten minutes.”

“I thought he said twenty… we’re definitely late.” He tipped you up under your chin, pecking the tip of your nose, before running his sights over you. Snatching up the scarf he’d gifted to you, he looped it around your neck, before plopping a bobble hat haphazardly and half-over your eyes, and deeming it a job well done. 

Taking your hand in his as he grabbed both of your sets of gloves, you grinned, digging your heels in and failing to slow him down at all. “Wait, what about your other siphons, you’ve only got three on!”

“I’m not gonna’ need the other ones. I think we’ve expelled enough energy over the last few days that I’m still drained.” At your shock, he managed to tug you along further, out of the room and into the halls. He glanced at you over his shoulder, “I don’t know how you’re even walking, I clearly haven’t been fucking you good enough.” 

“Az!” Your head whipped around, looking for any other people in the halls, grateful to find them empty. 

“What? It’s true! I’ll have to do something about that later.”

You weren’t sure your cheeks could get any hotter without you catching fire, and you squeezed his hand in your own, only earning a head-tipping laugh in response. “You’re unbelievable.”

“I want you to remember those words, and scream them later tonight.”

“Oh, for—” 

Kallias was standing at the bottom of the stairs, leaning on the railing with his arms crossed. He had also changed, swapping out for a thick coat and some sturdy jeans and boots, his white brows furrowed as he watched you both come down the stairs. “You’re late! Luckily for you both, I happen to be quite fond of you, so I’ll let it slide.”

At his words, you grinned, but Azriel’s shoulders locked a little and his wings ruffled pridefully, his eyes widening as Kallias turned his back, motioning for the two of you to follow. He glanced at you, seeming shocked at such an open affirmation of friendship, and you could only smile. One day, Azriel would see just how loveable he was to everyone else, when he let those guarded walls down. 

Connecting bit!!

There was a carriage waiting for you outside, and you slid into it, Azriel sliding in beside you, and you leaned forwards, making space for his wings to stretch out, before sitting back and nestling into his side instead. 

“So, I thought we might start with some charity work.” As the carriage kicked into gear, Kallias decided to finally tell you both what you’d be doing with the day, and your interest was piqued. “There’s a shelter in the city for children on the other side of the events of the Mountain and the War, I volunteer there every year. Viv did it during the time I was away, for all the children whose parents were trapped with me.”

His attention was fixed out of the window, throat bobbing as he spoke, and your eyes were wide at such a confession. “Kal… We don’t want to intrude. If you want to go alone, we can find something else to do with our day.”

Reaching out, he caught your hand, squeezing it as he turned back to face you, eyes a little glassier than they had been. “No, I’d like it if you’d come. I want to share this with friends.”

“Then we’re happy to be a part of it,” Azriel promised, the two men sharing a smile, before Kallias cleared his throat and looked back to the passing scenery. 

“I thoughts afterwards we could go and get some lunch. You’re likely just to get nibbles at the party, Viv loves that whole finger-food party thing, she never misses a chance for it.” He smiled at the thought of his wife, “Then we can see how much time we have left, maybe see a carol service.”

When you finally pulled up to a stop, it was in front of a large cathedral-like building, with stained glass windows and tall spires, but it looked far more modern, like it had been recently converted. Only when you stepped out of the carriage were you able to truly appreciate its grandeur, letting out a low whistle at the sight. 

“It used to be a part of the priestess’ worship, but it fell into a lot of disrepair during those fifty years. Services weren’t so popular, people struggled to find their faith when everything seemed so bad. The priestesses moved back to the temples. Viv fixed it up, and made it into a shelter instead for anybody who needed it.” The doors were pinned open, lots of people spilling in and out as you passed them by carrying boxes of donations, offerings of food, or coming for help. 

You made an extra mental note to show your memories of it to Rhysand and Feyre when you got home, to perhaps install something similar in Velaris. Guiding you up several sets of stairs inside to reach the main floor, you were surrounded by tables filled with things to be out sorted, even more laying on the floor underneath, with runners taking things out as more came in. It was a truly impressive service. 

“This is the donations centre. Everything that comes in needs sorting through, everyone here is volunteers.” Patting an empty table, Kallias lifted two heavy boxes onto the space. “I’ll leave you two here, I’m going to go and help out at the food station downstairs. I’ll be back in a little while. If you run out of boxes… well… you won't.”

Looking around, a chuckle spilt from Azriel’s lips as he did the same, noting the piles of things from floor to ceiling, wobbling precariously. 

“Who are they?” Azriel pointed over toward the fireplace, a collection of what looked o be about ten children sitting around it, games and books and snacks spilt out around them. 

“Uh, might be volunteers children, could be kids of the shelter.” He shrugged, a saddened look taking over his face, and Azriel glanced at them again, his frown matching. “Alright, I’ll come back to check on you guys in a little bit.”

He waved as he went, disappearing out into the halls again, and you took up a place behind the table, Azriel falling into step beside you, leaving a kiss on your cheek as he did. 

“I love you.”

Your lips flicked up at the edges, tearing open the first sealed-up box, and turning to face him as he did the same. “Yeah? What’s brought that on?”

“Just, y’know, it’s our vacation, and you’re happy here working at the volunteer shelter, instead of sightseeing and all that. I wish the kids at the camps had something like this, I wish I’d had something like this when I was young, before I met Cass and Rhys.” Your heart clenched, and Azriel’s jaw rolled a little as he swallowed back emotions. “It feels fitting that the love of my life would be everything I wished I had since I knew what wishing was.”

“I love you, Az. I’m glad we’re here, and I’m glad we’re here together.”

“Me too.” With a simple peck to finish the conversation, the two of you moved on with your work, beginning to clear space for piles, and falling into a good harmony of sorting things into joint piles, making your way through the boxes gathered around your bodies. 

You worked in simple silence, mumbled conversation about anything that came to mind taking place between the two of you, the time flying by as you put your vacation time into something that might just change someone's life, and would certainly make you feel better for taking some time off. 

You waited, your latest dumb questing hanging in the air between you both, and you looked up to see what was taking Azriel so long with his answer, only to find his attention frozen once again, a shirt hanging in his hands to be folded.

This was the fourth time you’d watched Azriel’s eyes flicker towards the group of children gathered around the large fireplace, roasting hazelnuts and marshmallows in the flames. Trepidation and anxiety were strumming at that bond, feelings he didn’t bother to hide from reverberating to you, maybe he didn’t even know he was feeling it. 

When he glanced again, you sighed. Nudging him with your hip, you stole his attention back to you, temporarily. 

“Az?”

“Yeah, baby?” He didn’t look away, he kept working on the box before himself, folding the shirt he’d gotten stuck on and pulling out another item. He continued sorting it into the correct piles, only turning his gaze to you when you stayed quiet this time. “What is it?”

“Maybe you should go check on the kids, they’re all alone over there. Go make sure they’re all okay.”

He twisted, glanced over his shoulder at them, and when he turned back, there was a look in his eyes so full of love it nearly drowned you. With a meaningful nod and a kiss on your forehead, you watched him wander away, wings jerking at the pop of a log and pulling in tightly to his back, before crouching down beside the group of children. 

You couldn't hear him now, but his lips flickered up into a smile at the edges as one of the children offered him a fresh stick with a marshmallow on the end. He settled to kneel properly with them, poking it into the fire. As he watched over them, he helped adjust their grips, subtly pulling all of their little hands further away from the flames, relief beginning to trickle to you instead as he worked, chatting gently with them all as they heeded his advice.

You continued to sort through the boxes, trying to control the racing of your heart and get the work you and Azriel had been set done, all while trying not to miss a single second of his interactions. You watched as he taught them to make smores, sticky marshmallows pressing between chocolatey crackers, and he seemed to be telling them all some kind of story as they giggled and ate. 

When they were finished, he wiped all of their hands and cheeks, chubby-cheeked little ones settling in front of older ones before him, and one pointed at his wings. Flaring one out to the side and away from the fire, and the shouts of awe and wonder reached you on the other side of the room. 

He gave it a flap, strong enough that the hair of those kids in the front row flew out of their faces, dragging laughter from them all, and the look on Azriel’s face only brightened. You didn’t realise you’d stopped working entirely until someone bumped their hip against your own, and you found Kallias at your side, pulling a blanket from the box and folding it neatly. 

“Where’s your other half gone?”

Lifting a hand, you pointed him out by the fire, all the children crowded around him now, one little girl sat across his lap as a young boy clung to his shoulders, barely visibly in the crowd of little ones. 

Sniffling back the emotions welling up at the sight of him, you refocused on the task at hand, only having made it through one of your two boxes. Lifting the empty one to the floor, you and Kal worked silently for a couple of minutes as you gathered yourself, distributing donations to the correct piles. 

When you’d made it through that box together, he disappeared for only a moment, before returning with two more, practically overflowing, for the two of you to work through.

“He’s a good man.”

“He’s the best,” You whispered, plucking a bagful of children-sized clothes that someone had clearly grown out of, and beginning to sort them into various items. “I wish he’d see it in himself.”

“He sees in you that you see it in him, and that’s enough.” Your motions paused as you wrapped your head around his words, glancing up at your friend, who offered a vulnerable smile. You knew how much Rhysand had suffered on the other side of the reign of Amarantha, and how long it had taken your friend to truly recover. Perhaps this one was one of Kallias’ scars, and how he soothed it when the pain flared up.

Turning to him, you couldn't stop yourself from wrapping your arms around his middle, face in his shoulder as you squeezed him tightly. It was unprofessional, especially in front of his court, but Kallias had offered so many painful parts of himself to you today, and you didn’t know what else to do. A hug was the only thing that felt right.

It broke your heart to hear him let out a hurt sound, before wrapping his arms around you just as tightly, breaking those pieces further when he whispered a series of shaky ‘thank you’s into your ear. Your hands stroked up and down his back, his body shuddering a little as you held him. 

“You’re a good man too, Kal. I’m so lucky, for getting to be your friend.”

“It’s me who is the lucky one.” He whispered, giving you one final squeeze before pulling back, his bottom lip trembling a little as he smiled. He busied himself with a stack of jumpers, claiming he needed to take this pile to the clothing tables immediately, and wandering away with a conspicuous sniffle. 

You rubbed at your nose, letting out a watery laugh at yourself, before glancing back at your love. He was already looking at you, brows furrowed, a concerned stroke along the string connection you both to follow. Are you okay? He mouthed the words to you, and you offered a smile, tugging on that string in affirmation, and drawing a smile from him too. 

Another moment longer with the children, and he was standing, brushing off his knees and waving them goodbye, before making his way through the bustling shelter and back towards you. When he was only a few steps away, he lifted his hand, closing it quickly over your cheek and swiping his thumb under your eye, worrying his bottom lip as you leaned further into his palm. 

“What happened, love?”

“Nothing, I swear. I was just having a moment with Kallias, he told me some things about that time, and it made me a little emotional.” He stared, and you twisted your head, kissing over the strap across the centre of his palm. The furrow between his brows loosened, and his shoulders relaxed down, his thumb swiping again. “You looked like you were having fun over there. Make some new friends?”

“They’re just like what I know Nyx will be like soon. So curious about the world, so positive despite everything that's happened. They had so many questions, and they weren’t afraid of me.” He spared a look at them all, watching where they’d gathered once again around the fire, a huddle as one of the older children took the stage to tell tales in Azriel’s place. “It was nice.”

“I bet. You looked so happy.”

“Thank you.” He dipped down, brushing his nose with yours in a ghost of a kiss, and smiling. A throat cleared gently behind you both, and Kallias looked far more composed when you took him in now.

“You two ready to go for some lunch? I think we’ve done enough here for today.”

Kallias led the two of you out, the next stop on your tour being a small-town pub, somehow even smaller than the one you’d visited on your walk. It had a total of six tables, and you were sure Azriel’s wings took up half of the room you were in no matter how tightly he tucked them in to weave through the crowded tables. 

He’d settled eventually, the three of you crowded around a small table, and you were sure you looked like one of the paintings that were hung lopsidedly on the walls. Cheerful people, happy smiles, and for once, a sense of complete normalcy. As the three of you had crowded around a table, cramped in and laughing, you hadn't wanted it to ever end. 

Except, it had only gotten better, you’d gathered in a huddle outside under the snowfall to watch the carol singers in the town square. Azriel’s arms had been wrapped tightly around you from behind, keeping you warm and secure against his chest as Kallias had stood to the side, mouthing words along to beautiful songs you’d never heard before. 

The priestesses who were singing had offered one final blessing to you all, a Christmas prayer that made your eyes water a little. 

In the carriage back, you’d listened to Kallias and Azriel, listened to Az extend his offers for them to come and visit on behalf of Rhysand, and Kallias had only grinned. If it hadn't been for the party you knew you were going back to, it would have been the perfect final day all on its own. 

The moment that you step back through the palace doors, Vivianne is already waiting. The doors to the ballroom had been shut, but you can hear the music loudly on the other side, a band playing upbeat music and the roar of conversation from what must be hundreds of guests, some already spilling out into the hallways. 

“Oh, Gods, Viv!” She only beamed at you, practically bouncing with excitement as she cornered your trio in the doorway. “You went all out, huh?” 

She had changed, the leggings and bun from this morning had been traded from an elegant silk dress and a braid crown, and before she even said the words, you knew what she was going to say. “You have to go and change! Kal, I laid something out for you.”

“Whatever would I do without you, dear?” He pressed a kiss to her cheek as he passed by, waving to you both and disappearing into the mansion, doing well to avoid any guests before he was ready to start mingling. 

“You two have to wear your Christmas jumpers!”

“What? Why?” You dreaded having to wear that itchy thing again, especially to a party, but she wasn’t taking no for an answer, already beginning to shake her head to silence your protests. 

“Ah! It’s a Christmas party for you! You have to wear them, no excuses!” You sighed, and Azriel let out a heavy groan beside you, earning himself a wicked glare from Viv that came with a smirk. “Chop, chop! Go and get ready, and hurry back down. There are people here waiting to see the guests of honour, you know!”

Glancing up at the stairs, you groaned, knowing just how many you’d have to take to get back to your room. 

Dropping your forehead to your lover’s chest as Viv took off after her husband, you burrowed a little closer to him when his arms came up on either side of your body to hold your hips. 

“I don’t think I can take any more stairs, Azzy.”

“S’okay, baby. We can travel my way.” The earth seemed like it melted out from underneath your feet, only to rematerialise a moment later, in the softer hues of your room as the faelights began to warm into life. “How’s that?”

“That’s the exact reason you were made to be my mate.”

“Good to know we’ve solved that mystery.” His drawl made you smile, face still resting in the soft shirt covering the hard muscles underneath, and you didn’t want to ever leave. Azriel seemed to decide for you, pulling back enough to tip your head up, and leave a brief kiss on your lips. “Chin up, baby. You love seeing me in smart clothes.”

“Says who?”

“Says the way I watch you blush every time Rhys makes us dress up for events.” His smirk was far too much for you to take, and you scoffed, pushing him backwards and spinning out of his arms, which only made him laugh. “Don’t be so embarrassed, it was a great ego boost while I was waiting for you. Tell me, what is it about my suits that get you going so much, huh?”

Pushing him back towards his room, he let you do so, but not without giving you the kind of look that made everything in your body ignite. You had to play dirty to win this. “I’ll tell you all about it, when you tell me what it is about sundresses that make you stutter?”

His jaw dropped, eyes widened, and a matching blush spread on his cheeks. 

“Oh, yeah. I know. Now that I think back on all those summers in my summer dresses where you’d be tripping over your own tongue. When I’d catch you staring at you’d tell me you were just checking I was safe, or you thought you saw a bee land on me.” His blush only deepened. “I can’t believe I was so oblivious.”

“Neither can I.” He muttered, eyes scanning down your body to your thighs, where all your little sundresses would usually sit. “Touché, baby, you win.”

“Get used to it.”

He bit his lip, turning away to get changed himself, and the air between you crackled and pulled the further he got, until the mood snapped and you could breathe again. 

With him gone, you were finally able to focus on your preparations, going first to the bathroom to top up your makeup and fix your hair. When you were satisfied with that, you dug out both of your Christmas jumpers from the bags, laying them on the bed neatly. 

Turning your head at the zap along your spine, you found Azriel leaning on the doorframe, smart pants on, shirtless and arms crossed, a soft smile on his face as he watched you. “Stop trying to seduce me.”

“I’m not!”

“That’s a shame, it was working. We should totally ditch the party and stay here so you can fuck me.” His eyes widened, a hopeful look crossing his face, until he watched a smirk form on your lips, and a growl left his. 

“You’re so cruel to me.”

“It almost worked. Next time flex a little, and you’ll have me.” You winked at him as he lifted himself off of the doorway, your attention turning away back to the bed as you got down onto your knees before it. 

“This is the third time we’ve had to get dressed today.” You sighed dragging your suitcase out from under the bed once again, and beginning to sort through the clothes that Azriel had already neatly folded back up twice. So many of the clothes you hadn't gotten a chance to wear, your cases full of new and original items, things you’d bought along the way, the gifts you’d given. Yet, none of them had what you were looking for.

“I promise that the next time we’re up here, I’ll be undressing you.” He leaned over, kissing your shoulder as you stood, hands on your hips. “You won’t need any clothes for what I have planned.”

A chuckle left your lips as you turned to face him. “Have you seen my—”

He held up a soft purple dress with two fingers, brows raising as the soft fabric swayed in the wind. “Your dress?”

“How’d you know that’s what I was looking for?” He only grinned, and you took it from him. 

“You only brought one fancy dress, and I know how much you love it. You wouldn't miss a chance to wear it.” Placing the bed down on the bed, you turned back to him, noting the leather pants had been swapped out for smart dress pants, but the boots remained. He had no shirt on, his themed jumper laying out beside your own, and you ran your hands up his chest. “Are you gonna’ get dressed?”

“Yes.” You whispered, curling a little closer to him, wrapping your arms around his waist. He offered a breathy laugh, tucking his arms around your shoulders and dipping his head down to rest his cheek on the top of your head. “I’m just taking a second to be with you first.”

“I know, my love. But we only have tonight with our friends before we go home, we have the rest of our lives together.” Smoothing his hands down your arms, he cupped your elbows, squeezing lightly and leaving a kiss on your head, before easing you backwards. “Come on, let me see you in this pretty dress, so I can get an eyeful before stripping it off you, later.”

“Well, the effect will be entirely ruined by this jumper.” Slipping out of your clothes as you walked, you were painfully aware of the lingering gaze on you, all the way as you stepped into the dress and adjust it across your body. His fingers did the zip up the back, sweeping your hair back over your shoulders, and turning you around. “See? This dress was not made to be covered up with a jumper.”

Azriel’s eyes dipped, a smirk pulling on his lips as she took in the plunging neckline and the tight bodice, his bottom lip pulled tight between his teeth. “No, it most certainly was not. Perhaps you should wear it for our first date.”

“Our first date?”

“Of course.” He reached beyond you, picking up your jumper and lifting it up slowly to hang over your head. “I have to take you on a proper date when we get home, court you properly.”

“Courting is old-fashioned, and to test a connection. I think we both know we have a connection, a pretty damn good one at that.” 

“Let me treat you right, stop making it a challenge.” Easing your arm through each sleeve, you grinned up at him when the collar was around your neck, the jumper settling over your torso. You gave in, a giggle on your lips as he reached for his jumper, tugging it on with much less care than he’d taken with you. He disappeared, for only a second before returning with the only pair of heels you’d brought, one fancy dress and one set of fancy shoes, just in case. 

Dropping to one knee, you balanced yourself on his shoulders, slipping one foot after another into the shoes and letting him fasten them up securely. When he stood back up, you were a few inches closer to his height now, no longer letting him tower over you completely, and you were able to press a kiss to his chin without having to lean too far. 

“Let’s go.”

Your hands wove together, shadows crawling around your bodies, and when the light cleared again, you were back at the entrance to the party, the doors wide open and the noise at full blast once again. 

Viv really had gone all out, faelights twinkled from the ceiling, a full band was playing loudly in the corner as the room was packed with dancing and mingling, a crowded bar taking up almost half of one wall, the queues filling the other half. You spotted more than a few familiar faces with just a single glance; Helion was lounging on a couch in the back, a usual crowd gathered around his charming self as he spun tales and stories, laughter following every word. 

Several more Christmas trees had been set up, and in the back corner, you spotted Thesan lingering near one, his lover close to his side, murmuring into his ear. Tarquin was admiring the snow, Cresseida by his side, and you had to be impressed at how she’d managed to pull all this together. 

“I think half of Prythian is in this room.”

“I can’t even see our actual hosts, can you?” You had to lean closer to one another just to be heard over the music, and you scanned the crowds again, searching for those pale flashes of hair. 

You didn’t find them. 

You found bright red and deep black, blonde and blue and everything in between, even a set of purple eyes, but—

“Az.”

“Yeah?” His head was tipped up, attempting to scan over the people filling the room, and you tugged at his sleeve. 

“Az, that’s Rhys.”

“What?” His head snapped back down, following where you pointed, and the crowds seemed to part a little more for you to be able to see through. As you got a better look, a red dress shone with golden hair, a tall pair of Illyrian wings that were dangerously close to getting tangled in the tinsel of the tree he was half stood behind, and lots of smiling faces. “That’s everyone.”

Your hand squeezed his a little tighter before letting go, a squeal slipping past your lips as you took off through the crowds ahead of him. 

Darting through the busy crowds, all formality and regality were temporarily abandoned. Your friends had already spotted the two of you, had been looking your way since the moment you’d turned your head in their direction, and were beaming as you neared. This was far from the longest you’d been away for work from any of them, but you were ashamed to admit just how little you’d thought of them in the week you’d been gone, it felt more like you hadn't seen them for months with everything that had taken place. 

The first to meet you was Cassian, using his broadness to shove his way to the front, arms opening wide and sweeping you up into a hug, deep laughter rumbling from him and into your ear as your feet slipped from the floor. 

The moment you were put back down, it was to the feeling of shadows swirling at your ankles, crawling happily up your claves to your knees and signalling that their owner had managed to catch up. He barely made it to your side, before Cassian was barrelling forward to sweep him into a hug too, and Feyre was tucking you into her embrace. 

“Fey! Where’s Nyx? Your gaze flickered across the members of the group in search of the boy, to Rhys who was now standing by Azriel, to Nesta and Cassian, Mor and Amren, Elain and even Lucien. None of them were holding him. The woman in your arms chuckled as she pulled away, only to be immediately replaced by Mor. 

“He’s at home, being looked after by Gwyn and Emerie.” There was a tremor to her voice, but she offered a reassuring smile to Nesta, a promise of trust that extended through her to her friends. You know how hard they had worked to reconnect and mend that bond, make it so much stronger than it had ever been before, and this faith was a part of that. You wondered why they hadn't brought him, Nyx had winnowed many times before and would likely have loved the Winter Court, but the question died on your tongue as a warm hand settled on your lower back. 

Leaning a little closer to Azriel, you let go a sigh of relief, the bond still chafing a little at being so surrounded by people and having felt so far from him. 

By the time all the greetings had been achieved, it felt like hours had passed by, and your shoulders slumped, cheeks aching with the smile on your face as they all gathered around. Cassian was busy retelling stories of his week alone training the Valkyries while Nesta smirked into her drink, and you leaned back into the warm touch of Azriel’s hand on your lower back.

You felt him move, like a magnetic pull the closer he got the stronger it felt, until you could picture him clearly leaning down to whisper into your ear, without ever having to turn your focus to him. “I’m going to go and get us a drink. It’s only a matter of time before Cassian starts into the old stories, and I need to be at least halfway drunk to endure those again.”

You bit down on the inside of your lip to keep your laughter inside, that large palm on your back smoothing up along your spine as you let it flood down the bond between your hearts instead. His hand drifted higher still, to tangle into your hair softly and pull you closer, until he could capture your lips in a sweet kiss. 

You swayed into him a little, twisting to place a hand on his chest, a smile forming as you kissed him back at the simplicity of it all, an ‘I’ll see you in a minute kiss’, and it was certainly something you could get used to. 

“Uh, what?”

You snapped back, Azriel’s lips still pouted a little as you pulled away enough to catch his gaze. Rolling them together as he straightened up, your cheeks flushed with heat, and you turned to face your friends. Cassian’s jaw was dropped, matching that of Mor and Feyre, while Lucien and Nesta smirked to themselves, and Rhys sipped his drink, a cheeky look on his face. Elain was merely smiling, a look on her face like she already knew, which she possibly did, if she’d seen it before you’d ever known it would happen. 

“Since when?” Cassian demanded, a frown taking over his lips as he planted one hand on his hip, the other clutching his drink, and Nesta hid her laugh in his bicep as her face pressed into his arm. 

“I’m gonna’ leave this one to you, baby.” With another quick peck, Azriel spun away and disappeared into the crowds before you could even splutter out a response to stop him. 

“Baby?” Feyre squeaked, only seeming to get more and more excited as Rhys wrapped an arm around her waist, tugging her closer to his side. “Explain! Now! That’s an order.”

“Oh, I’m sorry, High Lady.” You scoffed, and she giggled, but the anticipation and eagerness of them all were hanging over your head like rain clouds. “Azriel and I are… together.”

“It’s a solstice, sorry, Christmas miracle.” Rhysand teased, his smirk only growing fuller. 

“‘Bout damn time!” Cassian’s yell drew the attention of those around you, various heads turning in your direction, and his mat pinched at his ribs roughly, smile now a scowl as she flushed with embarrassment at all the odd looks cast her way. He swatted at her hand, but never stopped smiling. “So you’re just together?”

“Yes, we’re together. In the same way… you all are.” You cringed a little, unsure why it felt so hard to say the words to them all, why your throat felt like it was closing up. 

The uproar started once again, an amused tug echoing in your chest as you glanced around the room, locking eyes on him stood at the bar, waiting patiently for your drinks. He leaned on one elbow, not even bothering to hide his grin, and you shook your head at him. A feeling that you hoped was flipping him off was sent back, and you swore you could hear his laugh from here. Perhaps it was the question of whether it had always been so obvious, to everyone except for you, whether they’d known all along. 

Without turning back to them, holding Azriel’s gaze across the room, your own smile formed. “Azriel and I are mates.”

“I fucking told you!” At that proclamation, you laughed, turning back to the group as Mor held her hand out, a victorious look on her face at Cassian, who scowled. Pulling out his wallet, he pressed a handful of notes into her hand, and Mor tucked the collection into the bodice of her dress. 

“I can’t believe he didn’t tell me!” Cassian sounded genuinely hurt, and if it wasn’t for the love shining on his face, you might’ve believed he was. 

“How do you know it was him that knew, huh?” Your hands fell to your hips, brows raising at him. 

“Because I watched him pine after you for years and never tell you how he felt, no matter how many times I told him to! He knew.” A pang of that same guilty pain shot through you, quickly comforted on the other side of your heart by your mate, like a hand reaching out to hold your own. You clung to that feeling. 

“He didn’t tell any of us, Cassian. You know how private he is.” Amren was like the voice of reason, and your sights snapped to Rhys, only a twitch of his brow acknowledging what you both knew, and that you wouldn't tell any of them, less Cassian actually lose his mind. Once again, that feeling took you over, like a compass finding North, feeling Azriel weave his way back through the crowd until his bicep was brushing your shoulder. 

Rhysand beamed at his brother as he pressed a drink into your hands, leaving a kiss on your cheek. You took a deep gulp of it, grateful for the relief and taking the attention off yourself, all turning to look at Azriel. Congratulations spilled out of everyone, except the other winged warrior, who continued to frown and stare off into the crowd. 

Azriel frowned at that too, and you curled a little closer to his side, pressing a kiss to his shoulder as his arm looped your body, wing following protectively. “Cass?”

“You didn’t tell me!”

“I didn’t tell anyone.” At that, Cassian looked back, rolling his jaw a little. 

“You told Rhys.” Your heart thudded over a skipped beat, Azriel’s lips parting in shock, and Rhysand looked even more surprised than you both. “I knew that… I knew you told him something. This big secret, you were in and out of it that night and I was getting fresh rags and I heard you ask Rhys to tell you the truth. I figured it was just about your feelings, it never made sense why it seemed like such a big deal to Rhys after you passed out, but now I get it.”

“Shit, Cass,” Dragging a hand over his face, Azriel looked positively destroyed. “I didn’t mean to tell Rhys. I didn’t want anyone to know until… but I couldn't risk dying and her not knowing. I would’ve asked you if you’d been there, Rhys just happened to be the one in the room at the time.”

“Ouch, way to make a guy feel special.” Rhys grouched, but there was no hurt in his tone, and you chuckled. 

“We okay?”

“Yeah, of course, we are. I get it.” With a heavy sigh, Cassian let that frown turn into smile, striding forward to embrace his brother. The two collided so solidly that they stumbled backwards, and you almost fell with them as Azriel struggled to retract his arm in time to wrap it tightly around his brother’s back. Heavy pats and whispers not meant for anyone else, and you all pretended you didn’t hear the gentle sniffles as the two embraced. 

Finally, they parted, and you were free to wrap yourself back up in your mate's embrace as his shadows wrapped possessively around your waist, tugging you urgently back to his side. 

“So, what’s the story?” Feyre finally burst, and you chuckled. 

“Not quite as exciting as yours, nobody was on the verge of death.” Your gaze flickered over all of them, realising just how dramatic and heartbreaking each pair’s story had been, and you swallowed thickly. “We kissed under the mistletoe.”

“That’s so… interesting.” The High Lady’s brows furrowed as she thought it through, looking up to her husband for clarification only to find him just as amused, and Azriel’s chuckled washed against your temple as he left a soft smattering of kisses there. 

“It’s a tradition here. You should ask Vivianne to tell you all about it.”

“If you get caught under the mistletoe with someone, you kiss them.” Azriel shrugged, sipping some more of his drink, and Rhysand raised a hand. Summoning a small branch out of thin air to hover before you all on a fraction of power, all attention fell to the white-berried sprig. 

“This?”

“That's the one.” You smiled fondly at it, leaning up to kiss Azriel softly at the image of it, and he returned the gentle affection with a smile.

“Oh, boo,” Rhysand snapped his fingers, the night-touched magic that was his signature wrapping around you until the sprig was hovering over your heads instead, and you chuckled at it. “Give her a real kiss, Az. That was pathetic.”

“Rhys!” Placing his drink down and taking yours from your hands, Azriel turned you to face him, lifting both of your arms to loop around his neck. “Az—”

His mouth descended onto your own, a crush of his lips to yours that knocked your breath from you, and left you dizzy. Your eyes fluttered closed, his arms circling your body and pulling you flush to him, before bending you backwards over them. A squeak left your lips as you went, his wings flaring around you until they draped to the floor, and you clung to him as you returned his enthusiastic kiss. 

When his tongue swept along your lower lip cheekily, you scolded him through the bond, but parted your lips long enough for a single sweep of his tongue over your own, before you were pushing him back up, straightening until you were stable on your feet again. When you pulled back your heart stopped pounding quite so loudly in your ears. The fragile pants between you both, as your foreheads pressed together, were almost drowned out by the hollers and cheers of your friends. 

“Now that was a kiss,” The general whooped.

“You’re telling me.” You mumbled, and Azriel dipped down, nipping your lower lip with a smirk. Your hands smoothed down over his shoulders, still gripping the fabric of his cheesy Christmas jumper for support, and you focused on the feel of the soft knit under your fingers, to soothe the swell of hormones trying to overflow within you. “By the way, Rhys, these Christmas jumpers…”

As though reminded himself, Azriel freed one hand from where they’d connected at the bottom of your back, to travel up your spine, and trace over the letters spanning your shoulder-blades that spelt out your name. His nose stayed nuzzled in your hairline as you turned to glare at the High Lord.

“There will be revenge for these, just so you know.” You already had the revenge you spoke of upstairs in your room, tucked away neatly in your suitcase for the prime opportunity. At your smirk, his face fell, glancing between both you and Azriel, paling a little further as he realised you’d teamed up against him. “Just you wait.”

Just like this, surrounded by your family as your cheek rested against Azriel’s chest, feeling the heart that beat for you steadily underneath, you realised once again just how much you loathed all the years that had passed, that you could’ve had this. That large hand was now sitting on the back of your neck, thumb stroking over your pulse slowly, holding you to him. 

“I love you, Az.”

“I love you.” His whisper was low enough for only you, lips by your ear as his head bowed, and your eyes screwed shut, swaying to the music from the band and sinking into the feeling. This was exactly where you wanted to be, for the rest of your life. 

The mistletoe continued to bob over your heads, and you gave another kiss to Azriel, pecking his lips sweetly, before dragging him out from underneath it.

“Alright, who’s next under the mistletoe?”

[alexiavettel]

Ten things I hate about you

pairing: daniel ricciardo x fem!reader

word count: 2.9k+

warnings: age gap, explicit language, allusions to sex, drinking, mentions to death, motorsport accident, angst sometimes, rbr mentions (ew), Horner mentions (he’s not the bad here), no use of Y/n, Daniel Ricciardo is a walking cliché (it’s actually cute for me) and Michael and Scottie are actually babies. 

summary: The ten reasons why you hate Daniel Ricciardo through the years. But remember, the line between hate and love is thin, be careful…

I hate the way you talk to me,

“What are you doing here kid? This is an adult RedBull party, you shouldn’t be here”

“Shut up Ricciardo, I deserve to be here as much as you”

“For being the boss daughter? Wow how deserving!” 

“And what are you doing here? I thought you jumped off last year”

“Y’know gal once you go Danny Ric you never want to go back, your daddy likes me so here I am”

“Dear god, I thought that after you were a coward and moved to Renault I would never have see you again out of the paddock” 

“You don’t what you’re talking about, girl” the older man towers over you in the corner of the saloon.

“So unbothered until someone call you coward, right? You’re childish Ricciardo, that’s what you are”

She hates when he calls her kid. 

and the way you cut your hair.

“Oh my god what have you done, cowboy?” 

“Liked the new cut, golden girl?”

“Wow stopped calling me kid, it’s a significant development Ricciardo”

“Want me to come back calling you kid? ‘Cause I don’t mind”

“Shut up, and to be honest no. I don’t like it, the new cut just shows your age better you’re almost going bald man be careful” you said laughing.

“What wait really?”

“Your hairline looks like circuit corners, to be honest. But hear my wise words big boy, let it grow more than you’re used to. Curls look good on you”

Daniel always have his curls looking good now. 

I hate the way you drive my car.

“C’mon girl, you drunk too much” 

“OH DANIEL! What are you doing here, handsome?!” you might had a little too much long island iced teas

“M’gonna take you home, come on” he took your both hands and led you to the exit

“What about my car? She’s my precious daughter I can’t leave Daisy alone!”

“You named your car? You scare me sometimes little girl… You’re lucky I took an Uber, ‘gimme the keys” 

“Don’t talk about Daisy like that!” you drunkenly shouted in the parking lot

“You’re joking you drive a manual! You have a fucking Supra what are you? Brian O’Conner?” he put you in the passenger seat and belt you on.

“Not like you’re not a fucking formula one driver, huh? Lucky me! And don’t talk about Daisy like t-that she’s purple not orange like in fast and furious” He just rolled his eyes and started driving.

“Didn’t know you could drive, even more a manual”

“You say that because you never saw me drifting”

They spend the next night drifting in an empty parking lot. 

I hate it when you stare.

“What are you looking at mate?” Nico asked the younger man

“N-Nothing” he stopped staring at you across the paddock

“Hmm ‘nothing’ right? The ‘nothing’ you mentioned is that one covered in Red Bull merch staring back smiling right now?” Daniel immediately looked back searching for your smile but just found you laughing at one of Albon’s jokes.

She felt his eyes burning into her, she always did. 

I hate your big dumb combat boots,

“Ouch! Daniel!” You shouted after he stepped on your foot in the middle of a dinner at your dad’s house with some friends, former drivers. 

“Sorry sweetheart, I didn’t mean it” he gently caressed your hair with an apologising smile 

“Okay but why the fuck are you wearing combat boots? It’s a dinner Dan, I thought you had a better sense of style”

“Sorry darling it’s not about the boots, it’s my big feet and y’know what they say-“

“Shut up, Ricciardo”

He gifted her a pair of combat boots on her birthday. She wears it at every opportunity. 

and the way you read my mind.

“Stop. Stop thinking too much” he caressed your cheek 

“But I am not-“

“Yes you are, I can almost hear your thoughts and I know they are plenty. Just don’t make a big deal out of it, if you want to stop and pretend I never kissed you we can do it…”

“No-"

He kissed her goodbye that night, and did it almost all the others nights too. 

I hate you so much it makes me sick; it even makes me rhyme.

“I have something for you… I asked Michael to put it in your driver's room” you quietly whispered while passing through him in the McLaren hospitality 

“Late valentines' gift, darling?” he said laughing.

“Maybe…”

You were scared of being a little too fast, but it was inevitable. You hate the things he makes you feel.

When the man found the sunflowers in his bed he was beyond surprised. But the two letters between the yellow fresh plants made a glint appear in his eyes. The first one had “about you and me” written down in the envelope. 

“I have sat upon the seashore

and washed away my fears.

I have lived so many days now

that they are turning into years.

I have walked up in mountains.

I have splashed around in streams.

I have conjured up ideas

that have moulded into dreams.

I have seen a thousand faces

And I've matched a thousand smiles.

I have been to so many places

that I'm losing count of miles.

I have heard the wind, so gently,

cause the trees to creak and moan,

but I have never felt a heart

as perfect as your own”

And the second one had “about your eyes” written down in brown tint. 

“You hated your eye colour,

called it a dull and dirty brown

Wished for the deep blue of an ocean,

where admirers hearts would drown

And it pained me when I realised,

you'd never see it like I do

The way your eyes hint a story,

that I want to read right through

They hold specks of stolen sunlight,

that you'd miss with just one glance

And a depth of raw emotion,

that can freeze you in a trance

They're a fix of melted chocolate,

when I'm craving something sweet

But hold a gaze that's so unwatering,

that I find it hard to meet

I fall right down the rabbit hole,

when I look into your eyes

The brown of earth's unfettered beauty,

that I yearn to memorise

When I was tired of not belonging,

they made me feel like I'd been found

And I hope you never say again,

That your eyes are simply brown.”

He even posts pics of his eyes now.

I hate it, I hate the way you’re always right.

“You need to stop running away! You want to end this or not? You want to keep hiding us from your dad like an afraid little kid? I do EVERYTHING to be with you but in the moment it gets a ‘little too real’ you run! That’s what you always do!” Daniel never screamed at you but today has been an exception.

“You don’t understand, Daniel! It’s not just my dad, it’s a lot more complicated than that!-” you mourn sitting in the sofa

“What? Have you realised that I am ‘too old’ for you? That you are wasting your time with me? That the public and your family will criticise us?”

“You are not old for me, babe… But they will speak y’know? I hate the media speculating about me with every single driver, but what if that damages your future in another team? What if your fans start treating you differently alleging that you ‘groomed’ me since we have known each other since I was 18? What if-” you started walking towards him

“You are too much worried about me, darling. Think about yourself. Think about us, how happy we make each other. I know you’re scared, babe… But that is what would make me happier. We can wait how much you want but I’m scared too. I’m scared you’re going to leave me for someone better, you have so many options it just doesn't make sense why you chose me…” he tucked a strand of your hair behind your ear and caressed your cheek after

“I am never leaving you. I am just scared” his eyes gave you the comfort you were looking for, that you always searched

“But love is scary. Specially after we couldn't even tolerate each other and now we are, this” he pointed between you “I have fears and more fears with you, but our love is bigger than all of them. If you want to be with me, for real, you also have to learn to surpass your fear. We are a team, darlin’”

He was right. He always is.

I hate it when you lie.

“You are a fucking asshole, Daniel!” You shouted after closing his door.

“I am sorry-”

“No you don’t! You could’ve died, Daniel for god’s sake. You could’ve died and I would only know after receiving a hospital’s call. You lied to me, you promised ages ago that you would never… I don’t understand, like I really don’t.”

“Darling, listen-”

“Daniel, I can't hear your voice right now. It’s making me angrier and I don’t want to act irrationally”

“Can I just explain why I lied?”

“Now? No. Please go away, I really need to think. Alone.”

You don’t understand, he had a car accident during the testing for the 2021 season and said it was nothing much. You watched everything on tv and didn’t looked too bad, but you were worried either way. The g forces are too much sometimes, but he swore he was fine. Long story short, he was not. He literally disappeared for more than 24 hours and you were looking up plane tickets to Bahrain when Michael called you telling what happened.

When Daniel crashed a part of his helmet was broken, and his head hit the neck support. Obviously could’ve been worse, but the amount of blood that came out of him was scary. Michael send you some pics after you almost threatened him of death, he explained that Daniel had only a small opening in his neck. And he was conscious enough after the crash to get out of the car, message you and go walking to the medic station. But unfortunately one blood vessel has been hit in the process and he was having an internal haemorrhage.

The thing is, he was notified before the surgery and he answered your call saying that “I am completely fine darling, just gotta do some exams and gonna be back to sleep in the hotel in some hours. Don’t worry, I love you” the first time he really said those words, and could’ve been the last. 

She said I love you back. And took care of him until he was good to go back.

I hate it when you make me laugh, 

“Oh my fucking god, Daniel! My dad is going to kill us” you said laughing after being thrown in your father’s pool with Daniel. His Monza win meant more to you two than you had expected.

“He can kill me if he wants, but it was worthy. At least I’m going to die happy. I could die happy whenever I’m with you” he kissed you messily. 

“So cheesy, Dan ew. But if you really meant it, I hope it’s going to take a bit more to your death ‘cause I have no plans of ever leaving you”

“And I am the cheesy one-?”

“WHAT THE FUCK YOU ARE DOING HERE?” Oh that must be your dad… oops?

He always loved her laugh, even when they hated each other… The sound of her laugh always was the closest thing to heaven, for him.

even worse when you make me cry.

“1st task: word search, find your gift.”

No fucking way, Ricciardo. You say “I’m sad” in one day, and in the next you wake up with this note in the bed. The only possible answer in this messy word search was office. When you got to his office desk a box of chocolates was waiting for you, with another note, this time in the format of a heart.

“2nd task: i need to be fixed, what am i?”

Just could be the wardrobe door, that shit almost knocked you up one day. Just right, honey. You found a little cute poem with another note.

“I don't want a fairytale

ending with you.

I want to be there

to help you face

your fears and 

to help you overcome

your failures.

I want to give you

the kind of love

that's not distorted

and fabricated,

but real, raw

and honest.”

“3rd task: complete the sentence, w__r_  __  _ s_en_  m__e  __me  on  _ho_e?”

With an embarrassing amount of time, you discovered to be “where do I spend more time on phone?” and that must be the main bathroom. In the mirror lipstick were marking the words

“4th task: i am in your most peaceful place”

with a little flower in the end. There’s only one place.

When you opened the wooden door that separates the living room from the garage and garden you felt tears burning your eyes. Daniel were sitting in the garden with sunflowers, picnic basket, plenty of fruits, drinks and food in general. 

“Sorry about the lipstick I used an old one and I swear I’m gonna clean after and-”

“You’re the most cheesy, cliche and argh I don’t even know what to- I fucking hate loving you!” How could you get so lucky? This 5’10’’ aussie, who has the biggest smile, loudest laugh, the best hug ever and seems like his life mission is making you the happiest person alive.

“Darling, don’t cry please! I hate when you cry!” he walked over you

“You were the one that made me cry!” you laughed sniffing giving a kiss in his cheek

“Eh… I might actually have one more thing…”

“What? I don’t think you can surprise or make me cry even more-” you said cleaning away your tears.

“Surprise!” You were wrong. Definitely wrong. Inside the picnic basket instead of more food was a little dog puppy, which couldn’t even open his eyes properly in this light. They furr shined in the sunlight, nose slightly scrunched and tail faintly moving side to side.

She thought the first time she would cry for a man, that it’s not her dad, would be after a heartbreak not for a cliché surprise.

I hate it when you’re not around.

“I’m sorry, babe. I promise after this work I’m gonna get on the first plane to you, and then we can enjoy my summer break together. I swear”

That was the third time he said it, the only time he promised tho. It’s hard to get that much time to spend with your boyfriend, and then he still works in his holidays.

He did what he promised but after 3 days. 3 whole days of his absence, it’s different when he’s in the paddock. At least you got a bit of him, the good morning and good night texts, facetime before sleeping and the most important thing of your life: your dog.

When he is not around, she feels like the loneliest person in the world.

and the fact you didn’t call.

It has been a while since that happened but you still remember how the feeling was. The feeling of being just a piece of meat, just drunk sex, a replacement, an embarrassment or worst, a regret.

Your first time with Daniel was after his win in Monaco, 2018. Both drunk not only in tequila and whiskey but in lust. To be honest you don’t remember much of this night, but you remember him. And he remembers you. His hands were imprinted on your curves. Your fingers tangled in his hair. When you woke up in an empty bed, in a hotel room that was not yours. You remembered all too well.

You remembered that he didn’t call. You remembered that he ignored you in the garage and the paddock. When you finally got to ask (you sneaked into his driver’s room) why he was running he admitted “I just can’t even think when you are around now! All I have is memories when I look at you, and that makes me fucking mad! It makes me wanna hate you more but also makes me wanna kiss you more and fuck you more and I can’t! We shouldn’t. It’s wrong. I assume the responsibility, I’m sorry”

That was the first and last time he didn’t call.

But mostly I hate the way I don’t hate you,

Not even close, not even a little bit, not even at all.

“So you hate loving me? Relax I hate loving you too” Daniel gave his characteristic laugh after you finished saying your poem at the end of your wedding vows.

•

“We are a team, in this life and all the others". That was the end of his vows, you could see he was shaking the entire time. You risk it looking at Michael and Scottie (obviously the best men) and they were crying like babies, pretty much more than you. 

“See why I hate loving you, Ricciardo” you mentioned cleaning your tears half laughing and you could hear the guests laughing with you. 

“You’re a Ricciardo now too, darlin’”

“You can kiss the bride now”

This was not the end. She still hates Daniel, everything about him, but especially, how much he was easy to love. He promised they were a team and he will always deliver on that, the love of this life of his and all the others too.

@laura-naruto-fan1998 enjoy <3

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[creedslove]

BETRAYED - PART FIVE

Pedro Pascal x f!reader

Summary: Pedro invites you to be his plus one for the night but his attention is caught by another woman and leaves you with a broken heart

Warnings: angst, age gap, established friendship, unrequited love/one sided feelings, fluff, glimpse of Pedro being a great (silly) dad, and more angst of course

A/N: I really don't know what you guys will think of this part. It is longer than the others and for those who don't want Pedro to be forgiven, you can consider this the ideal end, though this is NOT the last chapter. I still have some ideas for this story but their development will go according to what you guys want, especially because due to all the feedback I've received over the last week (yes today marks one week I posted the first chapter) things are pretty divided between who wants a happy ending and who wants a sad one, lol!

A/N Part 2: I still can't manually tag people on the works because I use the app and it won't let me do it, that's why I don't have a tag list at all!

3.2k words

PART ONE | PART TWO | PART THREE | PART FOUR

Your heart clenched the moment you heard Kate's words. Pedro was there. After months pretending not to know each other, after not seeing him nor listening to his voice, months after the horrible argument you two had, where you both said horrible things to each other, words that hurt you two deeply, but also needed to be said. So you two could break free from what was holding you back. You and your mindless passion for Pedro, and him and his incapability of letting you go.

You realized you went silent for several seconds and Kate was staring at you with a worried look on her face, so you gave her a nervous smile and nodded "there's no problem, really. We are not making a scene or anything, I mean, we didn't have that much of a fight, it wasn't that serious"

"Yes, it was, Y/N" Kate said in a low voice "you completely fell out with each other, you have never been apart from long and honestly, he seems the saddest I've ever seen, and you don't seem like you're in a picnic either" she placed her hand on your shoulder reassuringly and looked down, excusing herself as she needed to attend the other guests.

You didn't like to be read like that, yes, you missed Pedro, in many ways you were still broken hearted at everything that went on, it's very hard to just let go of a person you were so invested in for years. It leaves an empty spot in your chest, even when you get over whatever happened, your mind always comes back to a bunch of might-have-beens. And though you and Pedro hadn't been away for that long, that's exactly how it felt. You walked out the kitchen and realized you were getting anxious to see him. He was there, it was a stated fact. It wasn't like when you went to the gym and very often looked over your shoulders, in hopes he wouldn't show up at the same time you kind of hoped he would show up. Internally battling with the relief of not running into him and also the disappointment of not seeing him. Once again, you had to remind yourself to act rationally, you didn't want to be shaken to the core when you saw him, and you definitely wouldn't make a scene at a princess' party.

When you reached the living room, he was the first one you spotted and for a few seconds he was the only thing you could see. There he was, Pedro, your dulce Pedrito like you used to call him and make a soft reddish color spread through his cheeks. He looked the same as always, the same as always made your heart race and you hated that. Your heart beat faster, your palms suddenly got a little sweaty and you were sure you'd stutter if someone asked you any question. You cursed yourself under your breath, months of self care and you still acted like a high school girl around him. The sadness Kate had seen your ass, you mentally rolled your eyes as you saw how he was still the life of the party, how he laughed and made everybody laugh. He wasn't sad, and why should he? Maybe you did hurt him in your argument, in fact you did hurt him as he left with tears in his eyes, but he probably got over you, he had done it so many times before, times where you still were friends and you loved and cared for him, so now what was stopping him from just forgetting about you?

Pedro finally eyed you, he knew you were coming and he tried his best to look good for you, he had a nice outfit on, his hair was messy like you always said you loved and God, he felt like time had stopped when he saw you walk into the living room. Hermosa, princesa, linda, mariposa, all of that crossed his mind once he saw you. He hadn't seen you in what it felt like forever, and now you were there, standing a few feet away from him. His desire was to rush to you, ignoring everyone else there, and wrapping his arms around your waist. If he could, he would let out all those Spanish words you loved roll out of his tongue before he could touch your skin and make you his. He chuckled to himself just to picture what you would say if you knew his heart raced when he saw you, how he wanted to take you into his arms like you had dreamed about it for so long. Life sometimes is truly a joke.

He didn't understand how you managed to become more beautiful since the last time you saw each other but you did it, and he couldn't take his eyes off you. He had no idea if you'd even want to talk to him, give him some of your time, but he was going to try.

Before you could greet everyone who was sitting closer than him, Flora and her big brother came running to you. If someone thought Flora was sweet, they hadn't met her brother yet. Wyatt was a five year old who seemed to be obsessed with you. Out of all his mommy's friends you were definitely his favorite. He was sweet to you like he was with no one else, and the fact he still had some trouble pronouncing his 'R' made him even cuter to you.

He immediately jumped onto your lap, snuggling you as tight as he could, he was overly excited at the sweets he'd eaten and the fact some people who brought his little sister presents also brought him presents!

Pedro's heart dropped to his stomach the moment he saw you surrounded by Flora and Wyatt. He wasn't sure he was strong enough to watch that, but he couldn't look away either. It all brought him back to the dreams he constantly had about you, the dreams where he always got to a happy, crowded home, where you were his and only his, in all the ways you dreamed of for long and now he longed for it as well and you two had built a beautiful family. He was always happy in these dreams, only to feel empty when he woke up.

One of the things he always loved about you and that one he made pretty clear throughout your entire friendship, was how good with kids you were. Of course Pedro had earned the cool uncle status, but he just admired how natural you were, how kids simply wanted you to be around them and how happy you got with that. It quickly drove him back to the night of your argument, and how you threw it on his face he was nearly 50 without a family. Yes, he knew you were right, but it still hurt him anyway. When he was younger, he wasn't sure if he was going for the traditional stuff but he assumed good old marriage and kids would happen to him, after all it happened to everyone. But as the years went by, he just focused on his career and he was pretty happy that way, apart from all the loneliness he felt, loneliness that was soothed by your company during the day and some other female company at night, sometimes even more than one at the same time. Until those stupid dreams began, every single night he would have a family with you and love every single part of it just to be taken back to reality where he was alone and all he got was his career.

"Did you really think I'd forget about you?" You whispered to Wyatt as you very discreetly handed him a small basket with his favorite chocolate. You didn't have enough for all the kids, so you hoped he wouldn't make a big fuss about it, but the moment he squealed in happiness and hugged you, you felt so lucky to be there. You quickly helped him open his present and watched as he ate one piece after the other. Kate would probably kill you the next day, but you didn't care at all, seeing his true happiness.

"Pedwo, come play please!!" He asked the man, waving his hand at him and inviting him to the empty seat next to you. You saw when he smiled at Wyatt and moved closer to you. His cologne was intoxicating and for a moment all you wanted to do was to rest your head on his shoulder and have his arm around your body.

"These are my favorite too, you gotta share" he frowned playfully at Wyatt and looked at you

"Hey Y/N" he said shyly and looked down clearing his throat before looking into her eyes again "you look very beautiful, muy hermosa como siempre" he said and saw the familiar blush spreading through your cheeks adding a cute look to your face. You still reacted the same, maybe you were still his muñequita?

"Hi Pedro" you said softly and smiled politely at him.

"Come on Pedwo do the voice!!! Do it again, fow Y/N to see!!" Wyatt begged excitedly and pointed at his brand new Grogu doll. Once again you felt the urge to roll your eyes mentally, of course that was Pedro's doing and it was so predictable. Cute, but predictable. The little boy however, was mesmerized as once more Pedro sat up and made his Mandalorian voice. You didn't know exactly how it was different from his regular voice, but it was and you couldn't explain. He said whatever Wyatt liked to hear and gently tapped the doll's head, making Grogu cooed and blink his eyes, lifting his little arm gently which caused Wyatt to squeal in happiness again.

You both felt pretty good at that, no matter what happened between you two, you were really good at handling kids together and your chest ached to wonder if the same would apply if you ever had children together.

•••

After singing Happy Birthday and serving the cake, Rob, Kate's husband, asked his kids to go to the backyard. Pedro grinned at the interaction and placed his plate down, taking your hand in his and pulling you "come on Y/N, you'll want to see this" he said happily and you had no other reaction than follow him. The kids were so excited when their daddy asked them to close their little eyes. They peeked all the time, not being able to hold back how eager they wanted to see the surprise. Pedro looked at you and smiled sweetly "I don't mean to brag, but it was my idea, so you're not the only one who is great with kids, you know" he winked at her.

You swallowed and looked down at your hands, fingers entwined and how softly Pedro caressed your hand with his thumb. You immediately let go of his hand and blushed, which wasn't unnoticed by him, who sighed and stared into your eyes "I know you're still hurt about everything that went on and we need to talk, I owe you an apology for what happened and-"

Pedro was cut off by the kids' screams of happiness and pure excitement when their daddy revealed their mysterious present: a bunny. A real life bunny, you stared into Pedro eyes and chuckled "that was your idea, right?" You asked and couldn't help but smile a little "I bet Kate is thrilled" you both burst out laughing and for a moment everything was alright between the two of you again.

He only laughed softly but gently took your hand in his once more, walking towards some trees, away from the fuss the kids were making and once you were both hidden enough from anyone else who might bother you, he finally gathered the courage to speak.

"I screw everything up with you, Y/N. I know I did, in fact I knew it from the moment it happened but I was too proud and stubborn to admit it" he sighed "and then it all got worse and worse until that horrible episode at your place. I deeply regret everything that went on" Pedro looked down, and then back at you again, being puzzled by how indecipherable your expression was. You watched him apologize without really apologizing, you just hated how he asked for your forgiveness without acknowledging anything at all.

"The reason why I didn't want to talk to you anymore was because I'm tired of being your doormat, Pedro. You know how much I love you" you bit your lips "how much I loved you" you corrected yourself and continued "but you only took advantage of it, and you know it. You know how many times you've hurt me, how many times you flirted with me, you kissed me almost on the lips, you sweet talked to me, the times you had your hands on my body not in an erotic way but definitely more intimate than a friend should ever do, you know how confused it left me, and you kept doing it"

Pedro knew it was all true, but he had decided to ask for your forgiveness and to be honest, he looked around embarrassed and nodded

"I-I know that, Y/N. I know I was a real shitty friend, always teasing you, playing with your feelings… I am really ashamed of it and if I could turn back in time, I'd never act that way. I had only one glimpse of what you must've felt all this time… when I saw you with that guy from the gym and it felt like my heart had shattered into a million pieces"

You had to admit you were not expecting that, at first you thought it would be just some more of his usual bullshit, but it seemed Pedro really meant what he was telling you.

"And I know the last straw was that night at the gala. It should've been about us, after all, you were my plus one because I wanted to have you there, and I loved every minute we spent together, you looked gorgeous, muy hermosa mi cariño, but then I was just terrible to you. I don't know why I left with that woman, I mean, I don't know why I just gave in to that impulse and I know I tried brushing off as if you were exaggerating but these past months I was finally able to be true to myself and admit you were right. I was a dick, I not only humiliated you and broke your heart but also put you at risk by letting you go home on your way"

His voice had a sad tone and he didn't look away for a split second, showing he meant all that.

You began tearing up, as those were the words you waited months to hear. You wanted him to apologize, to admit what he'd done and now it had finally happened, you couldn't help but feel sad as it came too late.

"Pedro, I-"

"Please, Y/N, let me finish" he asked and took another breath "that day at your house was completely unacceptable, I know it, and we both hurt each other, I snapped because I saw you with another man and told you to leave me alone, and I didn't understand why I had such a childish and reckless attitude, until I realized I didn't know how to act on my feelings for you, which takes me to the very painful words you told me, which unfortunately, were also true. I left that night hating myself, I didn't know what to do or what to say, so I looked for help, I went back to therapy and I was able to see all the things I was doing wrong"

You saw when he took a step closer and you could smell his cologne, you had no idea what he was going to do, but your heart pounded into your chest as his big hands cupped your cheeks so gently, stroking them and staring into your eyes "and after all that self-analysis I came to the conclusion that I love you" he bit his lips and a light blush spread through your cheeks "I mean, I already did, as a friend, even if I was a dick, I truly loved and cared about you, but it changed, Y/N, it got more intense, you're the only thing that crosses my mind the whole day, the only one I want and crave, all I can think of is your body against mine, your beautiful voice singing while you make breakfast, the way you light up a room when you step inside, how the kids love you because they see how incredible you are" Pedro took another deep breath "I'm in love with you, Y/N" he finally admitted out loud and it felt like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. He leaned in and touched your lips with his very softly at first, ghosting over them, appreciating how perfect they felt against each other. One of his hands went for your waist, wrapping his arm around it and gripping your body in a desperate need. He was so close you could feel his strong chest against your soft breasts, so pressed up against his body it was really hard to remind yourself that wasn't right. The moment you felt the man deepening the kiss, you couldn't hold back a soft moan. You decided to enjoy that moment, something you'd craved for so long, it almost felt like your heart was bursting out of your chest. Your hands gripped his hair, pulling it softly as you kissed him back as eager as he kissed you. You felt like you could be trapped in that moment forever with him, it felt right, even if it was wrong.

When Pedro broke the kiss looking for some air, you still gave him a last peck on the lips, gently stroking his cheek and taking a step back.

"Wow" you whispered and smiled shyly "I've dreamed about that moment for so long. God knows how much I daydreamed that one day this exact scene would happen, now it did, it feels unreal" you looked at him and took his hand, gently squeezing it "and that's why it breaks my heart to see it happened too late. I'm sorry Pedro, but we can't do this. I'm really sorry that I don't believe you, I don't think you love me, I think you love the fact I was in love with you and that stroke your ego like nothing else, I was young, devoted, I would do anything for you and would take anything you had to offer, but we can't do this anymore. I can't do this to myself, I love myself more than I love you now, and I won't let anyone get in the way of that, not even you" she said and let go of his hand "I'll always love you and cherish you Pedro, but it's time to say goodbye"

_____

A/N: any feedbacks, let me know! Also, you guys have just met Wyatt! He is pretty much my OC and for the years I wrote for/roleplayed Victor Creed/Liev Schreiber he was always my character's son, and I developed an emotional connection with him even if he is not real, so I thought to myself, why not show the world what a ray of sunshine my fictional son is, right?

And yes, the bunny thing I got from Narcos because I thought Pablo Escobar had no right to be that cute while gifting his daughter a bunny, the way she got happy when he gave her su conejito just made me go all aww 🥰

[jamiesfootball]

Today on the wheelodex of things I'd like to discuss regarding Mom City / the Finale-

It's fucking weird that Ted's mom didn't come to the match. I also understand it completely.

(And I don't just mean writing weird, although I do think the decision was in part made so that they wouldn't have to spend a whole character-centric episode's B-plot revolve around introducing a new character around. Which is another complaint on the overall pacing of s3, but i digress)

But I'm talking about the 'meeting someone's mom is like getting a manual on why they're nuts' of it all. Ted's mom:

Flew in from the states, without letting Ted know she was coming

Proceeded to stay at a hostel for a week, hanging around 'near' his place for ??? amount of time until he happened to walk past her

Did the 'oh no, I couldn't' dance with him regarding staying with him (conceded)

Did the 'oh no, I couldn't' dance with him regarding going to work with him (conceded)

Did the 'oh no, I couldn't' dance with him regarding going up to Manchester -- and was left back at his flat.

Like. Holy fucking shit. That was all in the span of like 1-2 days.*

This is what Ted grew up with. Someone who constantly refuses to outright ask for anything or confront anything without making it an exercise for the other person. She's so passive aggressive that makes Ted seem like a direct person in comparison.

But what's interesting to me is that when it came to coming to the match in Manchester, that's the one where Ted folded in the towel and went 'yeah just stay here then'. Because that is the antithesis of Midwestern hospitality, isn't it? To leave your guest--your mom--back at home while she's visiting while you go off and do something else, something interesting, for a long stretch of time. It certainly makes my learned southern hospitality shudder in social faux pas. That's just not done. It's rude. Ted does it anyways.

With passive aggression, it's about what's not said--not what is. Both parties tend to know that the person being passive aggressive actually wants the opposite thing. The 'polite' way to tell them 'no' is to pretend you accept what they're saying. Ted's insistence that she tag along is noticeably weaker than when he's telling her to take his bed or come to work with him. It's not that her counter-arguments are any better; it's that he does the courtesy dance in a way that gets him out of the situation by giving her what she's asking for.

So Ted, Ted, does something people could consider rude. Because the alternative is doing this goddamn song-and-dance with his mother again. And I think that's fascinating. Not just from a character perspective, but for how it shows Ted's priorities in that moment. He says it backwards, he says it in an absence, but it's implied all the same, I don't want you there.

His team is facing off against their white-whale. They've been chasing Pep's team and his strategy, and now they're going head to head. If his mom came to the match, he'd be focused on her. On making sure she was taken care of. He doesn't want that.

For him, that's about as close as we ever get to him saying that he wants something (that has nothing to do with Henry.)

Of course then, just like Jamie's dad hovers over him even when he's not there, Ted's mom follows him to Manchester in his head. When Ted talks to Jamie, he's got one foot back in his kitchen at home. He's there, but he's not there. He's talking to Jamie, but he's talking to himself.

And it makes me wonder how often this was the case--how often did he throw in the towel and give her what she asked for because he just couldn't take being the one who had to handle all the decisions. It's a backwards negotiation, making his mother show up for him. She does love him, but god you can see how much strain reassuring her that he loves her too takes.

If I may be so bold, I think Ted also deserved to say 'fuck you' to his mom without attaching a 'thank you'.

*(SIDE COMPLAINT - The timeline of Mom City expands and contracts to fill the narrative space as needed, and it was goddamn infuriating to write about just tell me when things happen damnit)

[elijasz]

features I'd like for future bg3 patches:

- manual grouping: [exists!]

sometimes I dont want to move the whole party at once, or split everyone. I would like to have the option to group party members to each other. Like grouping my 2 rogues together because they give each other proximity advantage for sneak attacks, or grouping the melee fighters together, while leading the casters to a save spot where they can attack from above and be save. Something similar is already happening in multiplayer but I would like it for single player aswell (I have been informed this feature already exists and I just didnt know. Very cool)

- scenic spots:

Exactly what it says. I just want spots where I can move the camera more freely and have a good view of something cool or beautiful. It does sound pretty hard to implement though.

- more enemy last words:

I would really like the option to get an additional cutscene or something if I don't kill boss enemies or important npcs in a fight, but instead knock them out in the fight. I was honestly expecting a cutscene after knocking out Gortash or Raphael. Even if it's just them begging for mercy and we have the chance to kill them or to spare them. Banning Raphael from the house of hope and making him aware that you could easily kill him seems more satisfying than just plain killing him and then its over. (Especially because the fight was a bit too easy.) I know this is a lot of effort and the voice actors would have to be up for it aswell so I dont expect much but it would be really cool!

- Zevlor romance.

You heard me.

- illithid memory sharing cutscenes

I'm all for more story cutscenes. We got one for shadowheart and I would absolutely adore seeing other characters backgrounds in visual form. As much as I love the narrators voice I just want to see baby Lae'zel and tiny Wyll. OH young Gale in his mothers kitchen with the bunnies! I have a lot of imagination and visualisation skills, but other people don't and I want them to experience those scenes aswell!

- consequences for using the tadpoles and mindflayer powers

I used the mindflayer tadpole powers ONCE in my entire playthrough. Didn't put any more tadpoles into my head. I was a bit bummed out when I found out there were no consequences for using/not using them. Seems like the final fight should be harder the more tadpoles have made Tav's little pond of a brain their home.

- manual insight and perception checks

This one is not going to happen but I would like to have it anyway. In DnD I'd sometimes ask/get asked "what do I see?/Do I believe them?/Can I use an action to check the room for anything like traps etc before entering?" Some of that is already happening automatically but I would like to have the option to manually trigger it ONCE every scene/location. Not once per character. Just one check, no reroll.

- access companion inventory

this might already be possible but I'd like the option to access the inventory of companions who aren't on my team currently. It would be incredibly helpful for un-/equipping items when a character isnt on your team currently. maybe the solution to this would be items being stored in a chest when the companion isn't in your team. a chest that is bound to their camp, cant be destroyed or moved etc. and once they join your team youll have to reequip them BUT they'll already have all their stuff right there? idk how hard it would be to implement the auto reequip option when you have the companion join your team

- give Karlach a good ending dammit

She deserves to be happy and I know you can go to Avernus with her but you have to leave your love interest behind unless you romances Wyll and that sucks so much ass.

What would you like to see in future patches? What do you think won't ever happen but you'd wish to see anyway?

[6rookie-writer0110]

¿Qué Onda?

Michelle Rodriguez x Male Reader

Request - Michelle Rodriguez x male reader?

Michelle is still filming for Fast & Furious movies. But for the new movie, she wants to learn how to drift. She tried on her own to learn but kept messing up. The production hired someone to teach her how to drift. She went to the race track and waited for her instructor.

“Are you Michelle Rodriguez?” You asked.

She takes off her sunglasses.

“Yes, I am, and you are?” Michelle said.

“Hi, my name -”

“Oh, I know you. Your name is Y/n, you used to play for the teams Newcastle United and Borussia Dortmund. I saw you play in England” Michelle smiled.

“Yeah, I used to play but I tore my ACL. Now, I'm a driver instructor for actors” You smiled.

“That’s cool. Well, I'm ready” Michelle said.

You and Michelle keep smiling at each other.

“Okay, before we start you have to watch a ten-minute video about safety. It will be quick trust me, then we will go to the track” You smiled.

After she watches the video, she follows you to the track. She starts to ask questions about cars, to see how much knowledge you have about cars. Then she tells you why took the role for Fast & Furious.

You open the door for her and she gets in. Then you get into the car and you start the car. You tell her the rules to drifting…

“Okay, you will need to watch everything that I do. Manual transmission cars have a clutch pedal and a gear shift you use to control the engine. When you are drifting, the extra control and you will get the correct speed and angle required to get around to bend” You said.

“I think I get it,” Michelle said.

“You will get it once we start the lessons, trust me,” You said.

“When did you learn how to drift?” Michelle asked.

“I was in Japan with my brother and we learned it from our new friends in Japan,” You said.

“Very impressive,” Michelle said.

“Let’s start the lesson” You smiled.

You start the lesson and you explain again what to do. You show her a few times what to do. You start to drive extremely fast then you turn the steering wheel and press hard on the pedal.

Now, she has to try. You don’t say anything at first. On the first try, she almost had it but she stopped the car. You told her what she did wrong and she tried again.

For the past few weeks, you and Michelle got to know each other a little bit. It's taking her a while to learn how to drift. She almost has it at the end but doesn't land it right. But she is determined to learn it.

———

Michelle went to a birthday party. She is happy to see everyone and she hugged a few people. She talked to Paul and Jordana for a little while. She went to grab a beer then she saw you and she was surprised to see you.

“Y/n” Michelle said.

“Oh hey, Michelle,” You said.

“I’m surprised to see you here,” Michelle said.

“I’m friends with Cody and he invited me” You smiled.

You and Michelle start to talk more.

“Do you dance?” Michelle asked.

“No, not really it's because I'm not a good dancer” You smiled.

“You just have to move your hips” Michelle smiled.

“I would rather watch. Another beer?” You smiled.

“I will go with you,” Michelle said.

You and Michelle head to the bar and get the drinks. You are making her laugh with some funny stories and she starts to tell you about her hobbies.

———

Week later… Michelle went to the tracks and she is happy to see you. She hugged you and then followed you to the car. You and Michelle get in the car and you watch her turn on the car.

Michelle starts to drive really fast then she starts to drive faster. Then she did it, at the right moment she made the car drift and she did it twice. You start to cheer for her and she can't stop smiling then she cheered.

“You did it!” You smiled.

“That was awesome!” Michelle smiled.

She grabs your shirt and she starts to kiss you. And you start to kiss her back then she pulls away.

“So sorry… I was excited and-”

“I wanted to kiss you for a while now. I like you like a lot” You said.

She kissed you again

“I like you too like a lot” Michelle smiled.

You and Michelle are smiling at each other.

✯ ✬ ✬ ✫

You and Michelle have been dating for a few months now. She has been gone for weeks and she is back home. Once you get through the door, she jumps on you and starts to kiss you. You are holding her tight and her legs are tight around you.

“I missed you so much, Y/n” Michelle smiled.

“I can tell. And yes, I missed you too” You smiled.

You start to kiss her back and she is smiling. You walk towards the couch and gently lay her down and she doesn't stop kissing you.

“I made dinner for us,” Michelle said.

“Awesome” You smiled.

You keep kissing her and you are smiling. Later, you and Michelle head to the kitchen. She feeds you and you like what she cooked for you.

“It tastes so good. Did you buy it?” You said.

She playfully smacked your arm.

“I didn't buy it” Michelle laughed.

“Wow, you hit me,” You said.

“Just eat your food” Michelle smiled.

You and Michelle sit down and start to eat together. You ask her questions about the new movie then you tell her what you have been up to since she has been gone. Later, you and Michelle change clothes and you follow her to the backyard where she has a pool. You jump into the pool then she jumps in.

“You should stay the night” Michelle smiled.

You swim towards her and you wrap your arms around her. You start to kiss her neck and she starts to smile.

“Yeah, I will stay the night,” You said.

“You left some clothes here, so you will be fine,” Michelle said.

“You took my hoodie when you went away, I was looking for it,” You said.

“You left here so now it's mine” Michelle smiled.

You and Michelle spend time in the water for a little while. Much later, you and Michelle cuddle in bed to watch a movie. She lies her head on your chest and you start to play with her hair.

[the-blind-assassin-12]

questions tag game

*Some time ago* I was tagged by the lovely @oonajaeadira - thanks, friend! - to play along, so here goes:

Do you make your own bed? Always when I change the sheets. Sometimes when I’m in an overly productive mood/ I’m procrastinating something else. Never when I simply don’t feel like it.

Favorite number? 12

What is your job? I run an Etsy shop. It’s mostly geared towards weddings and other events. I have a laser engraver, and I use it to make engraved wooden bookmarks (they’re usually used as party favors but they’ve also been used as fundraiser items & book launch giveaways), photo engravings and replica event invitations. I also drive for Uber eats on the side. Which can be interesting and weird in similar ways that any food service job can be interesting and weird.

If you could go back to school, would you? Are we talking about college? I’m assuming we’re talking about college, in which case I would. I genuinely liked being in school and doing research and writing analysis papers. 🤓

Can you parallel park? Sure. Can I parallel park well? Haha. No. Luckily where I live I don’t really have to very often, and on the off chance that I do have to I either A) find a spot I can just pull right into, or B) take a really long time to get kinda sorta close enough to run into whatever store I need to and run back out.

Do you think aliens are real? Absolutely. The universe is too big to conceptualize and Earth simply cannot be the only planet with life.

Can you drive a manual car? I cannot. I’ve always wanted to learn but it never came to fruition and now I doubt it will because fewer cars are being made with manual transmission. Oh well.

What’s your guilty pleasure? None. Life is short and difficult so I’m going to enjoy my little treats without guilt.

Any phobias? Idk if it’s a phobia per se, but clowns freak me out in a way that makes me want to punch them and run.

Favorite childhood sport? Track. And cross country. I was a runner from the time I could run (my dad was a marathon runner in his younger years and so he would put me in kid races starting at age 4) up until about 10 years ago. In high school I ran the 400m, 800m, 1600m and 5k. Since then I’ve done every road race distance from 5k to a full marathon. I had to stop because of injuries- a stress fracture in my knee that never really healed correctly (my knees sound like a bag of scrabble tiles when I descend a staircase) and a total reconstruction surgery on my foot - but I miss it very much. If I could have new knees and feet I’d be running again in nothing flat.

Do you talk to yourself? Oh heck yeah. All the time. Usually in my head but sometimes out loud. It’s a lot of “what are you doing?” @ me.

Tattoos? Just one little itty bitty one - the number 26.2 (the length of a marathon) with a heart as the decimal point on the outside of my right foot. I dedicated my marathon to my mom, so the heart is for her. I want so goddamn many more though.

Favorite color? Leafy green. 🌱

Do you like puzzles? I do! I love codes and logic problems and word puzzles and even corn mazes. I’ve never done an escape room but I have a feeling I’d ace it.

Idk who may have done this recently or ever or five times already or never, so this is an entirely OPEN TAG - so go crazy, kids. Just tag me so I can see your answers. 💚