#almost typed her heart is beautiful and like yep

[im-just-a-boy-guys]

Expanding on an idea I had, I'll link the post :3

(MULTIMONSTER/GLORYHOLE/AFAB/FTM/ANY BODY TYPE/WERE-TIGER/ORC)

(3.8k words)

(CNC/FREE-USE/MONSTERKINK/GLORYHOLE/ANAL/ORAL/VAGANAL)

SCROLL DOWN TO THE BOTTOM TO SEE THE REFERENCES OF THE CREATURES!<3

(Heads up, pink text is just for unassorted side characters, they might make an appearance in future parts of the fic, and might have their own colors then.)

You walk into the facility excitedly. You had passed the screening, background check, drug test, lab work, and numerous other loops to fill the position you had applied for. You knew it was a sex-working job, but didn't have much more information than that, which you didn't mind.

You walked up to the front desk with your paperwork to greet the busty woman sitting there, her bright green eyes darting up at you from beneath her bangs. Her long black hair draped over her shoulders and the coils, along with her breasts bounced lightly as she moved. A flush of red swam across your cheeks and you tried to avert your gaze, pushing your view back up to her eyes.

"Hello!, I'm (y/n)! I'm here to see-", By the time you'd gotten past your name, she'd already found you on the list.

"Ah! (y/n), Spelled like this right?", She showed you the clipboard and smiled, pointing to your name with a pen. You nodded and returned her cheery expression.

"Yep! That's me!", She nodded and stood, you could now see her red, partially unbuttoned blouse and tight, black, knee-length skirt. As your eyes traveled down her body, they fell on her lovely bright red heels. All of these colors complemented her Olive skin delightfully, so much so that it was very difficult not to stare.

"Come on, hun. Follow me.", I wandered closely behind her and she led me into a large warehouse-type hallway, with many different doors leading into different hallways or rooms. We walked down the hallway and into a blue door on the left. She scanned her keycard and the door buzzed open.

"Once you've been here for a couple of days and decide that you'd like to continue, we will give you a keycard. Until then, I will come let you in."

The door opened into a large waiting area, The flooring was a beautiful dark wood, leading up to the furniture. All of the furniture was luxurious, the arms swirling elegantly. The couches and chairs were a red fabric with black flowers strewn across them, little whisps of swirls against the flower pattern. There was a Traditional Gold Damask on Bright Red Wallpaper lining the walls, all the way to a front desk with another woman with red hair and blue eyes looking up from her paperwork through her glasses.

"Oh! Is this the new hire? They're gorgeous!"

"Yes isn't he? I just know the clientele is going to love him. Alright, Cassandra, I'm going to take him back. Don't send in anyone too rough until his third day please."

She smiled and Cassandra nodded, "Of course Andromeda. As always."

She returned to her paperwork and the dark-haired woman led me into a room with an "Employees only" Sign.

"Alright, and If you just strip down, You'll be led to your room for the night. Oh, I almost forgot to ask, would you prefer human clients or monsters-", You'd almost forgotten monsters would be an option, but you felt your heart race at the idea. You'd never been with a monster before and the very thought put slick between your thighs.

"Monsters- please.", You said politely. She nodded and left you in the room by yourself. You looked into the body-length mirror as you undressed, hearing Cassandra's words in your head, calling you gorgeous. You were feeling super confident.

You heard a soft rap on your door, "May I come in, (y/n)?"

"Yes, I'm ready...", You bashfully covered yourself but only slightly. Andromeda smiled at you and gave you a soft look up and down.

"You look beautiful, come with me this way to your room.", You nodded and walked slowly behind her as she opened the door and led you down the red hallway, Along the wall, there were dark, red cushioned lifts that hung about 3 feet above the ground. The same wallpaper as the waiting room shines softly in the dim lighting. The woman opened a door with her keycard, another "Employees only" sign hanging from it.

As you entered, the hallway wrapped around as if to mirror the one you were just in, full of box-like rooms that were slightly elevated. She opened one of the secure doors, as you looked inside, the room was filled with that same, cushioned material, a pillow built into a table in the middle, and a red button hung next to the door.

"I'm going to open the door and you will put your rear end and your knees on the other side of the wall. It will secure your hips in place, and you will put your abdomen on this table. when your lower half is secured, this wall will open a small hole in front of you and the table will adjust you fowars slightly, or this wall will get closer to you."

You tried to keep up with what she was saying as you looked all over the room, figuring out how the mechanisms functioned so well. There must've been a lot of science, engineering, and thought put into these rooms. Andromeda scanned her card on the button pad, which helped adjust the walls and seating.

Once your hips were through the wall, and your knees were comfortable; you adjusted the closeness of the wall, and a hole opened up. The hole was right up next to your mouth and you couldn't help but daydream. Just thinking about the randomly colored cocks that would be in your face, how they might taste, and how thick they might be. More slick dripped down your thigh and you prayed no one would notice.

"Alright, are you comfortable?"

"Yes, Ma'am", She looked over her clipboard at how you addressed her as she checked off boxes, you almost wished she would play with you herself, now shamelessly staring at her chest, or at least what you could see under her clipboard.

"Would you like an aphrodisiac?", You looked at her confused and blushed.

"What- is that?", Andromeda put her clipboard to her hip and smiled,

"It's a drug, more spasifically a gass for us as a compsany, that makes you feel extra- in the mood."

She winked and chuckled. You nodded and looked down shamefully, "Yes please-"

"Alright hun, I'll be sure to set you up before we open. I'm going to ho around to the other side and make sure your legs are as open as they need to be, Ill close the wall once you're adjusted and we'll help all the other girls in. While you're waiting well hit you with the drugs okay?"

"Mhm"

You answered softly and let yourself relax, resting your arms on the rectangular table, your back arching softly as you adjusted. You were happy to find there was another armrest and a small lift button for the table. You messed with it, raising the table slightly and lowering it. You rested your arms on the wall, armrest, practicing how you would suck on the monsters that offered their cocks to you. Andromeda could be heard behind you,

"Oh, my~", she giggled softly as she examined you.

"Someone's exited huh? Alright, do you mind if I touch your legs and thighs? Make you look presentable?"

"No, I dont mind."

She hummed softly as her soft hands wrapped around your calves, pulling your legs carefully apart and gently spreading your pussy lips but making sure not to touch your aching hole. You wished she would, you imagined her acrylics gently rubbing at your insides, her fingertips rubbing your G-spot. You gasped softly when you felt her spread you, and she heard.

"Alright, you're all set up and look monster-ready", She chuckled and made her way back to the front hallway.

"Ok sweety, I'm going to close the holes around you and obviously the one in front of you will just close. The room will fill with a light gass, but it shouldn't feel suffocating. If it does, or anything hurts or goes wrong, press that red button to your left. Am I understood?"

You nodded and looked into her bright green eyes. You wanted to make her proud and prove you deserved to stay and that you could do the best at your job. Maybe you'd get a reward for doing well.

The hole closed and the wall behind you clenched tightly around your hips. This made you feel secure and the squeeze made you feel secure. A robotic voice sounded in a speaker,

"Is your waist secured too tightly?", I sat there for a moment and I answered out loud not sure what else I could do.

"No."

"Good. Prepare for Aphrodisiac.", As the voice went silent, you heard a soft hissing, and quiet music began to play. You took a few purposeful deep breaths as you let your mind wander to the various creatures that might violate you.

You hadn't realized how much time had gone by and soon the hole in front of you opened up and the hole around your hip loosened slightly. You could hear talking behind you, a deep gruff voice sounding out.

"Good- gods... Look at this one-", Another voice soon to follow.

"Damn, I wonder how good his mouth is...(y/n) huh? Cute name. I'll take the mouth first then we can swap out."

You looked down to see the drool pooled against your chin and your face flushed in embarrassment. You sat upright, trying to ready yourself for the fun.

"Ooh. You're really exited for this huh?", A harsh slap fell across your ass, causing you to moan out. The creature laughed and you felt a pointed tip against your sloppy hole.

Soon a thick, green cock was pushed through the hole in front of you, the pre-cum-covered tip pressed lightly against your cheek. The feeling of it was amazing, the drugs filling your head with so much glee. You rested your weight on your elbows and took hold of; what you were assuming was an orc's cock with both hands and rubbed the leaking, pink-tinted tip all over your face.

A soft groan could be heard from the other side of the wall and the creature began to thrust into the hole and against your face.

"Fuuck yes.. god whatever you're doing, pretty boy- keep going-", This excited you, and you happily obliged, and began to softly kiss against his soft tip. You smeared his leaking cum against your lips like salty lipgloss.

The animal behind you thrusted into your cunt roughly, causing you to pull the Orc just into your lips and moan out around him.

"Mmm!", You pushed your hips back against the man behind you.

"Very eager arent you, Sweetheart... I'm going to make you into a delightful little cum-mutt.", he growled as he began to push his hips forward into you, filling you and letting your walls stretch around him, all the way down to his inflating knot.

You were praying it was a Were-Tiger, you loved how handsome they were, their enticing colors, a Lion, or maybe a panther- the daydreams swam around in your head as you began to throat the Orc without much thought, swirling your tongue around his sensitive tip.

"Oh my god, that's so fucking good- yes- Good boy. I might become a regular if you keep this up...", this was encouragement, and you began to suck him into your throat deeper, bobbing your head faster.

You felt a set of claws sink into your hips deeply, but not breaking skin as the creature behind you pounded into you and pressed his knot as hard as he could against you. It was obvious how much he wanted to force it in.

The hole in front of you was big enough to fit the orc's balls through and you used one hand to steady his cock in your mouth, the other reaching down to fondle and squeeze them teasingly. Another soft hissing noise filled the space next to you and a little of the gas spilled out of the holes, encouraging the monsters to be more aggressive with you.

Your holes were getting violently fucked from both ends now and you could feel their lengths pulsing and throbbing against your walls and esophagus. You moaned loudly over the orc's cock, the vibrations sending him into a thrusting frenzy as he forced himself as deeply into your mouth as he could, cum filling your throat quicker than you could swallow, the warmth flooding your chest as you tried not to gag and choke.

Soon after, you felt the man behind you shove his knot into you as he came, his sharp tip pressing against your sensitive cervix. You squirted against him and pressed back against him, trying to ride out your orgasm on his knot. As your pussy clenched and grabbed at his cock, he made sure to grind with you, milking himself as much as he could. The orc pulled out of the hole in front of you and you could hear his heavy breathing as he leaned on the wall.

"Oh my- fuck that was so good.."

You moaned even louder, now that your mouth wasn't full as the man began to fuck you with his knot, popping it in and out as he continued to drain himself. He pulled out and groped your ass affectionately. You happily spaced out and arched your back, laying down and breathing for a moment. After about two minutes you felt a set of two giant fingers rub up and down your pussy and asshole.

The orc was using both you and the man's juices to lubricate both of your holes. You pushed your hips back against his fingers needily.

"Hold on sweet boy. I'll be inside of you soon.", This made you let out a soft pathetic whine, and then a thick, red, textured cock entered the hole in front of you. You immediately wrapped your mouth and hand around him excitedly, circling your tongue around his length.

A roar sounded from the other side, and he immediately began to fuck your mouth, which you were practically begging for. One of the orc's fingers slipped into your pussy, filling it even more than the other creature's cock did.

You drooled more around the man's length and rubbed him vigorously as you finally got to see the knot that filled you. You reached up with your free hand and treated him as you did the orc, massaging his knot and squeezing it tightly.

The orc pushed his fingers into you, into both stretching your holes. He eased them into you and your walls clenched hungrily around them. He chuckled and removed his finger from your pussy, keeping one in your virgin asshole. He moved his finger gently in and out and you could feel his tip against your cunt. The idea of his pretty tip against you made you clench more, just to squeeze out any of your slicks that you could. You'd spend all day sucking it if you could.

"Good boy~ Keep up like that and I'm going to cum down your delicious- feeling throat. God yes- right there-", The man in front of you cooed at you and you moaned around his tip louder as the orc entered you. You swirled your tongue aggressively around his tip and flicked your tongue over the small crease and hole.

His hips spasmed, forcing his cock into your mouth as his throbbing cock spewed warm, sticky cum into your mouth. You pushed your head forward to get the rest of him into your mouth, even trying to fit his knot into your mouth. You felt like your jaw was going to unhinge, but were almost excited to suck on it.

"Ugh- F-God!!", He milked himself into your mouth and tried to help shove himself into your hungry jaws, almost getting off to the feeling of your teeth scraping against his large knot.

The orc pushed himself into you deeply, enough to tease himself by rubbing against the hole of your cervix.

"Mmm, you're so tight-", He chuckled deeply and pulled his finger out of your ass and took your hips into his hands, gripping you securely as he began to thrust in and out.

The man in front of you pulled out of your mouth, allowing you to gasp and cough softly. You wiped your mouth and giggled dazedly, happily arching your back for the monster behind you.

It wasn't long before he couldn't help himself and began to greedily move faster. A soft tapping could be heard as his balls slapped softly against your clit, providing extra stimulation for yourself. You moaned loudly and cursed softly.

You began to grope your tits, pinching at your nipples with one hand and ducking on your fingers with the other, missing the feeling of something in your mouth. Your tongue felt lonely, but your pussy was being very well taken care of. The orc was shaped so wonderfully, his cock was slightly thicker in the middle, rubbing every single weak spot you had. You wanted to hold in your orgasm for as long as possible but were not successful, squirting against him and pushing your hips back into him to encourage your orgasm.

He happily moved his hips slower, guiding you through the rest of your orgasm. After you'd finished, he pulled out of you and pressed himself against you asshole.

"Now, I get to treat you like a real boy-", He laughed and pushed himself roughly into your ass and moved aggressively. The orc was needy for your tightness, huffing and grunting like an animal as he took you. You could feel his big hands wrapping around your whole waist as he used you like a fleshlight.

A heavy fog settled over you as you lay down against the table, happily just trying to relax your body for the other. You could hear the other creature talking to the orc behind you.

"God he looks so good when he's full, and his pussy is leaking cum.", The orc laughed as he thrusted.

"Isn't he? and his ass is so fucking tight- I can't get enough. We'll- UIgh- definitely have to come back-", The orc leaned forward and rested some of his weight against your back, you could feel the warmth and sweat on his chest. Your whines and whimpers subsided to quiet breaths of foggy salvation.

"We should request a private room with him, if he ended up a perma-hire." You could sense the other monster's eyes on you. You imagined him looking down at you like a steak and drooling against the soft fabric beneath you.

"God- I'm so close-", The orc grunted as he drove himself as hard as he could into you, groaning and laughing as he fucked you into a happy stupor. You felt a hot liquid burst into you and you screamed out, your tongue hanging out like a dog.

He panted and held himself inside of you for a moment before carefully pulling out. They both laughed softly and ran their hands and paws over your thighs and waist.

"You did so good for us pretty boy, we'll be back to see you again if we can. Maybe we'll have the pleasure of seeing your gorgeous face. It has to be as beautiful as your body."

They both gave your ass a good slap before you heard them leave. After a moment, you heard mechanisms wiring and the door around your hips was opened as well as the door in front of you. Your eyes drifted up to see the busty secretary who led you back here.

"Hiii Andromedaaa...", You slurred softly and giggled, absolutely fucked out of your mind. She smiled down at you and moved the hair out of your face.

"Did you have fun darling?", Her voice was soft and she held her clipboard up with her pen ready.

"It was very wonderful, I had so much fun.", She nodded and wrote something down.

"Mhm. Did they treat you well?", Her eyes didn't leave her paper.

"Yes, Ma'am.", She once more wrote something down and helped you out of the machine after tucking the clipboard under her arm. You smiled and wobbled slightly.

"Would you like some help? We have some really strong staff who can hold you up or carry you to your room to rest.", You nodded and looked around, trying to find something for you to steady yourself. Andromeda pulled a small walkie-talkie from her pocket and spoke into it.

"Hey, Can you send a carrier here, to hall 3-A please?", Within mere moments, a woman walked into the hall, she must've been at least 5ft 11'. You gawked at her, she was built very strongly, her breasts blending with muscle.

"Hello, I'll be your Carrior for the night. May I?", She smiled and opened her arms, taking a step closer. You nodded and replied softly. She had a soft Southern accent that made me swoon.

"Mhm- Please-", You reached out for her and did your best to stumble over to her. She picked you up carefully, bridal style. You looked up and studied her features. She had Darker skin than Andromeda's olive tint, a delightful, deep caramel color. Her hair was up in a ponytail or a messy bun, you couldn't tell very well. It looked to be a box dyed red but over her already dark hair.

She carried you to the room you had undressed in and into a side room you hadn't noticed. It was a bathroom with a luxurious bath and she gently laid you in it.

"Would you like me to turn on the water for you?", Her face tinted slightly darker as she looked you over.

"Yes please", You smiled up at her, blushing as well. She turned the water on to a nice hot temperature used a small picture and filled it with warm water, gently rinsing you off. The bath was then plugged and she pulled another pitcher off of the counter that was full of a creme-colored liquid and what looked like flower petals.

"If you dont mind my sayin' so- you look very pretty, uhm-", She gingerly poured the milk bath mixture into the water and over your body.

"(Y/N)", You added and giggled at her bashfullness.

"Got it. Well, I'm gonna let you clean up alright? Sure you can manage?", She stood, folding her arms in front of her like a bouncer at a club.

"Yes, I think I'll be alright.", You giggled more and smiled big. She nodded and opened the door to leave.

"You just uh- Let me know if you need me alright?"

"Alright.", You watched as she left and waited until hearing the second door to your room close before squealing happily, the night had gone amazingly and you'd been carried back to your room by the most attractive woman you thought you'd ever seen. You'd definitely be staying.

(Not my art, found on google :3)

[achilles-rage]

Worth It

eddie diaz x plus size!reader

summary: you borrow your friends boat for the day, wanting to share with eddie how much you love days like these. all is well until the wind picks up and makes the waves large and dangerous. as he gets out of the water, he slips, and you have to perform cpr on him.

word count: 3.2k

request: Eddie and Y/n are having a nice day on their boat but the water is a little choppy. When a big wave comes Eddie stumbles and falls in the water but has a hard time resurfacing. Y/n dives in after him and rescues but has to give him CPR and saves him.

A/N: i firmly believe eddie is the type to live 3 seconds from the beach and never actually go in the water. i’m posting this as i’m about to go to the beach. wish my luck! enjoy<3

TW: eddie almost drowns (lolz), no use of y/n, plus size!reader, fem!reader, race inclusive!reader

“Got the snacks?” you ask Eddie as he’s about to walk out the door. He has a large cooler in one hand and a beach bag over each shoulder. He sighs as he stops in his tracks, nodding as he turns back to you..

“Yep.” he tells you sweetly, although a hint of annoyance is making his way into his voice.

“Sunscreen?” He nods again.

“Extra water?”

“Yes.”

“Towels?”

“Mi amor, we have everything. We’ve already been through the list.” he tells you, holding his empty hand out for you to take.

“I’m just making sure.” you say with a sigh, taking a step and grabbing his hand, letting him lead you out the door.

It’s a beautiful sunny day in LA, and your friend mentioned a few days ago that she had inherited a boat from an old relative in her family, and anytime you wanted to use it, you were more than welcome. You decided to take advantage of it, knowing that in all the years Eddie has lived in LA, the only time he goes to the beach is to watch Christopher from the shore. 

He was a little weary about it, not being completely used to being in a boat in the ocean, but he agreed when he imagined the sight of you in your swimsuit. He knows he made the right choice when you walk out in your slightly see-through cover up, your bikini just barely visible. He drinks in the sight of the way your tits sit in your top, and the way he can see the outline of your soft tummy through the cover up, and the way your thick thighs peek out from under it.

He was a little annoyed when you doubled, and then triple checked you had everything, but he feels the excitement grow as you both make your way to his truck.

The drive to the marina is relatively short, and you take in the clear blue sky and the gentle warm breeze filtering in through the rolled down windows, enveloping you. You can feel Eddie’s warm hand placed firmly on your thigh, his thumb rubbing absent-minded circles on your inner thigh as he drives, and you sigh happily. You’ve always loved days on the boat, and you can’t wait to share the feeling with Eddie. You wish Christopher was here with you, but you’re also excited to have some one on one time with your boyfriend.

You get out of the truck quickly once Eddie pulls into the parking lot. Eddie takes the bags and starts to walk to the dock, ignoring you as you try to take a bag. You shake your head, fighting back a smile at his refusal, but it also makes your heart swell. When he’s around, you never have to lift a finger, which is something you had to get used to. Now that you’re used to it, though, you try to do more things for him to make his life easier; cleaning up around his house, cooking him dinners, packing Christopher’s lunches in the mornings. 

Once you get onto the boat, you both work to untie the ropes, and then you’re off. He wanted to drive, but you’re so excited that you won’t let him, insisting that you want to do it. He backs up with his hands raised in surrender, letting out a soft chuckle as he picks up on your eagerness. 

You make your way out into the ocean, giggling as Eddie yells at you to slow down a little. You keep up the speed, knowing he’s only joking; you’re not going that fast, you’re just excited. After a while of speeding around and driving the boat over some other boat’s wakes, you finally slow down to a stop a good distance from the shore. 

“We need sunscreen.” you tell him as you stand up. You pull your cover up off your body and then rummage through the beach bag to find the sunscreen, and Eddie’s mouth goes dry.

His eyes roam up and down your soft figure, feeling his dick twitch as you bend over to grab the sunscreen. If he thought the sight of you in your cover up was good, this sight is perfect. Without your cover up, most of your skin is completely exposed to him, and he takes this chance while you’re distracted to memorize your dips and curves, and your stretch marks, and the way your skin glistens with a mixture of sweat and miniscule ocean water droplets.

“I don’t need any. I don’t burn.” he tells you with a smirk once you stand back up. You scoff and roll your eyes, taking a few more steps until you’re right in front of him.

“And I guess you don’t get skin cancer either, huh?” you reply sternly, but with a hint of teasing in your voice. You gesture for him to put his arms out, and he obliges with a sigh, holding his breath as you spray his arms and chest. His eyes are locked on you as you begin to rub the sunscreen in, letting out a groan as you bite your lip in concentration.

As you spread the sunscreen over his chest with your hands, you can’t help the wave of desire rushing through you. You’ve always loved his chest, and with the way the sun is hitting it, illuminating his freckles and chest hair, it’s hard not to give in to your inappropriate desires.

Once you’re done you tell him to turn around, and then you spray his back and shoulders. You rub this sunscreen in as well, more or less giving him a shoulder massage as your hands trail across his skin. He lets out a groan as you do, because your hands feel good on his shoulders, but also because he can’t help but imagine something else you could be doing with your hands at the moment, your bikini not helping his wandering thoughts.

He takes the sunscreen from your hand after you’re done and sprays your front, licking his lips as he sees your chest move with your breathing. He rubs it in with his hands, starting on your arms before making his way to your chest. As his hands get closer to your breasts, you can’t help but let out a shaky breath as your eyes follow his movements. As he continues, his fingers move under your bikini top just slightly, making you giggle, as he’s now more or less massaging your tits.

“I don’t think this is necessary.” you tease him softly, looking back up at his face. His eyes move back up to meet yours, the smirk on his face growing.

“Can never be too careful, mi amor.” he murmurs, then moves down to your plush tummy, hands moving across your stretch marks. He smirks as his eyes follow his hands, mapping and memorizing every part of your body that he can.

You bite the inside of your cheek as his hands run over you. There’s a small voice in your head telling you that you shouldn’t let him see your curves, let alone touch them, but his touch is so tender and loving that you can’t bring yourself to care. You know that Eddie loves all of you, and at this moment, it feels like he’s putting all of his love into his soft touches.

Once he’s done, you turn around, letting him get your back. He rubs the sunscreen in again, moving down your shoulders to your back, taking his time as his hands roam over your curves. After he finishes, he leans in and kisses your neck softly, then gives your ass a firm smack.

You squeal in surprise, turning around to face him. Before you can speak, his lips are on yours, and his hands are pulling you into him by the hips.

You hum softly as he kisses you, tilting your head up to deepen the kiss as you wrap your arms around his neck. You step forward, making him step back until his legs hit the bench seat on the boat. You’re quick to push him to sit, then you straddle his lap, your hips immediately moving against his. He groans as he feels your clothed core against his hardening length, and his hands stay firmly on your hips to help guide your movements. 

Your hands are on his face, but soon they’re trailing down his chest to his swim trunks, starting to fiddle with the string. His hips buck as he feels your hands ghosting over him, but as you’re about to move your hand under his waistband, a large gust of wind takes you out of your thoughts. 

Your hands still as you look up at the sky, then your gaze trails down to the waves surrounding the boat. You squeal as you jump off his lap, which makes him groan in annoyance, but he lets you pull him up anyway.

“We have to go in the water. The wavy days are the best days to swim.” you tell him with a wide grin, making your way over to the swim platform on the back of the boat. He tries to calm down as he makes his way over to you, his shorts still tight, his hard length rubbing against the fabric tantalizingly.

He chuckles as you jump in, shaking his head as you resurface with a large smile, urging him to come in. He gets to the swim platform and inhales a large breath as he raises his arms over his head right before he dives in, making you laugh at his dramatics.

Once he resurfaces, you swim over to him, wrapping your legs around his waist once he’s beside the ladder and has a hand firmly wrapped around it. His other hand moves to the back of one of your thighs, squeezing it softly as he holds you against him. You wrap one arm around his neck and hold the ladder with your other hand, not wanting him to have to tread water with your added weight, even though his grip on the ladder means he barely has to tread water at all. 

He takes in your features as you wrap yourself around him. Your lashes resting on your cheeks, small drops of water clinging to them, your lips parted slightly as you breathe, the sunscreen you picked making your skin glimmer in the sun. You were very excited when you found sunscreen with glitter in it, and although he was a little embarrassed to be wearing it, he loved the way it looked on your skin.

As you float in the water, the wind picks up more and more, until the waves are basically coming up and over your heads. You giggle as you try to keep yourself above the water, eyes scanning the waves around you. When you turn back to face Eddie, you see that he can barely keep his head above the water; him being slightly lower than you are with your legs around his waist.

“We should get out before these waves get any bigger.” you tell him softly, and he nods in agreement. You unwrap your legs from his waist, and he moves his hand from the back of your thigh to the small of your back, urging you to go up the ladder first. He’d be lying if he said he wasn’t staring at your ass the whole time, but as the waves get larger, he pushes his impure thoughts to the side and pulls himself onto the boat.

As both of his feet land on the swim platform, a large wave hits the side of the boat, making it rock more than it has been. Still being wet, his foot slips, making him tumble back into the water. You turn as you hear the noise escape his throat and the splash, having already been drying yourself off with a towel, feeling the harsh wind stealing all the warmth from your body.

You laugh softly, but your smile fades as it takes him a little longer than expected to resurface. Your towel drops to the floor as you make your way to the platform, letting out a shaky breath as he finally comes back up. Your relief only lasts for a moment, however, as his head disappears under the water again, and all you can see is his hands flailing slightly above the water.

He was surprised when he slipped, and he didn’t have time to think before he inhaled a large breath as he hit the water. He feels his lungs tightening as he tries to resurface, but the water had went down the wrong way when he inhaled, and he can’t stop coughing as he’s still under the water.

You dive in, swimming over to him and grabbing him under the arms, heart dropping as you feel his body go limp as he passes out. You struggle to keep his head above the water as you bring him to the ladder, but you eventually get there, your legs already burning as you fight the waves. You loop his arm through a rung on the ladder to keep him in place, and jump onto the swim platform, then grab under his arms again and hoist him onto the swim platform. You don’t even think about how the hell you just did that, your adrenaline working in overdrive and allowing you to do something you think you’d never be able to do in a regular circumstance.

You start to give him CPR, chest heaving as you work. The seconds feel much longer as you keep working, watching him intently, hoping that he’ll wake up. You push down on his chest hard, keeping the required rhythm. Tears forming in your ears as he still lays motionless in front of you.

“Come on, my love.” You bring your mouth to his, giving him two short breaths, your tears falling onto his face as you move. You repeat your steps, mumbling soft pleas as you work, until finally, he lets in a big breath. 

His eyes shoot open, and then he starts to cough loudly, water falling from his lips. You push him onto his side quickly, rubbing his back as he continues to cough. You know that once he’s coughing, there’s nothing much you can do but wait. 

Once most of the water is out of his system, he sits up slowly, a groan falling from his lips. You’re torn. While you know you should give him some space, you want more than anything to hold him close to you.

After a few moments, when his breathing has slowed down a little, he looks up at you. He takes in your tear stained cheeks and your nervous expression, and he grabs your hand, silently pulling you towards him gently.

“I don’t know what I would’ve done if you didn’t wake up.” you get out through sobs, your tears flowing freely as you wrap your arms around his neck gently, the gravity of the situation suddenly hitting you all at once. He shushes you quietly, placing his hand on the back of your head. “It’s okay, mi amor. I’m right here. I’m not going anywhere.” You sniffle softly at his words, letting out a short laugh as you pull away.

“I should be comforting you.” you mumble, laughing softly as you look at him, still kneeling beside him.

He smiles softly and leans in to give you a tender kiss, a hand resting on your cheek. You pull back after a moment and stand up, offering him your hand to help him up.

“We should get back to land before the waves get any worse.” you joke softly, but there’s a hint of seriousness in your voice. Right now, you want to get as far away from the ocean as possible. He agrees and stands up, taking a seat on the bench seat as you start up the engine and make your way back to the marina. 

The water is much calmer once you’re back in the marina, and you easily tie up the boat again, not letting him do a thing. You grab all the bags and the cooler and start to make your way to his truck, ignoring his insistence that his arms still work. You get in the driver’s seat of his truck once the bags are in the back, wanting him to rest on the way back to his house.

“I’m never going near the ocean again.” you mumble after a few minutes, reliving the moment over and over again. Your brain is racing with all the things that could’ve happened, but his hand reaching over to rest on your thigh helps slow it down slightly.

“Honey, I’m fine. We’re both trained in CPR, which I wasn’t aware of. Where did you learn that, by the way?” His eyes are focused on you, frowning at your expression. He can tell your brain is running on overdrive, and he really doesn’t want you to worry about him. He knows it’s not necessarily his fault, but he also feels a little bad; all you wanted to do was show him a good day on the boat.

“High school. It was part of a class.” you reply, glancing over at him as you try to stay focused on the road. Your hands are still shaking slightly, and for a second you’re not sure if you should be driving, but the option of him driving isn’t one you’re willing to allow.

“Well, I’m glad for that. But, we’re not staying away from the ocean. Actually, I think we should go out next weekend too. If your friend will let us.” He remembers when Christopher was scared of the ocean after the tsunami, and he knows that it’ll be better for you to not avoid the beach.

“You’re that eager to get back out there?” you ask, your brows furrowed as you keep your eyes on the road. You can’t imagine why he’s saying what he’s saying. If it were you, you’re not sure if you’d ever want to see water again, let alone go in it.

“I like seeing you in a bikini, mi amor. I’d say the view is worth dying for.” He purrs, squeezing your thigh softly. You feel your cheeks heat up as you try to fight back a smile, but as you look at him out of the corner of your eye, you can’t help the smile that erupts on your face.

“I love you.” you speak after a few moments of silence, turning to look at him as you stop at a stop sign down the street from his house.“I love you.” he replies, meeting your gaze. And he really means it. He loves everything about you, and seeing you in a bikini was definitely worth everything that happened today.

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[mschievousx]

i wish you love | a.h.

pairing: aaron hotchner x ofc

summary: francesca sainz knows her interests. she likes the dark, crime, profiling, medicine, military, guns, and suits. imagine her surprise when these things come as a person... granted, a "fourty-something unit chief" person, but a person nonetheless.

series masterlist

ii. two: give your heart

visiting the victims' houses, jj conversed with the family as the two opted to observe the area. ridiculously to franz, she did not expect for the first victim to have an unholy amount of frames. photos like hers and/or the whole family's littered their home.

beyond that, there were also framed certificates, movie posters, letters, decors, and... paintings. the young trainee neared the monotoned painting. at first, it was out of the beauty of the art. however, as she stepped closer and closer, the painting had a handprint—one that most would miss since it was placed in the far end of the scene.

sainz walked to morgan, her steps hiding the urgency so as to not cause alarm. once beside him, she divulgrded her findings, prompting the man to call for garcia.

"pen, check the purchases of the victims. did they all buy paintings?"

the rapid typing of the tech analyst can be heard over the call, "yeps, all from magnum art gallery. location sent, my beloveds."

they uttered their thanks, now signaling for jj to wrap it up. in a single blink of an eye, they are already inside the car, derek stirring the wheel. he called for the team from his phone, passing it to jj after informing the team of their destination.

"we're going to the magnum art gallery. all the victims bought paintings there."

"coincidence?" rossi's voice resounded in the car. the team now listening attentively at their breakthrough.

francesca sat at the back, leaning forwards and placing her arms at both seats in front—which was probably not safe but that's not the point right now. she puckered her lips in thinking, staring ahead on the road.

"i don't think so. genius, please mark the gallery in the map for me."

in the station, reid placed a pin, moving backwards to observe the map in the glass board.

jj's voice came through their phone, "i think she's on to something. the profile says white male in his late 20s, average, introverted, not muscular but not necessarily weak, and in art-related work."

"he does not care about us. he acts as if we're not in the picture. he's solely focused on the girl these victims are posing as surrogates." hotch spoke his observations aloud, eyes on the glass board as well as he try to figure out the significance of the locations. the rest of the team in the station went over the profile.

sensing the thoughtfulness from the other line as their chief continued to discuss elements of the case before pausing once again, francesca grinned mischievously.

"what do i get if i'm right?"

derek scoffed after hearing that while jj offered a small smile as she held the phone in the middle to the girl.

"an apprehended suspect and a saved victim." hotch humorlessly answered, facing the glass board in analysis.

"so serious," she replied with a grin in her voice and a slight hum, "how about a kiss?"

before she could even say she was joking, the phone sounded, signaling that the call has been ended. the car filled with chuckles despite the case, the girl looking at the bright side and morgan giving her a reality check.

"well, that was not a no."

"yeah, that was a fuck off."

sooner, they finally arrived at the gallery, conversing to the manager immediately. the gallery was already closing, and sainz never would have guessed she would be thankful for derek's looks ever until that very moment.

the manager was swept off her feet, easily revealing information and anything they asked, almost never batting an eye to the two girls. from her, they learned that the victims indeed bought the paintings from the gallery. she remembers because they all coincidentally bought the artworks of someone she was previously doubting, even rejecting the paintings numerous times before.

the trio gave her the profile, asking if she knows anyone that would fit it but to no avail. she did let it slip that there was one who fits it the closest, yet suddenly shrugged the thought because of one problem—she was a woman.

they glanced at each other, beckoning the manager to continue. she revealed that the artist, clara, was not one to stay in the gallery for long up until she met a friend. it was tracy—trix—trisha... she could not remember her name. luckily, it did not slip her mind that the friend bought a painting a week ago, and checked the records.

the manager pouted at the thought of a fallout, mentioning that the two haven't been in the gallery for days when they were always seen together every other day.

with that, it was clear as water. they bolted to the car, ringing the team with serious urgency now. morgan slammed his foot on the pedal as franz held the phone, speaking with intensity at once when the call went through.

"the unsub is a woman, have garcia pull up records of clara hayes and trisha matten."

after being patched to garcia, she worked her magic and pulled out all information. jj nodded in confirmation, catching the team up, "clara hayes is the unsub."

"we're now going to her place." derek informed, stirring from corners to corners. hotch's ears perked up at that, turning to the phone immediately in firmness.

"morgan, wait for backup."

he did not reply, knowing that he will comoletely do the opposite of what his chief instructed. franz clutched the phone, "mark their addresses on the map. am i right in assuming it's the law's scales of justice?"

reid pinned them all on the map, the team gathering in the front in realization. emily placed their thoughts in reality, "trisha is a lawyer."

they all turned for the doors, instructing the station chief along the way for backup. hotch took a hold of the phone and ordered strictly as he opens the car door.

"jj, we are coming. do not engage."

he closed his eyes in frustration as the three refused to affirm his commands, clicking his tongue with unease. he addressed the young lady, coming to terms with what they're doing, ending the call immediately.

"sainz, stay in the car."

 · • —– ٠ ✤ ٠ —– • ·

clara's house was organized with not a single object out of order aside from a single quirky stuffed toy in the living room—that and the two women bound to a chair.

she turned to the one without a tape on her mouth and spoke in a whining tone, "trish, you need to choose. you're a lawyer. you'd know if she deserves it or not."

trisha leaned forwards against the bind as she sobbed, taking breaths in between, "no, claire, please stop this."

"look at her!" clara exclaimed with a slamming gesture to jana, the missing woman, "she's.... ugh! why are you all so blinded by men? they're good for nothing!"

after her outburst, she neared the latter, crouching down as she placed her hands on her waist before turning to the lawyer, "you know, the waist is an art, intimately accentuating the curves."

"should i kill her and relieve her of the pain?" she wondered aloud. trisha refused to answer, closing her eyes intensely as she continued to sob. she stood back up at that, irritation starting to kick in, "but i need her to finish the art. look at the map, trish! it shows passion and commitment, doesn't it?"

she pointed towards the map on the wall, trisha completely not caring about it. the suspect raised her handgun to jana, pressing the muzzle against her forehead, "just finishing touches, love."

"drop the gun, clara."

morgan's voice resounded in the room, prompting the woman mentioned to clutch the girl, holding her as hostage, "don't come closer or i will shoot her!"

"put down your gun." derek tried once again, muscles tensed as he waits for any sudden movement.

"release jana. she has nothing to do with this. you wanted trisha to see your artwork, right? the scale symbol in the map." jj appealed, aiming to diffuse the tension and tame the suspect, "it must not have been easy to do. right, trisha?"

the woman got what she was trying to do, sobbing her words out, "yes... it—it's wonderful."

"see? it's already amazing in trisha's eyes. you don't need to do this now, clara." she turned back to her, tone pleading for a bloodless night.

"put down the—"

the man's words were cut off when clara suddenly pushed the woman in her grasp to them in desperate attempt to get away.

outside the house, the trainee called garcia, clearly bothered as to what could have possibly triggered the suspect, her first step being the fight the two had.

"pen, did the victims have criminal records?"

garcia's fingers flew from one key to another, replying almost immediately, "my sweet munchkin, no, they don't. however, they all filed complaints against their partners."

the bouncing of the trainee's foot from the backseat of the car stopped abruptly, "surely trisha's not the lawyer of the four? we wouldn't miss something as obvious as that."

"correctamundo. they're all under different law firms, but that's our girl's specialization."

franz's mouth formed an 'o' in realization. clara was not looking for friendship and this completely went over trisha's head ,"so this is about sexual orientation then."

"she wants trisha to see how awful men are." penelope agreed, nodding from quantico.

"no, she already knows that. that's what her cases are." sainz narrowed her eyes, a realization coming to her, "clara's no longer trying to open trisha's eyes. she's now furious that she still goes for men despite knowing it so well."

before the team's tech genius could reply, two gunshots rang in the middle of the night. the girl sat up straight at that, peering through the window to the house.

"franz... what was that?"

adrenaline began to kick in her body, her mind running miles over what to do. she reached in the compartment, taking the extra gun they always leave inside the car for precautions and checked the magazine, grateful it is loaded.

"i gotta go."

"no, no, stay there! they're near! hotch and the team is—"

francesca stepped out of the car, gun in hand. garcia's pleas went to deaf ears as she turned the phone off and pocketed it, nearing the house with haste at the gravity of the situation.

seeing from the outside that jj was okay and was helping the two other women, the trainee turned to where the suspect and morgan's figures disappeared to. she bit her lips in contemplation before ultimately groaning, chasing after the two. hotch can scold her after, derek might not be safe.

and, rightly so. because as she rounded the corner, morgan was on the floor with a gun aimed to his head.

franz took slow steps, gun trailed to the back of clara's head as she instructed in a leveled tone, "drop the gun."

the girl moved around derek, facing the two with the gun still to the man. sainz narrowed her eyes, as if analyzing the situation and the best course of action, "there's nothing else you can do. this is the end."

"come close and i'll shoot him."

"do not tempt me. i hate that fucker." her eyes relaxed, settling on a risky strategy, "men are always stupid, both emotionally and intellectually incompetent."

she scoffed at the trainee's attempt while morgan's starting to get alarmed on what she was doing, "did you think i'll fall for whatever you're doing?"

"not at all, but i still believe spilling blood is unnecessary here."

that irked the suspect. she was like the others— saving men even though they are good for nothing aggressors.

clara squinted her eyes, clutching her head for a bit, "this then that then this then that. shut up!"

franz made it a point to make her voice sound passive-aggressively mocking, "something against men?"

she refused to answer. her hands clutched the handgun harder, glaring intensely to the man.

"oh, you're..." the trainee trailed off, taunting the girl.

"i'm what?" she called out, eyes never leaving the man on the floor.

derek crossed his brows on whatever she was doing, his words pointed, "franz, stop."

"a lesbian," she ignored the man, going with her way, "you know that would incur the wrath of god, right? a woman is made for a man."

"shut up." clara muttered lowly, her hand pushing the gun forward.

"you're a lesbian and a moron. it's not in the bible. it's explicably said in john 3:27-34, thou my child—"

"shut up!"

clara turned to francesca, the gun aimed to the agent on the floor now trailed to the young lady. morgan reacted right away, yet it was clear he cannot push the suspect before she shoots.

her finger pulled on the trigger, but before the gun's mechanism could work, the trainee fired her shot, the sound filling the otherwise peaceful street.

she dropped on the floor, gun clattering with her. sainz neared them as she gestured to her teammate, inquiring about his state, "you good?"

the agent nodded, the other crouching down to feel for a pulse. franz looked at derek, her head shaking to confirm the suspect's status.

 · • —– ٠ ✤ ٠ —– • ·

"i am not in shock."

the youngest grumbled at the shock blanket draped over her shoulders as she sat behind the ambulance.

derek tried to be comforting, but he was just... derek, "you just killed a person."

"she was aiming a gun at you." francesca argued, glaring to the very man she saved just moments ago.

jj and emily walked to the two with spencer asking, "how are you feeling?"

"i'm starting to feel tired. i did not expect that much adrenaline." she leaned her head sidewards against the vehicle.

"where did you whip up the bible verse from? i thought you're a... what do you call it... an agnostic?"

franz looked at the man, trying to hide the smirk in her face, "it's not real. i don't even know what's written in the verses i said."

emily crossed her arms at that, tone going pitchy than usual, "you lied?"

"i had to aggravate her," she sighed heavily before laughing at the thought that entered her mind, "a lesbian and a moron... i don't know where i got that from."

they all chuckled at that, the line sounding like somebody they used to know. jj smiled warmly at her safety, "we've talked about it before. gideon would love you."

"the previous unit chief?"

"you'd bond over insulting unsubs." the liaison turned profiler continued with a laugh. she grinned at that. it wouldn't be so bad to be acknowledged by him.

and just as how fast they shared their laughter, it was as fast when they quieted down, noticing hotch approaching them with rather determined steps.

the team already knows what this is about as they all stepped back slowly, franz sitting up from her leaning and taking a grasp of morgan's shirt as he was the closest. her wide eyes were gesturing at him as she mouthed dont go in repeat, even using the i saved you card humorly.

however, no amount of begging would make them stay with her, especially with the stern look that's sporting his features.

with no one nearby, her chief's eyes pierced through her, a series of scolding waiting to happen. he looks hot though. she'll give him that.

"that was purely reckless. how hard is it to follow my orders?" his voice was firm, yet it was calm and contained as usual, also considering that they're in public.

she looked at him directly, explaining her case, "hotch, there were gunshots. i had to do something."

"i explicitly told you to stay in the car," he crossed his arms, reminding her that he can fire her anytime, "just tell me if you're not ready to follow my lead and you can stop all these nonsense at once."

"i did stay!" she opened her mouth to defend her actions further but ultimately settled with a sigh, "i'm sorry."

"by putting yourself in danger, you're putting the whole team in danger," he continued to chide, now focusing on the team's welfare beyond his authority, "sainz, we do not move alone. this is a team."

"i know. it was a circumstantial decision." she looked away from him, watching the busy officers walking back-and-forth around the scene.

"you could have went to assist the women and let jj chase them."

"it would take time—time we did not have seeing as i arrived with clara aiming to derek already." franz tiredly made her point. this was almost similar to those ethical dilemmas people ask each other for fun. hotch sighed, acknowledging that the girl is exhausted after all that transpired.

"do not do this again." he waited for her affirmation, a response at the very least. of course, she gave none. aaron closed his eyes, trying to contain his irritation as he called for her attention pointedly, "sainz."

knowing that the girl is unlikely to reply and acknowledge what he said, he took a step back, turning away for a moment as if to gather his thoughts.

he looked at her appearance and observed her state more closely now, him speaking in a softer voice, yet still with gruffness, "how are you?"

"not fine." franz returned to her leaning, staring blankly ahead.

"how do you feel?"

"i don't know." she just wanted to sleep. it was a very confusing night. how does one react after killing a person? how should one feel?

hotch noticed her inner turmoil, the shock is possibly adding too, "wanna talk about it?"

"sir, you just scolded me." she narrowed her eyes at his offer, wondering how this man can turn from the unit chief to a friend in an instant. were they even friends? she doesn't know.

he deadpanned at her, "you disobeyed my orders."

"a necessary insubordination." she replied in a beat, her eyes still on him. there was no way she would win though.

as francesca had told him plenty of times before, she likes his eyes best. of course, he only looked at her blankly every time before turning back to his case files, but she does like them sincerely and she will not get tired of telling him about it.

her fondness probably comes from the fact that she knows what his eyes are trying to say—an intimate form of communication, per se.

and so, that is precisely why she could do nothing but shrug and smile tirely at him. although his brows were creased, his eyes were offering comfort. that or she's so in her head she's starting to hallucinate and overthink.

the girl shook her head with a warm smile at the thought, "how about tomorrow?" she beamed at him, referring to his offer to talk. the man nodded once and she grinned teasingly, exhaustion seemingly forgotten, "it's a date."

hotch rolled his eyes at her antics, gracefully pocketing his hands, "do you need anything?"

francesca grinned from ear to ear in mischief, "can i get a hug?"

"you—"

"what? i'm in shock!"

he let a small smile grace his features as she exaggeratedly pulled the shock blanket to herself. he simply looked at her, as if figuring out how she really was. hotch patted her head softly before finally walking away to where the rest of the team was.

the action most certainly did not go unnoticed by her. needless to say, her mind was a mess.

if someone would have told her in the past that there comes a time she would give her heart and swoon by everything a man two decades older does, she would have went on an uncontrollable fit of laughter.

yet, here she was—just killed a woman and all she can think about was how the smallest gesture of affection from him brought a lump to her throat.

[frogs00]

Baby, you're electric

Summary: Janis and Regina being in love.

Warning: Making out and implied sex, swearing, fluff.

Pairings: Janis +Regina

Janis sighed, tapping her foot impatiently and checking her watch; her date stood her up. It sucked. It was a senior dance, not a huge one but still. Not like it mattered considering she didn’t even really like her date like that, there wasn’t any spark between them. She was a pretty girl, but she never could just… feel anything, for almost anyone.

She watched everyone dancing, having a blast, feeling awkward and a bit disappointed. 

Hey, loser,” Regina popped up out of nowhere, using her to lean on, she smirked down at her as Janis looked up from her thoughts, “Why are you here all by yourself, where is your date?” Janis glanced at her, she was wearing a beautiful deep blue dress, that fit her curves perfectly, she looked back down when she felt her face flush.

“I- Well, I got stood up, it’s fine.” She mumbled, forcing a laugh and fidgeting with the sleeves of her suit jacket, glancing at Regina bashfully.

“Oh, what a bitch, never liked her to be honest.” Regina made a face of distaste. That wasn’t a surprise to Janis, she never liked any of her dates for some reason. Not that she was one to talk, she always felt a pain of jealousy when it came to Regina’s dating life, always had. (It hurts to be so enamored with this girl sometimes.)

Yep, bitch was her type. She thought with a small smirk, relaxing a bit. She and Regina had reconciled and honestly? It was amazing having her friend back.

Friends. Strictly friends. She reminded herself, She reminded herself, straightening up and clearing her throat, “So, didn’t Shane ask you here?”

“Yeah, I told him no, keeping my options open,” Regina nudged her with her hip playfully, “No worries, I set him up with another pretty-enough girl, not pretty as me of course but…” she joked.

“Of course.” Janis shook her head and laughed, then looked down at her shiny shoes, frowning a bit, her brows furrowed. 

Regina seemed to notice because she asked; “Wanna dance?”

 Janis looked up in shock, “What?” 

“Only if you want to.” Regina bit her lip, looking down at her. Janis really didn’t feel like dancing to Shake It Off right now, so she was going to decline when Electric Love by BØRNS started playing and beamed. Now that was a song she could dance to, even if it wasn’t necessarily her favorite, it had great instrumentals and she could vibe with it.

“Oh, fuck it- Hell yeah, come on!” She dragged Regina shamelessly to the center of the dancing crowd. She heard Regina laugh, light and amused, the sound tickled her ears perfectly.

“I take it that you like this song?” Regina chuckled as they began dancing to the beat of the song.

“It’s ‘aight,” Janis responded with a shrug, offering Regina her hand and spun her with minor difficulty, her head having to duck quite a bit because of the height difference.

Drown me, you make my heart beat like the rain 

Surround me, hold me deep beneath your waves 

As they danced loosely, giggling although neither of them would ever admit to it, the lyrics rang in Janis’s ears; she never realized how much this song reminded her of the blonde.  

And every night my mind is running around her 

Thunder's getting louder and louder and louder

They danced, Janis watched as the blonde’s hair pooled perfectly around her face, bouncing as they danced. Her blue eyes were shiny and alive-- for the first time in a while ─ alive. It made Janis's heart soar then everything seemed to slow as they met each other gaze, her hand slowly raising to cup Regina’s face.

Baby, you're like lightning in a bottle

I can't let you go now that I got it

Janis's eyes flicked to her lips, Regina’s flicked to hers. The blonde's eyes are hooded and darker than before.

And all I need is to be struck

By your electric love

Their lips connected in a fiery kiss, Electricity shot down her spine and she slammed her eyes shut. Her lips tasted like peaches and lip gloss.

Baby, your electric love 

Electric love 

Her arm hooked around her neck, pulling her deeper into the kiss, she felt the blonde's arm wrap around her waist. They fully melted into each other, then when Regina's tongue swiped over her lips, fireworks popped behind her eyes. She allowed her access, not thinking about where they were.

In the center of the dance floor.

Surrounded by everyone.

She pulled away, gasping for breath. Regina seemed to revel in the brunette's blissed-out expression for a moment before looking around, there were a whole lot of eyes on them.  

Janis froze. Was this going to go how it went in 7th grade?

Regina looked back down at Janis, the brunette couldn’t read her expression, but she could see her physically tense up.

Someone yelled, a dude with a gravelly voice, “Holy shit, is Regina George a dyke?” 

Janis's mouth went dry.

Regina's eyes hardened and she turned to see who said it with an upturned lip, opening her mouth, but then her eyes landed on Janis’s fear-filled expression and her gaze softened.

So she, unexpectedly, yanked the smaller girl by the collar and pulled her into another kiss, and Janis could hear the yelling, cheering, and gasping over the music. Regina’s hand was splayed on her back, and Janis immediately kissed back when she felt the blonde holding her.

Regina turned her head suddenly and lifted one hand, flipping off the crowd with her perfectly manicured hand. A Janis Imi’ike-influenced move for sure. 

The next thing she knew she was being dragged out of the dance, by Regina George, and not to be psychotically murdered it seemed. 

And yes, by then, she had forgotten all about her date.

“Holy tits! Holy tits- what was that? It was amazing! But you didn’t have to- Why did you-” She stammered, words strung together and frantic as she was trailing the blonde, now in the front of the school.

“I did, it felt amazing.” Regina gave her a full-toothed smile when she turned to look at her. Something caught Janis’s eye though, despite the excitement and fear coursing through her veins, and the sheer victory. 

Her ‘date’ was making out with someone in the grass, definitely drunk. Her nose scrunched up a bit.

(She could not care less, truthfully.)

 Regina turned to look at where Janis’s gaze had trailed off too. She full on threw her head back in a cackle.

She was starting to scare her, to be honest. A very difficult thing to do.

“Nope, absolutely not.” Regina cackled and stepped infront of her so she didn’t see the drunk teens.

“Wha-” Janis furrowed her brow confused till Regina shoved her up against the wall and pressed her lips against Janis’s roughly. The kiss was knee-buckling and she nearly fell, but Regina had her hands firmly planted on her hips. 

Regina decided she liked kissing Janis that night, the way her lips felt against hers was much different than how a boy’s felt. Her lips were soft, and kissing her felt like it set her heart aflame. 

(A ‘pyro-lez’ would do that to you apparently.)

“I want you, if that whole thing in there was not clear, I’m telling you now,” Regina expressed as she pulled away, her tone not matching her words, it was soft, it was almost sweet, “I want you.”

“Yeah?”

Regina hates the tentativeness that always lingers in Janis’s voice. Like she doubts it could be true. 

Like she doubts anyone could ever want her.

When she and Janis first reconciled, she realized a lot of things about Janis; She truly didn’t give a fuck, didn’t respect anyone's opinion about her unless they deserved it, but still had this thing with inferiority. Constantly shooting self-deprecating jokes, plus the girl did not know how to take a compliment which annoyed the shit out of her. 

The ways she thought of herself pained her sometimes, seeing she felt like she planted that belief there.

“I can’t be your experiment,” Janis added, still pressed up against the outside wall of the gym, “Okay?” she caressed the blondes face tendery, searching her eyes for any deception, though the brunette doubt she was lying, that whole display in there was proof enough. 

“I don’t want you to be,” Regina hummed, eyes flicking at Janis’s perfect, perfect lips.

Janis could feel Regina’s heart thudding against her chest, their breaths slow and nearly synced, “You promise?” Janis whispered as she bumped nose with Regina, the blonde could feel her smile at those words. 

“I promise,” Regina’s eyes finally moved from her lips to meet the shorter girl's eyes, “I’m so sorry.” 

Janis’s eyes were glazed over, swarming with emotions, “ I know, but that doesn’t matter anymore,” She pushed, “You didn’t have to do that in there, y’know?” Janis added, her tone still hesitant and hushed.

“I did.” Regina wanted her. She loved her. She wanted to hold the smaller women’s hand, hold her as they watched movie in Janis’s garage, stay up all night and sit in silence as they watched the sunrise. Regina wanted Janis whole. 

They were quiet for a second. Janis was enamored by her, she could stare at her for hours; Study every inch of her body, name every freckle, caress every scar, and run her hands down her every curve.

And suddenly her breath was heavy again and she crashed her lips against hers this time, both of them stumbling away from the wall. Regina could taste their shared breath at that point, dizzy with lust. She pulled a whine from Janis, bitting down softly on her lower lip as she slowly broke the kiss. 

“My car,” Regina panted as she searched Janis’s eyes to see if they were think the same thing, the way Janis looked at her like she wanted to swallow her whole was confirmation enough and she started dragging her towards the Mustang that she received for her eighteenth birthday, “Now.” 

“Oh, hell yeah.” Janis agreed, her voice a tad more gravelly then before. 

And they both disappeared into the parking lot, practically spinning and dancing their way to the car, both of them grinning stupidly. 

“What the actual fuck? I mean I saw that coming but…” Gretchen watched as they left, eyes wide and confused as they watched less than half the scene unfold.

“Knew it,” Karen chimed, “You owe me twenty bucks, Damian, I told you Regina would make the first move.”

“Deep down, so did I.” Dmamian slipped them twenty dollars. 

“What’d I miss?” Aaron popped up out of nowhere, Cady close behind, he watched as Regina’s Mustang whipped out of the parking lot, Janis window was rolled down, her hand out the window flipping them the bird, apparently knowing they had been there, “Oh- that explains a lot.”

“I don’t get it.” Cady blinked in confusion, Aaron whispered in her ear and her mouth formed an ‘o’ shape when she realized. 

“I’m questioning my sexuality right now! That was-” Gretchen stammered.

“Sexy.” Karen finished, nodding, a victorious smile on her face from her win.

“You poor thing.” Damian pat Gretchen's head, then turned around, “Anyways, let's go get some punch!” 

not my best work, plot is mid, but the song inspired me and I need to write (Despite being sick right now.)

[redinkofshame]

JSYK just because I don't write it/post it, doesn't mean my thoughts aren't still filled with Solavellan smut on the daily. So when I saw this perfectly innocent comic my thoughts... Wouldn't leave me alone. So here, smut be upon ye.

Keria Lavellan x Solas (in the head of) x purple!mRook

🍋 explicit

Two-and-a-Half-Some

“Nice tits, by the way.”

Rook had led Keria to one of the bedrooms in the Lighthouse to show her a sketchbook full of images of herself. Unlike the rooms they’d passed on their way up, full of sentimental knickknacks and evidence of camaraderie and constant use, this room was all but barren. Clean. Sparse.

Solas’ room.

It made her heart ache, to see how alone he’d been all this time.

She raised her eyebrow at the younger man, who flushed. His expression wasn’t flirtatious so much as ‘I can’t believe I said that out loud’.

“…Sorry.”

The poor kid. He’d clearly only been trying to make a joke to ease the tension of the moment when she’d flipped from a series of tasteful nudes to… Some positions that left little to the imagination.

At least he hadn’t commented on the appearance of her anus.

She shut the book. “Don’t be. They were pretty nice back then. His sketches are a bit outdated now, though. I’m not as young as I once was.”

Rook’s eyes went unfocused for a moment, and then he said, “He, uh, he says your hard-won wisdom only makes you all the more beautiful today.”

Her breath caught in her throat. She swallowed, heart thudding. “He always was a sweet talker. It’s true then. You can hear him?”

He nodded and pointed to his temple. “Yep. Whether I want to or not.”

“And he can hear what you hear, obviously. Does he see through your eyes?”

He nodded.

“Interesting…” She took a step closer to him and raised her hand suggestively to the toggles of her shirt, designed to be easy to use one-handed. “Would you like to see an updated version? For the sake of improving the accuracy of the sketches, of course.”

His eyes went wide. “You… Want to show me your tits?”

She smirked. “I want to show Solas my tits,” she clarified. “You getting to see them is just an enjoyable side-benefit.

As long as you’re comfortable with it, of course.”

“Who in their right mind would say no to seeing the Inquisitor’s tits?” he asked, and she almost laughed at his incredulous tone. Then he added, “He’s, uh, unusually quiet. He’s not going to, like, turn me into a statue for this or anything, right?”

“He was never the jealous type,” she assured him as she began unfastening her shirt. “What about you? Any partners that would have a problem with this?”

“No. Well, partner yes, but no, we’re, uh, open to…” He trailed off, watching her hand distractedly.

She finished with the last toggle, but pointedly didn’t remove her shirt yet, waiting for him to answer.

“We’re not the jealous types, either,” he said quickly once he caught on. Then he jerked his thumb towards the door to the rest of the lighthouse. “I could go get them?”

She did laugh at that, shrugging off her shirt at last. “I think two and a half is enough for now.”

He didn’t answer, focused on her exposed skin. She arched her back prettily and ran a hand over herself, teasing her own taut nipple.

“Wow. Definitely still great.”

Keria had never though of herself as beautiful — at least, not until she’d seen the way Solas looked at her when they made love — but she’d never been particularly self-conscious either. She was surprised that some small part of her preened at the younger man’s approval.

She closed the distance between them and gently took his hand and placed it on her breast. The warmth of it and the way it moved timidly over her had her flushing with sudden need. “And can he feel what you do?”

“Who? Oh, uh, no.” Growing bolder, he had both hands on her now, kneading her breasts, thumbing her nipples delightfully.

“That’s a shame.” She ran her hand over the bulge of his britches as she said it and his breath staggered. Then she pulled back. “Unsurprising, though.”

She started on the fasteners of her own pants and Rook watched, waiting for an indication of what came next, like an eager little puppy.

Once Keria was fully nude she did a slow spin, giving both men a fully view of her decade-older body.

“I can’t understand what he’s saying,” Rook told her. “It’s elvhen. I think it’s poetry.”

“Elvhen always sounds like poetry,” she said said, affection tugging her lips and memories of him reciting beautiful words she didn’t understand while he held her against him.

She went to work on the laces of Rook’s pants, and got on her knees once his erection was freed.

Solas was always dedicated to her pleasure when they made love, rarely allowing her to do the same for him. He couldn’t stop her now, though. So she took her time and made as big a spectacle as she could, maintaining eye contact with this stranger whose head held the love of her life. She stayed focused on those eyes as she ran her tongue along Rook’s shaft, then twirled it around the head, as she took him deep, as she left long trails of saliva whenever she pulled back. Neither man said anything she could hear, though Rook’s groans were satisfying.

When she felt she’d teased enough, (and that Rook might not last much longer,) she pulled back and stood, swaying her hips artfully as she moved to the bed. She climbed on and mirrored one of the positions in the sketchbook, half-propped against the headboard with her knees spread wide.

He continued to stare after her as she stroke her slick core, displaying herself. She wasn't sure if his glazed look was from trying to hear Solas speak, or simple lust.

“Rook,” she said finally. “Take off your clothes and come here."

He jumped to it, almost tangling himself in an attempt to remove both his pants and shirt at the same time, half-tripping as he removed his socks while getting on the sheets. She used a hand on his jaw to guide him over her, in case he got confused about that, too.

He knelt between her legs and took his time admiring her, and she wondered if it was Solas that told him to run his hands up and down the insides of her thighs, to try gripping her hips and waists in different spots, to cup her breasts again. She whimpered with heat by the time Rook ran the head of his cock up and down her folds several times, wetting it before finally plunging into her.

She kept her eyes open and on him when normally she’d have closed them to enjoy the full feeling, the friction, the energetic thrusting his hips against hers. But though it felt odd to look so deep into a stranger’s eyes as he fucked her, she wanted Solas to see her.

Fortunately, the man spent most of his time watching his cock moving in and out of her and her fingers circling her clit, or her bouncing tits.

Then there was a flash, a flicker of blue spirit light, and suddenly his thrusts became pounding, movements becoming equal measures controlled and intense.

She gasped. “Solas?”

“Mah vhenan,” he breathed in the wrong voice, and then he was kissing, biting, sucking on her neck as he moved in her.

Her hand moved to his head but it was wrong, the hair was wrong, so she gripped his back instead and closed her eyes so she couldn’t see Rook anymore, just Solas, her Solas. She came almost immediately, the tension in her releasing with waves of pleasure rushing over her.

He rode her through her climax and then slowed, still, and kissed her. He hadn’t finished, still hard in her as he kissed her harder still. His tongue teased hers, plunging deep, like he couldn’t taste enough of her. She wrapped her arm around him as tight as she could, kissing him with a decade of frustration and longing.

When they pulled back for air she kept her eyes firmly closed, and perhaps he understood because he pulled out and she was suddenly moved, turned over so she was positioned on her knees. She arched her back exaggeratedly, still putting on a show for him. He ran his hands along her thighs, grabbed handfuls of her ass, ran fingers through her folds as he lined up his borrowed cock. He gripped her hips with both hands as he plunged into her, and she moaned his name, and, “I love you, I love you, ar lath ma.”

Whatever he said in breathless elvhen was lost on her as he pounded into her again and again, taking her like an animal. When she came a second time she finally felt his movements become less controlled, insistent and clumsy as he chased his own climax as last.

His movements slowed, stilled. She stopped propping herself up on her shaking arm and allowed herself to collapse on the mattress, and he came down with her.

“Are you still in there?” she panted.

“Yes, vhenan.” For some reason part of her was still surprised the voice was wrong. He rolled them onto their sides and she gripped his arms hard around her, unwilling to let go.

“How long do you have?”

“Not long.” He pressed feather-soft kisses against her shoulder. Then he sighed. “But I can’t leave before I tell you how sorry I am. For everything.”

“Yeah, yeah,” she said, unwilling to waste this precious moments on his constant guilt. “Var lath vir suledin. I’m going to find a way to save you.” To free him from his prison in the Fade. To be together in this new world he’d made.

He kissed her shoulder again, and she thought it sounded like he was smiling when he replied, “I know.”

I know. Not ‘I know you will try’’. Just ‘I know’. He believed her.

“Solas…” she started, but she trailed off.

It didn’t feel like him anymore. Somehow, she knew he had gone.

“Rook?” she tried instead.

“Uh, yeah” he said as he awkwardly pulling his limp dick out of her. “I’m back.”

Keria bit back her disappointment to put on a satisfied smile as she turned to face him. He looked like he didn’t know what to do with himself. “Hey. You doing okay? That was… Unexpected. I didn’t know uncontrolled horniness could lead to a spontaneous possession.”

He laughed, and settled back comfortably. “Yeah, neither did either of us.”

She ran her hand along his chest. “Are you feeling okay about it? I just want to check because we didn’t discuss the option before hand.”

He nodded. “Definitely. I think… I think I could have stop it? The possession. It felt weird, kind of like a build up of pressure, but I think I could have stopped it.”

“Why didn’t you?” As a mage she'd been taught to protect herself against possession her whole life. She couldn’t imagine just letting it happen.

Rook shrugged. “I wanted to see what would happen.”

Her mouth was open, but she couldn’t think of a response to that. At last, she shook and said, “Varric said you’d be trouble.”

He grinned. Then, looking a little apologetic, he said, “I was ‘there’ the whole time, you know. Like, I could still, uh, feel everything.”

She made sure to smile comfortingly so he’d know she wasn’t upset by this. “Side benefits indeed.” She kissed him — Rook, not Solas. He deserved to feel wanted, too. “Thanks for the tour of the lighthouse. Glad to be part of the team.”

[whenthewallfell]

first of all, I’m so obsessed with everything you draw omgggg ♥️♥️♥️♥️ and second, totally random question: when you’re drawing scars, like in your most recent drawing, do you think about/create the backstory behind the placement and type? I’m so intrigued by the process artists have and your use of detail is always so peak, I thought I’d ask

Omg thank you!! I tend to obsess over the details so it's awesome hearing they're appreciated <3 And yep, the scars are laid out based on how I think they were exposed to the bombs/fire at the end of MJ. To me, the way it's written implies that Peeta tried pull Katniss out of the fire or shield her from the flames - he was meant to be further back but somehow ended up covered in burns too even though there's no mention of anyone else having them, and I don't think that's for nothin'.

So with that in mind:

Katniss has a big one running up her back and along her neck where she was lying on the ground and kind of fused a bit with her clothes, but the majority of her scars are pretty delicate looking where the fire couldn't get a proper hold on her. There's a type of scarring called contracture where the skin puckers and creates these beautiful patterns that almost look like flames. They're lighter than the surrounding skin, which I thought would create a nice contrast, and also tend to reduce mobility (something about it fitting into the whole depression lethargy thing idk it makes sense in my head). She also has a lightning scar running up the inside of her bow arm from Catching Fire, I've just not drawn anything where it's visible yet.

Peeta's scars are focused mainly around his back and arms where he was trying to cover her - you can also see a bit of it in the post-Mockingjay prosthetic concept design where he's got extra scarring around the back of his leg. His are based more on hypertrophic scarring, with raised bumps and darker discolouration from prolonged contact with the fire. They can look gnarly but they're actually quite soft and don't impede movement as much as contractures. He also has a lightning scar from when he bounced off the forcefield on his chest, by his heart.

Thanks for taking an interest and letting me natter on, hopefully this wasn't too gory/off-putting to read through

[zstargalaxy]

May I put in a request for a primarina mc? And to add on they also carry some pictures of how they use to look like when they where younger (there pre evos)

Of course! I even have the idea of all of them having a beach day together!!

TWISTED WONDERLAND x POKEMON

{MEMORIES BY THE BEACH} TWST x Primarina MC

The sun was shining, warm to the touch, and just right for a beach day!

You had decided to bring all your friends for a day at the beach to relax from the week you all had and also for you to be in a beach once again. Of course, your friends came and oblige the invitation to relax, who are consisted of the five members of Heartslabyul, the Savannaclaw trio, the Scarabia Duo,the Pomeifiore trio and you made sure to atleast invited your Diasomnia friends aswell! (Much to Malleus joy at being invited).

And of course, you made sure to invite your three dorm mates aswell! The Octivinelle Trio!

Despite you being a girl and have no "magic", the Dark Mirror had some how assorted you on to the dorm of the sea witch, where you had discovered why, for you are a Primarina, a dual water type and a fairy type.

The trio instantly weirded you out upon arriving at the destination of the dorm.

The Tweels, as you would call them, are always behind your back or everywhere you go in NRC.

Jade is atleast tolerable but he's smile, hidden intentions and...everthing gives you the creeps.

Floyd...oh boy....he's more expressive than he's twin when it comes to what he wants. He would always take you by suprise and tries to sneak a "squeeze" for you when you didnt expect but it would always end up with a water gun and slap on the face.

And Azul definently give Mafia Boss vibes yet....you cant help but felt like there is something else that is behind that "perfect" facade of his.

Your instincts were proven right when Chapter 3 happened but thats a story for another time!

For now, its time for a beach day!!

"You cant catch me!"

You giggled when you saw Jack chasing around the young prince of the Afterglow Savanah, Cheka, who had been put under Leona's care for today as per request by he's brother and sister-in-law, unfortunately.

Atleast for the 2nd prince.

And for some folks.

But the sight that everyone is atleast enjoying is enough for You and that is that.

The sight really brings you back where you used to play around with your big sister in Melemele Island as you practice and trying to make big bubbles when you were still a young Popplio.

"THIS. IS. AMAZING!!"

A giggle escaped your mouth as Rotom zip and zapped all round in a speed of light to collect any information that it might not have yet about this world that the two of you are in.

It's a shame that Ortho and Idia cant come but hey, she understands that Ortho has to keep Idia company at he's lonely room.

Yet many any things truly are unseen and amazing here in Twisted Wonderland so you understand your Rotom's excitement.

"This beach is so beautiful!" Rotom commented "Almost like the beach back at home" a nod was what it received from the Primarina in agreement at the feeling of familiarity at the scenery.

"Your home?

The young Primarina look to see Cheka, still wearing he's floaty, eyeing her with those big doe curious eyes of he's that would immediately give her an heart attack at he's cuteness.

Holding back a squeal, You nodded to the young Prince "Yep. I used to live uhh..." taking a small pause to think carefully "somewhere far that is tropical so I kinda see beaches alot when I was around your age".

"Really!?" Cheka exclaim rather loudly.

"Yeah" You smiled, reminiscing all those moments back at Alola.

"No suprise"

Both you turn to see your Dorm mates and Jack agreeing with the others listening to your little conversation, curious about what is your home like.

"You almost out bested me and Jade! Little Siren here is nothing but suprises!" Floyd suddenly hugs you from behind, making you jump from the sudden action "Thats what makes you really Fun to be with~! Hehehehehe"

"Well her Dad did have a Sharpedo" many heads turn to Rotom at that mention "She would always race it everwhere in the waters".

To emphasize it's point, Rotom showed the boys of a picture consisting of a young you, still a young Poplio, in the waters with the said shark pokemon next to you on a race.

"Oh yeah" the memory really brings you back "Sharpedo was a real champion at racing in the waters. I always remember my Mom scolding me and Sharpedo for scaring some locals and pokemon during our little races"

"Amazing!" Cheka eyed the shark in amazement. It looks so cool!

Though the picture and shark was intriguing....

The one that caught the boys the most was yourself and your looks.

"Huh?" Ace deappanned "Thats you?"

"Ara" Floyd took a closer look at the picture "You look like a clown!"

"O-Oi! I was still a Poplio back than!" You huffed at their rude reactions at how you look like back than.

"A what?" Leona raised a brow at that weird word.

"A Poplio" you drawn out as Rotom takes the lead of showing them of what a Poplio is.

"Poplio, the Sea Lion Pokemon, a water type" th3 screen than showed a picture of a blue sea lion that has large eyes, a long, white snout with black whiskers, and a round, pink nose. There is a small, rounded earflap on each side of its head. Around its neck is a light blue ruff, which extends past its shoulders. It has four flippers. The front flippers are larger than the hind and have white markings separating its toes.

"Popplio is able to snort bubbles of water from its nose, which it uses as part of its battle strategy. On land, it uses the elasticity of its bubbles to perform acrobatic stunts and jumps. It practices daily with increasingly larger water bubbles. It can swim at 25 mph (40 km/h)"

"Aw so cute!" Kalim was acting just like Cheka, looking with stars in he's eyes "Did you do tricks back then than? Did you!?" Jamil had to hold him back from being too close at your face.

" Uh yeah" You answered nonetheless from the embarrassment "I even sing a few times"

That last statement that you had said made sense since elmost everyone in the group had heard you sing a few times in NRC, or even everywhere.

"As expected" Vil stated "A voice like yours must be train from how high your vocals had reach from the last time I heard you sing"

"Oui Roi Du Poison!" Rook exclaim merrily with a smile adorning he's face "Your voice compliments your looks, like a siren singing out her songs out in the open sea as her appearance enchants the sea around her".

Typical Rook Hunt.

"Of course!" Grim shouted rather proudly with one of your malasadas in hand "My henchmen is the best!"

"If ya want, I can show you one of her shows!" Rotom said to the Pomeifiore Head and Vice prefects.

"Wait what?" It was already too late as your companion loaded up the video of you singing on a beach port with people surrounding your performance with not just chears and compliments, but also your colorful ballons that you had summonsince this was the time where you were a Brionne.

During that time was your brother's surfing competition and your family decided to do some small tricks to entertain the guests before the tournament.

Sometimes, you had to amid that you do sometimes miss your brother's awful jokes...

How you had miss him...

How you miss your family...

"Wow!" Cheka and Kalim simultaneously watched the performance star struck at how good you were as the rest, especielly Vil, Rook and Azul, watch on aswell with interests.

"Now that looks alot like you" Ruggie commented when he took a closer look at your Brionne form in the video.

"Thats because I was a Brionne, my middle or second/first evolution" Replied the Primarina.

"A Brionne?" Jack questioned as Rotom does it's thing once more.

"Brionne, the Popstar Pokemon, a water type and the evolve form of Poplio" the picture shown on Rotom's screen consists of another seal but more light blue and with three ruffle-like growths around its body. The first ruffle is just under its front flippers, while the last is shortly before the tail. The ruffles alternate between white and pale blue. Its long ears are made up of three segments that lighten and increase in size towards the tip; the first segment is ovoid, while the latter two are spherical. It has a long, conical snout with a white tip, a spherical pink nose, and large dark eyes with pinkish pupils. Its front flippers are much longer than its tail flippers, although both have white tips. There are three digits on the front flippers.

"Brionne is a skillful dancer. While it normally learns to dance from members of its colony, Brionne can also learn to dance from humans. It works diligently to memorize each dance through imitation and gets excited when it sees a dance it does not know. It is capable of dancing in perfect time with others, even if it's never danced with them before. Large groups of Brionne can be seen dancing together on moonlit nights when the sea is calm, sometimes being led by the singing of a Primarina. Brionne has a caring nature; if its Trainer is feeling down, it will perform a dance to cheer them up.As Brionne dances, it creates water balloons in a variety of colors. Its battle strategy consists of dancing while creating water balloons. The dance confuses the opponent, and during this weakness, Brionne slaps the balloons toward the target where they explode. Only those who have earned its trust can see this Pokémon when it is sad. It will otherwise always act cheerful and never allow its sorrow to show."

"But what is this Evolution thing that you kept mentioning?" Cater ask "Is it some kind of leveling up?"

"You can say that, yeah" You shrug "Evolution is a some kind of leveling up but the conditions to meet it vary from one Gijinka to another"

"So it depends on, like, environments or new spells you use?" Azul asked.

"Yep but where I come from, they're called Moves, not spells" You replied

"Ooooh~"

You cant help but chuckle at their interest at your world. These type of things are amazing, yes, but back in your world it would be kinda consider normal thanks to your kind's abilities but than again, this world doesn't have pokemon so it makes sense at their suprise and interest.

The rest of the afternoon continue on with some relaxation and fun as per usual, with you using some of your moves like Bubble Beam and Water gun to emp up the fun even more.

"Come on Cheka" yawned Leona as he begrudgingly stood up from he's lounge chair to go to he's nephew "I think it's time to go home"

"Aaaaww~" the young Prince whined, not wanting to leave just yet "But I want to play with Auntie even more!"

"No and thats that" Leona sternly says, not wanting to waste another moment.

"Aw...okay" As Cheka was about to go to he's Uncle, You suddenly have an idea "How about we do one last trick, ay?" You winked at the little Cub " before you go"

The child's eyes immediately went wide with he's smile complimenting he's expression "Really!?" He cant wait for it!

Leona, feeling tired and dread at the pit of he's stomach that he didnt wanna continue watching the little rascal nor want to get in triuble with he's sister-in-law, tried to protest and be on their way until it was too late.

"Alright! Lets go!"

Its been quite a long time since you use your z-move, not since you came to Twisted Wonderland, but you trained and earn for the z-ring in your possession so you know you have to give it your all!

"The sound of rushing waves! The ocean sings!

Let's deliver the ocean's melody. Here I go!"

Many eyes went wide at the growing water bubble that you had created right before their eyes.

"Woah!" Deuce shouted in suprise "Its so big..." Trey sweatdropped at the enormous size.

"Now thats Magicam worthy" Usual Cater.

"Its so colorful!" Floyd happily said as the other Octavinielle residents watch in shock.

"Fufufufu~ it seems our little mermaid has more suprises than we expected" Lilia chuckled. He may have seen some interesting things back in he's day but you sure take the cake as being quite the few interesting ones. "Indeed" Malleus nodded in agreement, eyes on the glittering and beautiful ballon with amusement and curiosity of what will happen.

"Malleus-Sama! Stay back!" Still he's usually self as always, huh Sebek.

"Now....

Oceanic Operretta!"

The Primarina uses than sent the balloon float off into the nice sfaety yet viewable distance as it exploded with sparkly dust raining down from the explosion.

"Amazing!" Epel, Cheka and Kalim shouted at the beautiful sight before their eyes.

"Beaute!" Rook exclaim with Vil watch on with wonder. Maybe he can try using magic on stage...or better yet, let you join him on stage.

"Truly astonishing" Malleus brought he's hands to see if he could catch some of the sparkles (our curious little boi).

The others cant deny that their wording was wrong, the show itself was amazing and enchanting on how you had used your "Unique Magic" as you bow down to them with a smile on your face. Everyone on the beach clapped, whistled and complimented your display of power and elegance through your moves.

This world may be different from your own...

But you love it.

You love this guys.

And you love your memories with them.

{BONUS}

"Woah..."

Beautiful blue eyes train on the beautiful sparkly dust raining down on the water that he is in, had been watching the whole thing with amazement as he land out he's hand to see if he could catch the sparkles.

He was very greatful for sneaking out of RSA and away from he's overbearing Senior. If he hadnt, he wouldnt have seen such a sight.

Nor woman.

Her singing was absolute beautiful! It was very enchanting! Especially when she had used it for her suppose "Unique Magic".

A sighed escaped he's mouth as he's fin flap around the waters surrounding the small island, cant help but watch the now retrieving party leaving the beach side with their things in hand as they all want back to go where you had come from.

"Rielle! Rielle!"

The said Prince look behind to see he's dear first year friend swimming towards him with a tired look on he's face "Rielle" the yellow and blue haired merman panted "We should really go back! Or else we could be trouble!"

Even though Rielle eyed rolled at he's friend's usual worry antics, the red head look back at the empty beach and said...

"I hope we can meet togather soon..."

I did finish this one abit quick than usual so I apologies for any mistakes in the fanfic.

[wishingstarinajar]

what is your favorite Disney/pixar movie?

Oooh, good question and a tough one too. Let's see...

My favorite Disney movie has to be The Lion King, with Hercules and Mary Poppins being close runner-ups.

I was one of those die-hard Lion King fans when it came out. I had to rewatch it almost every day after school and collect everything I could get my mittens on. But I was a poor young teen living on a very small allowance so I had to do with magazine cutouts and crudely drawn (and traced over) art. I could quote it all from start to finish.

Nowadays, the movie isn't really on my mind anymore and I haven't seen it in a long time, but it still holds a special place in my heart.

Also, The Lion King 2 and 1½ are good too! The live-action version can die in a ditch somewhere...

Then there's Hercules, a funny and well-animated movie that felt different from all its predecessors with the type of comedy and parody it possessed... at least to me. I also love how Hercules was stylized with its animation and designs. I had a weak spot for mythical stuff back then (Egyptian and Greek gods) then so that movie just hit right, no matter inaccurate.

Also Hades. Bada-bing bada-boom.

Mary Poppins is on my list because it was the only live-action Disney movie that I really enjoyed as a kid. There were others but I think Mary Poppins (that beautiful woman who made me wish I was just as pretty as her and possessed magic) tickled the "going to another world for adventure" trope that I love so much since childhood. It helped that one of these little adventures was animated.

I wanted to be like Mary Poppins when I'd grown up; kind, helpful, stern and honest in the kindest way, and pretty. I can't say I managed xD but I still love young me for dreaming of it.

When it comes to Pixar, I love Turning Red. Yep, I do. I love the animation, color palettes, and the 90's/early 2000 (anime) aesthetics because I was an early teen during that time and well, the Turning Red setting resonates with that. I was never into boybands but my lady friends and classmates were and I recognize so much of that "early teen fan girl" behavior shown in the movie (especially before the internet was even a thing). Yeah, I remember your walls and ceiling completely filled with cutouts of various boyband members, Jeffica! And when you ran out of space, you used the inside of your closet. Now that's commitment! <3

The message Turning Red tries to convey didn't hit me in the personal(!) feels until certain things that were said towards the ending reminded me of past family matters and had me bawling.

What is y'all's favorite Disney/Pixar movie? Let me know in the tags or replies!

[yashiro-arisugawa]

Amanatsu

Amanatsu is a Visual Novel that is centered around the male protagonist Haruto who leaves his colourless city life and moves to the countryside, seeking enriching life experiences. The VN has 3 main female leads, namely Kazuha, Kogane and Yashiro, with one route for each of them.

(Spoiler text / CG so pls beware)

Most databases say that it has an average length of 20ish hours but the time taken of course increases or decreases depending on one's reading speed, owing to one's relative mental freshness or fatigue.

Day 1:

It's been off to a great start and lives up to the summer-y vibe that it promises to its audience. The characters are generally very warm and welcoming, given it's a rural setting where people are much closer to each other, with no digital walls separating them.

I was not expecting Haruto to be living with Kazuha though, so that came as a surprise. It obviously seems to gives Kazuha an advantage over the other two heroines, but her outright disinterest in romance somewhat makes up for it.

Kogane is the typical clingy imouto type and I don't really want to label her as ‘annoying’ s such, but she certainly is the high energy puppy type character. She speaks incredibly fast though, so hats off to her seiyuu Akino Hana. Sometimes I take a bit longer to read Kogane’s lines because she speaks so fast and my brain can't decide whether to focus my comprehension on the jp dialogues (contextually the most accurate) or the English text ( easier on the brain) 🤣.

Yashiro is the cool beauty and soft spoken type of heroine. Soft spoken usually evokes an association with timidness but she's far from that. She loves to joke and they're almost always ridiculous which is what I love about it. She doesn't try to force the jokes and they're just whack most of the time but Haruto's reactions to them is what fuels the comedy.

Another thing I really like so far is how natural the interactions feel. Especially so, with Hanayo san (Kazuha’s mother). Most teenage romance fiction tends to keep the parental interactions at bay, leaving the teenagers to their own devices. I wouldn't say it's necessarily a bad thing. In fact, even when there IS parental interaction, it is usually limited to the mother cooking when the protagonist leaves home in the morning for school or when he or she is back in the evening. In such scenarios, more often than not, after returning home from club or classes, the protagonist pretty much just goes up to their room and stays there except for dinner or some other minor interactions. More so for male protagonists/ characters.

However, in Amanatsu the interaction between Hanyo san and Haruto feels pretty natural. It makes it extra appealing for me because most of it is light hearted banter while Hanayo san also comes across as a kind caretaking adult who is actually involved, contrary to Haruto’s experiences with his biological parents back home.

Day 2:

(rip, the draft got deleted 💀)

The second day was pretty fun as well, there's an overnight camping trip with the cast. Pretty much basic activites for camping, there's barbeque and curry making, tent setting up and everyone just generally fooling around and enjoying each others' company. I'm upset they cut out Iorin's face out of the art tho, like why would you 😭

I'm doing Kogane's route first so her route pretty much started already.

Nah man this shit is funny af

Yep def on Kogane route. Finished all the choices now we just go with the flow. Like I said earlier, I don't want to call her annoying because she's really sweet, loving and genuine in her love and sunshine energy towards Haruto. We figure out that she's loney from within and is confused about how to handle her own feelings which scare her, because of the relationship between her parents who divorced 'amicably'.

Day 3:

It's a good route tho it feels a little long to me. To be honest whichever route I choose first in any VN so far has felt long just because I'm slightly fatigued by all the interactions in the common route. The others might not feel so long later because either I can skip the common routes or just start from the first choice save incase there won't be any new/ changed lines after I finished Kogane's route.

(for anyone reading this before they start playing Amanatsu- it will have some h scenes so please be prepared with earphones and whatnot. I anyways force skip all the h scenes in the vns I read because sometimes the all ages versions arent out/ available. Still gotta be careful of the CGs tho)

Day 4:

Did not even open Amanatsu or my VN folder because I was binge drawing a fem version of Zayne 😭😭 Hoping I'll finish at least Kogane route tmrw.

[4townie]

Road to 4☆TOWN

part 60 | part 61 | part 62 | part 63 | part 64 | part 65 | part 66 | part 67 | part 68 | part 69

“So you’re T’s mom.” Ciara looked her up and down.

Catalina paused. “Yep. That’s me.” She smiled awkwardly. “Everyone says he looks just like me so I figured it was obvious. I guess not though.”

“No, no, I just meant that you’re a little different than I expected.” Ciara admitted. “Y’know, you’re so calm and laid back. All the moms I know are even more uptight than I am.”

“Well, it’s easy to be relaxed when I’ve got a kid as responsible as my sweet boy.” Catalina said, watching her son with a soft smile.

“There’s one thing I’m confused about though.” Ciara squinted at the boys. “What’s up with that little round kid holding T’s hand? He said he was family, but he doesn’t look like you.”

“You know how a kid sometimes brings home a savage little animal that probably has rabies and says “can I keep it”? Yeah, that’s Taeyoung.” Catalina nodded.

Ciara froze. “So he has rabies?”

“Well, no, but he likes biting people.” Catalina shrugged casually. “Tae-Tae’s a sweet kid, though. Mi chiquito brought him home to me almost six years ago and they’ve been like brothers ever since. It really warms my heart because my baby’s always had so much love to give and not many people to give it to.” She smiled at Ciara. “Our sons make such a beautiful couple. They care about each other so much.”

There was a moment of silence as Ciara thought.

“So you’re just okay with your son being…gay?” She uttered the word like she’d get sick just saying it.

Catalina narrowed her eyes. “Of course. Aren’t you?”

“Well, admittedly it’s still taking some getting used to.” Ciara laughed awkwardly. “I mean, I love my son no matter what and I support him, but…it feels so odd to me. I thought I knew exactly the type of girl he’d bring home. Someone quiet and shy like him, but she’d still know how to make him laugh. I guess I was right about one thing.” She sighed. “It still doesn’t feel real to me. I look at them and I see a pair of best friends.” She said just as T and Z kissed. “Well maybe not just now. But still. How did you get over it so quickly?”

“I didn’t really need to “get over it”.” Catalina raised an eyebrow. “Besides, I’ve known for years at this point. When he was in third grade, he told me he felt different from all his classmates. He didn’t know how to put it into words, just that he wasn’t like them. I asked him if it was because he was smarter than everyone, but he said no and that’s when I realized.”

“That young?” Ciara looked at her in shock. “What did you do? What did you say?”

“Well…I told him that I was bisexual and explained that it’s totally normal to not be like everyone else in that way.” Catalina smiled at the memory. “I still remember the look on his face when I told him. He was so relieved that nothing was wrong with him and even more so that I understood. I was just happy I could be there for him.”

“And it was that easy?” Ciara asked.

“Of course it was easy.” Catalina shrugged. “Isn’t loving your kid supposed to be easy?”

Ciara stared at her son for a moment. “Yeah. I guess it should be.”

———

Happy Mother’s Day, y’all🥰

[tea-with-evan-and-me]

Part 3: The Shower

"Oh, Julie. This shower is beautiful! It's gorgeous and I am so happy for you" I hug Julie. "You look beautiful too, love."

"Thank you so much for being here for me. My bridesmaid, my friend. Helping me decorate. I appreciate you more than you know."

"Listen, I know I'm not the Maid of Honor but I will take any duties you want to throw at me. I am here to help with anything."

"Well, you know I'm having the girls wear different colors and the same dress. The men will be coordinating with vest and tie. So, if anything please make sure Evan has everything he needs. I'm asking all the ladies to help with the guys."

"Ok, no problem." In my head I'm freaking out. This means I would have to exchange numbers with him? Phew, my heart flutters.

I can't stop thinking about him. Especially since he was so kind to me a few weeks ago. But, he's an ordinary guy with an extraordinary life and I'm definitely not his type. So, I squash my daydreams and tell myself it's all just for Julie and then when it's over I will have some great memories. And pictures. Geez.

"Tom is coming later to help pack up the presents. He wanted to be here with me, but I told him I'm keeping this tradish."

I laugh "Did he pout?"

"Ha, yes. But, then I told him he can have the guys over tonight to drink and that helped some."

"Oh? Are you having the girls too?" Evan will probably be there. Please invite me , please invite-

"That's a great idea. I will see who can make it. I'm assuming you will be there?"

"For sure!" Yeessss

The rest of the shower is filled with food, yummy cake, presents and games. Julie gets understandably emotional. She introduces her wedding party to everyone. Me, Tom's sister who is the MOH, and two more women that Julie has known since school. One is blonde like me, but a total bombshell. I make a mental note to at least act like I have confidence around her.

Everyone starts to file out and I start helping condense presents. Tom's sister wrote down all who bought what in a notebook so we can narrow bags down. I grab more than I probably should and start walking out of the room and I almost knock right into someone.

"Sorry, I'm so sorry" I say as I'm trying to look around what I'm carrying to see who it is.

"No worries I wasn't watching." He laughs and I know exactly who it is. "Can I take something for you?" Evan asks but then takes the top bag off the boxes I'm carrying. He starts walking out with me.

"Phew thanks. This is going to be a lot of work." I see Tom get out of his truck. "Hey there" I say. "Are we filling up the bed first?"

"Yep, thanks." Tom replies "Hey, Evan. Thanks for coming to help." They bro slap each other on the back.

"No problem, man. Glad to help"

Evan and I work together to get everything to the car. We chat about nothing much and then he asks. "Are you going to be at their house tonight?"

"I plan to be. You?"

"Yea. So, I guess I will see you there?"

"See you there!" I say with a huge smile that he returns.

-----

I'm sitting on Julie's couch, drinking a beer and chatting with Evan. All the other guys are playing beer pong with Tom and Julie and the other ladies are at the kitchen table looking online at dresses. I have no idea how long we've been sitting here, but we are having a blast. We both seem to offer interesting tidbits about ourselves.

"Oh, I almost forgot! Julie asked me to exchange numbers with you so I can help make sure you have everything you need for the wedding. I guess we are coordinating our colors. You have a tie and vest to get in the soft pink."

"Oh, ok yea." He says as he pulls out his phone. We exchange numbers.

"Yea, so you know. If you need my help with anything at all just text or call. If I don't answer I'm probably on a 12 hour shift. But, I will get back to you when I can." I tell him.

"What if the question isn't wedding related?"

"Sorry, what?" He catches me off guard.

"I mean what if I just want to text you and ask how your day is going." He has the darkest, most intense eyes. Yet, they are soft and warm when he speaks. Right now they are staring into my eyes and I can't help blushing.

"Those texts are always welcome. Hope you don't mind getting a few yourself." I reply. Staring straight into his eyes as well with a sly smile.

He smiles at me and I think to myself again how those dimples are going to get me into some major trouble. Suddenly, Julie speaks and I turn to look at her. "Nat, what do you think about this dress?"

"I will be right there" I get off the couch and then so does Evan. He gives me a little half hug and I return it. He walks towards the beer pong game and I turn to the kitchen table and I notice Blonde Bombshell following Evan with her eyes. Then she looks at me and a smug smirk creeps up on her face. And I think to myself: challenge accepted, honey, as I return my own.

🍿

[loetise]

(ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧

[mrfeenysmustache]

Envy/Red

It’s my very first @sins-week and I have a few ficlets written up to share 🥹

Opening the week with some InuKag. I love them.

Spice level: 🌶🌶

❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

Golden eyes narrowed at bright, warm red, clawed fingers twitching with want to grab and rip and squeeze.

The barrier to his desires was finally gone, they day winding down as work was done and dinner was eaten and baths were had.

And now he had nothing to do but watch his fire rat caress soft, fragrant skin he’d been thinking of all day.

Kagome always wore his coat after her bath, claiming it was closer to the types of robes she used to wear after bathing back home in the future, and of course he didn’t mind.

She looked beautiful clad only in clean skin and crimson cloth, and then the fabric smelled like her all the time wherever he went.

The problem this time, was he’d been gone for the better part of a week on an extermination job, and then she’d been so busy since he returned that they hadn’t had time to even talk much less do anything else.

Dammit, he missed her.

He stood in one fluid motion, and she immediately looked up at him, her comb pulled halfway through her hair as she brushed it by the fire.

“Inuyasha? Is something wrong?” She asked, her brows drawing down with concern as she no doubt noticed his frown.

He crossed the floor of their hut saying a silent prayer of thanks that it wasn’t overly large.

He was at her side in an instant.

“Yep. Something’s very wrong.” He answered, grabbing her hand and yanking her forward.

“Inuyasha?” Her voice wavered between concern and alarm, her heart fluttering in her chest as her scent threaded with nervousness and the citrusy tang of arousal.

His eyes trailed down from her face to her chest, and he could just see the inner swells of her breasts in the space where his robe parted.

He followed the line of her visible flesh down, and the further his eyes fell, the shallower her breath became.

“Inuyasha….” She whispered, and her voice was thick with a desire, with want, the same concoction of emotion he’d been bottling up for days waiting for the right moment to finally pounce.

He slipped his hands under the fire rat where it draped over her shoulders and then pushed it away. She allowed it to fall to the floor at her feet, and he gulped as every inch of her, lit warmly by the fire flickering nearby, was finally free to his hungry gaze.

He stepped closer, the air between them swirling hot, supercharged and tingling around them like a gathering storm.

She was beautiful, and she was blushing so prettily, her grey-blue eyes clouding with lust as he gripped her hips and pulled her against him, kicking his fire rat out of the way, tired of it and the obstacle it had been between him and his wife, the one he’d been so desperately craving since almost the moment he’d left over a week ago.

“How’s it fair that I’m naked and you aren’t?” She asked, and he bent to scoop her up and carry her to bed.

“This ain’t about fair, Kagome.” He growled, laying her down and crawling over her, leaning in to hover just over the most sensitive part of her neck and shoulders. “This ain’t about fair at all.”

He descended and she gasped, head falling back and hands gripping, grasping for a lifeline.

His blood surged as desire dark and hot coursed through his veins and set them both aflame.

He’d waited long enough, staring in envy at the heavy cloth that got to touch her where he couldn’t, it was time to finally taste her again.

[ilovefandoms102]

Suga Daddy-Part 3*

Pairing: Chris Evans x Plus Size Reader, Chris Evans x Sugar Baby! Plus Size! Reader

Summary: Chris punishes you for being a brat…

Note: I seriously love this series so much🥴

Click here to be added to my taglist!

Warnings🛑:smut(choking, daddy kink, degradation, unprotected vaginal sex, orgasm denial, slight noncon/dubcon vibes, spanking, slight thigh riding), boudoir pics, sugar daddy/sugar baby, age gap

Part 2 Part 4

I call him

Suga daddy

Suga daddy

Suga daddy

Give me some sugar daddy

Suga daddy

Suga daddy

Suga daddy

Give me some sugar daddy

Months flew by, things with Chris were amazing…

You loved every waking minute of being with him. Chris was a true blessing in your life, and you couldn’t wait to tell your friends and family. You were hanging out with your best friend Avery, Chris paying for the two of you to have a spa day. This was the first time you’d felt truly relaxed in a while. You’d been teasing Chris all day that he’d get a nice reward for being an amazing Daddy.

Daddy😍: I bet you’re already soaked thinking about me aren’t you pretty?😏

Babygirl❤️‍🔥: I’m always soaked for you Daddy, especially thinking about what I’m going to do to you tonight😉

Daddy😍: Oh yeah? Wanna give Daddy a little show😜

Babygirl❤️‍🔥: It’s a surprise I can’t ruin it 😏

Daddy😍: You're a little tease pretty, come on tell me😁

Babygirl❤️‍🔥: No, you have to be a good Daddy😉

Daddy😍: I think you forgot who makes the rules sweetheart🤔

Babygirl❤️‍🔥: How about I send you a little something Daddy?😏

Daddy😍: Oh fuck baby you’re so fucking beautiful jesus how did I get so lucky?😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍

You giggled as he kept sending you praises, Avery arching a brow.

“Who are you being so giggly over y/n?” she asked, trying to peek over at your phone.

“My sugar daddy.” you smirked.

“What the fuck?! When did you get a sugar daddy? Is he hot?” she exclaimed, her eyes wide with curiosity.

“He’s extremely hot Ave, like sex on legs hot.” you nodded, showing her a picture of Chris.

“Oh. My. God. Y/n…Chris Evans? The Chris Evans? Billionaire, extreme hottie, extreme introvert Chris Evans?” she gasped.

“Yep, he's my Daddy.” you grinned, taking your phone back and giggling at another text Chris sent you.

“And you-you call him that?” she whispered as an employee walked past them.

“Not all the time, I-I really like him. I mean relationship kind of like, maybe even falling in love type of like.” you rambled, sighing as you looked away from Avery’s disapproving eyes.

“Y/n, are you serious? You can’t feel that way.” she scoffed, your heart dropping to your stomach at her words.

“What? Why not?” you asked, turning your phone on silent despite Chris blowing it up.

“Sweetie, this man is paying you to have sex with him…I mean he’s using you y/n. Look, I just want you to be ok, I don’t want you to get hurt.” she said softly, putting what was supposed to be a comforting hand on your shoulder, but all you felt was coldness.

“He has to feel something Ave…I mean he-he opened up to me, I told him about my family, and we-we have a good time together. It’s not just about the sex for me.” you revealed, shrugging her hand off.

“I’m sorry y/n, I didn’t mean to make you upset.” Avery sighed.

“Good job,” you grumbled.

Avery’s words were drilled into your thoughts for the rest of the day, your mind filled with doubt about your…you didn’t even know what to call it anymore. You still hadn’t turned your phone back on, and you knew that would make Chris furious. His anxiety always had him worried about your safety, which was incredibly sweet and made you feel more secure. You were almost afraid to go inside his room, knowing you’d be in for it. He was sitting on the lavish couch, casually sipping a beer still in his suit minus the jacket.

“Why the fuck was your phone turned off?” he asked, his tone scarily calm.

“I-” you started, but Chris was quick to comment.

“This better be a really good reason pretty,” he laughed in mock humor.

I stayed silent because I really didn’t have a good reason, not one I could think of on the spot. I couldn’t even say it was dead because there was a charger in the car that I was driven in.

“That's what I thought baby…you know daddy doesn’t like that, and you know you’ll be punished.” he said, his tone so low I was already squeezing my thighs together.

“I’m sorry daddy, I don’t want punished.” I pouted, but Chris just laughed menacingly.

“You don’t make the rules pretty, now come stand in front of daddy.” he commanded, unbuttoning his shirt after.

You really didn’t want punished so what was your brilliant thought? To stand there and piss him off more.

“I’m not going to ask twice little girl.” he growled.

“I don’t want punished!” I yelled, stomping my foot like a child.

Chris was in my face in the next second, grabbing my cheeks with one hand. He was angry, which made you even more wet. He clenched his teeth, eyes narrowing as he yanked you to him.

“I don’t give a fuck what you want, you disobeyed me, twice now. So daddy is going to use you like a fuck toy, you’ll be lucky if you get one orgasm tonight pretty.” he hissed, shoving your hands away that tried to grab on to him.

“No! You don’t get to touch daddy, I don’t let brats touch me.” he said as he gripped my wrist and pulled me harshly to his room.

“No, daddy please!” you whined, struggling to keep up with him.

Chris ignored you, tossing you on his bed. He tore your clothes off, standing to his full height once he got you naked. He palmed himself as he slowly looked at you from head to toe, drinking in your beautiful body. You wanted to cover yourself up, but knew it would piss him off.

“So pretty, all mine.” Chris mumbled to himself, taking the rest of his clothes off.

“Daddy-” you tried, but Chris glared at you.

“I wanted to have fun tonight, but you had to go and act like a bitch huh baby?” he chuckled humorlessly, tapping his dick between your soaked folds.

You jumped, pouting up at him. You tried to close your legs, but Chris yanked them back open. Without warning, Chris plunged into your entrance. You squealed loudly, Chris’s hand wrapped around your throat to silence you.

“Do not cum, is that understood?” he growled, your head nodding weakly.

“Words baby,” he griped.

“Yes daddy,” you whispered with a quiet moan as he filled you up.

“Fuck, so damn tight.” he murmured, holding my hips down as he watched himself pull out and push back in.

The feeling was unlike anything, to feel every inch, every ridge and vein of his cock, you couldn’t even form the thought of how to describe it. Chris stared for what felt like a century before he started pounding into you, expertly hitting every spot that spiked that tingling sensation. You tried to touch him again, but Chris quickly took your hands in his. He intertwined your fingers before slamming them above your head, causing him to go even deeper than before.

“Does daddy need to tie you up?” he asked, nipping your lips playfully.

“No daddy, fuck you feel so good.” you whimpered, craning your neck up to kiss him, but again, Chris pulled away.

“Be a good toy, and shut the fuck up. No touching.” he commanded, grinning evilly when you got tears in your eyes.

“Daddy, I want to cum!” you cried, feeling the band wind deep in your belly.

“Too bad my love, should have thought of that before you decided to be a fucking brat.” he hissed.

Chris pulled out suddenly, shoving you over on your stomach. Your bottom lip jutted out as you got on your hands and knees, looking over your shoulder at Chris. His hand slapped your ass hard enough to make you cry out a bit, giving the same treatment to both cheeks. He pulled them apart harshly, licking his lips as he watched your juices drip out of you. Chris leaned forward, licking your slick off of your thighs. You closed your eyes tight, trying to think of anything other than how good his tongue feels as it slithers up and down your pussy.

He buried his tongue deep inside of you, curling and tasting every inch. Sucking your clit into his mouth, making you scream in ecstasy, and taking you to the edge so many times before he stopped. After the tenth time, you were on the verge of crying. Chris laughed darkly at that, pushing himself up and shoving his cock into you.

Your body began to shake as Chris fucked you, hitting your gspot perfectly. He spanked your ass hard, leaving his handprints all over. He was so close, thrusting a few more times before cumming deep inside of you. His chest heaved, watching you turn and look at him with pleading eyes.

“Bad girls don’t get to cum baby, I told you.” he shrugged, pulling out and watching his cum mixed with your juices leak down your pussy.

“I’ll be good! I’ll be good daddy I swear! Please, please daddy I need it, I want you to make me cum!” you sobbed, but Chris wasn’t budging.

“Let’s get you cleaned up,” he smirked.

“No! Daddy no! Please!” you cried.

You leaned up, turning on your knees. You clung to him, kissing him despite his rules. Straddling his thigh, you attempted to grind against him. Chris stopped you, holding your hips still.

“Daddy!” you squealed, locking eyes with him.

“You want to be a little slut and grind your whore pussy on me? Hmmm? Maybe I should fuck you like one.” he hissed, throwing you back down on the bed.

Your legs went over his shoulders as he rammed into you, a screech leaving your lips as he didn’t give you time to adjust. Chris animalistically thrust into you, not stopping or changing angles for a second. You were desperately on the edge, hoping with everything in you he’d let you cum.

“Oh, fuck daddy! I’m gonna cum!” you moaned, gripping his wrists that held your hips down as you let go.

You couldn’t stop it, he was giving it to you so good you didn’t have time to think about it. Chris groaned at how hard you clenched around him, letting his cum spill into you for a second time. Watching you fall apart was his favorite thing, it was ingrained into his mind. The noises you made to the exact expressions you had, he picked up on every telling detail during the past months the two of you had been together.

Once the two of you came down, Chris scooted you up the bed to be more comfortable. He pulled you to his chest, and you gladly cuddled up to him. You tangled your legs with his, lightly scratching against his chest hairs with your nails.

“Now, will you please tell me what’s going on?” Chris asked gently, rubbing your cheek as you looked up at him.

“My friend that I was with today, she-she said some um…some things that got to me.” you admitted, embarrassment climbing up your spine.

“What things baby?” Chris questioned, arching his brow.

“She just…she said that you-that you can’t have real feelings for me because of you giving me money to have sex with you.” you explained, the embarrassment washing away as Chris looked at you with disappointing eyes.

“That’s not true, I-I…it’s not just about sex to me y/n. It’s amazing don’t get me wrong, but I feel something for you baby. These past months have been the happiest I’ve ever been.” he professed.

“You have feelings for me?” you asked quietly.

“Yeah baby, I do.” Chris whispered, sealing it with a sweet kiss to your lips.

“I’m falling for you Chris,” you confessed, holding his cheek as you rubbed your thumb along his beard.

“I’m there with you pretty girl.” he smiled, hugging you tight to him.

Both of you couldn’t stop grinning, so happy and hearts fluttering. You truly felt like yourself when you were with Chris, and he felt the same. Deep down, you knew he was your soulmate, and you couldn’t wait to explore these new found revelations.

[redorich]

for the hermit canyon, i humbly request:

Etho messing with Karl and maybe like, Lazarbeam or Fundy, by pretending he’s moth man.

Quackity stalks through the woods, blissfully unaware of its other inhabitants-- not that he would care, if he knew. No, tonight, under the full moon (because it's romantic) he makes his move.

The Hermit, as Quackity is completely sure of, is a beautiful young woman with long flowing hair as white as snow. Because she is a creature of untold power and beauty, fairy tale logic obviously applies. Therefore, if Quackity can steal her clothes, she will have no choice but to marry him and they will live happily ever after as big booty bitches in love.

Nodding to himself, Quackity feels assured in his logic. He's wearing his favorite assless chaps, his best pair of knockoff Yeezys, and no shirt. He is ready for what is to come.

---

Karl lurks deep in the forest, illuminated only by the moon. He leans against a tree, taking care not to disturb his outfit-- he is camouflaged as a bush. Dangling strips of green and brown fabric cover his body, and his limbs are completely hidden in the costume so long as he stands still. It's a daunting task, standing still in the dark, dangerous woods at night. Nevertheless, Karl knows that this is what he must do.

"Triclops Mothman, my beloved," he whispers into the night. He will find Mothman, and he will marry Mothman. There is no alternative.

---

Far away from both Karl and Quackity, though still in the same spruce forest, Sapnap angrily prowls. Well, he'd describe it as a prowl. Truthfully, it's more of a pouty stomp. He knows that this forest has had multiple "Hermit sightings", and Sapnap wants-- no, needs what he's after.

"Hermit!" he screams into the night. "Come out and fight me, you little bitch! Man on man!"

To emphasize his point, he bangs a pot and a pan against each other several times. Sapnap is getting his revenge for that little ravager prank, one way or another.

---

Deep within the canyon walls, the Hermit complex looks like an overturned anthill with all its activity. It's Halloween night come early.

"I'm not wearing a dress," Etho insists.

Grian whines, "But Etho, I made it just for you! It matches Stress's outfit."

Stress, upon hearing her name, looks up from her book and waves. Cleo is currently fiddling with the thick mane of synthetic white hair Stress is wearing, styling the wig into a princess-y type braid.

"I'll say it again," Cleo says, looking very intently into Etho's eyes, "I could take your place."

"No," Etho sighs. "If what Puffy said about these guys is true, you'd probably bite someone's face off by the end of the night."

"You're no fun," Cleo huffs, but acquiesces.

"At least put on the wig," Grian demands.

Grian and Etho have a staring contest for a solid ninety seconds before Etho snaps his fingers in front of Grian's face, causing him to flinch and blink. "You cheater--!"

"I'll wear the wig," Etho interrupts Grian. Instantaneously, Grian loses his outraged moue.

Cleo sighs. "They're the same wig, right? Do I have to braid Etho's hair, too?"

"I think I'll be fine with my new flowing, luscious locks," Etho says with a humorous crinkle to his eyes.

They all laugh as Etho dramatically flips his fake hair, whipping himself in the face with it in the process. He also receives a thumbs up from Joe, who is in the process of searching for his contact lenses because "Herobrine doesn't wear glasses", according to Bdubs.

Night falls, and the Hermits are prepared. They hope their victims aren't.

---

Quackity catches a glimpse of silver-white after so long searching in the woods. With a little gasp, he eagerly pursues it. His beautiful maiden, ethereal and distant like the moon, darts between trees and leaps across creeks like she is flying, like her feet barely touch the ground.

He follows her to a clearing, but when he bursts through the brush into the open space, she is nowhere to be found.

“Mi rey!” he wails, “Fantasma hermosa! Come to papi!”

Etho, hiding in a tree about five feet away, has no clue what any of those words mean. He affects a terrible falsetto and throws his voice. “Hello, Quackity.”

Quackity jumps, looking around wildly for his beautiful girlboss queen. “Hermit?! You know my name?”

“Of course, Quackity,” Etho says, hefting a large rock in his hand. “Come closer, I have a cask of Amontillado we can share.”

Quackity turns toward Etho's voice just fast enough to catch a glimpse of the Hermit's mask, his (fake) long white hair, his decidedly not female appearance. Quackity looks the Hermit up and down. Etho has never felt more Perceived.

"What's a place like you doing in a guy like this?" Quackity says, flirtatiousness dripping from his voice.

Etho eyes the man's assless chaps with distaste from his crouched perch in a tree. Quick as lightning, he chucks the heavy rock in his hand at Quackity's head, knocking him out instantly.

Etho jumps down from his tree with a huffed sigh. "Well," he says, grabbing Quackity by the ankle and dragging him, "time to get to work."

---

"Pspspsps," Karl whispers, "heeeere Mothman..."

The sound of a twig snapping to his right makes Karl freeze, then turn ever so slowly. There's no one there. Karl holds his breath for what feels like an eternity, but is eventually forced to admit that the noise was probably just an animal. Surely, a creature of Mothman's size would make more noise when he walks, given the weight of his strong legs.

"Mothman," Karl says. "I wrote you a poem!"

Joe, who was up until this point hiding behind trees and ominously snapping twigs, feels a twinge of morbid curiosity. As a poet, he absolutely has to know what Karl considers an adequate love poem for Mothman.

With red cheeks, Karl professes his love:

"Your feelers make me feel so sweet

Your hindwings set my heart aflame

Fern-like antennae make me melt

And Mothman, you're to blame."

Despite himself, Joe is a little bit impressed. It almost makes him feel bad about what he's about to do-- almost.

A soft eerie glow seeps into the forest, catching Karl's eye. He investigates, creeping forward until he turns around a tree and sees glowing white eyes. He screams, but there is no sound, and the forest has disappeared. Only those eyes remain, and they too flicker out of existence.

There is a dim corridor ahead of him, narrow and lit by redstone torches. At the end, there is an iron door. He runs to the exit, but as soon as his hand touches the door it disappears and he is engulfed by swirling purple-- like a Nether portal, but so much more terrifying.

The purple is gone and he can just barely make out the menacing image of a man with glowing white eyes T-posing in the blackness. Karl opens his eyes and wakes up on the forest floor, prone and sore.

"Right," he mutters breathlessly to himself, "Mothman is not interested."

---

"--YOU BITCH ASS PUNK, I'M GONNA RIP YOUR LEGS OFF AND STICK 'EM ON YOUR HEAD!" Sapnap screams, banging the only pot he owns against a non-stick frying pan he stole from George.

"Well, that's not very nice, innit?" says a feminine voice. Sapnap looks left, right, behind him, up in the trees... then down.

Big brown eyes peer up at him through white bangs. A displeased pout set into a moon-pale face attached to an equally moon-pale woman chastises him without words.

"...You're the Hermit?" Sapnap says disbelievingly. He has his doubts that someone as small and pretty as this woman could wrangle a ravager onto his front lawn.

"You wanted a fight," she huffs. "And for the record, you totally had it coming, with Pamela's Revenge-- remember, the rava--"

"Yes, I know the ravager was named Pamela's Revenge! There were like eight hundred million death messages in chat about it, you jackass!" Sapnap snaps, trying to cover up his unease. It's not that he's hesitant to hit her because she's a girl; he would deck the shit out of Niki or Puffy with absolutely no provocation whatsoever. It's just that... she looks soft. Like a non-combatant. It would be too easy, too cruel--

Stress punches Sapnap in the jaw with a wicked right hook. "Stealing is wrong," she says.

While Sapnap is dazed and quite possibly mildly concussed, Stress follows up with a brutal kick to the shin. Sapnap makes a genuine effort to fight back, and he’s no slouch, but he’s been taken so thoroughly off guard that the best he can do with his head spinning as it is is to swing with a wild haymaker and hope it hits.

His fist makes contact with something soft and squishy. He hears a grunt, but Stress shoves him over onto the ground and dumps a bucket of glitter over his head. It burns his eyes, but more importantly it burns his pride. He doesn’t remember at what point he dropped his pot and pan (he must have at some point, because he punched the Hermit with an empty fist), but he’s angry enough to open his watery eyes through the magenta glitter and snatch George’s frying pan up off the forest floor, hurling it at the Hermit with devastating accuracy. She yelps, blocking with her forearm at the last moment.

“Knew I shoulda let Etho...” Sapnap hears the Hermit mutter. What’s an Etho?

Stress irritably bonks Sapnap on the head with the pan he threw at her. He goes limp like a ragdoll, and Stress sets about maneuvering his body into a sitting position leaned against a tree so she can do his makeup while he sleeps.

“Hope I don’t poke his eye out!” she says. “Ah well, he’s got two anyway. Now, should I go for a cute, summery look, or a dark evening look?”

---

In Atrium 1 of the Hermit Canyon complex, Puffy laughs loud and clear, clutching her paper cup tightly so she doesn’t spill her fruit punch. "No,” she chokes out, “he didn’t.”

Cub, holding a similar paper cup, waves his hand in a vague gesture. “Yep. That’s Etho for you. You know, one time he got Doc to run around with a snowman head on, eating spider eyes?”

“Oh man,” Puffy sighs, wiping a tear of laughter from the corner of her eye. “I’m so glad I snitched on Karl, Quackity, and Sapnap. I can’t wait to see their reactions!”

Cub grins evilly. “Stress got pictures before she left.”

Puffy gasps, stars in her eyes. “I’ll bake you a whole cake if you get me a copy.”

“I’ll bake Cub a whole cake if he gives them to me instead,” Grian interjects from across the room. “I don’t need them, I just want to take them from you.”

“Nooooo!” Puffy wails melodramatically. “Grian, please spare me!”

“Five diamond blocks,” Grian makes his demand.

Puffy continues to fake-sob, pretending not to notice Scar sneaking up on Grian until Scar drops an anvil on Grian’s head, like a Looney Tunes episode but slightly to the left. While Grian is distracted, Cub slips the pictures to Puffy, who puts them in her inventory without looking.

Etho walks into the Atrium, now dressed as his normal self, including his natural hair, which looks like an angry wet cat perched atop his head, just the way he likes it. Everyone cheers.

“So, how’d it go with Quackity?” Puffy asks with a smirk.

“Well...” Etho says.

---

Quackity wakes up with the sun in his eyes. In front of him is the public Nether portal, and standing right in front of it is a wide-eyed Sam, staring directly at him. Quackity looks down.

He’s naked, covered in half-dried honey, and tied to a pole like the world’s sexiest flag. And he’s got the world’s worst hangover-- it feels like he’s been hit in the head with a large rock.

“Not again,” he groans.

“...This happens often?” Sam asks.

“If I had a nickel for every time something like this has happened,” Quackity says, wiggling his way out of the ropes tying him to the pole, “I’d have enough money to go buy myself a pair of pants.”

Sam averts his eyes to the sky, abruptly aware of exactly why Quackity would feel the need to buy a pair of pants.

“Damn it,” Quackity says. “Those were my favorite pair of assless chaps.”

“Were they now,” Sam says numbly. The sky is quite blue today, it’s rather beautiful.

Quackity huffs in aggravation, finally having freed himself from his binds. “Yeah, they just don’t make ‘em like they used to, you know?”

“Not really, no,” Sam says slowly. “I wouldn’t know much about-- assless chaps.”

The naked man shrugs. Haltingly, Sam unclasps his cape, pulling it off his shoulders and offering it to Quackity.

“Nah,” Quackity says, “I’ll just streak.”

“Please don’t,” Sam says with pain in his eyes.

[jaeminlore]

Landslide | Mark Lee

summary: time makes you bolder. even children get older, and i’m getting older too.

words: 7.1k+

category: teacher!mark, single parent!reader, fem!presenting!reader, graham is the sweetest kid, mark is that teacher that lets kids pick earthworms during recess, friends to lovers, mark’s apartment is flooded so now he has to live in domestic bliss with his secret crush oh nooooo

warnings: talk of absent fathers

author note: it’s my birthday tomorrow so i wanted to give u all a present for supporting me for so long!! here’s to you <3 (cross-posted on /honklore)

Mark helps one of his kids press their palms onto the wall. When they release their palm, pink paint remains, making a sort of leaf to the tree branches painted onto the wall.

“Now write your name,” Mark advises another kid, whose orange paint had already dried.

“G-R-A-H-A-M,” the boy writes out with a large permanent marker. “Can I take a picture? For my mom?”

All the rest of the children begin to shout their agreements, also wanting to bring home a picture for their parents. Mark grabs his yellow Polaroid camera and takes a picture of each handprint.

He keeps all of the pictures in the chest pocket of his denim jacket. “Okay, guys— to the sink! Whoever has the cleanest hands gets to help me pass out snacks!”

“Why are we having snack time so early?” It’s Graham that asks, the little one always eager to be around Mark.

Mark ignores the boy’s paint covered hands poking at his clean jacket, and answers him as politely as he can. “Mr. Lee forgot his lesson plans today, so we’re going to watch a movie instead.”

“A movie?” Graham’s eyes widen.

“Yep,” Mark giggles. He crouches down to Graham’s level and whispers, “You wanna pick it?”

“Nature Nut!” Graham cheers almost immediately, causing Mark to wince.

Ah, yes, the wonderful little DVDs of a lonesome man teaching the watcher about bugs and weird types of slugs. Mark actually has the entire collection, and Graham happens to adore them just as much as Mark did when he was a kid.

“Alright, go wash your hands and I’ll get it started.”

It’s a little girl named Hana who cleans her hands the best, so she passes out organic fruit gummies to everyone while Mark puts in the DVD.

While they watch the video, Mark checks his text messages.

There’s one from Taeyong: “I’ve already got Haechan on the couch. Sorry, man. You can have the floor, but it’s not gonna be comfy :(“

Right. Mark forgot that Haechan lives in the same complex as him. His apartment is probably just as flooded as Mark’s is. Now if the landlord would just answer his calls and help him... maybe this situation wouldn’t be so stressful.

Mark didn’t forget his lesson plans; they’re just submerged in his bedroom with everything else Mark has left lying on his carpet. And maybe it’s his fault for not buying more storage bins, but a studio apartment can only hold so much stuff.

Serves Mark right for doing his lesson plans at home instead of at the school like most of his fellow kindergarten teachers.

He lets out a quiet sigh, careful not to disturb the children. He only has a short list of friends left to ask, and while he doesn’t think they’ll mind him asking, he really hates to put anyone in that position.

Besides, most of his friends have roommates or significant others and Mark doesn’t want to ruin their routine. He’d hate to intrude. And he could always sleep in his car for a few days, but the amount of stuff he had to pack because of the flooding has barred any chance of a good night’s sleep.

The video ends, and Mark gets the kids seated with coloring pages until their parents arrive.

One by one, he I.Ds the parents and tells the kids goodbye, helping them put on their coats and take home whatever library book they picked out earlier.

Finally, there’s only one kid left, and Mark is a bit embarrassed of his hyper-awareness to Graham. It’s not even his fault, really. Graham just has a beautiful mom, who happens to be Mark’s beautiful friend, and sometimes Mark gets eager to see you during pickup time.

Whatever. It’s no big deal.

The kindergartener already has his coat on. His curly brown hair is almost unruly as he continues to work on his coloring sheet.

Mark pulls at the hem of his sage sweater sleeves and wonders if his hair looks okay. Maybe he should invest in a little desk mirror; or maybe that’s vain.

“Hey, Mark! Sorry I’m late!” You rush in, holding on to your leather messenger bag. You fix your glasses before they fall off the bridge of your nose, and Mark is so focused on the movement that he almost forgets about your child.

Until said child is scolding his mother. “Mom! You have to call him Mr. Lee! It’s rude to call him Mark!”

“Your mom is an adult,” Mark reminds Graham (as soon as he finds his voice.) “Since she isn’t a student, it’s okay for her to call me Mark.”

Graham pinches his lips together, and then shrugs. “Fine. Mom, we watched Nature Nut today.” He runs up to you and wraps his arm around your middle. “Can we go to the park and look for slugs?”

“Sure,” you giggle. “But we need to get home soon, okay, Bud? I have to make dinner and then we have to clean up the mess we made last night.”

Graham turns to Mark and smiles naughtily, like the trickster he often is. “Mom said I could tear up her papers last night. She said it’s There-pee.”

“Ther-a-py,” you emphasize for the five-year-old.

Mark studies your face, and he can tell that you seem a little more stressed than usual. “Therapy, huh?”

You smile sheepishly. “Well, when your son catches you tearing up old love notes, you have to let him in on the fun, right?”

“You are a team,” Mark acknowledges. He wants to ask more; wants to dig into your heart and extract whatever is hurting you, but your son is standing between the two of you, waiting for him to say goodbye. Mark clears his throat and picks at his sweater again. “Anyways, uh, text me tonight? Let me know you two got home safe. And, I’ll see you both tomorrow.”

“Yeah,” you breathe. You smile at him and then take Graham’s hand. “Thanks, Mark. I’ll text you.”

Mark spends the night at a motel down the road. He texts a few of his friends and hopes for good news in the morning, or at least a confirmation from his landlord.

When you text him, a little selfie of you and Graham, holding up what looks like microwaved s’mores, his heart grows fond, and he forgets about his own problems for a moment.

-

Life has never been very easy for you. From the get-go, you have always been destined to fail, growing up with an absent father and an overworked mother. With a dead-end dream like yours (writing, of all things), it’s no wonder you clung to what little breaths of freedom you had.

He was handsome and bold, with a carefree smile and brown eyes that mirrored the sun. The lead singer of a band, with a voice like chimes. And you fell just as hard as one of your many protagonists. Perhaps the mistake always lay in the fact that you put too much fantasy into reality. You have always romanticized the littlest things, and that comes back to bite you more often than not.

You never expected one: to get pregnant your senior year of high school, and two: have to go through it alone.

Of course, most people you come to love leave eventually. It’s something you have always remembered; something that sticks in the back of your brain like gum to the bottom of your child’s Spider-man skechers.

Graham is the only constant in your life. Though you’ve been blessed with a decent job editing for a webazine company, and you can work from home more often than not, Graham is the real thing that keeps you alive.

He’s the most precious boy, with brown curls and big brown eyes. He favors his father, and though that should deter you, it reminds you of innocent days, and it gives a new meaning to brown eyes. Graham is not his father, and he never was.

Graham certainly got his love of learning from you. Though he likes science more than writing, you adore how eager he is to always get to school. It helps that Mark is his teacher.

Mark’s been your friend since freshman year of highschool, when the two of you both took the same creative writing class the local university offered. Though the two of you had differing end goals, you often studied together and encouraged each other. He was there when you found out you were pregnant, and he was there when you found out you’d be raising your child alone.

Now life comes full circle, and you see him twice a day. You could go out on a limb and say he brightens up most mornings, but you would still give that slot to your son.

Mark is standing at the doorway now, greeting all of his students and helping them take off their book bags and coats. He’s wearing monochrome today: red pants, a red sweater, and red shoes.

Graham lights up almost immediately, and you are thankful today that you decided to dress Graham in his red t-shirt. “Mom! We match!”

“I know,” you grin, squeezing his hand.

Mark glances at Graham, and then you. His cheeks showcase that same pink hue they always do, and while it should clash with his red garments, it doesn’t. “Hey, Mark.”

“Hey,” he grins, cheeks full at the sight of you two.

Graham spreads his arms and waits for Mark to help him take off his jacket. “Do you see that we match, Mr. Lee?”

“Yo, that’s awesome, Little Man!” Mark gives Graham a fist bump that seems to appease him, and you wait for Graham to run to his friends before addressing Mark.

“How have you been?”

Mark sighs. He brushes his hair away from his eyes. “Okay. My- uh- my studio apartment flooded so I’m staying at a motel until my landlord can get me estimates on when I can come back home.”

“That sucks,” you frown. “You know, if you need a place to stay, I have a pullout couch in my office. And obviously, Graham wouldn’t mind.”

Mark pales. “Are you serious? I didn’t mean to suggest anything, Like I know you work from home and you need your office.”

“And you’ll be at school until three,” you say. “I’ll work then. C’mon, Mark. I don’t like knowing one of my friends has no place to stay.”

Mark bites his bottom lip and scratches the back of his neck. “Yeah. Okay. I’ll drive over after I check out of the motel.”

“Great!” You smile. “I’ll order pizza.”

-

"Graham, clean your room," you say, struggling to push your desk against your office wall. "We're going to have a guest for a few weeks."

"Mom," Graham whines, "They aren't going to look in my room."

You begin to take the cushions out of the spare couch to start setting up the pull-out bed. "Mr. Lee is coming over, Graham.  Don't you want to show him your collections?"

Graham's brown eyes grow wide. "Mr. Lee? You didn't tell me he was coming!"

"He's going to be staying with us for a little bit, okay? So I need you to be on your best behavior."

“Can I show him my worms?” Graham asks, alluding to the compost bin in the small backyard of your townhouse.

“Yes,” you say, thankful that he isn’t putting up much of a fight toward cleaning. You’re also thankful he isn’t asking any questions, as Graham always seems to have a few at the top of his tongue.

Graham cleans up his room quickly. You know for a fact that he’s just shoved all of his toys under his bed, but it’s enough until the weekend, when you’ll have more time to help him organize.

The little guy hoards rocks like no one’s business. You curse the day Mark decided to teach the kids about geodes.

“Wanna help me make up Mr. Lee’s room?” You half-yell, while grabbing spare bedding out of your linen closet.

Graham’s little footsteps are heard before he answers, and soon he’s at your hip with a quick, “He can have my Frozen pillowcase!”

You hesitate to tell Graham that his Frozen pillowcase is currently on one of your pillows, and you can’t give your guest a dirty pillowcase. “That one is in the wash, Buddy. Why don’t we give him your Spider-Man one?”

“So he matches my pajamas!” Graham is easily pleased, and he even takes one of his stuffed bears to add to Mark’s made-up bed. (“So he doesn’t get scared at night.”)

By the time the pizza arrives, Mark is just behind, so you keep Graham busy with a slice of cheese and a glass of diet pepsi (only half of a can, and only because it’s a special occasion) while the two of you bring in Mark’s stuff.

He surprisingly didn’t bring much, and when you ask about it, he grimaces. “My studio is pretty small so a lot of my stuff was on the ground and got mildewed. Other stuff was in bins so I just left it there. I only need clothes and my lesson plans, anyway.”

“Well, here’s the desk and bed. It’s not much, but there’s a lock on the door in case Graham ever gets too inquisitive — bless him — and curtains so the stupidly bright sun won’t wake you too early.”

“Those both sound like personal experiences, Y/n,” Mark teases. He takes off his jacket and throws it on the bed. “Yo! Spider-Man?”

“Graham picked it out,” you say. “He also relinquished one of his bears to keep you safe in the middle of the night. His words, not mine.”

“He’s so cute,” Mark mentions offhandedly. The fondness in his tone takes you back a bit. Not because the phrase isn’t true, it’s just that most people find your son annoying before they find him endearing. The change of tone is nice.

“He is,” you say. “And he’s dying to show you his room after we eat dinner.”

Mark gives you that same lopsided smile he often had in high school. Part of your brain shifts to his personal life, and you wonder why Mark himself isn’t in a romantic relationship. Not that he has to be, but the both of you are getting older, and Mark has always been one to express a fondness for having his own family one day. Maybe he just hasn’t found the right person.

It isn’t until Graham is peacefully in bed — after a very chaotic reading of Goodnight Moon by yours truly, and an argument that Mr. Lee cannot, in fact, sleep in the same room as him — that you actually have a chance to show Mark around the house.

“Here’s the guest bathroom. Graham almost always uses the bathroom in my room because he likes looking at the big tub. He will beg you to play with him, but if you’re busy don’t feel guilty telling him no. He knows what no means and he’s good about playing by himself.”

Mark giggles. “Okay. I don’t mind playing with him, though.“

You show him around the kitchen, where you left little spaces for him in the pantry. You show him the garbage bags and the T.V. settings and the list of compostable ingredients. “And also, please come and go as you please. Like, I completely understand that you’re here temporarily and you aren’t a babysitter or anything like that. I don’t expect you to be in charge of Graham any time outside of school.”

Mark blinks. “But if you ever need time away, you can ask me. I don’t mind babysitting.”

“I know,” you smile. “But Graham is my kid. I don’t need time away from him.”

You’re lying. Mark knows it. You’ve been in this single parenting thing for five years and you aren’t about to reach out for help now.

“Anyways, if you have any questions just ring me or ask me,” you say. “I’ve got to get to bed. Goodnight.”

“Thanks, Y/n.”

-

Mark thinks it’s sweet the way Graham insists on making his own breakfast.

You’re already up when Mark gets out of his (temporary) bedroom with his clothes tucked under his arm. You’re busy arguing with Graham. “You can’t fry your own omelette for the last time.”

Mark quirks an eyebrow at your exasperated face. You look stressed beyond belief, even though the day has just begun.

Mark tosses his clothes back in his room and walks into the kitchen. “Hey, Graham! Do you want to show me your rock collection?”

Graham spins on his sock-clad heels, eyes bright at the thought of seeing his teacher. “Mr. Lee! Yes! Let’s go!”

He grabs Mark’s hand with ease, leaving you room to finish making breakfast.

Graham’s room is fairly simple. The small wooden bed is covered in a green quilt, and beneath that, frozen-printed sheets that certainly don’t match. He has a tub of stuffed animals shoved against a small dresser.

Mark gets distracted by the framed picture on top of the dresser. It’s a picture of you and Graham’s father, a few months before you got pregnant. He’s smiling, and you’re holding up a peace sign. It makes Mark feel a bit sad, knowing that Graham’s dad never stayed around to see how wonderful he turned out to be. Then again, a lot of people in your life left as soon as they found out. In high school, no one wants to be friends with a teenage mother.

Mark reckons that if he had a family like this, he’d never take them for granted.

Graham pulls out a gemstone. It’s a murky green one that Mark has let him take home from class. “Do you remember this, Mr. Lee?”

Mark grins. “Yeah, bud. Thanks for keeping it so safe for me.”

Graham beams. He grabs Mark’s hand and pulls him towards his dresser. “Can we match? I want to look like you.”

Mark feels his heart swell. He wants to smother the young boy in affection, but he doesn’t want to cross a line. He’s your friend, sure, but he’s also Graham’s teacher. He can’t coddle Graham more than the other children. He already has a godchild to coddle. “I’m wearing yellow today. Do you have any yellow clothes?”

“Let’s look!” Graham yanks open one of the drawers and begins pulling out the articles of clothing one by one. “No, no, no... Here!” He finds a pair of yellow overalls, folded amongst the mess he made. “I’ll wear these!”

“Let’s clean up first, okay?” Mark grabs the overalls. “So it’s clean when you come home from school.”

Graham, looking like the last thing he’d ever want to do is disappoint Mark, begins to pick up each shirt with obvious intent. He tries to fold them, and does a somewhat decent job, so much so that Mark leaves it, thinking you’ll find it endearing rather than annoying.

He really loves that about you. He likes your patience with Graham. You’re so young, and in reality, he squashed so many early dreams of yours. No matter your lot in life, you never blamed your child. Mark thinks that’s why Graham is so open, so adaptable, so endearing.

He helps Graham get dressed and leaves him in his room so that he, himself, can get ready.

When he emerges from his shower, hair wet and clothed in yellow, he smells something amazing.

He doesn’t want to intrude on your morning with Graham. He already feels too indebted to you already.

“Have an omelet,” you say. Wisps of hair cover your face. You place a plate down in front of him.

Graham is already eating his omelet, slowly, while flipping through a picture book. He sounds out words he recognizes, but stays silent the rest of the time.

Mark takes out his phone and scrolls through his instagram feed just as your own phone begins to ring.

“Shit,” you curse, and then immediately apologize to Graham. You press the red button and tap anxiously on the tabletop.

“Everything okay?” Mark asks.

You run your hands over your hair and let them rest on the back of your neck. “Yeah is just—“

The phone rings again, and this time you pick it up. “What do you want? ... Why would you tell me that? ... Why should I care? ... Please stop contacting me, okay? Goodbye.”

You slam the phone down and leave the room. Mark watches you disappear down the hallway, sniffling.

“Mommy is upset,” Graham says. He looks at Mark, lip quivering. “At me?”

“No, Buddy! Of course not!” Mark reaches over the table to ruffle Graham’s curls. “Never at you.”

“When we tore up paper, she was crying.” Graham fiddles with his book page.

Mark wonders why your ex’s actions are being brought up five years later. Last he heard, you had fully healed from the breakup long before Graham’s first birthday. But now he’s about to be six, and you're suddenly upset?

He’ll have to ask you about it soon.

“Are you ready to go to school, Buddy?”

“Yeah!”

-

You cradle your face in your hands and try to ease the tears back in. You’ll never get this article proofread and sent if you can’t see the keys.

The door opens, and Graham runs in just in time for you to finish wiping your eyes. “Hey, kiddo! How was school?”

“Mr. Lee let us finger paint!” Graham holds up his palm, covered in dried paint, and grins brightly. “Can I have gogurt?”

“Yeah bud. Why don’t you put something on the T.V.? You can have your snack in the living room today.”

“Yes!” Graham takes blueberry gogurt out of the fridge and — after getting you to tear it open — runs into the living room. Sneakers and backpack still on.

Mark trails behind, clutching a messenger bag to his chest. “What’s going on?”

You sigh and close the laptop. The manuscript will have to wait. “Ben called. About a week ago. His girlfriend is pregnant. Called me to tell me he wasn’t going to leave her— like that would heal what he did to me. Then he called this morning to tell me they’re engaged.” You burst into tears then, and you feel so pathetic for doing this in front of your old schoolmate, that you hide your face behind your palms and allow your shoulders to shake. “Why weren’t we enough? Why wasn’t I enough?”

Mark scoots one of the chairs in front of you and sits, leaning his elbows on his knees. “Hey. Look at me.” With gentle hands, he grabs your wrists and pulls them away from your face. “It is not your fault he left.”

“But it has to be me in some way,” you retort. “He must not have loved me. Something, because now he’s going to raise her child after he left mine. Graham deserves a dad.”

Mark places his forehead against yours. The two of you used to do it all the time in school, mostly with immature giggles in the spaces between, but now it’s heavy with intention. “Graham has not felt even a little bit unloved in your care. You are all he needs, okay? You’re amazing.”

You nod, head still pressed to Mark’s. “Yeah. Okay. Sorry for getting too emotional, there.”

“Be as emotional as you want,” Mark says. “I’ll be here to balance you out.”

Your heart stutters at the words, like maybe they mean something more than he’s letting on. Of course it’s stupid to think Mark Lee would ever even consider you, but just the knowledge that he cares makes your soul feel a little lighter.

“I’m a mess,” you stutter, bringing your fist up to wipe at your nose.

“Nah,” Mark grins. He runs the pad of his thumb across your cheek and grins. “You’re alright.”

-

“It’s snowing!” Graham wakes Mark up by jumping on his chest.

Mark sucks in a breath, winded at the sudden weight, and grabs the boy, lifting him off of his chest and onto the mattress. “Hey, Buddy. Let’s not jump on sleeping people, okay?”

“Okay,” Graham says. He’s already lost interest in Mark, now crawling off of the bed to open the blinds. “Come look at the snow!”

“I see!” Mark rubs his tired eyes and checks his watch. “We might have a snow day, Graham.”

“Yes!” Graham pumps his fist into the air. “Let’s go tell mom!”

You’re sitting on your bed, chewing on a red licorice rope and flipping through a fashion magazine. You look up when Mark and Graham enter.

Mark likes seeing you like this: the domesticity of you in the morning, lazy and true. His chest sparks when he thinks this may be one of the only moments he can capture you like this, so he intends to commit the sight to memory.

“Did I hear snow day?” You grin at Mark, childlike wit in your own eyes — the same as your son’s.

“Looks like it.” Mark rolls up the sleeves of the sweater he slept in. “You want pancakes? I make some mean chocolate chip pancakes.”

You shift your gaze away from his arms and clear your throat. “Uh, yeah. Just let me get dressed and I’ll help—“

“No need,” Mark insists. “Enjoy your quiet time. Graham and I will make the most delicious pancakes you’ve ever tasted.”

“With lots of chocolate chips!” Graham shouts.

You give him a pointed look. “But not too many.”

Graham huffs. “But not too many,” he repeats.

-

Momentary splashes sound from your bathroom, followed by Graham screaming “It’s a dragon! Run for cover!”

Mark giggles from his place on the couch. He’s got mushroom-patterned socks on, and he’s tucked up into the cushions, nursing a can of Monster. “How does he still have so much energy?”

You sigh and pull your beanie down over your forehead. “You’d think a snow day would tire him out. Thanks for constantly carrying him up the hill, by the way. I know you’re a teacher, but sometimes I forget how good you are with kids.”

“I do have a godson,” Mark reminds you.

“But Mikey is a baby,” you say. You only know the baby’s name because of Mark’s constant snap stories about him.

“Most babies and kids want the same thing. Affection and attention.” Mark scoots over to the edge of the couch and pats the cushion.

You sit next to him. “I guess that’s true. You’re really good with Graham. He’s not this open to other adults.”

Mark is clearly blushing now; you can see his pink cheeks even in the light of the television. “He’s great in class, always helping the other kids.”

“He wants to impress you,” you say. You pop open a can of orange soda and take a sip. “He thinks you’re just the coolest guy.”

Mark laughs and shakes his head. “Didn’t you hear, Y/n? I’m handsome and cool.”

“Oh, of course,” you nudge his shin with our own sock-clad foot. “How could I forget? Mr. Ladies Man in high school.”

This makes Mark blush even harder, because he most certainly was not a ladies man in high school. In fact, he was a nerd in all senses of the word, part of the debate club with a few other boys. He had a few dates here and there, but nothing ever stuck.

“Shut up,” he mumbles. “My time is gonna come.”

“Hasn’t it already?” you ask before you can really process your own words. But of course he knows that he’s grown into his face, right?

Mark is positively handsome, eyes bright and lashes long. He’s so warm and comforting to you. He must be just as comforting to everyone else.

“What do you mean?”

“You’re handsome, Mark,” you say plainly.

“You mean that?”

“Of course I do,” you say. “Why would I lie?”

Mark opens his mouth, perhaps to call you out. To tell you you’ve been too honest, but he’s interrupted by your son.

“Mom! I’m ready to get out now!”

“I should go,” you say, still looking at his eyes.

“Yeah,” he says. His sweater has small spots on the shoulders where snow has fallen and since melted. He shivers.

“You should take a shower. You’ll catch a cold.”

“Okay,” he whispers. “Yeah, I’ll do that.”

-

Haechan comes over the following Saturday night to hang out with Mark, and you’re surprised at how much he truly hasn’t changed since high school.

He’s still got infamously perfect eyebrows, and his voice is still high despite its blunt sarcasm. “Nice place.” He raises his brows as he looks around.

“Who are you?” Graham is sitting at the kitchen table, watching Minecraft playthroughs (kid-friendly ones you’ve watched through yourself) on your phone to entertain himself while you clean.

“I’m Haechan, Mark’s friend.”

“This is Mr. Lee’s friend from school,” you say, detailing your words so they’re easier for your son to digest.

Graham stares at him for a moment, not quite judging but not quite accepting either. “Okay. Do you want to see my rock collection?”

Haechan looks genuinely excited, and accepts before you can come up with an excuse for him. Graham tells Haechan to stay in the kitchen while he grabs all of his rocks.

“How have you been?” you ask the taller man. “Like, with the flooding and everything?”

“Well, I’m on a couch at Taeyong’s, which is good since he doesn’t charge rent. But that means I’m near Mikey, and that baby has some lungs.”

You laugh. “I remember when Graham was a baby. I was so young, and my mom told me it was my responsibility to wake up and take care of him whenever he cried in the middle of the night. I was so pissed at her for making me do that, but those were some of the best nights to bond with him.” You realize you’re rambling and shake your head. “Whatever. Baby screams are loud as hell.”

“You can say that again. I’ve been talking to my friend Johnny about taking his spare room and paying rent. I dunno how many more sleepless nights I can take.”

“Why would you need to pay rent if you’re just crashing?” You wipe down the kitchen table to keep yourself busy.

“Didn’t Mark tell you? Our landlord is in heaps of trouble because the pipes weren’t up to code and that’s why they busted. The damage is basically too expensive to fix, so we’ve got to find new places.”

You stop cleaning. “Mark didn’t tell me that.”

“Oh.” Haechan scratches his brow. “He probably didn’t want to worry you. He feels really bad that he’s stayed with you this long.”

“It’s only been a month or so,” you counter. “Besides, Mark’s a great housemate. He cleans and keeps Graham occupied. Plus, now I have someone to watch corny game shows with.”

Haechan grins. “Oh. Okay, I get it.”

“Get what?” Mark, finally out of the shower, steps into the kitchen and immediately tackles Haechan in an energized hug.

“Nothing!” Haechan’s voice cracks

You shoot Haechan a weird look, and change the subject. “Where are you guys going?”

“To play video games at Johnny’s.” Mark says, and the thrill in his voice makes you think of high school. Of the debate team bus rounding the corner. Of you standing there, waiting to congratulate him with a big hug and a frosty from Wendy’s.

You miss it. “Have fun, okay? I’m probably going to tuck in as soon as Graham does, so just let yourself in.”

“You’re leaving?” Graham comes in, and his arms are filled with smooth and rough stones and gems he’s both found by himself and bought at random general stores while traveling.

“Not before I see your rocks!” Haechan says with so much enthusiasm, you think he’s telling the truth.

Graham giggles and drops the rocks onto the ground. Of course, he wants your guest to sit on the floor and count rocks. You’re almost embarrassed.

“ ‘ Okay, Y/n?” Mark laughs at your expression. Then he places his arm on your shoulder, thumbs the skin of your upper arm.

And once again, it’s high school. It’s senior year graduation and Mark is the only one who congratulates you. It’s his comforting touch, him coming over in the middle of the night after you texted him a picture of your first sonogram. It’s that same comforting touch. That little “I’m here,” and it melts you on the inside, leaves you in the shell of an eighteen girl again. Scared, and worried, and a little less alone.

“Yeah,” you manage. “I’m okay.”

-

The television plays Cartoon Network reruns on a low hum. Mark is curled up in a blanket, nursing a bottle of water and thinking over Haechan’s words.

You’ve liked her since high school, dude.

Which is a complete lie. Seriously, Mark didn’t have a crush on you in high school. He would know if he had a crush on his best friend. You’ve been his friend since freshman year, and that’s all you’ve ever been.

Now in college, it was different. In college, Mark was alone in a dorm with Taeyong, and you were one of the only people from high school he stayed in contact with. In college, he would bring you your favorite snacks and drinks, and other things you would forget to buy because you were a part-time student and a full-time mom. In college, you would pull all-nighters with him, working on your exams while Graham was asleep, then using energy drinks to get through the next day.

Mark even remembers the time your mom caught the three of you fast asleep on your rug, with unopened monster cans and an empty milk bottle beside you.

Throughout your entire pregnancy he was warned not to stay friends with the pregnant girl — it’d be too much for him, he wouldn’t want to become the new father, and all kinds of other stuff people would mumble to him when you weren’t around.

But you never expected him to be anything other than your friend. You never asked him for the help he gave — though you thanked him always — and you never once assumed he’d take the role of Graham’s dad.

And now… now he finds himself wishing you would.

“Mr. Lee?” Graham creeps up without him even realizing.

Mark jumps, sets his water — and thoughts — aside. “Hey, Bud. It’s really late. What are you doing up?”

Graham sniffs, and Mark realizes that the boy is crying. “I had a nightmare.”

Mark holds out his arms before he can think, and lets the five-year-old crawl into his lap. He wraps them both in his blanket and turns the television up just a little more. “Was it scary?”

“You left.” Graham says, voice less watery, like he doesn’t know the weight of his words. He’s focused on the rerun of Adventure Time that’s playing. He’s not even remotely interested in his nightmare now, with his tears dried up, and his eyes drooping back towards slumber.

“I’m going to leave one day,” Mark says, because he thinks it’s important that Graham knows.

“You should stay with me and Mom,” Graham says. He yawns. “We like you so much!”

Mark’s heart stutters. He tries not to think about it.

-

When Graham’s bed is empty the next morning, you freak out. He’s always in his room in the morning. Even if he wakes up before you, he stays in and plays with his toys.

You’ve already got your phone out, and your mother’s number called, when you walk into the living room.

Relief floods your system. Mark and Graham are asleep on the couch, snuggled up serenely like they didn’t just cause you to have a premature heart attack.

You hang up before the call to your mom can go through and stand there, watching the two boys sleep. Graham has both his arms wrapped around Mark’s forearm. It’s such a sweet picture that you take out your phone and snap one.

The flash is on.

Mark scrunches his nose and winces. “What the–”

“Sorry!” You whisper. “You both looked so cute, I couldn’t help it.”

Mark smiles, still sleepy, and finally opens his eyes. He peers at you, copper brown under fluttering lashes and you’re almost intimidated into looking away. “He had a nightmare.”

“Oh?”

“About me leaving.”

“Oh.” You frown. “I’m really sorry about that. I keep telling him that you’re moving out soon, but I don’t think he fully understands.”

Graham stirs. You reach down and pick him up. Your knuckles brush across Mark’s warm, sweater-clad chest and you suddenly wish you could cuddle with him, too. You shake the thoughts away and focus on your drowsy son. “You’re staying at Grandma's for a few days, remember?”

Graham rubs his eyes and perks up. “And I’ll see her cat?”

“Yes,” you confirm. “But we’ve got to get you dressed because she’s coming in a few minutes.”

-

“Mark Lee!” Your mom’s voice embarrassingly rings through the apartment, and you realize Mark has taken it upon himself to open the door. “Y/n told me she had a temporary roommate but I never thought she would finally ask you!”

“Oh my gosh…” you mumble, buckling Graham’s overalls and hauling him up into your arms. “Mom! His apartment flooded so he’s staying here. Don’t be weird about it.”

“But he’s so handsome,” your mom coos. You’re concerned she might reach forward and pinch Mark’s already ruddy cheeks.

“Thanks,” Mark laughs. “But she’s right, I’m just squatting until I can find a new place.”

Your mom harrumphs. “Well, I don’t see why you can’t stay here forever. Y/n doesn’t even use that office room. And even if she did, the two of you could just share a room.”

“Mom!” You plunk Graham into her hands and grab his overnight bag. “You have to leave.”

“Did I say something wrong?” She sounds worried, but there’s an undisclosed mirth in her eyes that makes you think of your freshman year, when you did have a crush on Mark.

“You said everything wrong,” you say, kindly pushing her out. “Have a good time, Graham. I love you! As always, Mom, call if you need me to come get him.”

“Yeah, right!” She yells over her shoulder. Graham is already giggling, so you close the door with confidence.

You turn back to your roommate. “I’m sorry about that, Mark.”

“It’s fine.” He smiles, but it’s reserved. “But speaking of me finding a place… I know Haechan told you that I can’t go back to my own apartment. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner.”

“It’s okay,” you say. You want to say “You can stay here as long as you want, and long as you’ll let me keep you,” but that would reveal too much, and you don’t want to lose the one good friend you have.

“And I was thinking I should move out soon anyway.” Mark pulls his sweater sleeves until they cover his hands. He’s hiding. He’s shielding himself the same way he did in junior year, when he got turned down by his crush to go to the prom. “I don’t think it’s good for Graham to get this attached to me if I’m just going to leave.”

“Oh,” Your sleeves are too short, but you want to shield yourself too. “Yeah, that’s… that’s probably a good idea.”

Mark stands there for a beat, like he’s waiting for you to say something more. Like he hasn’t just taken your heart and pushed it aside. Like this hurts a lot less than it actually does.

But any word out of your mouth would be tearful. It would be honest. It would ruin everything. “I’m going to go on a run.”

-

There’s a cricket outside that won’t stop chirping against your window. You blame it for your insomnia, choosing to ignore the anxiety of eventually losing Mark. It feels so horribly childish, since you’ll see him when you drop Graham off at school. And you’ll see him whenever the two of you go out for coffee on weekends.

But you won’t see him in the kitchen, reaching for the pancake mix so his shirt rises up and you can see the dimples in his back. You won’t see him humming along to the radio while he works on his lesson plans. You won’t feel his warmth when the two of you stay awake, nursing spiked lemonade and giggling at the commentary videos you find on YouTube.

He’ll just be Mark again. He won’t be home anymore.

Startled by the realization, you get out of your covers and rush to your door.

It opens before you can even reach for the doorknob, and there’s Mark in his pajamas, biting his lip and avoiding your eyes.

“I don’t want you to leave,” you say.

Mark confesses, “I love you.”

You open your arms and he dives in, face pressed into the space where your neck meets your shoulder. Warmth envelopes you and the scent of pine fills your nose.

Mark is timeless. Youthful glory and childish pride. He’s a pinch on the side and a push on the swings. Like a rock that actually skips on the first try. Like shoes that you can slip on when they’re still tied. And he’s here, in your arms, squeezing you like you’re something valuable enough to lose. He’s confessing love like you aren’t the worst possible candidate for his heart.

“I can’t offer you much,” you start, but Mark bumps his forehead against yours, boyish and playful — football fields and bright red lockers and secret notes on bathroom walls.

“I’ve known you for years, Y/n,” Mark’s voice is a low rumble. Copper eyes blinking at you like you’re something to second glance at. “I know what I’m getting into. I want you. I want Graham. I want everything this is, and everything we’ve been for the past month. I don’t want this to end.”

You close your eyes, because his are too honest. He’s open and vulnerable and gentle — a child on the first day of school, ready to make friends. You take a deep breath, try to remember what you were like on your first day. Rosy cheeks and shy glances. Knobby knees and a trusting heart. You reach out for whoever you once were — the Y/n with a heart open and willing to be loved. “I don’t want this to end either. I’m in love with you, Mark.”

His grin lights up your world in its entirety. Gold flecks in onyx black disappear as he smiles, too thrilled to keep his eyes open. And when he kisses you, warm lips against cold ones, you feel like a puzzle has just slotted into place.

It would only make sense that you would grow to love the boy you grew up with.