#also like. how... how was she allowed to post this

[motorsportbarbie13]

A Package Deal - Part 2

In which something a little more serious and a lot more meaningful than either of you anticipated starts to blossom between you and your curly haired crush.

Warnings: nothing, this is so tooth achingly fluffy, you may need a trip to the dentist afterwards. Pairing: Lando x SingleMom!Reader Word Count: 5.3k (oops)

Master List

(quick note in case anyone is paying super close attention. i switched the job reader has at McLaren to fit this bit of plot in. I think switched all mentions over in part one, but just in case you notice the different job title, that was on purpose :) )

yourusername (private) posted:

110 likes liked by landonorris, BFFSarah, coworkerMolly, and others yourusername scenes from the longest winter break ever landonorris is Stella baking me more cookies??? >>>yourusername she gave all gingerbread men mullets 'just like lando', what do you think? >>>landonorris thats my girl!! coworkerMolly that skirt on you is INSANE btw >>>yourusername ;)

The holidays slip away in a blur of presents and hot cocoa dates with Stella so fast that before you know it, school is beginning again and you're forced back into the office on a regular basis. With the way the holidays fell this year, you ended up taking nearly two weeks of annual leave between Christmas and New Years and while you appreciated the time off to reset and battle burnout your job inevitably brought on, by the time you dropped Stella off at school that first morning, you were near ecstatic with relief.

You didn't want to admit it to anyone, not even barely to yourself, but you also had missed Lando. He'd spent Christmas at his parents for a few days before jetting off to somewhere gorgeous and warm with his friends and while he texted you near constantly, you often found yourself wondering what he was doing. You hated how much you looked forward to the chime on your phone alerting you to a new text but even more, you hated how much your heart stuttered in your chest every time you saw it was his name that was lighting up your phone.

You had told Sarah about running into Lando at Harrods that Saturday and then made the mistake of telling her that he had bought the booster seat (downright refusing to allow you to even split the cost it with him) and driven you home. She had grinned like a cat with warm milk, saying she knew something was going on but was wildly excited when you told her about the drive home.

Like you had predicted, Stella had been fast asleep by the time Lando had merged onto the freeway. She had stayed sound asleep even after you had reached your house, Lando allowing his Range Rover to idle for nearly twenty minutes in your driveway as you chatted. The conversation was quiet, neither of you wanting to wake a sleeping Stella but it flowed as easily as champagne on New Years Eve.

As you sat in the passengers seat of the SUV you couldn't help the way your mind wandered into the 'what ifs' of what was happening here. What if everything hadn't been ruined the moment Lando found out that Stella was yours? What if that, despite everything being against you, this was the time it all worked out. They were dangerous thoughts, especially for a single mom who couldn't allow her heart to be compromised. There was another heart that had to be taken into consideration: Stella's fragile six year old heart. So when Lando had started allowing his gaze to wander down to your lips and leaning almost imperceptably closer towards you with each passing moment, you had ignored his advances. You didn't want to, but you were scared. The what if's scared you but the what ifs not working out scared you even more.

You had slipped out of the car before anything could happen, thankful for the fact that Stella began to finally stir after nearly 30 minutes of you and Lando talking.

After that night, the texting had started and while Lando hadn't visted the MTC since, he had made a point to check in with you a few times each day. He didn't want to get ahead of himself, reminding himself of how you had ever so subtly rejected his advances the night he had taken you and Stella home.

As he had been analyzing the evening the next day with Max, his best friend had all but warned him off of you. 'Being with a single mom is a challenge that I don't think you're up for, mate.' Had been his warning, a warning that Lando had so far, chosen to ignore. He knew it was kind of a crazy thing to consider, especially with the lifestyle that he had become accustomed to over the last few years, but there was something magnetic about you. The way you sacrificed everything in order to make sure Stella was taken care of. The way you took on everything solo despite having a solid support system, because you didn't want to be a burden to anyone. The way you still managed to find magic in a life that had to be full of heartache and difficulties.

You were a magnetic force to be reckoned with and the fact that you had opened up to Lando that night in the car while Stella slept soundly in his back seat was something that he cherished.

It was also why he found himself nervously pacing outside of Sarah's office one January morning after he had returned from his vacation in Finland. The new season was fast approaching and it was time to get down to business and spend more time in the sim and at the MTC, making sure he was ready to give everything for the 2025 season. But he also had other reasons to be at the MTC even more: you.

Sarah is in her office that chilly January morning when she hears shuffling outside her door. It's propped open so all it takes is a quick peek outside. "Lando?" She calls, spying the driver hovering outside her door, hands shoved deep into his pockets as he paced the empty corridor.

"Oh. Hi. Sorry." Lando pushes his curls off his face, stepping into the brightly lit office. "Am I interrupting? I can totally come back..."

Sarah nearly laughs at the anxious energy radiating off of Lando but manages to quell it, not wanting to spook him. "No, it's fine. What can I do for you?"

"I...well..." Lando cards his hand hand through his hair once again, searching for the right words. He hadn't gotten the best reception from Max when he opened up about his feelings for you, so he was really nervous about what your best friend was going to say. He didn't want to get told off by her too. "I was wondering if I could ask you for a favor?"

Sarah smirks. "Does this favor have to do with our favorite single mom who works down the hall?"

Lando goes crimson at the question but a bit of him feels relieved at the smile that plays on Sarah's face. "Uh...It does actually. I was wondering if you would be willing to babysit Stella Saturday night so I could take her out to dinner and maybe a movie or something."

Sarah pushes away from her desk, the look on her face transforming from smug to soft admiration. "You really like her, don't you?"

Lando nods earnestly, "I do. Stella kind of threw me for a loop there at first but after spending time with them before Christmas..." He drops the rest of the sentence then, not sure if he should be opening up this much to your best friend. She probably knew how you felt about him already but it was a natural reaction for him to keep his feelings closely held. "I know our lifestyles are not exactly...compatible but she's amazing and I just want to spend more time with her."

"You'd be lucky to land a girl like her, Lando." Sarah observes, leaning back in her chair. "And while I agree, your lifestyles are radically different, I think you two could be good for each other."

"Yeah?" Lando's voice is a wash of relief, having expected to face the same criticism that he had faced from Max.

"Yeah, I do. I'd be happy to take Stella for the night as long as she's okay with it. Have you asked her?"

Lando shakes his head. "I wanted to make sure you were okay with it first."

"Can I give you some advice though?" When Lando nods, Sarah continues. "You're going to have to be patient with her. She's been through a lot and she has a lot on her shoulders. She doesn't need someone adding to that load. She needs someone who's going to help her carry that load, take some things off her shoulders. And if that's not something you think you can do, don't even start anything with her. If you're not all in with her and Stella, please don't pursue anything further, okay?"

Lando leans against the door frame, taking in your best friend's words. "I'd never do anything to add to what she already carries." He says softly and Sarah grins.

"Good. Tell her I'll take Stella for one of our famous sleepovers, yeah? Treat her well, Lando. I don't want to have to kick your ass if you hurt her."

"Thanks, Sarah. I'd never hurt her, I promise."

"Good. Now get, I think she's leaving after lunch today to get Stella for a dentist appointment. She should still be in her office though."

yourusername (private) posted a story:

replies: BFFSarah oh my GODDDDDDDD! you're going to give the poor boy a heart attack. >>>yourusername stoppppp, i'm so nervous. >>>BFFSarah not as nervous as he was when he was in my office on Tuesday asking me to babysit Stella ;) landonorris well hello pretty girl. is that outfit for me? >>>yourusername maybe ;)

"Wait, so you were the one who came up with the idea for that tire deg prediction program?" Lando stares at you from across the table, jaw nearly hitting the white linen tablecloth.

You blush into your wine, not good at taking compliments. The small Italian restaurant that Lando had booked a table at was quiet and cozy, allowing both of you to focus on the person sitting across from you and not anything else. It was nice, getting out of the house without Stella in tow. As much as you adored your daughter and valued every single second spent with her, sometimes it was really nice to have some time away. You were on your second glass of wine and your head was buzzing delightfully, the look on Lando's face as you fell into conversation about the work you were so passionate about sent something that felt a lot like desire curling deep in your belly.

"That was me. I'm actually working on an improved model for the upcoming season. More inputs like weather and historical degradation data should help the model give Andrea and the team a better idea of when the ideal pit window for you and Oscar will be in real time."

Lando just stares at you, dumbfounded. He had known bits and pieces of your job from the time he spent accosting you with questions over the last six months but he had never realized how deeply ingrained you were in his weekend routine already. "That program helped me win Miami last year." He says, totally awestruck.

You fidget under his attention, barely hiding a smile. When you had stumbled upon data analytics and predictive modeling in your first semester of uni all those years ago, you had never imagined it would lead to you writing a program that helped an F1 team predict how and when the tires were going to go off during a race. It was just one of many projects you had worked on in your two years at McLaren but it was absolutely the one you were most proud of.

"Well, hopefully with the improved modeling system I've been working on, we can get you and Oscar onto that top step more this year. I have a meeting with Zak and Andrea next week actually to discuss putting more resources into it so we can further develop it."

"I don't know how you can improve on it, the data I've seen it produce is already wildly helpful." Lando has to resist the urge to cover your hand with his, the need to touch you suddenly overwhelming.

He had been so nervous tonight while driving over to your house to pick you up for dinner, it was a wonder he hadn't ended up in a ditch or something. Stella had already been whisked away by Sarah by the time he got to your house, but there was a (albeit a bit stale) gingerbread man with a curly mullet left on the counter for him. 'Stella gave me strict instructions to make sure you get your cookie.' You had informed him, face serious with the task at hand.

Now that you were sat across from him, plate of food sat half eaten in front of you, Lando found himself not as nervous as he thought he'd be. The butterflies were still there and he had to constantly keep the desire to lace his fingers with yours in check, but the way you had made him feel calm and comfortable during the time he visited you in your office before had simply transferred to dinner tonight. He'd never felt more at ease with someone who made him so nervous before and while it was an uneasy feeling, it also felt like the most natural thing in the world.

"I didn't realize anyone beyond the strategy team used the models." You admit.

Lando likes the way your cheeks flush under his praise, even if you're still refusing to meet his eyes while he compliments you.

"Will and I go over all that data after session. With how unpredictable the tires can be from day to day, I really depend on that information."

"Well, I'm glad my little data project is doing its job." You say simply, before taking another bite out of the food before you.

The rest of dinner passes in casual conversation and meaningful looks exchanged over drinks and dessert. If having dinner with Lando and Stella in London had been fun, this dinner was certainly a more intimate affair. It wasn't until your third glass of wine that you settled into the feeling that there could be something between you and Lando, allowing the fear to take a back seat even for just one night.

"Can I ask you something?" You ask boldly while dessert is being placed in front of you.

"Anything."

And he means it.

"I know the first time you found your way into my office was by mistake but I've always wondered why you kept coming back. I mean, my office is literally on the opposite side of any place you'd ever be normally."

"Besides the fact that you're the prettiest girl I've ever seen in my life?" He flirts shamelessly, the alcohol in his system making him braver than he really felt.

"Lan..." You scold, fighting the urge to roll your eyes.

Lando chuckles and finally loses the battle he's been fighting all dinner. He reaches across the table and slips his fingers into the spaces between yours, rubbing his thumb over the soft skin of your hand. The spark that ignites when he touches you has the breath catching in the back of your throat. "Because you talked to me like a normal person. It was right around the time the championship race was heating up, as manufactured by the press as it was. The team was a bit in shambles and I just felt really unsupported."

He doesn't have to say it, but you instinctively know he's talking about the Hungary race earlier in the year. The Wednesday after that race, Lando had popped up in your office first thing in the morning and had sat across from you until well after lunch. The way his shoulders hunched and he kind of just folded himself into the desk chair that you now kept specifically for him had broken your heart.

"You never asked me about racing or the championship or anything like that. You let me talk and ask questions about your job and I was just able to forget the outside world for a bit. I was never Lando Norris, McLaren Formula 1 driver competing with Max Verstappen with you. I was just 'Lan'. I really appreciated that, especially during the second half of the season."

You had become his safe space was what he wanted to say but fear kept that bit of information from passing his lips. For now.

The warmth of Lando's fingers tangled with yours travels through your entire body. "I'm glad I helped." You murmur, heat pooling low in your belly at the look he's giving you from across the table.

"More than you know."

"Okay. No, I understand. Yes, she was fine when I dropped her off this morning. Okay. Yes, thank you. Tell her I'm leaving work right now, I'll be there in about twenty minutes. Thank you, Ms. Rose."

Panic floods your chest as you stare at the computer screen in front of you. "Fuck." You whisper, frantically looking up the phone number for Zak's personal assistant. "Fuck. Fuck. Fuck."

"That is a lot of swearing for 10 in the morning on a Wednesday."

Your eyes fly from your computer screen to the door of your office where Lando stands, leaning against the doorframe looking unreasonably handsome in a green jumper and jeans. You couldn't admire him for long though, panic returning to the front of your mind as you desperately try to figure out what you're going to do.

"Stella's school just called." Lando immediately crosses the room and sits down in 'his' chair, as he's begun to think it. Ever since your date last Saturday night, he hasn't been able to get you off his mind. He's been at the MTC every morning this week, something that even Zak noticed this morning and made a comment about him being extra dedicated to getting the new season started off on the right foot. If only he knew the real motivation for being around all the time now. He couldn't even remember the last time he'd spent any time back at his other apartment in Monaco.

"Everything okay?"

"No, she's running a fever. They need me to come get her except remember that meeting with Zak and Andrea I told you about? It's in..." Your eyes flicker back to your computer screen before bouncing back up to meet Lando's concerned gaze. "Fifteen minutes. I'm going to have to cancel and God knows when I'm ever going to get this kind of face time with either of them before the start of the season. Without their support, the upgrades to that tire deg model I want to make will basically be dead in the water."

Normally, you handle the pressures of being a single mom pretty well. You realize your career trajectory is a little different than normal, with you being unable to work late or travel extensively or do any of the other things that usually help with job advancement and you made your peace with that a long time ago. You make enough to provide very comfortably for Stella, so when you're passed over for promotions or unable to dedicate extra time, you're usually fine with it. Not today though.

"I've been prepping for this meeting for weeks. Weeks, Lando. Sarah is on annual leave in Spain and my dad is in London today with a client, there is literally no one else to go get her. Today of all fucking days." Tears threaten to spill over, you're so frustrated. You've worked so hard to get this meeting and now it's all going to go to waste.

"I'll go get her." The way Lando says it has shock slicing through your heart, quick as a knife. He says it so casually, like you're silly for not even considering him.

"What? No, Lando, I can't ask that of you."

"You're not asking, I'm offering." Lando stands, pulling out his phone. "Text me the address of her school and I'll go get her. I drove my Rover this morning and guess what I still have in the back seat?" A brilliant smile flashes across his face.

Something stills in your chest at the fact that Lando left your daughter's booster seat in his car after all these weeks.

"Lan..."

"I don't want to hear any more arguments, mama."

Well that was certainly something you'd have to unpack your reaction to later.

"Are you sure?" You bite at your lower lip and Lando has to physically restrain himself from kissing you right there in your office. Something which he still hasn't done, as much as it was killing him. After dinner the other night he had wanted to kiss you more than anything but he hadn't wanted to rush you, Sarah's words echoing in his head. How he needed to be patient with you and how you'd bene through so much the past few years so he had chickened out, erring on the side of caution and had settled for a hug and quick press of his lips to your cheek instead. He had regretted it every moment since dropping you off at your door that night.

"Absolutely. Now, go call Ms. Rose back and tell her Lando Norris is coming to get Ms. Stelly Belly. Do you have a spare key for me? I'll take her back to your place and we'll watch movies 'til you can get home."

An unfamiliar sense of calm settles over you at the sound of confidence in Lando's voice. You don't let just anyone take care of Stella, especially when she's sick. Really, the only other two people that you'd ever trust with her are Sarah and your dad. That list now was a list of three, you supposed.

"Okay." You reply weakly. "Thank you, Lando. Seriously. I don't know how I'm ever going to repay you."

"Go get ready for your meeting, pretty girl." Without a second look, Lando turns and walks out of your office. Moments after he gets into the lift to head to his car, his phone chimes with a text from you giving him the address to Stella's school.

A few hours later, you slot the key to your front door in the lock, swinging the door open as quietly as you can manage. From the entryway, you can hear the TV playing in the living room on the other side of the house.

Just in case Stella is asleep, you don't announce your presence opting to tip toe towards where you think Lando and Stella will be instead. The sight that greets you when you finally spy them has your heart clenching painfully, stealing the breath straight out of your lungs. The couch is perpendicular to where you stand, so you can just see Lando's profile as he sits, cheek tilted down resting gently on Stella's head as he watched Frozen playing on the TV in front of him. Stella is cuddled up in his lap, her arms thrown around his shoulders and her little head is buried deep in the crook of his neck. Lando's arms are wrapped securely around your little girl as he cradles her to his chest.

You rub at your sternum, desperatly trying to massage the ache that has settled there at the way Stella is curled up into Lando for comfort. You've never seen her do this with anyone other than you. Not even Sarah.

Lando senses when you walk into the room, having not even heard the door open moments before. Stella sleeps soundly against him, her warm breath tickling at the space between his neck and shoulders. They hadn't been home longer than twenty minutes when Stella had started to cry because she felt so poorly. When Lando had offered her a cuddle to make her feel better until you could get home, Stella had crawled right up into his lap and fell asleep before Anna even had a chance to build that snowman.

He was surprised at how comfortable this felt, with Stella seeking comfort from him. How easily it had come for him to just wrap his arms around her frame so she'd stop crying. He was pretty sure he'd do anything to get your little girl to stop feeling sad.

Lando turns to you after a few moments and smiles. Something passes between you then, with Stella asleep in front of you. It's powerful and reassuring and everything that you've been waiting for since the day you had realized you'd be raising Stella on your own.

"I think I finally got her fever down." Lando whispers, not wanting to wake Stella up.

"Oh my gosh, I didn't even tell you where the paracetamol is in the house." Your hand flies back to your throat in horror.

"It's okay. Stella told me where it was. My mom helped me figure out the dosage for her."

"Your mom?" You squeak, swaying on your feet.

Lando chuckles. That had been an interesting call. He hadn't had the time to explain to her exactly why he was asking for help to figure out how much paracetamol to give Stella but he was panicked, the school being unable to give her a dose of anything and her fever was going up. She had been confused, but helped without further question.

"It's fine. We got it figured out and then I turned Frozen on and she fell asleep pretty quick after that. I haven't found the thermometer yet but she feels a lot cooler than she did earlier."

For a moment, all you can do is stare at Lando. It unnerved you how comfortable he was with her. Not in a bad way but in a completely unexpected way that had goosebumps littering your skin.

"How'd the meeting go?" Lando breaks the silence after a few moments.

Your eyes snap from Stella's sleeping frame to meet Lando's gaze. He made no attempt to move Stella off his lap or hand her over, just kept his arms securely around her while he waited patiently for your answer. He could tell you were trying to wrap your head around what you were looking at and he was hoping it was a good thing. He knew you weren't used to people stepping up for you, the close inner circle you kept was very small, but he hoped that after today you'd maybe let him in a little more.

"Oh..." You pause, struggling to focus on anything other than the sight in front of you. "Good actually! Zak was super impressed with what I've got done so far. He wants me to go to Bahrain later in the month for testing with the team to test the program first hand. And he wants me to go to a few races too"

"Baby," Lando coos, reaching out a hand to capture your fingers with his. Your heart squeezes at the pet name as you barely hold in the squeal at the nickname. "I'm so proud of you, that's amazing."

Tears threaten at the edge of your vision. It had been a long time since someone other than your own father had told you that they were proud of you. "I called my dad and him and my step mom are going to watch Stella whenever I need to travel and whatever they can't cover, I'm going to hire a nanny."

It had been Zak's idea to hire the nanny, a suggestion that nearly bowled you over when he made it. He knew your situation and had wanted to make sure that you were able to travel while being comfortable with leaving Stella with someone.

"Zak offered me a raise to help offset the cost of hiring someone." You say quietly, reflecting on how insistent the man had been when you waffled at the thought of traveling more this season.

The thought of getting to travel with you this season, even if it was solely for work, was so appealing to Lando it was a little silly. He had been thinking the other night how much it was going to suck having to travel so much this year just as things were getting started with you. He usually loved losing himself in the season, not having anything hold him back or weigh him down from enjoying the constant moving and sleeping in different hotel rooms every weekend. But as the season had approached and the prospect of spending less time with you had started to become a reality, the thought of the start of the season had filled Lando with a bit of dread and anxiety.

You just sat there for a moment, smiling over at Lando and Stella as he grinned back at you. It was a comfortable silence as that same feeling from earlier crackled through the air. Like something was being set into motion today that neither of you quite understood but both knew was the start of something important.

"It's almost dinner time. Why don't you go put her down in her bed, she sleeps like this whenever she's sick, and I'll make us dinner?" You suggest finally, realizing your stomach is begging to be fed.

Lando follows your suggestion and within a few minutes, is joining you in the kitchen as you bustle about trying to figure out what to make. "I was going to make some chicken noodle soup, I think I have everything for it and Stella loves it when she's sick."

"Considering I was going to be ordering take away tonight, anything you want to feed me is good." Lando murmurs, coming to stand behind you at the counter as you peel some carrots and chop the onions.

His arms slip around your waist and you can't help but lean back into his warmth for a moment, enjoying the way the heat of his body seeps into your muscles. Lando nuzzles into the crook of your neck, breathing in the scent of you as deeply as he can, trying to commit your scent to memory. He wants to remember every little detail about this evening, something calm and steady settling into his bones as he gets a glimpse of what could be.

"You're distracting me." You mumble, the heat of Lando's breath tickling the sensitive skin at your neck.

"I"m sorry, but you're a constant distraction to me so consider it payback."

You chuckle, putting down the knife so you can spin around to face Lando instead. Your arms snake up his body before you clasp them behind his neck, enjoying the way he melts even further into your body now that you're closer.

"Thank you for coming to my rescue today." You whisper, voice raspy with emotion as you think about how much Lando's done for you in the short time you've been spending time with him.

Lando bumps his nose with yours and grins, the way you feel in his arms is something he's never experienced before. "I'd do anything for you and Stella, you know that."

"After today, I certainly do."

The look Lando gives you turns your core molten and you struggle to catch your breath. Gazing up at him through your lashes, you drop your gaze down to his lips before they flit right back up to those green blue watercolor eyes that always seem to find you wherever you are lately. Before you can steady yourself, he's leaning forward eyes locked on yours. The smile that sits at the corner of his mouth is so utterly enticing, you nearly forget your own name.

When Lando covers your lips with his for the first time, you swear you see stars. Gold bursts of light spark behind your closed lids, your entire world stuttering down to the way Lando kisses you. It's full of promise and longing and the smokey taste of desire. Your hands tangle through his curls on their own accord as you desperately try to get impossibly closer to him, losing all sense of decorum and control with just a simple kiss.

When he pulls away, Lando is satisfied at the heavy lidded look you stare up at him with, heart hammering in his chest like he's just finished the Singapore Grand Prix.

"I've been thinking about that since I left you at the door on Saturday without kissing you." He confesses, forehead tipping forward to rest on yours.

Emotion clogs your throat as you struggle for a response. Warmth pools deep in your belly as you settle on just a simple nod in response, knowing that Lando will instinctivly be able to tell that you feel the same. Silence fills the kitchen, comfortable and easy as Lando kisses you again. Both of you could feel it with that second kiss, this thing happening between you on this random Wednesday afternoon and both of you were secretly scared to death at what this was going to mean for every facet of your lives.

Tag list: @shelbyteller , @formulaal @martygraciesversion381 @longhairkoo @samantha-chicago @stelena-klayley @dark-night-sky-99 @luckylampzonkland @chlmtfilms @aykxz98 @forensicheart @cheer-bear-go-vroom @lieutenantchaos @willowsnook @sltwins @linnygirl09 @meglouise00 @mixedstyles @strawberryy-kiwii @secret-agents-stole-my-bunnies @mrosales16 @charlesgirl16 @leclercdream @eloriis @daemyratwst @dramaticpiratellamas @mochimommy2002 @bibissparkles @llando4norris @chelseyyouraverageluigi @iamaunknownsecret @maxivstappen @imlonelydontsendhelp @nina-or-anna-or-nora @a1leexxa @littlegrapejuice @sunflowervol18 @freyathehuntress @finn-dot-com @swiftie-4-lifes-stuff @chirasama @lauralarsen @dr3wstarkey @saskiaalonso @rbv3rstappen @ilovechickenwings @guaaafiiburg @mcmuppet @glitteryturtledeer @mindless-rock @piastri-fvx

[zodiac-blood]

Like as someone who would definitely fall under the category of "is asexual with no sexual attraction but still does it anyway" I completely understand the notion of "hey it's nice to understand that not all ace people are sex repulsed" but also as someone who also considers themself gay (in a mlm way) (in a tertiary attraction kinda way) and has a girlfriend its like. But I've never seen anyone say any of the gay men in media I relate to can also date women without feeling attracted to them. Its like.... So??? Give me a reason aroaces are the only time there are exceptions that are respected that ISN'T just the the amatonormative idea of ""dating & sex is just natural"" and that allowing this exception means people can still center their stories around dating and sex.

This probably is because allo queers, even if being queer, can still abide by the amatonormative idea of "everyone needs to want/pursue a relationship and (romantic&sexual) love is the most important feeling", so even if yes, a gay man is not abiding by the cishet standards of attraction he can still have a "normal" love story of falling in love and pursuing that interest. Also additionally that aroaces fall outside of the "sexuality binary" (the weird idea that the only sexualities are "exclusive attraction to men" and "exclusive attraction to women" and that anything outside of that is not valid) A romance & sex repulsed Aroace cannot fufil any part of the amatonormative expectation and so exceptions are only allowed in the case that it makes the most important thing about their life still center around romance and sexuality. (Of course- exceptions aren't normally allowed like the fact no one gets I can be gay and have a girlfriend but that exceptions not accepted because it doesn't fit the sexuality binary)

Cause like. Most Allos can understand/relate to the concept of not feeling attracted to a certain gender (like het men don't feel attracted to men but can understand the concept of a gay man not feeling attracted to women under the basis of "its like me but reversed") but they don't have any point of easy reference to relate to no attraction at all so they don't really even try. If they can't relate to it then they don't feel the need to change their worldview to allow it.

Anyway as I said; I would fall under the category of "aroace that is in a relationship" (and not even because of the tertiary attraction) so I totally understand there are people who are like me. And yes I think having that sort of relationship is valid- I mean I'm literally living in one- but its very telling that every aroace character always has this same exact debate but you don't see ANY discussion about biromantic homosexuals or any form of split attraction and dating without attraction in allo characters.

Unfortunately I don't know that many canonically aroace characters- other than Percy (canon ace and Jello said she may also be aro) & Howie (aroace) from Epithet Erased and Lilith (aroace) from the Owl House. Didn't get into toh fan spaces so idk about that but I know I definitely have seen posts about shipping Howie and Percy (sometimes together bc of their rivalry - but other ships are more common.) And yeah Percy is only stated to be ace and "potentially aro" and not explicitly aroace- still definitely have seen many a Percy x Howie or explicitly sexual Ramsey x Percy / Zora x Percy going around so :v

Even if I am in a relationship the way I go about my relationship is a lot different than what allos go through- yet every time in fiction an aroace character is in a relationship its written exactly how allo relationships are. (Though I tend to be romance repulsed so I don't read much of that anyway lol). I do love that other aros who are more romance favourable than me like to write/draw relationships that fit how they live- but when allos write/draw it a lot of time they don't take care in actually considering how that would absolutely affect the dynamic or that there are some characters that just don't want any sort of romantic or sexual relationship at all.

I'm probably going to end up writing my own post abt this further so I don't derail but; also the whole idea of "split attraction and the ability to be not sexually attracted but not sex repulsed in a relationship is only an asexual thing" and not just like. A broad attraction thing that anyone can experience. Definitely is also aided by &/ partially the cause of these exceptions only being applied to aroace folk.

-Toby (they/them) & Bias (he/they)

the way fandoms are desperate to make all aroace characters romance and sex positive but then dont do anything remotely similar to any other identity is astounding. hmm i wonder why

PLEASE dont derail this about shipping characters of other identities please let this one post be about an aroace struggle

[bingsoo-jung]

To help folks out with this whole convo about Harrowings and circles.

So canonically it’s been around 12 years since all circles were abolished in game. This was after Rivain’s circle was annulled and the mages decided to rebel. After they were abolished it took at least 2 years for any new circles to be put up. During which, almost harrowings took place.

Now, in DAI, no matter what, circles are then put back up, HOWEVER mage colleges are then created across all of Thedas. Canonically this is where most mages post-rebellion would’ve finished their education as most mages decided to rebel. Furthermore, while circles are put back up, no matter what those circles are being led by Vivienne, who states time and time again, in game, that most circles were not as bad as that of Kirkwall or Kinloch hold, and that that’s how she wants her circles to be. She believes in mages being able to come and go from circles with ease. Vivienne is actually incredibly reasonable when talking about her vision for the circles. She thinks that mages need to be educated, and that they need to be kept apart from the general population because of how dangerous magic can be, but she also fundamentally believes that they should be allowed to come and go at ease. She doesn’t believe that people should be killed willy-nilly or lack basic human rights.

There is no reason to think that 12 years after DAI that people would be constantly put through incredibly traumatic harrowings when literally every option on the table as stated in DAI, is against that as an option. The idea that all the circles would still be like Kirkwall and Kinloch were 20 years later, despite there having been, once more, a giant ass mage rebellion, is wild. Kirkwall and Kinloch were like that not because of the mages, but because of Templar and Chantry abuses of power. However, all instances of the circles and colleges that can exist, are being led either by people who are mages, and believe that mages are people who shouldn’t be killed for being mages. No one, from Vivienne, to Cassandra, to Leliana, to Fiona, approves of that idea.

There’s also the fact that pre-mage rebellion circle’s are also specifically talked about in game. At length. There’s a whole long ass side mission about the annulment of rivain’s circle. It’s

But long story short, there is no reason for anyone under the age of 32-37, to have experienced a harrowing. Harrowings even pre-mage rebellion, often were conducted when the mage was 20-25, any younger than that was considered early. 20 is about the minimum age they harrow someone, so if your Took was a teenager during DAI? Yeah, they probably weren’t harrowed. If they were in their early 20s? Also probably not harrowed. And while yes, your mage’s life would’ve changed quite a lot their continuing education as a mage would’ve been in a world where they were allowed to choose to not be harrowed. Because most mages post-DA2 would’ve not been harrowed.

This is not some insane abandonment of lore, that’s a normal conclusion that requires a handful of minutes of thinking about everything we were told about the consequences of the mage rebellion in DA2. I’m begging people to just like… calm down for a few seconds and like… think? Please?

[ennn]

On Writing Rio Vidal

So @trickofthelights did a great post on things to take note of when writing Agatha Harkness in fic and I figured I could do one for my girl if some folk are interested.

Now I do see that getting a handle on Rio can be tricky because she only has so much screentime and every time she pops up we see a different side to her character. That said, here's some fundamentals I see for portraying Rio:

Disclaimer: I'm not a cop. Fic writing is for fun. This is entirely about canon-consistency, which can also apply to AUs. If you want to write an original romance novel inspired more by the actors than their AAA characters, hey you do you.

Rio is powerful and knows it

Canonical Rio literally embodies power. She's Death and even gods die. She is one of the most powerful entities in the universe and she knows it. It's essentially who she is. Power is part of her being.

In non-magic AUs where Rio is human, the show literally serves up Special Agent Rio Vidal as a handy reference point to work with. She's an FBI agent with the power of a higher authority, amazing at her job, and she owns it.

I find it quite jarring when AU fics have Rio set up as someone needing saving, or someone seriously lacking in confidence. Even if you're doing a high school or coffeeshop AU, Rio Vidal needs to know she's hot shit in some domain. She doesn't need to have her life together but you gotta have that sense of power and self-assurance somewhere in her life.

Because when it comes to writing canon-consistent Agatha/Rio, this is fundamental to Agatha's attraction to Rio because Agatha is attracted to power.

Like yes, I know it's Aubrey Plaza but it is essentially Rio's power that compels Agatha to give her a second look. Canonically, it's Rio's inability to die that allows them to have a relationship. Not beauty, not a winning personality. They're able to match each other’s energy, to clash and survive each other.

Rio is lawful first, chaotic second

An all-powerful character who can do anything is pretty boring, which is why when it comes to Rio "with great power comes great responsibility" but in her case it's literal and on a cosmic level. Canonically Rio's power is limited by certain rules she has to follow.

The whole tragedy at the crux of Rio as a character is that her identity is her purpose is her function is her duty is her job. As unpredictable as she seems, Rio literally describes herself as "the natural order of all things".

It's interesting that in the Zoom call interview Plaza mentions Puck when describing how Rio acts in the show because I find the fey a helpful reference when framing Rio as a character. Yes, Rio can cause lots of chaos but she has very specific rules she's obligated to follow. Everything beyond that however is fair game.

In non-magic AUs, this doesn't have to mean Rio has a literal job or profession that she values highly (although it can). It could be a personal mission, a set of principles, a duty to certain people or an organisation. Regardless there should be a method to Rio's madness.

And when it comes to writing canon-consistent Agatha/Rio, this is a delightful contrast because Agatha's such a rule-breaker ("So you broke the rules, big deal!") and a cheater ("You can't cheat Agatha / Says who!").

There are sharp edges to Rio's character

I sometimes joke that in AU fics the best way to help ensure canon-consistency is to give Rio a knife. It's funny because it's kinda true?

There is a darkness to Rio as a character that if ignored, I think does a disservice to her. Canonically, she's the balance of life and death, the cycle of decay and rebirth, the ugly and beautiful, violent and soft.

I think very romantic or domestic AUs do come with the risk of making Rio too soft, too patient, too kind. Which is not to say she can't be those things—you could argue that anyone who chooses to put up with Agatha Harkness certainly has those qualities in no small amount—but it's the contrast that I think makes Rio interesting as a character.

Consider Rio's capacity for love contrasted with her viciousness, her patience with her pettiness, her restraint with her rage.

There's probably more where this came from, but these ones seem to the main ones that stick out. And look, I'm a fan and I get that it's tempting to pull from the other roles Plaza has played, and we only see so much of Rio (I mean, consider how much of Agatha we got to see from Wandavision before AAA) and AUs are meant to be a playground—but there does come a point where a character just doesn't seem like Rio Vidal.

[miumura]

SHE GETS HER WAY ｡ ｡ ｡ 보이넥스트도어 🪽 ✦

( 𝓢 ) ﹕ gf privilege with boynextdoor

──── 0t6!boynextdoor x f ! r ╱ ⌕ est. relationship, fluff ∿ w. none, they are just cuties wc. 0.7K+ ( 757 ) ｡ ｡ first post of 2025 😚 !! ( many more bnd works to come! ) happy new years everyone !! i am so thankful for everyone && i hope that 2025 treats you well and also becomes your year 🤍 !!

❛❛ 💬 ❞ 𝗦𝗢𝗣𝗛 > 𓂃 𝗖𝗛𝗘𝗖𝗞 𝗢𝗨𝗧 𝗕𝗢𝗢𝗞𝗦𝗛𝗘𝗟𝗙 ⋮ 🪽

MYUNG JAEHYUN freely allowing you to bother him

no matter what kind of tricks you could pull, he never seems to get even a little bit annoyed. in fact, it's almost as if he adores you even more because of your antics. sometimes, it leaves you wondering if anything could tick him off at all. in reality, he might just play hard to get purposefully just to watch you persistently ask for something he would do for you without a second thought—no matter what it was. he just finds it rather cute when you're so determined to make him do something that you want. you wouldn’t even notice it’s an act until you see his wide grin as he finally “gives” in. so really, there's no need to beg for anything—you’re his weak spot, and he doesn't even try to hide it.

PARK SUNGHO dragging him into doing silly trends

regardless how silly he may think the tiktok you just showed him is, there’s such a low chance for him to say no. almost all of the time, you’d catch him saying yes. to his defense, how could he say no to someone like you? he loves seeing that spark of excitement in your eyes and can’t help but smile as you eagerly set up for the video you’re about to record. sungho, without a doubt, would just look at you with so much love as you tie that pink ribbon around him, adoring and cheesing over you internally.

LEE SANGHYEOK random physical touch

he doesn’t dislike physical touch, however, he will get all tensed up if someone were to randomly give it to him without warning. but with you? that’s a complete different story—poke at him, wrap your arms around him, or even smother him with affection, and he'd let it happen without a single complaint. if you wanted it, he’d simply give it to you. regardless, it’s a win-win situation for him—you’d get all the physical touch you want and he gets pampered with your sweet kisses and hugs. let’s say, there was always a motive all along—one that leaves him content with getting to keep you as close as possible.

HAN DONGMIN taking his belongings without asking

the first time he saw you wearing one of his hoodies, he could’ve sworn he fell even harder for you. sure, he’s the type who usually prefers when people ask before borrowing his things, but seeing you in it? that was a whole different story. it brought an instant smile to his face, one he couldn’t hide even if he tried. from that moment on, he’s never refused you—or asked for anything back. need to borrow his phone for a bit? go ahead. want to wear that accessory he cherishes so much? it’s yours. he’s just that down bad for you. honestly, it doesn’t matter how long it’s out of his sight because as long as it’s with you, he’s at ease. he trusts you completely—and maybe, just maybe, he secretly loves the reminder that he’s yours.

KIM DONGHYUN you have all of his attention

safe to say, you have the leehan completely swooned. you could be distracting him from his game or youtube video, but the moment you call his name, it's like everything fades into the background. it’s almost as if, within a split of a second, he’d be right there for you. even when you don’t call for him, he’ll pause whatever he’s doing just to check up on you. whether it’s a quick text or simply staying close within your reach, it’s more than enough to keep him content. his eyes soften the moment they land on you, almost as if he can’t help but admire the person who means the most to him. and honestly? he wouldn’t want it any other way.

KIM WOONHAK decorating his belongings

at first, he might refuse and say a few half-hearted complaints as you pulled out your sticker sheets. but the moment you stuck those tiny heart stickers on his phone case, it was game over. his heart started racing faster than he’d like to admit, and suddenly, those so-called “childish” designs didn’t seem so bad. ever since then, he’s been extra cautious with anything you’ve decorated, treating them with such care as if his life depended on it. he’s practically paranoid about getting even the tiniest scratch on them. in fact, he takes every chance he gets to proudly show them off—whether it’s his phone, notebook, or water bottle—and purposely leaves his things out in the open, secretly hoping you’ll add more. it doesn’t matter if the stickers are cute, silly, or completely random. what matters is that you’re the one who decorated them, and to him, that makes them absolutely perfect.

‘💬’ ─── new year new layout ( ? ) do we like this way of writing for hcs ??

BND PERM TAGLIST ( OPEN ) ! — @juyeoz @j4d

[unacknowledgeable]

I’m imagining the families switch to yandere mode will come soon after reader is outed as a serial killer, it’s already bad enough with them missing out on their kid/ sibling’s life, because they just didn’t notice, but people are dead now!

It would be an easier pill to swallow if they were like Jason and killed criminals , but no, they kill innocent people.

dozens of people gone and the culprit not being stopped because they just…didn’t see the signs?!

imagine she sheer chaos that would come about if people found out their identity as a Wayne? There is absolutely no way that people would believe that Bruce just allowed this to happen, he’d go from brucie Wayne the philanthropic himbo to another morally bankrupt billionaire who let his kid kill people for funsies.

even if the public believed the truth everyone would -rightfully- blame him for literally having a Chinese parade's worth of red flags in the damn face, in his own home and not seeing it

Not me giggling smiling and kicking my feet over this, the worms are eating gooooood today ya'll.

So, like I said in my last post, before even writing most of this stuff I made sure that I had a whole timetable of important events and how old the characters are during them and what not, so I DO know how the MC gets caught. Though that could be subject to change if I find something more interesting

 That being said, I never really planned for the general public to find out about readers' crimes. Once the bat fam finally catches on and tries to huddle them away, as far as the rest of Gotham is concerned, this major serial killer is still at large.

I also really really wanted to make it clear that y/n? Is not a good person.

 Be it by circumstance or their own making, they simply just aren't. Yes, the hand they were dealt by fate was cruel and painful, but they chose which direction they went in based on their life experiences. Reader is fully aware of that, and is rather peeved with the batfams pity party on how it’s “all their fault you’re like this”

 Because??? No? It's not??? Sure, they definitely didn’t fucking help, and most times made it worse with their actions, but you already had a slew of mental issues that were left unchecked, genetic ones inherited from your mother and father, and those formed by early childhood trauma and neglect. But you chose this, they didn't hand you the knife and or force your hands around your victims necks. It was all you. You wouldn't let them take the one form of control you had left.

Obviously you were not inherently evil because of forces out of your control, but you did choose it, and you will not let them delude themselves into thinking otherwise. Hurt people, hurt people, as the saying goes.

 But does that make what the batfam are doing okay? Keeping the reader locked within the Manor, the family taking on the roles of Judge, Jury and Executioner and thus denying the General Public and the victims families the right to Justice, as well as denying the reader the right to a fair trial.

  Going against their own morals by asserting their own feelings of guilt over the law, and in doing so, they are actively obstructing justice. Complete and utter hypocrites. But they always have been, haven't they?  Things get even more confusing and strange when even after the reader is caught by the batfam, is jailed in what's essentially a glorified prison. The murders. Don't. Stop.

[i-drop-level-one-loot]

Happy New Year! (Yandere!Fortune Teller x GN!Reader)

A delighted squeal sharply cut through the quiet chatter of the line for the fortune teller. It was a small little illegal shop that popped up overnight and was all over (Reader's) feed. Their best friend, and the reason why they were outside in the cold so early, tugged on their coat sleeve.

"They must have gotten a good one." She smiled playfully, and still a little drunk.

The fortune teller was apparently incredibly accurate. Even skeptics had been posting all morning about how this guy was able to tell them full names of people in their lives and dates of events that already happened he shouldn't have been able to guess on the first try.

"Missy, it's cold as hell.." (Reader) whined, their head also hurting a tad bit from the amount their friend had them drink a few hours earlier to welcome the new year. ".. and I just want a burrito."

Missy clicked her long acrylics in front of (Reader's) face. "And I want a girlfriend. C'mon, just a few more minutes! Please! You don't even have to get your fortune done, just stay with me, emotional support!" She huffed and stamped her boots while dramatically letting her arms fall to her sides heavy enough to make a loud whump against her coat.

They knew their friend wasn't actually a brat, but it was a fun little "act" ; she enjoyed putting on, especially when she was all dolled up (as she called it). So, as what usually happens, (Reader) rolled their eyes theatrically in a show of pretending to give in. The woman with the pink and blonde fashion wig smiled wide and squeezed (Reader's) arm lovingly.

‐---------------------------------------------------------------------------

At first, (Reader) thought that the man was a mannequin. A beautiful body propped up at a table, with a veil over the top of his head and silk clothes, but other than the fact that he was beautiful, there was something too basic about his features and too perfect about his skin to be human. Like a mall mannequin: with a dusty pale skin tone with zero blemishes or imperfections, his eyebrows looked so fine that they were maybe painted on, and the blonde hair under the veil was so light in color, (Reader) thought he was bald and that the lightly golden coloring was more silk.

Yes, he was beautiful, but looking at him was uncomfortable, like people describing the uncanny valley of robots.

He opened his eyes, revealing dull grey irises, that helped humanized him (at least, in (Reader's) opinion).

"Welcome, Miranda and (Reader)." His voice was also weirdly perfect, making (Reader's) skin crawl, but looking over at Missy they saw she didn't feel anything other than awe.

"Ohmygawd, how did you know our names?!"

He smiled very softly. "It's my job." A thin hand with long, delicate fingers motioned for the two friends to sit before him.

As the cards were laid out (Reader) allowed their mind to wander. Not only did the guy in front of them weird them out, but they believed that fortune tellers were scam artists. They knew it could be fun to just see what your future might look like, and wanted to be respectful for people who actually believed in tarot and stuff like that, but people setting up businesses promising to read your future and then just reading some generic script then charging you a hundred bucks is how you get vulnerable people to fork over their life savings. (Reader) only agreed to go because to make sure the "fortune teller" didn't try and change the price on Missy or sell her a bunch of unnecessary shit.

The man clapped loudly, startling (Reader) back into focus. "You will meet a woman this year.

You will meet her in two months, at the book store across from your job. The two of you will be searching for the same book, and it will feel like fate. Don't be afraid to ask her out for coffee, because she'd love to discuss the series with you."

Long nails scratch the back of (Reader's) hand as Missy impulsively grabs it. "Are you.. sure she's.. y'know..." she raised her eyebrows.

The man looked puzzled for a second before responding with, "The ending you always wanted for NaNa."

Missy nearly cracked her neck turning to (Reader) as quickly as she did, whining happily "Oh my god...." before burying her face in their chest. Then (Reader) felt the tears, and realized Missy was more drunk and exhausted than they realized.

"Uh, thanks, did she already pay, or?"

"Would you like your fortune read now?"

He seemed unfazed by Missy's minor meltdown.

"Ah, no thanks."

"I'll give it to you free. Call it a two for one deal."

Alarm bells were ringing in their head. "Why?"

He was silent for a second, like he was listening to something, just as he was when he told Missy she was going to be living out her headcannon fantasy. "Something's just telling me I should give you a fortune reading."

Missy wiped snot across (Reader's) chest before raising her head. "Oh, are you getting read too?"

"What? N-"

"Can we get burritos after this?"

They looked down at their best friend in the entire world, and sighed. "Yeah, if it's completely free."

‐---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Even compelling completely scrunched up in concentration, there was a concerning lack of wrinkles, leading (Reader) to the conclusion that if this man was in fact human, he most certainly had botox.

Suddenly, his eyes shot open wide. He looked up at (Reader), staring deep into them without blinking.

"What?"

He didn't answer. His mouth opened, but nothing came out. But his face began to change into an odd shade of pink.

The wig wearing woman loudly gasped "IS THEY DYING?!" while clutching (Reader's) arm in mock horror.

"I'm not dying!" (Reader) shoved their friend off, feeling overwhelmed by their current situation.

The fortune teller reached across the table, and without asking, grabbed one of (Reader's) hands, observing their palm intensely. But he could only do so for a second before they yanked their arm back and stood up.

"Missy, let's go, I told you this guy was a fucking scammer."

Like a switch had been flipped, Missy held up her middle finger and called the man a creep, apologetic for not trusting her best friend. "Why did he grab you like that? So gross!"

The two left. They would later get burritos and watch half a movie before passing out. This moment was creepy, but ultimately, nothing to them.

He had always been gifted.

But when they left the gifted medium on the floor, images of what he had just been shown were still fresh in his mind.

The tarot cards were a gimmick, just there because that's something people associate with being able to see the past, present, and future. Was he a scam artist? Maybe, to some. He never gave people the fortunes they didn't want to hear, and only reminded them of memories they liked. You don't get tipped if you tell someone their child is going to die. And we all need money.

Then (Reader) came into his pop up shop, another skeptic, and he figured if gave them a reading for free and made it really good they would be the type of person to tip him out of guilt. But for their future all he saw was... him.

Him?

He had never thought about himself. He was creepy and disgusting. His presence made people uncomfortable. If he focuses hard enough he can speak to the dead. No one wants to be friends with that. No one wants to love that.

No future is set in stone. There are hundreds of thousands of possibilities, and he can see them all. And while (Reader) sat in front of him, staring at him with their beautifully tired eyes, he searched through every single one.

It was.. exciting, he had to admit, seeing himself with someone. He didn't know this person at all, but it wasn't hard to feel some kind of affection for them seeing a future where they felt affection for Him.

He couldn't even remember the last time someone willing held his hand. Maybe when he had to cross the street with his mother? No, she required him to wear gloves.

While staring at his client, he couldn't help but watch their entire life. He was supposed to look through their memories briefly to get a sense of the "past", but like time didn't exist, he watched their entire life play out. They made him feel things.

Even when (Reader) called him a scammer, he still loved them. After all, he did kind of lie by omission to their best friend: Missy's new relationship would only last five months.

But it was okay if they thought he was creepy or a scam artist. Because he already saw the future.

And he knew every single correct step to take to make sure they were smiling at him like they were in that vision.

‐---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Happy New Year everyone!!!!!!

Let's hope that this upcoming year is better than the last!

I'm a really pessimistic person, so I'm trying to be hopeful. I'm also trying to find ways to reduce stress since I can't afford to take care of my mental health (haha). I'm getting white hairs. White. Ain't that crazy? It's stressful trying to not stress out lol

Does anyone else play future telling games on New Year? As a kid my family would all play MASH to see what our future is going to be like hahaha and a lot of my younger coworkers this year were talking about eating grapes under tables? Very cute <3

I hope you all had a great new year, and didn't get too drunk, stay hydrated, and if you have and future telling game memories for me years tell me about it!

Let's make 2025 better than 2024!

[rafesbabyg1rl]

Private Session - part three

Part One, Part Two, Part Three

Summary: Rafe likes to watch reader while she works as a stripper. He pays her for private sessions, in which he gets to take her home and do whatever he pleases. When he finds out Barry has been selling you to customers, he gets jealous. After you're short on a payment for Barry, he makes you pay in a different way. Rafe eventually finds out and he's not happy. Can Rafe get you out of this sticky situation?

Pairings: Stripper!Reader X obsessive!Rafe

Warnings: Rafe is obsessive of reader. Reader is a stripper. Mention of drugs, violence (fighting), death threats, guns, p in v, unprotected sex, language, praise, SMUT!, use of y/n like one time.

Word Count: 5.0k

Author Note: Hey babes! I originally got this idea from this GIF , like just imagine he's sitting in the strip club throwing dollar bills at you like that. Some of this part was inspired by Dexter s7 ep9. This fic is NOT fully proofread. I'm SO SO SO sorry for being so inactive :(

This is the last part of Private Sessions! I'm actually pretty pleased with how this fic ended up, since it was only meant to be one part. If I get requests relating to this, or if I get struck with random inspiration, I'm not against writing more for this!

Credits: GIF from this post

After you’d hooked up with Rafe–well, you wouldn't exactly call it a hook up. After you had another private session with Rafe, your top paying client, also the entire reason you’re now a hooker, you stayed the night at his place. That morning, following the many, many orgasms he had gotten out of you and the half-hearted ‘goodnights�� you two had exchanged before falling asleep, Rafe had left you alone. He had woken you up, briefly mumbling to you about having some business to attend to, making sure you know that you’re allowed to stay for however long you please. Before leaving, Rafe gathered your scattered clothing and left it in a neat pile on one of the chairs in his bedroom. On top of the pile, he left you money. Sure, he had already given you nearly a thousand dollars for your time, but he felt that you deserved a tip, so he left a crisp hundred-dollar bill for you to find, as well as money to call an uber, since he’s unable to give you a ride back.

Of course this kind of treatment was completely unbeknownst to you. You had never expected Rafe Cameron to treat women this well, especially those he has to pay to fuck. But you’re not complaining. Your other clients never even spare a thought about how you feel, it’s only about them. But Rafe…he makes sure you feel good. He wants you to feel good. He cares about making sure you get what you need more than he cares about his own experience. This isn’t just confusing to you, since he’s also wondering why he cares, or why he’s even paying for you specifically when he has a variety of women he could fuck for free. All he knows is that he needs more of you–he needs to make things right with you somehow.

After you left his house later that morning, you had gone back to work. Barry wasn’t happy with you, you hadn’t come back like he asked last night. He needed you to work the floor, since you’re the ‘star’ of the club–the favorite. Which, all that means to you is that Barry’s got you working unreasonable hours.

“Shit…” he huffs, taking in your appearance as you show up at the club. Since it’s still morning, nobody else was there. You really had hoped he wasn’t there either, just wanting to get in, grab your shit, and go home. But of course that wasn’t the case. You stand there, gathering your items from your locker, feeling smaller with each passing second that he stares at you, laughing at your disheveled appearance. You had stolen some of Rafe’s clothes since you didn’t feel like wearing that tiny, itchy little dress you had left in last night. 

“I’ll be back for my shift tomorrow.” You tell him as you try to leave the room. However, he moves to block the doorway, causing you to pause, looking down at the ground with a huff, trying to keep your cool.

“Where’s my money, princess?” Barry asks, his voice cold. You sigh, having forgotten. You reach into your duffle bag, pulling out the cash Rafe gave you for your most recent session. You do the math in your head, determining what 25% of your earnings are. You round his cut up to about $300, handing him the cash.

“There.” You shove the money into his chest. “Your cut.”

Barry chuckles at your attitude, clearly not appreciating it. His hand lingers on yours for longer than what’s needed as he grabs the cash from you. He quickly counts the bills in his hand, sighing and looking back up at you. “This is all? You were gone all night and this…” he waves the cash in front of your face. “This is all you’ve got for me.”

You swallow roughly, nodding at him. “That’s 25%.” You say, keeping your voice strong. “And then some.” you add, with a bit less confidence this time, knowing it’s not enough to keep him from getting all worked up. 

Barry makes a small tsk sound, softly shaking his head. “How you gonna make this up to me then, hm?” 

“That’s your cut. I’m off today, so…I, I’ll see you tomorrow.” You try to move past him, but he grabs onto your shoulder, stopping you.

“Nah…no, I don’t think so. You were out all night, not my fault you settled for less than your rate.” Barry still thinks you had gone with the client you were meant to meet last night, not knowing you went off with Rafe. Not that it would change anything if he did know. Really, Rafe had actually overpaid, again, for your time and effort. But, you hadn’t planned on staying the night in his bed, he had just pushed you past what you could handle, tiring the both of you out. So you get why he thinks you were underpaid. “Not my fault you stayed out all night, like a real fuckin’ slut.” His words cause you to wince, you hated being called that, because you aren’t a slut. You never chose to sell out your body, you just need the money.

Barry can see the fire behind your eyes, the calm demeanor you try so hard to maintain threatening to snap any moment now. He can tell he’s getting under your skin, which makes him enjoy this all the more. “You’re gonna pay for your mistakes.” You can feel his grip on your shoulder tighten as his eyes scour your clothed figure as you two stand in the doorway.

“Barry, please. I need that money, It’s my money. We made a deal, and you got your cut.” You plead, except your voice isn’t polite and soft like usual, you’re clearly pissed. 

“Well…that’s not the only way.” He starts. You have a confused expression etched onto your face as he speaks. “You can always put in some hours today…” he explains, his hand dropping from your shoulder to the hem of the t-shirt you stole from Rafe. 

“But, we’re closed?” You remind him. “I guess…I guess I can come back later for a few hours.”

“No.” He leans in closer, smirking. His mouth is almost touching the shell of your ear, close enough that you can feel his hot, sticky breath against your skin. “You’re gonna put some time in right now. A little private session, hm?” His hand moves around to your backside, slowly trailing down the curve of your lower back. 

You recognize this tone of voice, the suggestion of his words hanging in the air heavily. Really, you can’t say no. Because there’s no fucking way you’re giving him another cent of your hard earned cash. So, you reluctantly agree.

Barry wants the full show, so he makes you get into uniform. He even went through your things, picking out what he wants you to wear. And of course he picks your newest pieces of lingerie, the ones Rafe had just gifted you last night. The one he told you was for his eyes only, which you had fully intended to honor his request, but you couldn’t say no to your boss. Barry had turned on all the club’s lights and music, setting the perfect scene for you both. He takes you into one of the private rooms. 

First, he has you start off slow, just simply sucking him off. After that, he makes you dance for him for what feels like an hour, until he’s hard again and ready for more. He fucks you. Though it doesn’t last long, which you’re glad, since he’s not giving any regard to how you feel. He fucks you selfishly, using you however he pleases. The only thing he does that shows any sort of regard or care for you is not finishing inside you, instead making you swallow his loads. After a couple of hours, he finally lets you leave, saying that you’re all paid up…for now. You figure that since he’s crossed this line with you, it’s not going to be the last. Knowing Barry he’ll be making up absurd excuses to make you ‘pay’ some more. 

You feel disgusting, so immediately you go home and shower, scrubbing any trace of him off of you. As you stand in front of the mirror wrapped in a towel, you observe the various marks covering your body from your clients. You hate the proof they leave on you, proof that you’re a hooker. You glance at the newer, more vibrant marks on your neck, you can’t help but smile a bit as you run your fingers over the bruised skin, remembering how Rafe has created them. Once you realize that you’re smiling at his memory, you immediately stop, shaking the thoughts out of your head.

The next day you return to work, absolutely dreading having to face Barry. Not only him, but you’re getting really over having sex with these wrinkly, old, men who can’t even get it up without taking a little pill. Each session you have with a client chipping a small part of yourself away. As you enter the staff room, you practically run into Rafe’s chest, his hands coming up to rest on your shoulders, stopping you. The two of you make brief eye contact before he walks out of the room that you’re entering. Barry stands in the center of the room, shaking his head as he looks up at you.

“Well shit,” he scoffs, rubbing a rough hand over his face. “Some boyfriend you got, huh?” Your eyebrows furrow immediately. Barry notices the crease between your brows. “Looks like you’ve only got one client now.” He chuckles.

“Wait…Rafe talked to you?” You ask, wondering if he was being truthful when he said he’d talk to Barry for you. 

“Yeah, Rafe. But don’t think that means you ain’t gonna get more hours on the floor. I ain’t losin’ my main source of cash just ‘cause your boyfriend’s a little jealous.”

You have to fight the urge to roll your eyes and tell him that he’s not your boyfriend. You can tell he’s pissed and doesn’t want to listen to Rafe. Which makes you wonder how he got Barry to agree to this, since you are the ‘star’ of the club. Barry scoffs, walking out into the main portion of the club. 

You feel like a major weight has been lifted off your chest, feeling so much better now that you don’t have to sell out your body. Well, other than when you’re dancing. But that’s different. At least nobody has to touch you anymore…other than those who you actually want touching you. 

After changing and getting prepared, you work the pole per usual. About an hour into your shift, you spot Rafe sitting across the club, getting a lap dance from one of the other dancers, except he looks like he could care less about her–he’s looking at you. You’re not jealous–no, definitely not. Why would you be jealous? He’s just your client; your customer. You make eye contact with him and instead of looking away, you find yourself staring right back at him while you dance.

On your break, you make your way into the back room, where a few of the other girls are also taking their break. You’ve never had problems with the other girls, but you’ve never called them friends either, just coworkers. You can hear them talking before you enter the room, and when you walk in, suddenly it’s silent as their heads turn to you. You ignore their stares, heading over to the fridge to grab a yogurt. You hear their whispers as you turn your back to them. 

“She’s fucking the boss.” One of them says earning a few gasps and a ‘really?’ from the others. “Yeah, I heard she doesn’t have to take clients anymore.” She responds. 

Another girl adds, “shit, I’d fuck him too if it meant I’d get special treatment”, earning laughs from everyone in the room. You take a deep breath, slamming the fridge closed and turning to face them. 

“I’m not getting special treatment!” You say harshly, a stark contrast to your typical shy demeanor. 

“So you’re not fucking him?” 

You’re so engulfed in frustration that you don’t even notice Rafe and Barry walk into the room. “Okay yeah, I fucked Barry once but it was because–” you don’t get to finish explaining before you’re cut off by Rafe’s sharp voice, which startles you.

“You fucked my girl?” He snaps at Barry. In which Barry just smirks in response, only serving to further piss Rafe off. 

“They’re my girls while they’re working. And I gotta say, she takes her job very seriously–”. Before Barry can get anything else out Rafe cuts him off with a quick punch to the jaw, causing him to tumble back. You jump back as all the other girls collectively gasp, but they know better than to intervene. Barry rubs his Jaw, standing up straight and chuckling dryly. 

“Country Club,” he laughs. “You really wanna do this, huh? All for a fuckin’ slut?” Rafe steps forward, punching Barry again before looking up at the others in the room.

“Get the fuck out!” He shouts before looking at Barry, moving to punch him again as the others quickly scurry out of the room. You stay, shocked at the event unfolding in front of you–because of you. The fight continues, Barry trying to fight back as best he can, but he’s no match for Rafe, especially since he’s got no motivation. 

Barry manages to get a few punches in, making Rafe step back for a moment. You see him reach into the back of his jeans, grabbing the gun he has tucked into the waistband of his jeans. You gasp again when you see the gun and step back until your back hits a wall. You know Rafe’s involved in some bad shit and you’re used to seeing him use cocaine, but you’re not used to him having a gun, especially with it being pointed at someone. Before you have time to even think, Rafe hits Barry with his gun, pistol whipping him and making him fall to the floor. 

Rafe leans forward over Barry, grabbing the collar of his shirt and pulling his head up until they’re face-to-face. “Call her a slut again–touch her again and I’ll fucking kill you.” He spits, letting go of Barry, making his head drop back against the floor, all bloodied and bruised. You make yourself look away, not wanting to see the damage Rafe did–the damage you caused. “Consider this her notice.” He mutters quickly, tucking the gun back into his waistband as he turns to face you. “Let’s go.” He says quickly, moving to walk out of the room. But you can’t move, you’re still in shock from what you just witnessed. When Rafe turns around and sees that you’re following him he lets out a sharp breath, walking over to you and grabbing you by the arm. “I said let’s go.” His words are demanding and mean, different from the way he typically talks to you. His eyes are cold and distant as he tugs you out of the room, through the club. The others watch him drag you away, not daring to say a word as they stare. 

Rafe takes you out to the parking lot, shoving you into his truck. You still haven’t even spoken a word by the time you get to his house. He pulls into the driveway, putting his truck in park and killing the engine. He speaks, still looking straight out of the windshield and not daring to look at you. “I’m sorry you had to see that.” His voice isn’t as rough anymore, though still distant. You don’t respond which makes him look over you after a few silent moments. “I said m’sorry.” His voice is a bit louder, making you jump back in your seat. 

“I heard.” You mumble coldly. 

Rafe scoffs at your mumbles, feeling like you should be grateful for what he did for you. But you’re the exact opposite. You can’t let yourself feel relieved that you don’t have to work for Barry anymore. Because that was your job. And unlike Rafe, you actually need a job to survive. Plus, you have no idea what you’ve gotten into with Rafe now. You think back to what he had said to Barry just before the fight. He called you his girl. What the fuck does that mean?

His strong grip pulls you out of your thoughts as he tugs out of his truck, bringing you inside his house. He gets you up to his bedroom and you sit on the bed, just thinking in an uncomfortable silence. You blame this on yourself. You’re the reason the other girls have to sell themselves, because you fucked Rafe…and you can’t stop fucking him. You’re the reason they’re in that hell, and you got out of it because of Rafe. It’s not fair to them. And you’re the reason Rafe nearly killed the man he’s closest to. 

You watch as Rafe goes into the adjoining bathroom, trying to wash the blood off of his hands, which only reveals that his own knuckles are all battered and bloody. You get up from the bed, padding over to the bathroom. He sees you approach him in the mirror, he keeps his eyes on you. Silently, you tap his waist, signaling him to turn around. When he turns away from the sink, now leaning up against it instead as he watches you curiously. You carefully take his hands in yours, briefly examining them. “Here…” you let go, grabbing a nearby rag and getting it damp with warm water. “Let me…” you speak softly as you take one of his hands in your own, gently dabbing at his knuckles with the rag. He winces at the contact, “shit, I know, sorry. But I need to clean them.”

“S’fine.” He mutters. Not once does he take his eyes off of your face. He notices how your tongue sticks out of the corner of your mouth as you focus, making the slightest hint of a grin form, which you don’t notice of course since you’re too busy cleaning his knuckles. 

You finish one hand, now cleaning the other which isn’t quite as bad since it’s his non-dominant hand. Once you’re done, you look up at him. He’s standing so close you can practically feel his breath on your face as he stares down at you. Now that you’re finally looking at him for the first time since the fight, you see the bruise forming on his jaw and the slight blood stain at the corner of his mouth. You lift your hand up, gently caressing the bruise. You can tell he wants to wince, but he doesn’t let himself, not wanting you to pull your hand away. The tension is so thick it’s almost visible; the silence unbearable. The only sound being that of both of you breathing. 

“About Barry–” you start, feeling like you need to explain why you had slept with him. But Rafe doesn’t let you finish, walking away into his bedroom.

“Doesn’t matter.” He speaks sharply as he strips down into his boxers, setting his gun in the top drawer of his nightstand. You follow behind him.

“No, please just let me–” you cut yourself off, annoyed at the fact that he’s avoiding looking at you. You step closer behind him, gently touching his arm which makes him finally turn around. “Rafe…”

“What?” Rafe snaps, his eyes making uncomfortable eye contact with you, but you don’t turn away. 

“He made me give him a private session. ‘Said I didn’t bring back enough money for him. I had to. It was that or give him my money, b-but I need that money. I swear I didn’t want to-” You ramble, not sure why you even care to explain yourself to him, it’s not like you need to. 

“Jesus, shut up. I don’t care, alright? Just go to bed.” He waves your hand off of his arm, turning his back to you again as he pulls the comforter back and gets under it. 

You want to ask why you’re even here with him. He brought you here to…sleep? Why? But, you decide against it. Instead, you just walk over to his dresser, pulling out a pair of his boxers and a t-shirt. You quickly strip out of your “uniform”, feeling his eyes burn holes into you as you change into his clothes. You turn the bedroom light off on your way back to the bed. You climb in next to him, keeping somewhat of a distance between you two. You’re not exactly sure where he stands in all this or what you are. You wait for him to make a move and get closer,but he doesn’t. You both just lie there in silence. Eventually you start to doze off, but are immediately woken up by the faint sound of a car pulling up, followed by some shouting. 

“Rafe Cameronn,” the voice calls out, soon banging on the door. It’s Barry. Fuck. 

You jolt up, but Rafe is already out of bed, pulling on a shirt and sweats, quickly getting downstairs to the door before Barry lets himself in. 

Still feeling loopy from sleep, you sit in bed, listening to what’s happening. You can only hear shouting between the two, but you can’t tell what they’re saying. You leave Rafe’s room, walking more towards the front of the house where you can slightly make out the conversation. 

You hear Rafe yell, “The fuck is wrong with you? Did you not hear me say I’ll fucking kill you, huh?! Because I will. You know I will.”

“Nah,” Barry laughs. “I don’t think you will, country club.”

“You’re fucking dead.”

“No, you are.” Barry responds. 

When it gets silent, you get worried and peek out one of the windows facing the front of the house. “Fuck!” You panic when you notice that Barry has a gun pulled on Rafe, Rafe with his hands up. He doesn’t have his gun. You run back into Rafe’s room, grabbing his gun from inside his nightstand before you get the chance to think about what you’re doing. After fiddling with it for a moment, you manage to get the safety off.

You rush downstairs and with a deep breath, you swing open the front door, stepping outside with the gun raised, pointing it right at Barry. “Put it down.” You say weakly. Barry laughs at you, which is probably reasonable, you probably look ridiculous standing there with a gun, your hands shaking. You repeat yourself with more confidence and higher volume this time. “Put the fucking gun down! I swear to god I’ll fucking shoot!” You’d never pictured yourself like this. Hell, you’ve never even touched a gun before. And right now, it’s not the situation that scares you the most, but the fact that in this moment, if need be, you will pull the trigger. And it’s that fact that scares you. 

After some time, Barry gives a dry and defeated chuckle. “Alright, alright! Look,” he tosses the gun aside. You immediately move to give Rafe his gun and you stand behind his large frame. At this point, Barry knows he needs to accept the defeat. He knows he’s not gonna beat Rafe in this, not when it comes to you. “Fine, I’m leaving. I didn’t know she was yours like that, ‘aight? She’s done, she’s all yours now, Rafe.” Rafe slowly picks up his gun, tucking it into his waistband before retreating to his car. Once Barry finally drives off, Rafe lowers his gun.

Your heart is racing from the adrenaline. So when you both get inside, you’re practically jumping his bones before the door even closes. Rafe doesn’t protest. He carries you up to his room, dropping you down onto the bed. Quickly, he’s shedding his layers until he’s completely bare in front of you. You do the same. He stands over you, staring at you for a moment with a hungry look in his eyes, making you feel like prey. In one move, he’s on top of you, kissing you eagerly. Pulling back to nibble on your earlobe, whispering to you. “Fuck that was so fucking hot, baby. Saved my ass back there, huh?” 

“I…I couldn’t watch him hurt you.” Is all you say before his lips are on yours again, his hand that’s not propping him up over you traveling your naked body, quickly finding your clit. You’re glad because you didn’t want to have to explain any more, because you don’t know why you did what you did. Obviously you care for him in some weird, twisted way if you were willing to kill a man to protect him from being shot. 

His fingers start to circle your clit, making you moan into his mouth. You close your eyes in pleasure. Without warning he thrusts into you, gentler than your previous times with him. This time he actually gives you time to adjust. When he starts moving his hips against you, his thrusts are slow and sensual.

“Fuck…” you cry out. Your noises rile him up even more, he speeds up, finding the pace that makes you scream out his name. Your fingers dig into his muscular torso as he moves your legs to rest over his shoulders, making him hit the spongy spot deep inside of you. 

He leans down to kiss and nip at your neck, leaving faint marks behind. His lips trail lower and lower until he reaches your chest, latching onto one of your nipples. Between his unforgiving pace that he’s drilling into you at, his mouth on your chest, and his fingers teasing your clit; you’re seeing stars like you never have before. Your hips try wriggling away from the immense and almost unbearable pleasure, but he pulls you right back in even tighter.

“Fuck baby, so fuckin’ tight. Such a good girl f’me…” he groans against your chest, pressing quick, open-mouthed kisses to your soft skin. “My fuckin’ good girl, yeah? All fuckin’ mine now…” he leans back to watch your face, noticing how your eyes are squeezed shut. He takes his hand away from your clit, grabbing your chin roughly. “Look at me.” Rafe demands. 

You obey, making direct eye contact with him as the band in your stomach snaps, releasing a burning heat that spreads throughout your entire body. His pace slows, working you through your high. Soon after, you feel the unforgivable feeling of him painting your insides with his hot, sticky release.

Eventually he stills inside of you, leaning down to kiss all over your body. When he’s fully soft, he pulls out and rolls off of you, laying on his side next to you. You catch your breath, turning on your side to face him. You can’t stop the grin that spreads across your face. “Holy fuck…” you mutter in disbelief. You hadn;t thought the last time with him could’ve been topped, but you’ve been proven wrong. Something about it was…different. This time, it wasn’t just sex and you knew it. 

He reaches out, his touch gentle now rather than rough and desperate. His hair sticking to his sweat-beaded forehead, the look in his eyes and the smile on his face making you melt. “God, you’re beautiful.”

“Rafe…” you say, slightly turning your head. Which he just moves right back to face him. 

“What is it?” His tone is soft and caring, like he actually wants to know what’s got you so quiet. 

“Nothing…well, it…it’s just…” you pause, taking a deep breath before saying what you’re thinking. You prepare yourself for the worst. “You keep…you keep calling me your girl?” 

He questions you back in response, his tone carrying a more serious note this time. “Is that an issue?” He runs his thumb over your eyebrow, admiring your features.

“No…well…I, I guess I just don’t know what you mean.” You say honestly, making him breath out a quick sigh. Shit, you think. 

“I mean…you’re my girl, y/n. You don’t need a job, alright? I got plenty money for us both, yeah? You can stay here whenever you want. You’re mine…’n I’m yours, yeah? How’s that sound, hm?” You just stare at him for a bit, questioning if he really just asked that or your brain is making it up so you don’t have to deal with the embarrassment. “Y/n?” He repeats softly.

“Yea…yeah.” You stutter, making him chuckle at how flustered you are. “Like…boyfriend girlfriend?” 

He laughs at your question, finding it adorable. “Yeah, like boyfriend girlfriend.” Rafe reassures you, his hand moving from your face to brush through your hair again.

“Yes!” You spit out a little too eagerly. You quickly flash a bright shade of red in embarrassment. You gather yourself, speaking at a normal speed now, “yeah…um that, that sounds good. I like that.” You smile.

He slides in a quick “I like you.” He smirks, thinking he’s so smooth which makes you laugh. He pulls you in for a soft, tender kiss. Rafe pulls you in, wrapping an arm over you as your head rests on his bare chest. He pulls a sheet up over you both. 

You lie there in a comfortable silence. Just when you’re about to drift off you tilt your head up to look at him, and he’s already staring at you of course. You mumble, “thank you…f-for getting me outta that club.” You lay your head back down and tilts his own head down to kiss your forehead. 

“Thanks for saving me, baby.”

THANK YOU FOR READING!!! I love you so so so much!!! I just hit 200 followers and I'm shocked, I literally just started posting in the beginning of November, so this is insane. Also, HAPPY NEW YEARS!

Please leave requests! I can't promise I'll get to them all, but I really love receiving them and hearing feedback from you guys.

Taglist: @munsoncultedits

[welcome-to-green-hills]

Even if Shadow doesn't become a Wachowski, do you have any headcanons for whenever he gets together with the family?

Hi Honey!❤️✨

Of course! I’m more than happy to come up with some fluff for you!

Shadow makes it a point to visit the Wachowski family whenever he feels a bit lost. Which is often for the nomad. He stands at the driveway and watches them through the window and quietly hum a song under his breath. It wasn’t until Sonic noticed that Shadow was standing from afar and watching them for three weeks. Sonic was quick to welcome him into the home and let him know that he’s cared for.

The only time that Shadow ever sleeps is if he’s at the Wachowski house. He sleeps for twenty to thirty hours at a time before he’s well rested and ready to go on his next adventure.

At most, Shadow spends two or three days at a time with the Wachowski before he goes off on his own. No one knows where he goes, but he sends a post card whenever he gets to his next destination. Sonic knows in his heart that it’s him fulfilling a bucket list of sorts.

And speaking of bucket lists: if the adventure feels like it needs a companion, Shadow turns to Sonic. He doesn’t verbally invite him, it’s more of a smirk. Sonic knows that look all too well and quickly accompanies him on the adventure. Tails and Knuckles come if they are up for the adventure as well.

Tom and Maddie are well accustomed with how to approach each of the kids with tender love and care. Any time Shadow is around, Maddie does her best to make the house cozy and lower lights. She makes him comfort dinner while providing him a space to unwind when needed. She also makes it a point to offer him gentle choices when needed. For Tom, he lets Shadow know that he’s not upset with him (anymore) and encourages him to follow his heart. At first it took Shadow by surprise that Tom and Maddie welcome him—he feels that he doesn’t deserve it—but he grew to enjoy their company and kindness after they’ve continually welcomed him in.

Tails and Knuckles were very cautious around Shadow at first, even to the point of questioning if having him at home was a good idea, but Sonic was quick to advocate to them that Shadow was redeemed. They’re still weary of him, but slowly open up to him.

Tom and Maddie troll G.U.N. any time they question if the Wachowski family has knowledge of Shadow’s existence. There is never a direct answer, as well as plenty of jokes. Shadow thanks them for keeping him safe.

Shadow is known to sneak in through the window or teleport inside the Wachowski home late at night. The first two that are always aware of his existence is Sonic (he eagerly hugs him) and Maddie, who makes him a hot chocolate to welcome him.

Tom definitely took Shadow out onto the lake and had a long talk with him. Shadow doesn’t disclose the conversation that he and Tom had on the boat. All that he said was “coming to Jesus” moment and quickly shuffled away from everyone, implying that he received some sort of fatherly advice like Sonic does. (Think of it like this, “mess with my family and I kick your butt.”)

Much like what she does for her kids, Maddie made Shadow a crochet blanket to wrap up in for when he visits the house. His blanket has very stylized flower patterns on it with earthy colors. Shadow likes to bundle in it like a burrito when he’s by himself.

Tails and Knuckles are still weary of Shadow dropping in on occasion, but have grown to trust him in the end. That makes Sonic incredibly happy.

Tails has offered several times to clean and maintain Shadow’s air shoes for him when they’ve looked worn down. He allows Tails to tweak them with his mild supervision.

Knuckles almost always challenges Shadow to a rematch whenever they meet up. It’s usually in the backyard where the rest of the family (and Wade when he’s bored) can watch. The fights are usually called off when the boys start using pine trees as baseball bats to swing at one another.

Sonic and Shadow like to spend every night together on the roof looking at stars when he visits. They don’t say anything, they watch. Although the silence is usually broken whenever they see the broken moon and cackle.

And finally, Shadow is greatly appreciative of the kindness that the Wachowski family has shown him. He’s grateful for them and wishes nothing but happiness and love for the family to experience for years.

[biancadoes1]

1. When Luke posted the “In a world where you can be anything…be kind” quote on his IG story, why do some people think that was to combat the hate Nicola was getting and not the hate Jade was getting?

I just assumed he posted it in support of Jade because weren’t they still together at the time?

2. If Luke is as good a guy as we’ve been led to believe, there is not a chance in hell he’s letting fans go after Antonia the way they have for the last 6-12 months if he has even an ounce of romantic feelings toward her.

It would literally take a similar IG story as above from him to hint to fans to stop hating on her. And even if he’s trying to have a private relationship with her, he’d protect her however he could. But he’s done no such thing, meaning he doesn’t care to protect her.

How do people actually think he’s in a relationship with her?

That post was definitely about Jade because I believe people were hating on her big time. I assumed most people thought this but I suppose that's not the case.

This is a big issue of why I'm so critical about people thinking Luke is with Antonia. The hate towards Antonia is vicious. There's nothing in his character that says he would allow the level of vitriol she's received if he was in a serious relationship with her or a relationship at all.

If people truly believe that Luke is just out there having fun and stringing this girl along, not giving a single shit about her but calling her his gf, they're fucked.

This is why I don't believe she's ever been in a true relationship with him. Nothing about anything we've seen screams relationship. Two kisses in January on camera don't count when we see him straight up ignoring her, refusing to be posted on her social media and nowhere near each other since fucking July.

Please be serious. The pictures released yesterday are OLD and they will remain old unless Luke shares a picture showing they're not. Then maybe I'll listen.

Until then, don't call yourself a fan when you think everything we saw on the WT was a lie and now he's in a Hot Boy whatever the fucking season, fucking around on social media with Antonia to show off to Nicola because they're "beefing." And thinking Antonia is just along for the ride (and that Nicola is desperate being with a 24 year old) because he's got some fame also shows how you view women in general.

Be so fucking for real.

Not attacking you, anon, but this shit is so tiring. Please act like you respect these people as humans and not characters in your dime store romance novel.

[gingernut1314]

X's and O's

Summary: Luffy loves physical affection

Content: gender-neutral reader, headcanon mixed with drabble, Luffy's love language slightly expanded on

Word Count: 540+

A/N: Just a small thought I've had for a little while now. It's a little short just cause I don't have too much time to write at the moment but I really needed to write something so here it is lol. I hope you enjoy! (also I didn't read this back over because I'm posting this while I hide away from family, but I'll look it over later)

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We all know Luffy loves physical affection

He’s attacking you in hugs any chance he gets

Holding your hand and hanging onto your front and back like a stretchy limbed baby koala 

But I think he’s also a big kisser

And not just small little peaks on the cheek

No no

Big old, wet, smacking kisses

Those attacked hugs that send you flying into things and onto the ground are going to be accompanied by kiss after kiss after kiss

Kisses to your cheeks, forehead, nose, chin, neck, collarbones, shoulders, and lips

He’s kissing you anywhere he can get at

Kisses are just another form of affection he thinks he should be able to give to the people he loves

He has no true sense of boundaries whatsoever so if you're not into his type of affection you’re gonna have to shout it at him 

He may look at you like a scolded little puppy

But he’ll find another way to shower you in lover in no time

The first time Luffy kissed you, you were stunned. You weren’t sure if he had meant it romantically or not, but you allowed it because it made you feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

Luffy always had that effect on you. On everyone he cared for, it seemed. 

He was happiness incarnate and his kisses only further solidified that. 

You found yourself seeking Luffy’s affection more and more, especially after days when everything seemed to be wrong. 

And Luffy, of course, was always more than happy to shower you with hugs and kisses

But today, you weren’t the one doing the seeking. 

No, Luffy was on the hunt for you. A hunt you were only alerted to by the cheerful shout of your name from across the deck of the Sunny. 

You perked up instantly at the sound, knowing what was to come in mere seconds. 

Robin perked up as well, blue eyes looking from the book she was reading towards where you sat next to her. A small smile tugged at her lips as Luffy shouted for you again. 

“Looks like Captain’s searching for you.” She mused, watching as you quickly placed your drink down before going to get up. 

“Yeah and I better--” But before you could even finish your thought, your name was shouted once more. A shout that was growing closer in a split second you didn’t even have time to try to stand up before Luffy was flinging himself at you. 

An Oofed huffed of air was knocked out of your lungs as you were shoved right back into your chair, the wood it was made up of groaning at the sharp movement. 

Arms were stretched round and round your waist, hand holding you tight. Legs did the said as kiss after kiss was planted to your face. 

“Lu--” His warm, chapped lips kissed your own. “--ffy.” You finished when lips kissed at your cheek. “What’s all this for?” You asked when he nuzzled his face into the crook of your neck. Luffy gave that mishvious laugh of his, lips kissing at your neck. 

“I was just thinkin’ about how much I love you.” He pulled away to smile brightly down at you. “Just wanted to let you know.”

[sapphiresaphics]

Well I can’t disagree with you more on that. Episode 7 was an exceptionally pivotal episode. Not only does it give Ekko time to shine and get his superpower of rewinding time that ultimately saves the day, it’s a chance for us to get much needed context both in what Jayce was doing and what Piltover and Zaun could be. The AU is the future Ekko and others are fighting for.

It’s also pulling double duty. We spend an entire episode with Ekko connecting with Powder so that when he returns to his world he can save Jinx. And I mean that in the literal narrative sense. Watching Ekko work with Jinx would remove tension from the final battle, but it would also just be mostly redundant to what we saw in episode 7. For a show that trims all the fat, episode 7 acts as stand in for how Ekko will connect with Jinx later.

It also emphasizes why Hextech is bad. The AU with Ekko is nice because Hextech doesn’t exist, whereas the future AU with Jayce is terrible because Hextech was allowed to flourish to its ultimate conclusion. When the final battle is about getting rid of Hextech and ending the cycle of violence that began with its creation, I think spending the time to see why it’s important is necessary for the audience.

I do agree that there are some areas that could’ve been streamlined or ironed out a bit. I’ve addressed this in another post, but I do feel like the sequential order of each plot line gets a little muddled towards the end. I don’t think the information in those plot lines is bad or missing context, just that a restructuring of the episodes might’ve helped lessen the pacing issues. Mel’s story in particular I really like, but it’s out of order and she’s held in magical captivity so long between episodes it feels weird to cut back to her and no time has passed.

I still don’t really feel like this was lazy writing though. And since the season was written and started in production before season 1 even aired, I think it’s a little disingenuous to suggest they didn’t plan this out ahead of time. With the amount of setups, payoffs, parallels, and callbacks, this show is ridiculous in how dense it is. I can’t imagine any of that being lazy.

At any rate, thank you for the kind discussion. Frequently when I’ve tried to talk to people about their feelings on this show I get bombarded with negativity and slander so I really appreciate you taking the time to talk to me like a normal person.

Do not create a literal upper caste lower caste class divide in your show if you are incapable of presenting the nuances of such a divide it makes you look lazy

[thefrogman]

Hey Froggie! I need to take better product photos indoors. I have a decent camera, and great success shooting outside, but I really hate being at the whims of the weather when I need pics of new items. Most of what I shoot is small (under 1 foot long, often 6” or less), and I’m setting up small staging areas with little props for them. I have a couple tabletop lights with tracing paper covers to diffuse them a bit, but I struggle getting enough light. If I only have space and budget for one big floor light, is there a model or brand you’d recommend looking at for maximum lighting returns?

I've been struggling with some health issues and don't have a lot of energy. But I did want to give you a few quick suggestions and hopefully if I feel better in the future I can answer more in depth. I've been wanting to make a post about this with cheap lights and basic equipment and shooting my own examples, but the energy has eluded me.

Without a budget it's hard to give a recommendation for new lights, but COB (chip on board) video lights can be found for around $100-150 these days. I would say 2 of those with a "bowens mount" would be able to do just about any product photography with no trouble. The bowens mount allows you to apply photography grade reflectors, diffusors, soft boxes, etc. Neewer is a budget brand that makes surprisingly sturdy equipment. It's an investment, but you will find working with proper lights will make things a lot easier.

That said, I have used ordinary desk lamps with great success. Better lights are easier to work with and much more convenient, but light is light. I was just playing around with my mom's red stapler that she liked because it was red and didn't realize it was from Office Space.

I used desk lamps, diffusion material, and also... a smartphone. And while it was a bit of a pain in the ass compared to my old studio setup, I was really surprised with the results.

I do miss my studio though.

But I'm hoping to rebuild it soon.

My point being... having better lights isn't always necessary and you may find it does not improve your situation much without changing a few other important things.

First, if you shoot with a tripod you can increase your shutter speed and even if the lights aren't very bright, they can still work. You just need to be sure you are in a very dark environment and the lights for your photos are the only ones affecting the exposure. You don't want light from a window or overhead light mucking things up.

But I think your biggest issue is how you are using diffusion. Tracing paper is actually great inexpensive diffusion, especially for gradient lighting. (Savage Translum or Lee Filters 216 white diffusion would be the professional equivalent). But by attaching it directly to the light you are limiting your options greatly. I would create tracing paper panels that you can move closer and farther away from your lights. Just create some kind of DIY frame so you can stand them up vertical and move them around your lights. Or you can just hold the diffusion in front of the light if you need to. Make the panels as big as your space allows.

By seperating the diffusion from the lights you can play with moving things closer and farther apart. Move the light closer for a harder light source. Move the tracing paper panels closer to your subject for a larger light source. The permutations are endless and a lot of fun to experiment with.

Just remember...

Bigger light source = soft light Small light source = hard light Light close to tracing paper = short gradient Light far from tracing paper = long gradient

When using the tracing paper, remember the surface area of the paper is your light source, not your actual light. So the closer you move that surface to your subject, the bigger and softer the light becomes.

So to summarize, make your room really dark, put the camera on a tripod, get the tracing paper off the lights and see what you can come up with.

Also, here is a Karl Taylor video where he uses only desk lamps to do a high end wine bottle photo. His "scrims" or diffusion panels are huge and you can build your own much smaller. They only need to be that big if you start taking photos of bigger stuff.

And this is his video on diffusion material which might be helpful too.

[ebongawk]

number 5 for the meme

5. A firm kiss

They were friends.

Best friends, actually.

Like, the best of friends.

And Eddie had never been so goddamn remiss about something in his entire life.

Don't get him wrong, he loved being Chrissy's best friend. She was smart and funny and brave and drop-dead gorgeous.

He also just kinda loved Chrissy, so. Y'know. There was that.

And yeah, okay, so maybe he'd been carrying this little torch for nigh on fifteen years now. So, like, over half his life at this point. And, yeah, alright, sue him, he'd never told her that, but what was he gonna do, drop to his knees and profess his love? Squash the friendship they've worked so hard to build when she laughed in his face?

Nah. Fuck that.

They'd only reconnected post-high school in the last few years. And so what if Eddie hadn't, like, looked at another girl since Chrissy unexpectedly stumbled back into his life in fucking Philadelphia, of all places? So what if he spent his free time away from the studio with her, watching movies and cooking meals and doing all the cutesy date shit he'd seen other couples doing without actually dating her? So what if the guys ribbed him constantly for being a rocker on the verge of stardom who was whipped by a girl he'd never even kissed?

So fucking what?

He would probably move on someday. Once Chrissy ended her years-long dry spell and found some nice guy to settle down with, solidifying the inevitable depths of their friendship that he hadn't quite come to terms with yet. Then he could dive headfirst into the women who were constantly hovered around him like bees around some extra-pollinated flower without feeling this insane sense of guilt for cheating on the gorgeous, eternally-out-of-his-league girl he wasn't even dating.

Someday.

Maybe today?

They'd just played a fucking phenomenal show. Put their entire souls into it, actually, because Jeff had on good authority that the label they'd just signed with had some bigwigs in the crowd to observe them. Find out just how much potential the band had so they could promote them properly.

There was a girl in the crowd that kept making eyes at him. Pretty enough, he supposed, with dark makeup and dark hair. Tall. Standing on the edge of the stage with a little smirk designed to hide the type of unspoken promises that had his gut curling.

And, y'know, not with guilt. Of fucking course not.

He and Chrissy were the best of friends. And, he reminded himself as he slipped his way backstage, if something was gonna happen, it would've happened by now.

This girl just happening to be Chrissy's polar opposite in every conceivable way was meaningless.

They packed up their gear into the van over whoops and hollers. Talking at length about how fucking incredible they just were, because vanity had no jurisdiction amidst their accomplishment. Once that was loaded up, Eddie bid the guys farewell with every intention of going to find that girl.

When he got back inside, however, he felt like he got socked in the fucking gut. In the bad way.

Chrissy was there. Sitting at the bar, sipping on a drink. Legs crossed under a little pink skirt that made him lose his fucking mind as she leaned toward the person sitting next to her.

The guy sitting next to her.

What the fuck. What the fuck? He hadn't even known she was coming tonight. And who was this fucking clown looking at her like she was the most charming person to ever grace his presence? She was, of course, but who fucking gave him the right to look at her like that?

Taking a deep, slow breath, Eddie reminded himself through a little mantra that she wasn't his. She was just his friend. And she was allowed to sip her drinks and bat her lashes at whoever the fuck she wanted.

Even if the thought made steam blow out of his ears.

"Hey," someone called over his shoulder. Eddie whipped around to see the girl from the crowd there. Sauntering up to him with swaying hips and that same smirk that made his uncomfortable stomach roil. "You're the guitarist, right?"

Fuck. Fuck.

"Yeah," Eddie responded. Puffing out a breath and pulling his best nonchalant grin out of his ass, he said again, "Yeah. That's me, honey."

He leaned up against the nearest table, putting Chrissy in his periphery. Watching her from the corner of his eye as she laughed at probably the worst joke known to humankind, as told by a clown.

The new girl looked him up and down, appreciation obvious, and her grin grew. Showing off sharp canines and a knowing glint in her eye.

"You guys played really good tonight," she continued. "Though I've been to a few shows now, and you're always pretty fantastic."

"Oh yeah?" Eddie responded, crossing his arms and popping his eyebrows. "What, you consider yourself a bonafide fan, then?"

She giggled, introducing herself with a name Eddie immediately forgot. Glancing over right as Chrissy looked at him, finally seeming to register his presence.

Was it just him, or did something in her face drop all at once?

The girl continued talking to him, but Eddie could not reiterate their conversation if someone held a gun to his head. Instead, he watched curiously as Chrissy left her half-finished drink on the bar and said something to Bozo before getting up and bolting out the front door.

Huh. What the fuck was that?

"So," the girl said, tilting her head to one side and catching his attention. "Are you gonna buy me a drink? Or should we just get out of here?"

"Yeah, uh, gonna have to pin that shit right here, actually," Eddie responded as he jumped to his feet. When did this girl get so close to him? No wonder he felt claustrophobic and a little nauseous. "Sorry, kid."

"Another time?" she asked, pouting a little. The snort Eddie stifled came out as a cough.

"Uh, yeah, sure," Eddie said before giving a meager salute and taking off after Chrissy. He heard the girl shout something at him, maybe trying to entice him back, but Eddie's ears were no longer open to the voices of anyone else in existence.

Chrissy was a full block away already. Brisk pace making her little skirt swish back and forth in time with the rapid beating of his heart.

"Chrissy," he called as he jogged after her. Watching her shoulders freeze, her gait coming to an unexpected halt. She didn't turn around, her body curling away from him as he caught up to her. "Hey! What, uh. What're you doing here?"

Why'd you run away?

"Hi, Eddie," she replied, her voice soft. "I, um. I just came to see you guys. Jeff said it was supposed to be a big show."

Ducking down, Eddie tried to catch her gaze. Something caught in his throat when she resolutely turned away from him.

Swallowing it heavily down, he stood up straight again. Fully taking a step back.

"Yeah? What'd you think?"

"You guys played really well," she said, though not with the enthusiasm with which she normally praised the band. "You, um. You really blew the roof off that place."

God. He'd never heard her sound so... lifeless. Why the fuck was she so upset?

"Yeah, uh, thanks, sweetness." She didn't respond outside of a brusque nod, and Eddie cleared his throat. Grasping at straws without understanding why he was reaching for nothing when conversation had never been so stilted between them. "I wish you'd've told me you were coming out. Coulda, like, I dunno, made a night of it or something."

"Seems like you had your night pretty well figured out," Chrissy shot back, something dark and viscous replacing the absence of emotion in her voice.

"Uh?"

"Why did you even come after me, Eddie?" Chrissy spat, finally, finally reeling on him. Anger blazed brightly in her eyes, taking Eddie aback so fully he flinched. The abrupt change in her demeanor had him so goddamn confused his mind whited out for a second. "Like, what's the point? Why are you here?"

"Why are you here?" he volleyed back, unconsciously matching her tone. "Huh? Why didn't you tell me you were coming? Or did you even come to see us?"

"What the hell does that mean?"

Eddie scoffed. "I saw you with that fucking clown in there."

"What does that matter?"

"What do my evening plans matter?"

"Because you were flirting with that girl!"

"So were you!" Eddie fired, fully stepping into Chrissy's personal space. "You were acting all coquettish and shit, I saw you! And it doesn't even fucking matter if I was flirting with her, because I fucked off as soon as I saw you run out! Which is so damn stupid on my part, because you don't even want me!"

"Of course I want you, you moron!" she practically screamed in his face. Bringing him entirely up short, all of the upset she still displayed draining out of his bones. "That guy in there? I was playing you up for him! He's with your freaking studio! I've wanted no one but you for years! You just don't even see me!"

That brought the anger right back. Completely disregarding her admission of trying to cozy up to the bigwig Jeff had mentioned. "Are you fucking kidding me?" Cupping her cheeks in his hands, Eddie pressed closer. Forcing her to grab the lapels of his jacket to hold her balance. "I don't see anything else, Chrissy. You live in the back of my brain, hovering around with your pretty pink nails sunk into the membrane. Every–– Every time I close my eyes, every time I blink, it's with your imprint behind my eyelids. And then I go to bed at night and fucking dream about you and me and all the shit I fucking wished we had and––"

He didn't get to finish.

She pushed up onto her dainty little toes and cut him off with a kiss.

It was firm. Warm. A little hard, still stuck on the leftover vestiges of her anger. The slight click of teeth, but Eddie was already holding her. It took nothing, nothing at all, for him to kiss her back. To hold her in place and fucking devour her with every piece of himself she already held in her palms. All of the soft, gooey pieces of him she could smush into the fucking concrete beneath their feet if she so chose.

She didn't do that, though.

Instead, she threw him straight into the void of space. His body coming to rest across a bed of stars that fizzled and popped across his skin. Bursting on contact, the sparking pieces embedded themselves into his skin. Burrowing beneath flesh and muscle and wrapping like vines around his bones.

The buzz of his starry new veins didn't fade until she slowly lowered herself back to the ground, then ignited anew when Eddie chased her lips. Slowing the desperation of their kiss until she was the soft, gooey pieces he had no choice but to hold aloft.

As though he ever wanted anything else touching his hands.

Finally, after an eternity in the stars, he pulled back to let her breathe. Resting his forehead against hers so she was nothing but a blur of flushed cheeks and stormy blue eyes.

"I've wanted to do that," he began around a stuttered exhale, "for so goddamn long."

He watched her eyes flick back and forth between his. Felt the expanse and collapse of her chest as she took another slow, deep breath.

"I was afraid," she admitted after a moment. "I was terrified, actually. That you'd... That you didn't want me the way I wanted you. And that, if I told you how I felt––"

"It'd ruin us," Eddie finished. Chrissy nodded.

"But I've wanted that, too," she said. "I've wanted you, Eddie."

The next kiss was a slow evolution. A soft, exploratory expanse of new beginnings hidden in the uncharted depths science couldn't possibly discover alone.

"You have me, sweetness. You have me."

kiss roulette!

[commandershepardvasfuckit]

Kingsguard part 1

M!troll x f!reader

1.4k words

It was a dream come true, being the first archivist allowed to really document the cultures of Kor’mal, the monster kingdom. Well almost. Unfortunately you had drawn the attention of one of the king’s guard and he was annoyingly persistent.

(So fun fact for anyone who’s read the Arranged Marriage series with Zen’jan: I wrote like 1k words of that series, got distracted by Ba’tual and wrote like 7k words for him, never posted anything, then went back and wrote so much Zen. Also Zen and Ba’s character designs were switched once I really started writing Zen lol)

————

“Like what you see?” he called to you.

“Leave it, Ba’tual” your guide Bira, called back at him, “she doesn’t have time for your nonsense!”

Ba’tual stood outside the hold, sparring with a few other trolls. He was an intimidating sort, large and clearly a dangerous fighter. His movements were quick and precise, easily flipping his sparring partner over without effort.

You had arrived in the orcish capital of Kor’mal a few days prior and now today you were on your way to meet with several leaders and scholars to start your writings on culture and politics in the Southern Alliance.

“What?” Ba’tual called back as the two of you passed by and into the hold “She’s here to learn about us, right? I can definitely teach her a thing or two”.

“Ignore him” Bira muttered as she ushered you inside.

Even after spending a few days in the city it was still imposing to walk into a room of orcs, trolls, and minotaurs. The orcish king sat front and center on a simple throne inlaid with claws and tusks. Surrounding him were his advisors and several scholars.

“Deal with Ba’tual or I will” Bira snapped at one of the advisors.

The advisor sighed, “Thank you, Bira. I will deal with him” the poor troll man sounded so resigned.

Hours flew by as you spoke with everyone, occasionally new people flowed into the hold as you wrote pages upon pages of notes. Histories of each race, societal structures for each and how everything functioned as a city of many peoples, values, naming conventions, everything you could think to discuss now that the war was over between your kingdom and the Southern Alliance of the local orcs, trolls, and minotaurs.

You left on your own much later, stepping out into the soft glow of the setting sun, confident in your ability to trace your route back to the inn you were staying at without Bira’s guidance. Not more than a few steps outside the hold a familiar voice called out to you.

“Where’s your guide, little human?” he moved quietly, slipping out of the shadows without a sound.

Ba’tual towered over you as he closed the distance between the two of you. He stood taller than an orc or minotaur, which was easily several taller than you. He had the same muscular, lean build as many of the other trolls you had seen, not quite a broad in the chest and shoulders as the orcs.

“Going home” you answered, trying to side step to get away.

“It’s so early though,” he placed a hand on the wall behind you, somewhat blocking your way, “why not enjoy some time in the city? I know a few good places”.

He was just about as close as he could get to you without touching. His long, elephant-like tusks nearly touching the wall on either side of your head as he leaned down to your eye level, effectively pinning you there. Up close his eyes were a dark blue you had never seen on a human that stood out against the light blue tone of his skin. His hair was a dark blue, closely shaved at the sides of his head and a left as a long mane running down the center of his head.

“I need to get home and organize my notes” you asserted again, clutching your notes defensively as a barrier between you and him.

“Those can wait. Why not explore the pleasures of the city?”

“Ba’tual” came an annoyed voice, “If Brinedeep declares war again I will know it is because you are harassing one of their emissaries”. It was the troll advisor leaving the hold.

“I’m not harassing her, just offering to show her around the city” Ba’tual said.

“Ba, I know you well, behave” the advisor warned.

Ba’tual took his hand off the wall and took a step back, “Fine, whatever you say, Zen. And you,” he turned his attention back to you, sly smirk on his lips, “I’ll be seeing you later”.

He walked off with the unfounded confidence of someone who had gotten their way. An annoying swagger to his step and you could not help but wrinkle you nose in disgust at his attitude.

“I am sorry about him,” the advisor said, “I promise he is harmless”.

“Is he always like that?”

“Cocky and overly forward? Yes, he has been like that since we were kids. But do not worry, he would not dare touch you. He is harmless”.

“That’s not as reassuring as you think it is”.

“If he makes you uncomfortable or does anything like that again tell me or Bira, I will make sure he knocks it off. I will not have him making people uncomfortable in my city”.

“Thank you, though I didn’t catch your name earlier.”

“Zen’jan” he replied.

Weeks flew by, you traveled between the hold, the archives, and speaking to people all throughout the city, but there was one annoying constant: Ba’tual.

No matter what he was doing, or who you were with, Ba’tual made sure to say something every time he saw you. He would call out to get your attention and then show off sparring, pester you to grab a drink with him, catcall you, anything to get your attention.

And it was obnoxious.

However, in this time you had gleaned more information about him: he was Zen’jan’s closest friend and part of the king’s personal guard, he was incredibly skilled with combat magic along with hand to hand combat, and he was incredibly persistent.

You were willing to give Zen’jan credit though; true to his word, Ba’tual never once attempted to lay a hand on you. He got at close as possible, seeing how far he could push your boundaries, a game of chicken of sorts, but always waited to see if you would be the one to close the distance.

“Hey, hey!” Bira’s voice cut through your thoughts, “Everyone’s leaving, come on!”

You followed her out into city, everything was livelier than usual, preparations for a festival were well underway.

“You are still coming with me tonight, right?” She asked.

“Of course, it would be good for my notes to observe some festivals first hand” you said.

Bira snorted, “Observe? No! Come and enjoy the festival! And you have to let me dress you! I’m sure I can find something that’ll fit you”.

Before you could even begin to argue with Bi’ra a familiar presence swept up behind you both.

“I love a festival, even if it’s orcish” Ba’tual said, draping one arm over Bira’s shoulder and butting between you two. “Food, drinks, an excuse to get dressed up, can’t beat it”.

Bira shrugged his arm off of her, “Aren’t you supposed to behave and be part of king’s guard tonight?”

“The king? Bah!” he scoffed, “You know well as I that he doesn’t really need any guards, it’s all ceremony. Besides, I want to have some fun!”

“Well, have your fun away from us! She doesn’t need you pestering her all night!”

Ba’tual let out a low hum, “I don’t know about that, she hasn’t gone running to you to stop me? Mmmm? Maybe she likes a little attention?”

“No one likes your attention” she fired back flatly.

“Ah, well, we’ll see” he smiled and leaned over to Bira and said something in the troll language.

“No!” she yelled at him and smacked him on the arm as hard as she could you reckoned.

“I’ll be seeing you tonight!” he called as strolled off.

“Cocky asshole” Bira muttered.

“What did he say?” you asked.

Bira shook her head “Believe me, you don’t want to know” she sighed, “He’s still been bothering you?” she turned her attention back to you.

“It’s not that bad” you answer, “He’s really just all talk”.

“You don’t have to put up with him, you know? You should have told me. I can tell Zen’jan, and he’s the one person Ba’tual will always listen to”.

“It’s fine”

Bira’s eyes darted across your face as she opened her mouth only to quickly close it several times, trying to find something to say. “Fine. If you insist”.

————

Part 2

[meowmoew3]

Strangers Again singer au!

choso kamo x reader // satoru gojo x reader implied throughout. 𝜗𝜚˚⋆⭑

"I don't wanna be your dirty secret, I don't wanna be your love affair.." ღ˚｡⋆

⁀➷ In which uprising singer y/n l/n is hidden in the dark by her current lover, Satoru Gojo. What happens when she decides the lingering kisses in the dark and only being able to say I love you in whispers, is too much? Her friends all tell her to call it off, get it over with, find someone who will show her off. When she doesn't listen to them and decides to get started on her new song, Please Please Please, will her producer, Choso Kamo, get tired of this and admit he has a crush on her? Or will he allow her to spiral deeper into Gojos life? Maybe sweet y/n is already getting tired of meeting him at the back door and getting used to meeting Choso at the front..

˙✧˖° S T R A N G E R S A G A I N  ༘⋆｡˚

CHAPTERS

0. interlude : MASTERLIST

ACTION! ˚⋆⭑:: Kissing In the Car || STATUS : POSTED!

interlude : We Come Out After Dark || STATUS : soon!

CUT. // take my jacket off

PAUSE.. // No Need to Show Off

ACTION! ˚⋆⭑:: I love you..

CUT. // only in whispers!

ACTION! // Confession: A Dirty Secret

PAUSE.. // Love Affair..

interlude : Favorite Person

ACTION! // Sweet Escape!

CUT. // "We're just best friends.."

PAUSE.. // PARTY TIME!!

interlude : lover undercover

ACTION! // Confession: Is It Me?

CUT. // Strange To Other Girls?

interlude : hit me up!

CUT. // Craved Attention

interlude : tired.

PAUSE.. // I don't wanna say it in whispers anymore.

ACTION! // I Don't Wanna Be Your Dirty Secret

ACTION! // I Don't Wanna Be Your Love Affair

PAUSE.. // I don't wanna be your lover undercover.

CUT! // STRANGERS AGAIN

interlude : stranger.

#BREAK ROOM!⭑─

 i used to write fan fiction in 2021 so im excited to get back to it.. im honestly not that good of a writer but i try! break rooms will not be edited or proofread so.. accept my bad writing here. feel free to give me feedback and suggestions for this story because i have no clue where this is going. ill try to update every few days, or week.. but def frequently!! depending on how this does idk how to work this website so im learning as i go!! THINGS UNDER THE CUT ARE CREDITS/RULES/ETC.

CREDITS ⭑─ 

Inspired by Strangers Again by Olivia Rodrigo

please do not copy, translate, or reupload my work to different platforms. I do not own music, photos, or characters used. Things written in quote ( that isnt a character talking ) does NOT belong to me, I am not claiming to own any of it.

RULES ⭑─ 

Honestly there are no rules.. but try to keep it positive. Idc for mdni but small warning, i am not responsible for what you see on social media. if you see something you dont like please scroll it is not my responsibility to tell you who and what to interact with.

ETC! ⭑─ 

Hehe promise im a fun person im just trying to get these points across.. ill prob edit this better later! should i make a taglist? if so 50/50 open!! gonna make my masterlist and what not soon. also this will be available on ao3 soon!!>o<