#and also it has a very good side effect profile

[fencesandfrogs]

Starting a new med is like. I’m on drugs dot com making sure I know everything about it. I’m reading the reviews. Literally no information I get about it will change my actions or impact me in any way but I can’t stand not knowing.

[teddybeartoji]

suguru geto is unbelievably captivating.

he catches your eye immediately – standing tall, he's got one hand on the subway pole to keep his balance. his hair is tucked into his hoodie with only a few strands left out to frame his face. you can only see his side profile but it's enough; a sharp, prominent jawline and a beautiful nose, thin eyebrows, a pierced lip and a pair of tired eyes. you feel bad for thinking it but the dark bags under them leave you no other option.

afternoon sun peeks from the windows behind him, successfully making the scene before you seem like a painting. the colors move; the shades of green flashing by as trees wave you goodbye, the different hues of the tired grays, of the big buildings taking up space as the base of the canvas. splashes of black and white and silver and beige are thrown into the mix, too. his slacks, his big headphones, his jewellery, his totebag. but what truly brings it all together, is his deep, dark maroon hoodie; there's a hint of purple in it aswell, and you just think it's one of the best colors you've ever seen. you figure the thought is a bit silly, but you can't get it out of your head.

something so comforting about it, something so warm and welcoming. something a little murky about it. you can't look away.

you forget about everybody else around you. for you, it's just him in this moment. a total stranger. you don't know him and you probably never will; a pang of hurt hits right under your ribs at the thought. you wonder what his name is, you wonder how his voice sounds. how warm his hands are, and what's his favourite color. no, he doesn't seem like the type to have a favourite color. childish. you'd have to ask about a favourite drink or a book perhaps instead. you're fine with that.

you can spot a few rings on his fingers, a silver watch and a bracelet or two peering from under his sleeve. his hands are pretty. they look good. you also think that you can see a tattoo sprouting from under the collar of his hoodie but the dark lines are blending in with the strands of his hair, so you can't be sure. you want to be sure.

your foot taps against the floor or the cart, your body itching to scoot a little closer to him. you want to see his whole face. you need to. fidgeting with your own fingers, you continue observing the man in front of you. he might step out every second now, you can't waste any more time.

his shoulder seem very broad, his posture almost immaculate. handsome – you think he looks very handsome. well put together. his clothes aren't wrinkled, there isn't a single hair or a speck of dust anywhere on them as far as you can see; the only things that betray his true state of being are his eyes.

purple. glued to the window in front of him, he watches... nothing. he seems a little out of it. he's not focused on the trees or the buildings, the people aside him. you think about what kind of music he might be listening to.

the subway doors open and you jolt, head turning around to look at the platform behind the glass. people stand and leave, and a few come in, leaving an open space for you to take on the bench you're currently sitting on. and you do take it.

there he is.

you can see his eyes a little better now. keen and sharp, he reminds you of a wolf. a malnourished one. the corners of his mouth are tilted down and he really does seem tired. but he's still utterly, utterly beautiful. his skin is almost perfect, his hair shiny and his lips a little glossy. but not too glossy though – no, he definitely uses something like shea butter. something that isn't too thick, something that doesn't smell or taste too strongly. it just seems right.

you've never been this captivated by a stranger before. it's weird. the effect this man has on you without ever even sparing you a glance. you think about asking for it. for a glance. for a second of his time. a fraction of it? anything. everything.

how would he greet you? would he be mad? would he think that you're bothering him? would he give you a smile? a scoff? an eyebrow raise? would he let you ask whatever your heart desires? or would he brush you off, never even removing his headphones when you try to speak to him? oh, it hurts. the blatantly fake heartbreak still hurts.

his trainers are clean - they're white with some accents on them. they match his hoodie. you wonder which he bought first. did he buy the other with the intent of wearing the two pieces together? you want to ask him. that's not his favourite color though, right? no, no – he wouldn't have one. this man reads books and watches movies that are mostly only shown at different festivals. you don't mind it.

films. foreign films. he knows names of the directors from the top of his head, he could probably name a few cinematographers, too. fancy. but that's not his main thing, definitely not. there's something missing, something you can't grasp with just your eyes. what is he passionate about? truly passionate. what does he pour his heart into? is that why he's exhausted? is he tired from loving something? is it starting to hurt now? is it overwhelming? does he want a break? does he want to rest? does he want to get away?

the sun finds your eye from behind his body, forcing you to tear your eyes from him. the cart stops again, the doors open. you try to rub out the slight burn, suddenly a bit frantical that you'll really lose him. you look up and—

he's not there.

he isn't there anymore.

people walk past you, plopping down beside you as you're still trying to find him. turning in your seat, you eye the station. maroon, maroon, maroon, maroon. c'mon, how fast does this man fucking walk?!

but he's just not there.

you think it's unbelievably unfair that it's the sun that made you lose him. isn't she supposed to be full of love? bullshit. with a huff, your shoulders slump and your eyes fall shut while sinking into the bench below you. the cart seems to rumble more now, the seat way more uncomfortable than it was a mere minute ago. you really are disappointed; in yourself and in the world. why didn't you get up? why didn't you speak to him? better to get a no than to drown in the million 'what if' questions in your head. stupid. you're stupid.

"hi."

as you listen to the voice recording of the station names, the very same ones you memorized years ago, you crack open your eyes. your own shoes stare back at you; they're dirtier than his were. you don't think too deeply about the comparison. sun dances on the ground before you, the various shapes entertaining your mind with the shadow play. but you don't stay for long; trailing up, you see the familiar paint and your heart skips a beat. white and maroon. black. maroon. silver.

purple.

[sc4llywag]

Since I got Tumblr and have free range to rant however I want, its time for the Assassin's Creed main characters and how they walk post!!!

With each of the games, they change the main characters walking animation to fit their vibe and I need to be able to study them beheehe

Desmond

I don't have too much to say about Desmond's other than his is simple and similar to Ezio's and Altaïr's and I like to think that this is due to the bleeding effect(it happened to me too I walk like the assassin's all the time) his is a little more confined and he keeps his arms closer to himself so he's very typical in the way he walks

Altaïr

In his walk he has a sway to his hips and steady hands(probably to keep himself ready for any assassination), but goddamn the SWAY I never noticed it.

His shoulders also sway with his walk and I love how fluid he is in general, this ties back to his robes for me and how flowy they are to show the grace of an assassin in high profile but when low profile they stay to his sides and he's all in the shadows and I REALLY love that about him.

Ezio

This gif is all I could find so i can't really remember if Ezio's walk is different in Ac2 from Altaïr's because ubisoft is the king of recycling things but whatever. He still has the outward stance but I do notice his head is pointed low to try and keep himself hidden(shadows shit be like) but ofc hes holding the apple here so it's hard to tell if he's trying to swing his arm a lot lol, anyway body language is important to Ezio so hes very good at looking broody as well as fluid in his movements

Connor

(Walk Cycle Research | PKlover4078)

My man my man my man my man😍‼️‼️

The way Connor walks with his hands stretched out and then clenching his fists every moment because he's always ready for a fight goddamn this MF could take me in an alleyway and I'd be happy. I'd like to note with this gif, it doesn't show his slow slow walk and I remember it pretty well, he has a slight cautious aura in his walk, he's really careful in his foot placement(I think) and he's super awesome and I love him a lot. Since we have him running I'd like to talk about that too. He has such an efficient sprint it's so mesmerizing, he keeps his head low and just fuckin vrooms across the colonies<3

Aveline

You can barely see her here bc the damn community doesn't care for Aveline much but I like her even tho I haven't played Liberation, I enjoy the way she walks in a proper manner and she's got that strut the runway strut is everything. I also like how she has a wider swing in her arms, more carefree and comfortable.

Edward

This is such a great quality gif thanks so much Ac fandom!!

Anyway, I really love the difference in Edwards walk compared to the rest of the assassins because he's a pirate, he hasn't had the teaching of grace and secrecy. Therefore his walk is staggering in his footwork but still proper bc he's a sword fighter and very good at it. In a longer gif you'd be able to tell but his footing is a little messy, showing that drunken sailor pirate personality shows in his walk. He has a close arm swing due to him always needing to be close to his weapons, ready for a fight(like his grandson<3)

Haytham

I can barely see how he's walking but I'm pretty sure he had his hand on his sword hilt which says so much abt his character, again always being ready for a fight. He has a very straight posture due to his pompous nature, quick in his form to be efficient because why walk if you don't look proper and efficient?

Shay

Ok he's a Templar and so is Haytham but fuck you I love them.

His walk is so GOOD his walk has a heavy step and he's very prominent, got that straight posture again, not much to say about his arm sway other than the added shoulder sway, love that for him bc he's just so intimidating.

(For reasons I'm not doing Arno, Evie, Jacob, Kassandra, and Eivor since I haven't played their games)

Bayek

Bayek's walk is very different from every other assassin and that makes me love him so much more. He feels very carefree and relaxed but when in combat good lord does he go off!! He puts more sway in his arms than his hips and that's probably why he has a combat centered walk, like Edward.

If you've reached the end thank you for reading my rambling ass get over excited over walk cycle animations :) follow for more rambling!!

[snapscube]

hey penny!! i hope you're doing good :] not sure if you're looking for any feedback right now for midnight snap so if this message is unwarranted then no hard feelings at all <3 maybe it's just me and tbh it's hard for me to tell bc it's probably subjective, but as someone who's particularly sensitive to sound it sometimes feels like your voice gets lost in certain game music in your videos. i've listened both on mobile and on desktop and i think it's worse on desktop, more comfortable on mobile (for some reason). like, i find myself straining to hear you and pretty often i need to pause to take breaks because i get easily overstimulated. it's definitely not sfx that get me, just background music you know??? i especially noticed it in your freddi fish video around the start of the second game, but it's in other videos too like when you played animal crossing. it isn't too bad though tbh, still overall a super cozy series and i'm grateful you're still doing it!! if everything stays the same, i'll still watch it. i'd really love to know what you think and if you can confirm if anyone else has said something like this, i wonder if there's any merit to what i'm saying cause i just wanna help ^^;

i appreciate the feedback! i'll admit i'm still definitely trying to nail down the sound mixing of Midnight Snap. there's a LOT that goes into it between recording environment, VST setups for my live microphone effects, post-processing effects when it makes it to the actual edit timeline, etc. also admittedly this is a genre of content i'm still relatively new to making (never dabbled in asmr or anything) and though it's easy to put out a super long video normally and have people say its good for sleeping as a fun side effect, actually trying to make something FROM THE GROUND UP for relaxation comes with a lot of consideration i'm still not quite specialized in yet haha, especially with how long the breaks have been up to now. none of this is meant to handwave ur issues btw im taking everything into account here, just wanted to explain why its somewhat in flux right now!

my approach for the last few episodes of the show has been to heavily compress the dynamics of the audio, which might contribute to what ur dealing with here. although at the end of the day there's not much i can do to anticipate literally every individual user's listening conditions cause there's gonna be sooo much variance there. i can definitely try to put more focus on maybe separating the heaviest frequences of the voice track vs the game track though. as it stands i tend to cut back on the high frequencies a lot in both cases cause i personally just find higher frequencies a lot more distracting and harsh and to me what ends up sounding soothing is a very smooth and rumbly kind of profile. but of course audio mixing is all about balance so i'll see how i can maybe dial that in a little more distinctly! hopefully as i continue to standardize what editing software i use for the show as well as how it's recorded i can do more to brush out any remaining issues in the sound design :) thanks again!

[scp230kinnie]

Hcs for the titans mcs pls (Dick, Gar, Rachel, & Kori)

Lowkey gonna marry whoever sent this 😜

TITANS RELATIONSHIP HEADCANONS

I assume you meant relationship, so here’s that

Characters: Dick Grayson, Rachel Roth, Gar Logan, Jason Todd, and Koriand’r

Genre: fluff 😜 relationship hcs

Warnings: SPOILERS ⚠️ mentions of death & injury. Slightly suggestive. None of the characters mentioned are mine, all Headcanons are made up by me, not canon whatsoever. Everything said/mentioned is fictional.

On with the fic

Dick Grayson

He a baddie

He tries actually so hard to keep you out of danger

I feel like he would try to hide the whole titans thing from you if you didn’t know about it, but realistically finding out would be inevitable

He can always tell when you’re lying. It’s like a sixth sense to him

As a matter of fact, he can tell when anyone lies to him

He probably likes it when you help patch him up after a fight (not that he would admit it)

If you’re expecting a man who’s open about anything (his past, etc) you have another thing coming

It would take a lot for him to actually open up

Even if he does open up, he doesn’t like telling you much about his time with Bruce.

Dont bring it up either lol

Man is so touch deprived omggg

It’s not exactly that he never got it, it’s more that he never wanted it

He would like flinch if you ever touched him, but he would get used to it

He has a fat ass I wanna slap it

If you do that, he’s probably gonna slap yours back

No PDA. Holding hands at the MOST. Unless you’re upset or hurt, then he’ll give you a quick hug or something

He likes to stay serious generally, but sometimes he’ll be silly and it’s so cute ong

He wants you to stay away from the crime fighting scene.

He even gets scared for your health in case one of his enemies decides to go for you

He would try to teach you some self defence

If you are a crime fighter, he helps you train, and stays close to you on missions if he can

His favourite part of your body is your face. He loves looking into your eyes or kissing your lips or cheeks

Next 😜

Rachel Roth

She’s probably so sweet and understanding

You are always her main priority

All she ever wants is to keep you safe

Sometimes, she gets very distant because she can’t control her abilities and she doesn’t want to accidentally hurt you

If you didn’t already know the titans, she would absolutely introduce you to them as soon as she can

She can’t help but smile when she looks at you

She gives you her clothes if you want <3

She’d only open up after a while, it wouldn’t take too long, but she would still be a little distant

She loves being close to you and like hugging you or holding hands

Very up for PDA

No making out or anything, but will hug you and hold your hand in public

She just thinks you’re the most interesting person ever

She remembers every word you tell her

She would probably get matching piercings with you omgggg

She loves painting your nails to match hers

Like Dick, she can also tell when you’re lying. (But that’s just a side effect from her abilities)

She always posts pictures or videos of you on her social media if she has any

Will always offer you an earbud if she’s listening to music, will be very happy if you do the same

She loves learning about what music you listen to

Loves getting matching anything (hoodies, rings, even online profile pictures)

Her favourite part of you is your eyes or your hands

Garfield Logan

When he sees you’re upset, he will say the worst jokes he can think of to make you laugh

Even when you’re not upset he does that anyway

He just loves hearing your laugh or seeing your smile

He thinks it’s the cutest thing ever

Absolutely LOVES playing video games with you

It’s literally his favourite thing in the world

If he notices you’re cold, he might give you his jacket for a bit

Will defo turn into your favourite animal for you

Especially if it’s a dog or a cat so he can cuddle with you

Opens up so fast tbh

It’s good tho that means he trusts you

Little spoon fosho 😜😜😜

He loves holding or touching you in some way

Loves PDA sm

Just loves proving you’re his

The titans probably knew about you the first day he saw you💀

He’d get you guys matching white shoes and get sharpies to Color them together <3

Would draw a wiener somewhere on em tho

PAINT HIS NAILS

He would make you do some stupid ahh tiktok dances with him

Would give you some stupid nicknames

His favourite thing about you is 100% your hair. He would absolutely adore touching it/playing with it, no matter the length

Jason Todd

He a little cute patootie

IDC WHAT HES DONE

Everyone he talks to knows about you tbh

He’s just so proud of you

He makes so many sexual jokes it’s wild

Also always grabs your ass 😢

Gives you some cringe nickname

He doesn’t like opening up, I can understand that

He prefers hearing you talk, rather than him

Would protect you with his mf life

Also would teach you to fight

He wants to know that you can protect yourself when he’s not there

Adores it when you clean his wounds or rub his shoulders after fights

He’s pretty secretive but would probably break down one day and tell you everything

Would definitely give you his hoodies/sweaters

Into PDA

He just likes to prove to everyone that you’re his tho

Loves to hold you

His face part of you is ur nose

Easy to kiss

Koriand’r

She’s gorgeous my wife

She seems more stoic, but she really cares about you, more than anything

She loves to talk shit with you tbh

Only abt people who deserve it ofc

She loves when you make her laugh, it makes her feel more comfortable with you

Matching jewelry 🔛🔝

Loves it when you play with her hair

She can’t really use words to express how she feels about you, prefers to use her actions instead

She doesn’t want you to think differently of her because she is a princess or whatever

She’s had plenty of past lovers, but she knows you’re her favourite

She’ll take a while to open up, but she will eventually

Doesn’t do PDA

Or very much physical affection as it is

Will still hug you tho <3

Like everyone else, she will do everything she can to protect you and make sure you don’t get hurt

Will k word anyone who looks at you the wrong way

She’s very protective

And kinda jealous

She loves every part of you lowkey

The end guys idk what else to write

[tohwitchesduels]

REQUEST BATTLES OF WITCHES DUELS - Battle 45: Willow Park vs Gus Porter

Disclaimer: This is not a popularity contest or which character you prefer, in this tournament, you decide who is stronger/better/smarter/etc. opponent.

information for both opponents under the cut to those who don't know what they can do in their battle:

Since both have quite huge profiles, I won't be getting into specifics, just motivations and I will link to their profiles in their names.

Willow Park:

Willow Park is a prodigy in plant magic. Only a few can match her talent and raw power when it comes to her command over plant life. She's also very knowledgeable when it comes to Botanics and is very promising when it comes to them (she knows how to tame various plants and what are they capable of). However, her capabilities only extend to plant magic and not other types of magic.

Willow Park is also very strong, athletic, and sporty. She's the Captain of Flyer Derby Emeral Entrails and managed to defeat the captain of Grudgby team Boscha while playing Grudgby for the first time. It is known that Willow works out and shows a lot of physical strength. The girl knows how to pack a punch.

Willow and Gus are best friends and are always there for each other. Willow has to admit she actually doesn't like the idea of fighting him out of sheer worry that Gus could potentially get hurt with how rough she plays. However, Gus reassured her he would be fine so Willow is doing her best not necessarily because she wants to defeat him but out of respect for him and his efforts.

Willow possesses a palisman and is quite capable when it comes to staff wielding. Also as captain of flyer derby, she's a very proficient and quite skilled flyer. Being capable of flying traditionally and switching midair to surfing. She is also capable of using her staff to enhance her already very potent magic.

Willow's magic is enhanced by her emotional state. If she's confident in herself she's most in control, however, if she's bottling up her feelings or feeling insecure, her magic can turn against her. Her magic also gets stronger once she uses anger and determination to power it.

Gus Porter:

Gus Porter is a prodigy when it comes to illusion magic. Prodigious enough to skip a few grades and even defeat the coven head of illusions with his sheer raw power. Gus displays insane potential and a big imagination when it comes to his magic. Now his powers are still limited by his own imagination and creativity meaning his illusions for the most part can be used mostly for deception and distraction, but during this tournament, Gus finally revised his own skill to find even offensive capabilities of his powers. While Gus did display the willingness to study other tracks, he ultimately never did due to his reassurance in being a master illusionist how easy it comes to him, and how much he can do with illusions alone.

One must know how intelligent Gus is during his battles. He can easily fool and toy with his opponents thanks to his illusions and Gus is also not afraid to either mock or straight-up torture his enemies during his battle just to get the results he needs, and has more than enough raw power to pull his schemes to their fullest. It's worth noting that when Gus feels extreme emotions, his magic only gets amplified, however, the side effects could be that Gus actually loses control over his own powers and gets to be the victim of them too, though thankfully to the magical amplifier from Graye, the risk of that is lesser.

Gus does possess a Palisman and is known to be an utter speed demon. Gus doesn't fly in a traditional sense like most other competitors due, to preferring to surf in the air, but this only further allows him to still cast spells while midair, which mixed with his capacity to trick his opponents more dangerous. It's hard to tell however how good he is in combat with his staff, but it appears he knows how to battle with it if he still used it as a means to fight in LR when briefly facing Hunter.

One of the artifacts I allow Gus to have independently regarding whether or not his opponent also has any supportive gear is the looking glass earring he got after he defeated Adrian. The magical amplifier allows Gus to further concentrate his raw power into specific abilities he has a hard time pulling on his own and even enhancing them in the process, growing more powerful.

Gus and Willow are best friends. Gus wanted to battle his friends in the finals though both Luz and Amity beat him to the race so he requested for both Hunter and Willow to battle him outside of the tournament. Willow was not really confident about this battle as while she respects Gus, she used to protect him for the longest time and now she feels kind of bad to have to duel with him, but Gus reassures her it's alright. After all, he knows what he's about and he can survive (Hunter wouldn't entirely agree with it) so Willow respected Gus's wishes. There is no bad blood, just a friendly duel, it will be alright! Hopefully

Return to Masterpost

[velvetvexations]

For your friend asking about testosterone, because I think the answers are good but are also lacking perspective from someone for whom testosterone was not the solution in the end: TW brief mention of genitals

I took T for 3 months. I took it at the starting low dose, they determined that I was absorbing it too effectively and lowered it even more. Within those three months, the most notable changes for me personally:

- Clitoral growth. This was the first thing that happened for me, in a weird uno-reverse of most peoples' situations that I've seen. This change stayed.

- Libido. I simply did not have one prior to testosterone. Now I very much do- even only having taken it for 3 months, I experience a way more physical feeling of Need To Get Off than I did prior to testosterone. This change stayed.

- Vocal Fry. My voice dropped probably half an octave very quickly- I still sound recognizably 'female', but I sound like I'm early-hormonal-transition. I also did lose my ability to scream. This change stayed.

- Acne. I had horrific acne for the three months I was on T. I've heard this is normal and does go away when you stay on testosterone. This change did not stay.

- Hair growth. I have dark, long hairs on my chest and belly that were not there before, but they're soft and not a bother to me personally. However, I do grow a gnarly teen-boy's-first-facial-hair situation if I don't shave or pluck every day, after only 3 months. This may be unique to the weird readiness with which my body accepted the testosterone, as I often hear facial hair growth is pretty slow for a lot of trans men. But on the off chance that you have that same kind of situation, be absolutely sure that the texture of prickly hair on your chin and the skin around your mouth is something you're gonna be cool with dealing with, because once it comes in it doesn't go away. For most trans men this isn't an issue, I'm just a) not a man after all and b) autistic in the 'touching prickly things sucks' way.

I wasn't on T long enough for any negative side effects to show up, but the clinic I was at was very thorough with telling me what potential side effects there were, and frankly, I have to second what everyone else so far has said- the risks 'increase' to... basically what they would have been had you been born a cis man, in most cases. And if you decide it isn't for you, as I did after 3 months, even if many changes are permanent, you can still stop taking it and your life will not be ruined. It's not a poison, it's just inducing your body to have a different hormone profile than it did before. Nothing that changes in your body is a characteristic that no other person on earth has. You'll be fine. If you want to try it, try it.

Thank you! This is a very important add-on.

[abeautylives]

Something About You

a/n: A huge thank you to Stef and Evana for your help and input, I think this is my masterpiece lol

pairing: Joshxfemale!reader

word count: 15.5k get comfy

summary: Drawn to you from the moment you met, consumed by you before your first date, he would do anything for you. There’s just something about you.

warnings: 18+ minors stay far away, language, drinking, mentions of sex, extreme fluff, deception, explicit sexual content, mentions of oral (m. and f. receiving), fingering, unprotected penetrative sex, a twist, angst, breeding!kink, more fluff, it’s a novel so if I missed anything I’m so sorry

“I dunno Jake, what if they’re on a date?”

“I mean, maybe but… I don’t think so.”

Eyeing them from across the room, Josh takes another sip of his drink as his brother continues to assess the two women in question smiling across the table at each other in a booth.

“I don’t think they’re together, I think they’re just friends. We should just go find out.” Mind made up, the younger twin moves in that direction without waiting for a response.

Josh remains standing alone at the bar, watching Jake introduce himself and work his charm and within moments the two women are laughing with him. How does he do that? When Jake lifts a hand and gestures toward the bar, all three heads turn in Josh’s direction. Typically comfortable under scrutiny, he suddenly feels heat bloom across his cheeks as his brother waves him over.

“There he is, ladies, this is my brother, Josh. Josh this is… Nic? Nic and Y/N. They are not on a date, I asked.”

You’re both laughing again but Josh’s eyes are drawn to you as you lift a hand to him.

“Hey Josh, it’s nice to meet you.” He’s staring blankly at your mouth until Jake, as indiscreetly as humanly possible, nudges him with an elbow prompting him to look into your eyes and take your hand in his. “Do you guys wanna join us?”

They’re both very cute, but this one seems shy compared to the long-haired one that came over first and he hasn’t let go of your hand. His brother nudges him again and he appears to shake out of a trance as the most perfect smile you’ve ever seen stretches across his face, sullied only by a small gap between his two front teeth that somehow works to make it more alluring. Holy shit. You feel your eyes go wide as you drop them to look at Nic, who is also beaming at you as she scoots farther into the booth to make room for Jake. Josh, still holding your hand delicately in his, bends as he lifts it to his lips and presses a light kiss to your fingers.

“It appears that we already are! Are you sure we’re not interrupting?”

Ah, so he does speak. His voice has a similar timbre to Jake’s but their accents are completely different. You turn to him as he settles in next to you, ignoring his question completely. “Didn’t you say you guys are brothers?”

“Ha, yeah, we’re actually twins. Identical.”

“Bullshit.” You and Nic speak in unison and Jake chuckles while Josh just grins.

“We get that a lot,” Jake offers.

They’re easy to talk to, the conversation flows alongside the drinks and when Josh opens up you find that he’s soft-spoken but an animated storyteller. He uses his hands to emphasize his points and you watch them move through the air as he works toward a punchline directed at his twin. You use the moment to take in his profile - his haircut is interesting, shaved tight on the sides while the rest of his head is covered in long fluffy curls, but it leaves his face in full view for you. It’s a really nice face. His eyes, a light amber full of warmth, find you often and they lock onto yours when you’re speaking.

Nic convinces Jake to dance with a level of persuasion only she can achieve but you can still see him insisting that he’s no good at it as they cross the room. He loses the argument as her arms loop around his neck, as soon as their bodies are touching you know he’s done for. She has that effect on men and women alike and you’ve seen this play out before, she wants him and she’ll probably have him. As your gaze lingers on the two of them, you can feel Josh’s on your face.

“So,” he clears his throat, “Y/N, um…” You’re looking at him now as he transitions back into the shy person who had first walked up to your table. This side of him is baffling, he’s really attractive and he has to know that. There’s no obvious explanation for his bashful demeanor.

“Josh, do I make you nervous?” The thought is preposterous to you. Nic is usually the one that leaves strangers speechless or stammering over their words, but now that you’re alone, a distinct light pink has crawled its way over Josh’s nose and cheeks.

“Wow, um, yeah a little? What gave it away?” He finishes with a self-deprecating chuckle that’s charming in a way. “I’m sorry, I swear I’m usually more… normal. You’re just really pretty.” Good one. He’s being truthful though, he usually has no problem talking to… anyone, really. He’d swear he’s typically confident, sometimes even attention-seeking but, “There’s just something about you.”

Hours later you were standing outside the bar waiting for your rides, an Uber for you and yet another brother on the way for the guys, Jake and Nic were tangled with one another and making out right there on the sidewalk. Josh stood in front of you with his hands shoved into the pockets of his jacket and an awkward grin on his lips.

“You wanna…?” His eyebrows had quirked up as he nodded his head in their direction.

Smiling back at him and speaking softly, you’d said, “Maybe next time.”

He asked for your number and promised to call.

⏰

Next time proved to be difficult to arrange, you knew it would be but it didn’t deter him. He called, just as he’d promised but your schedule left you little free time and meeting him on one of the rare nights out that you allowed yourself had been serendipitous. The calls became regular occurrences and every night, as exhaustion set in and you’d try to cover a yawn, he’d ask when he could see you again.

“I’m actually free next weekend…” As soon as the words leave your mouth, you're nervous and fidgeting with the bottom hem of your sleep shorts. He’s so easy to communicate with and eager to see you, but you’re already overthinking things and you’ve never even hung out with him one on one. The phone starts ringing against your ear and you pull it away to see a FaceTime call coming in. From Josh. Confused, you click over before considering that you’re laying in bed, freshly showered and makeup free.

“Hey?”

He’s staring at you again, lips hanging slightly open like he’s forgotten what he was going to say. It looks like he’s probably also in bed, sitting against his headboard and while you can’t see too far below where the neckline of his shirt should be, you can tell that it’s absent.

“Josh?”

“Hi, sorry,” he laughs softly, “I just didn’t think you could possibly get even more lovely.”

The warmth of the blush moves up your neck but you can feel it spread through your chest even though you’re brushing off the compliment.

“Really, you’re beautiful. Let me take you out next Saturday. Wine and dine, the whole thing.”

You can feel yourself smiling like an idiot as your head starts to nod in confirmation. “Yeah… yeah, of course. Just tell me when and where and I’ll be there.”

“Don’t be ridiculous, I can pick you up and-“

“No. No, let me meet you there.” Realizing how abruptly you’ve turned him down, you lighten your tone. “After all, I hardly know you. What if you’re a psycho?” When he laughs you let yourself relax into your pillow.

“Like the film? You a Hitchcock fan?” He’s graciously moved on, happy to do things on your terms.

“I’ve actually never seen it.”

Appalled, he makes you promise that you’ll watch it together someday and soon enough you’re holding back a yawn.

“Go to bed, beautiful. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”

⏰

“Oh he like likes you.” Nic is sprawled across your bed watching you pull clothes from your closet and toss them haphazardly around your room.

“Nic, he doesn’t even know me.”

“Then why do you care so much about impressing him, hm? You like him too!” Her wide grin, usually contagious, is only serving to set your nerves on edge. “And don’t tell me ‘I don’t even know him’ because that’s BS, you guys literally fall asleep on the phone together every night. You know him, at least a little.”

“Okay, I get it. We know each other. Are you actually gonna help me find something?”

Once she’s standing next to you shuffling through your hangers, you ask if she’s been talking to Jake.

“Here and there. He’s great though, amazing in bed. Did I tell you how big-“

“Yes you told me, thank you. I don’t need another recap.”

“You know what they say about twins.” She’s stopped sifting through your clothes to wag her eyebrows at you. “Just sayin’. I bet he’s working with a hors-“

“Nic!” She wards off a slap from the back of your hand and then holds a dress out to you, wiping tears of laughter from her cheeks with her other hand.

“This one’s perfect. Plus he looks like his favorite color’s green.”

As the hostess leads you to your table, you’re pleased with Nic’s choice. The restaurant’s vibe seems pretty casual and the other guests are dressed in a variety of attire. You feel comfortable, like you’re not standing out at all until your eyes meet Josh’s. As he comes into view you can tell he was already watching and waiting for you, but when he sees you walking in his direction you feel like you’re the only other person in the crowded room.

You’re suddenly ecstatic over Nic’s choice. His mouth is open again but his eyes drop from your face to your feet before they take a slow journey up your body. By the time you make it to the table, they’ve reached your eyes again and he flashes that smile. God I forgot about the smile.

He stands to greet you with a hand placed delicately at the small of your waist and the other grasping one of yours, but then he leans in and places a soft kiss to your cheek. It’s barely a brush of his lips over your skin but you weren’t expecting it, or the way you felt it jolt through your body like crackling electricity. When he pulls away your other hand comes up to place your fingertips to the spot.

“Oh…”

Hands still attached to you, he grins sheepishly with his bottom lip pulled between perfectly straight teeth. “You look… exquisite, really. Beautiful.” He drops his hold on your waist to run his hand through his hair and scratch the back of his head, shy again. “I love your dress.”

“Oh this old thing? Just threw it on.” You make a mental note to thank Nic. Exquisite is not an accolade you think you’ve ever received. He moves around you to pull your chair out and you’re pretty sure you’re hallucinating, or dreaming. Is he even real? When he’s seated across from you, you’re finally able to take in his appearance.

He’s in a white shirt again but this one has a small v at the neckline, and he’s added a long beaded necklace that ends below the edge of the table. You’re positive that ‘you’re one of the prettiest people I’ve ever seen’ is not an appropriate compliment for a grown man with a mustache, but unfortunately when you open your mouth to tell him he looks handsome, a combination of the two escapes.

“You look pretty.” A hand is clasped over your mouth immediately as your face bursts into flames, but a loud bark of laughter causes several heads to turn in his direction before he reigns it in to a silent chuckle that shakes his shoulders. “I’m so sorry, that’s not what I meant-“

“No, please don’t apologize.” His smile stretches impossibly, every equally impossibly white tooth on display. “Thank you Y/N, I feel quite pretty right now.”

A waiter appears before you can fumble through another embarrassed apology and Josh orders a bottle of wine after asking what your favorite type is. He gracefully moves past the awkward moment and suggests looking over the menu, and when the waiter returns you’re ready to order.

You quickly find that you’ve covered so much small talk in the hours you’ve spent on the phone, that you pretty much have to dive into big talk. He tells you more about his job, which sounds like a dream more so than work, and you’re enthralled by the way he speaks about making music. When he asks about your life, you’re intentionally vague since your world seems a little boring and insignificant in comparison, but he hangs onto every word.

Hours later, after you’d finished your meal and given up your table to move to the bar, you found yourselves standing outside once again. Leaning against the driver’s side of your car, you watched as Josh slowly moved closer to you and placed his hand on your waist. This time when he leaned in, you’d been hoping for it and when he kissed your cheek and pulled away, you pulled him back in and pressed your lips to his.

He’d seemed surprised for just a second, but quickly his other hand was on you and he took half a step closer. Your bodies didn’t meet but you were sure that you were feeling exactly what they describe in books and cheesy movies. You could feel it across every inch of your skin, in every cell.

Fireworks.

You felt his lips break from yours but they found you again, two more gentle touches of your skin against his before he moved away to look at you.

“I should be driving you home.” A hand had found the side of your face and settled back at the base of your neck, keeping you so close that his breath, lightly scented of grapes, had fallen over your still-tingling lips.

“Maybe next time.”

⏰

“Wait, so you didn’t fuck him?”

“Hey! You’re on speaker…”

“Sorryyy. But why not? Do you not like him anymore?”

“Nic, have you even been listening? I like him a lot. He’s like… kind of perfect, actually.” You can feel yourself making moony eyes at nothing in particular as you say it.

“So what’s the issue? Are you gonna fu- sorry, do it next time?”

Next time. Next time was already tentatively scheduled for two weekends from now, as long as nothing fell through on your end.

“I don’t know, I’m not going to plan getting laid in advance. If it feels right then, we’ll see I guess.”

“Y/N you plan your entire life in advance. And I know for a scientific fact that you haven’t gotten any since that guy… shit I don’t even remember his name. That guy you dated for like two months. That was over a year ago!”

“Yeah and I fu- I slept with him after our second date. See how well that worked out?”

“It’s not your vagina’s fault that he was an asshole. Sorry, but he was. And Josh has already been around for weeks and your date was ‘kind of perfect’ as I recall. I mean, how did he react when you told him about-“

“Ihaven’ttoldhim.” It comes out as one huff of air.

“Oh. Ohhhh no.”

“I just like him so much.” Nic can hear the sorrowful frown in your voice. “I didn’t want to ruin it… yet.”

“You need to tell him. No matter the outcome, you need to tell him. I dunno babe, I feel like Josh might surprise you.”

⏰

You let him pick you up in front of your house. Waiting at the window to see him pull up, you didn’t give him the chance to get out of the car and come to your door but he didn’t seem to mind when you hopped into his Jeep and leaned over to kiss his cheek.

“I would’ve opened the door for you, ya know.”

“I’m absolutely sure that you would have, but I’m a big girl. I can handle a little car door.” He lifts the corner of his mouth in a lopsided grin as he puts it in reverse and backs out of your driveway. “So where are we going?”

“Ah, to the movies of course.”

The movies ends up being a completely empty theater. There were plenty of people in the lobby when you’d entered, but you and Josh were escorted to an auditorium where he chose seats near the top in the middle. When no other patrons trickled in after about five minutes, you turned to look at him and found mischief in his eyes.

“Josh… what’s going on here?” You circle a finger in the air, gesturing to the empty room. “What are we even seeing?”

“An American classic, my dear.” Taking your hand in his, he brings it to his lips and presses a kiss to the back of it before lacing your fingers together and resting them on his thigh. He offers no further information but as if on cue, the lights go down and you can actually hear film as it starts rolling. The screen in front of you is lit but turns black before white letters appear in the center.

PSYCHO

Snapping your head to face him again, you find the mischief is still alight in his eyes and in the grin stretching across his mouth.

“How did you…?” Your whisper trails off but he understands your confusion.

“You don’t have to whisper, really. No one else will be joining us.” He takes in the way your jaw has dropped slightly and your eyebrows are tilted upward. “I know the owner. I put in a special request, told him my girl has never seen the greatest psychological thriller of the 20th century.”

My girl. His girl.

Stunned into silence, all you can do is return his grin and snuggle into his side as the black and white film continues to roll. Familiar with the premise of the movie but having never seen it, you were appropriately shocked by the twist revealed about halfway through, much to Josh’s delight. With your head lifted from its place on his shoulder, he reaches across himself to press the tips of his fingers into your jaw and turn you to him. You feel it again when his lips, soft and searching, meet yours. The tingle spreads through your body and lands distinctly between your thighs. When you cross them in Josh’s direction, he moves his hand from your jaw to rest just above your knee as your lips separate. He watches it move higher until his fingers are squeezing the muscle and you can feel the heat radiating from your own chest.

“Come home with me when the movie’s over.”

The heat turns into a flush of slight panic and he sees it flit across your features as you pull away.

“Sorry, no, it’s no pressure. Please don’t look like that.” The panic must be more obvious than you’d hoped as you try to fix your expression into something resembling poise and confidence. “I just- shit, Y/N I’m sorry. I thought you’d want to, I thought we were-“

He’s starting to ramble but his eyes widen when you reach a hand up to cup his cheek and you run your thumb across his lips.

“Next time. Is that okay?”

“Don’t ask me that. Anything you want is okay, more than okay. I’m not going anywhere.”

The drive back to your house was comfortably silent, music playing softly through the speakers as Josh drummed his fingers against the top of the steering wheel. His other hand was in your lap, wrapped around yours. When he pulled into the driveway and put the Jeep in park, he tightened his hold on your hand before telling you to stay in the car. You watched him get out and walk around to open your door, and laughed as you hopped down into his open arms that wrapped around you as your feet hit the pavement.

At your front door, nervous that he was going to ask to come in, you’d fidgeted with the edges along the zipper of his jacket that your hands had made their way to. His own were resting at your hips as he studied your face in the glow from the porch light.

“Thank you, Josh. That was really special, and very cool. No one’s ever taken me to an exclusive private screening before.” You’d giggled as he watched your lips move in silence. “Aren’t you gonna kiss me goodnight?”

“Oh I absolutely am, after you agree to see me again. Sooner, this time?”

“I’ll try my best for sooner, maybe next weekend. I will definitely let you know. Tomorrow.”

“I look forward to it…” He’d inched closer to you, pressed his body to yours for the first time as he pulled you against him.

“Please kiss me.”

And he did. Once your lips were touching he changed his hold on you, slid a hand up your back until it was tangled in your hair and you were gripping his jacket. He hummed into the kiss, the sound pulsed through your bloodstream and you’d let a quiet moan slip out and over his skin. You felt his hand turn into a fist full of your hair before his tongue slid out and over your bottom lip. Your hips had pushed into his as your own tongue sought his out and tasted him for the first time. A groan pushed it’s way from his throat and you accepted it hungrily as your hips moved again, this time against his very obvious arousal.

“Y/N…” His voice had dropped an octave or two, his forehead rested against yours.

“Next time, Josh. Next time.”

He’d kissed you again, pressed his lips to yours with a tender kind of force before pulling away and smiling that smile at you. “I’ll see you soon. And I will talk to you tomorrow. Have a good night, beautiful.”

You watched him hop down the two steps from your porch and practically skip down the driveway.

⏰

“Hasn’t it been like, over a month? We met them,” Jake pauses to calculate the time on his fingers, “almost six weeks ago. What’s the hold up?”

“There is no ‘hold up’, we’ve only gone out twice. I’m sorry her friend skewed your expectations of women by fucking you the same night she met you.”

“Whoa whoa, first of all, don’t be sorry that I get laid more than you. Second of all, my expectations are not skewed. I respect the sexual decisions of all people, not my business.” Josh rolls his eyes and begs his brother to get to the point. “I just thought you said she seemed into you. And it’s been six weeks.”

“Since you’re so concerned, I’m seeing her again tomorrow. Here. She’s gonna come here for dinner.”

“That’s great! Wash your fucking sheets you lazy bastard.”

⏰

You’re running late on your way to Josh’s house, having gotten held up and you’re working through a string of poorly constructed excuses in your head as you exceed the speed limit as safely as possible. When he opens his front door and welcomes you inside, your worry stays on the front porch. He smiled that smile, looked so happy just to have you in his space, that you instantly forgot you’d even shown up late.

As the door closes, the click of the lock rings through the entryway and you turn to each other expectantly. You make the first move, by a fraction of a second, and your bodies collide in a tangle of limbs just before his back meets the door. The kiss is a little messy, frantic as your tongues slip against each other and your hands roam. You’ve hardly touched him the whole time you’ve known him and you're almost surprised to feel lightly sculpted muscle under his t-shirt. He hasn’t let his hands move farther than up and down the expanse of your back but his fingertips are dragging across it, you both need to feel more.

Breaking the kiss, you’re breathing heavily as you murmur, “Sorry… I’ve been thinking about that for a week.”

“Don’t ever be sorry for that. You can do that as much as you want, when ever you want. I’ve been thinking about you too.” His grin is shy and lopsided again and you get just a peek of his teeth before he kisses you again. “Kick your shoes off if you want, you can leave your bag here, get comfortable. The tour will have to wait, I’m in the middle of cooking.”

He’s cooking me dinner.

Tugging you along by your hand, he guides you through the house to the kitchen, pointing out the obvious along the way. Livingroom, hallway (there’s a bathroom down there), stairs are over there.

“It smells amazing in here, what are you making?”

“Nothing crazy, just pasta.”

Nothing crazy looked an awful lot like a whole production. Thin strips of already seared steak as well as mushrooms, garlic, and various spices are prepped along the counter and red onion is simmering in a skillet. He checks the pasta boiling on a back burner before turning back to you with a bottle of red wine.

“This is too much Josh, really. It’s so nice of you.”

“I promise you it’s nothing. Or it’s really impressive and you’re extremely turned on by my culinary talents right now. Want a drink?”

“Yes please.” Taking a seat at his kitchen island, you watch him pour two glasses of wine. “We’ll have to wait until I taste it before I decide if it’s nothing or if I’m extremely turned on.”

He laughs with you but the truth is, you’ve been thrumming at a low frequency of arousal for the last week. The memory of your last kiss on your porch has been on heavy rotation, especially at night after you’ve just hung up the phone with him. You’d considered just taking care of it, several times, but you’ve been sure about your decision to take things further and concluded that you wanted your next orgasm not to be self-induced.

It’s been a long week.

Holding a glass out to you, Josh is staring like he’s trying to read your thoughts. You think letting him in a little could be fun.

“Thank you.” He smiles brightly before taking a sip from his own glass and setting it down to turn back to the stove. “Do you always work this hard when a girl already wants to sleep with you?”

His hand, stirring the noodles, comes to an abrupt stop as he whips his head to look at you over his shoulder. He takes a moment to formulate a response, but you haven’t rattled him as much as you hoped. “Only for the exceptionally captivating ones, mama.”

You sputter around the sip you’d just taken.

Turning back to the food, he just chuckles softly. “Don’t dish it out if you can’t take it, my dear.”

The meal was close to complete in no time and you chat easily while he cooks. In moments of silence, he hums quietly and continues to add ingredients and stir, and as you watch his back move and flex beneath his shirt you realize he’s not using a recipe. It’s kind of sexy.

With a flourish, he wipes his hands with a towel from the counter and lifts them above his head as he tosses it back to the marble. “It is done!”

Clapping your hands softly and focusing on the strip of skin exposed by his lifted shirt, you congratulate him on his performance as he starts to plate the meal. At his wooden dining table, he pulls out a chair for you and waits until you’re seated to lean down and place a soft kiss to your lips. Once he’s sitting next to you, enough distance between your chairs so he can look at you easily, he smirks and raises an eyebrow.

“Moment of truth. Try it!”

He watches closely as you bring the fork to your mouth and close your lips around it. For effect, you pull it out slowly but the moment your eyes roll back in your head is not an act. After you’ve swallowed, which he also watched as if hypnotized, you take a sip of wine before speaking.

“I’m extremely turned on right now. Josh this is so fucking good! Do you cook a lot?”

His expression shows that he’s very pleased with himself, but his cheeks turn pink under your praise. “I do when I’m home and have the time, gotta keep things interesting. I’ve been working on perfecting this particular dish for a couple of years though… I’m glad it’s garnered the desired reaction.”

It doesn’t take long for both of your plates to be cleaned but you stay at the table slowly emptying the bottle of wine. Comfortable and satisfied, you’ve got a foot up in your chair, chin resting on your knee as you chat and Josh has put on music from his phone that’s bleeding out of some strategically placed and well hidden speakers.

“You strike me as a physical format type of guy when it comes to music. Don’t you have a record player or something around here somewhere?”

“Ha, I actually have three.” He’s not boasting, just stating a fact and also proving you correct. “I enjoy the concept of playlists though, creating a certain setting or mood appeals to me.”

At that moment, the silence of the last song’s ending is filled with soft acoustic guitar playing a familiar tune. Josh’s eyes instantly go soft as a wistful smile appears. Not wanting to disrupt the moment too much, you speak at a volume just above a whisper, “I love this song…”

He’s out of his chair instantly with a hand held out to you. “Dance with me?”

When you take his hand in yours, you’re pulled up into his arms that circle your waist as his palms meet your back. Looping your own arms around his neck, he moves in so that your cheeks are touching as he gently begins to sway. You’re not expecting it when he starts to sing along softly, his breath tickling over the shell of your ear.

Let me give my life to you

Let me drown in your laughter

Let me die in your arms

Let me lay down beside you

Let me always be with you

He seems to purposefully only hum the next few lines, taking the opportunity to press his lips to your hair before singing the rest as you continue to shift back and forth, wrapped in each other.

You fill up my senses

Like a night in a forest

Like the mountains in springtime

Like a walk in the rain

Like a storm in the desert

Like a sleepy blue ocean

You fill up my senses

Come fill me again

As the final notes float through the room, he kisses over your hair again before pulling back to look at you. The emotion swimming in your eyes is obvious and your pupils are blown wide, his own eyes bounce from yours then down to your lips and back.

“Josh…” Your mind is racing with thoughts that you know you need to speak out loud, this feels bigger than yourself but you can’t bring your mouth to form the words. Not yet. “Take me to bed…”

He doesn’t question it. He’s been sure that you’re exactly what he wants and he thinks you’re sure of it too, so he simply leads you to the stairs that he’d pointed out earlier and prompts you to ascend ahead of him. As you reach the top he moves you along with a palm against your lower back but at his open bedroom door, he pauses before guiding you through.

“You’re sure?” He feels like he knows the answer but couldn’t live with himself if he pressured you into it.

In response you take the lead and turn, pulling him into the room by the front of his shirt and into your body as your hands frame his face and then slip back into the curls at the base of his neck. He reaches back for the wall, searching for the light switch and you’re eternally grateful when it activates only a warm glow from two lamps equipped with Edison bulbs on either side of his bed.

“Interesting mood lighting you’ve got here, Josh.”

“Ehh, I don’t like harsh overhead light in my room. Ruins the energy.”

You’re giggling against his grin as you pull him into a kiss that quickly turns serious, and he moves you backwards until the backs of your knees meet the mattress. Lifting a leg, you move back over the surface then sink into it without hesitation and keep your grip on his shirt so his body follows, landing on top of yours. Held up by his hands pressed into the comforter on either side of your head, looking down at you with all sincerity, he asks if he can touch you.

Reaching up and circling his wrist next to your face, you guide his hand to move over your shoulder and down your chest until it reaches the bottom hem of your shirt that’s just barely ridden up your stomach. Once his fingertips meet the skin there, he takes over and slides his palm under your shirt and over your ribs until he’s got a handful of your breast. As he runs his thumb over the thin material covering your nipple, you answer.

“Everywhere. Touch me everywhere.”

He’d like to take his time, watch as every inch of your skin is revealed to him, but he’s been waiting for this. He’ll go slow next time.

Your shirt is being tugged up your body and you both shift to allow him to pull it over your head before you do the same to his. Leaned back and settled onto his knees, his chest is rising and falling with his breath as he tosses it to the floor to land next to yours. You let your eyes roam over each other for a moment before he’s leaned over you again and trailing his lips from your neck down to your clavicle. Propped up on one elbow, he lets his other hand explore your chest again, running fingers over the lacy material covering them before tentatively squeezing your breast. His hips move into yours involuntarily when you let a whimper slip out into the air next to his ear, but then he’s shifting his body to the side, next to you but still pressed fully against you. He captures your lips with his own as his hand slides down over your rib cage again and his fingertips meet the waist of your jeans.

Mouths still moving against each other’s, you nod your head in encouragement but he breaks the kiss to look at you.

You think he’s going to ask again but instead he moves his gaze down your bared torso until it lands where he’s touching you, and he watches as he pops the button and pulls the zipper down and skips touching you over your panties. His fingers delve past the lace and he groans as they skim over the little bit of hair there before landing on the soft skin of your core. When his eyes snap back to yours, you nod again as you shift and use your hands to push the denim past your hips and down your thighs until you can wiggle the jeans down and kick them to the floor.

His hand remains still, just cupped against you as you bend a knee and let your leg fall aside just enough that he can feel you spreading open to him under his fingers. Moving them, they slip through the arousal that’s pooled there and he bites back another groan.

“Fuck baby…” He slips them through again before moving them up and swirling a soft circle over your clit, your back arches off the bed. “So sensitive,” he chuckles lowly at your body’s reaction before circling over it again, “You want more?”

One of your palms is splayed out in the center of his chest but the other is gripping the bicep of the arm that’s extended over you. “Please, I’m gonna cum.” You’re not faking it, not being dramatic. The pent up sexual energy already feels like it’s threatening to spill over and while you’re not surprised in the slightest, his eyebrows have lifted in amused shock.

“Baby I’ve barely touched you.”

“Keep touching me.”

His fingers dip down to circle through the wetness at your entrance before he pushes one slowly past it. Your fingernails are digging into his arm, sure to leave tiny crescent-shaped marks on his otherwise flawless skin and he can feel your body clenching around his finger inside you as he pumps it slowly.

“Relax, I’ve got you.”

You try, you really do, and he can feel the tension release but as soon as he slips a second one inside, your body reacts the same way. He figures if it’s gonna happen, he should just enjoy it so he presses his palm over your clit while his fingers move and curl, buried deep. Your back has left the mattress again, he admires the way your skin stretches over your ribs for a moment before leaning down for a kiss. When his lips meet yours, your hand flies from his arm to the base of his neck to keep him there as your tongue begs for an entrance that he welcomes. Your hips are moving to meet the gentle thrust of his fingers, but he slides them from your cunt to press them to your clit again. He swallows the cry that rips from your throat, hums into it as he draws tight circles into your sensitive skin. His kiss moves from your lips to your cheek and when he reaches your ear he whispers, “Let go for me.”

The soft command grips your body and pulls you under. The string of oh and fuck and Josh spilling from your lips on repeat shoots straight to his dick and he’s silently praying that he’ll figure out a way to hear those words tumble from your mouth every day for the rest of his life. His fingers, swirling slowly against you, come to a stop as your body sinks back into the mattress and the fist curled into his hair releases its hold.

Your body is flushed and you can feel the heat on your chest and your cheeks, and when you’re able to crack your eyes open the sight of him is something to behold. The warm amber of his irises has almost completely disappeared around the deep black of his pupils, he looks drunk, and hungry, intoxicated and starving for more. Before he pulls his hand from your underwear he swipes his two fingers through your release, then brings them up to his mouth without thinking twice about it. You watch his lips, pink and perfectly shaped, close around them and his eyelids flutter the way yours had at your first taste of the meal he’d prepared.

When he pops his fingers out, he mumbles, “Next time. Next time, I need you to do that on my mouth.”

“Next time…”

Silence falls over the room and he lets his fingers trail over your skin, from your chest and over the lace of your bra, then down to circle around your navel. As soon as he’s paying closer attention to your stomach, it tenses and you hope he won’t notice your reaction but of course, he does.

“Sensitive everywhere huh?” His lips are stretched into a grin and you allow his question to be the explanation.

“Yeah… Josh?” His reply is a soft hum. “Are you gonna fuck me now?”

It sounds vulgar coming from your mouth, but he feels his heart rate speed up and blood rush to his dick again.

“No.” He answers simply.

“No?”

“No. It’ll be a little more romantic than that, I think.”

With that, he rolls and stands from the bed and you scoot yourself up to the pillows as you watch him move to undo the button at the waist of his pants. The muscles of his arms and chest bunch and flex as he moves, his stomach tenses when he pushes the fabric over his hips and it drags over… oh.

Nic was right.

Still covered by the cotton of his briefs, his dick is hard and sitting to the right, and it’s… impressive. He looks up to find your eyes wide and mouth slightly ajar. He’s not unused to that reaction but something about it being you causes his dick to twitch under your stare and he reaches a hand down to rub his palm over it. The small groan that passes his lips snaps you out of it and you look him in the face, expecting some kind of cocky grin or retort.

“Stop looking at me like that or I’ll get a complex.”

Of course he finds the humor in the situation, but you’re a little intimidated. You decide to be honest about it, “We can’t have that. Um, Josh?”

He’s slipped his thumbs under the elastic at the top of his underwear, about to pull them down but he pauses. “Hm?”

“I haven’t- um… it’s been a while, since…”

Understanding softens his features and he smiles as he abandons removing his briefs and kicks his pants from his ankles before crawling onto the bed. “Do you… wanna stop?”

“No. I don’t. Just…”

“I’ll be careful with you, gorgeous girl. I promise.” He crawls over your body, knees straddling one of your thighs and presses a kiss to your forehead before placing another on your lips. When your arms circle him and your hands skim over the smooth skin of his back, he shifts his knee until it’s resting against you between your thighs. Your hips move, grinding your still covered pussy over him but he makes no further moves even as you whine into the kiss.

“Mm, do you wanna take these off?” A fingertip is running along the top of your underwear and dips just below it. You nod your head and he pushes himself up to slide them down your legs, trailing their journey down with his eyes until they slip past your toes and he tosses them away. His hands take that journey back up and when they reach your knees, he gently pushes them apart. He only lets his gaze linger on your bare cunt for a moment before he raises it to your face and asks if you want your bra off too. When you nod again he smiles and pulls you to sit up, reaches around you and unclasps it expertly with one hand. You let it fall forward, nervous for him to see every part of you but when you pull it away and toss it to the floor his eyes light up.

“Undeniably worth the wait, my pretty, pretty girl. You get more lovely every time I look at you.”

“I wanna see you too.”

He flashes that smile, wide and bright. “By all means, my dear.” He gestures down to his body with both hands.

You scramble to reach for the waist of his underwear, impatient and embarrassed that he’d felt the need to stop removing them just to soothe your nerves. Tugging them down his hips and over the length of him, his cock springs up once it’s freed but hangs heavy between you.

“Oh my god.” You hadn’t meant to say it out loud but it’s out there now so you figure you might as well go with it. “I know I’m not the first person to tell you this but… you’re kind of perfect, everywhere.” He responds with a sharp laugh and before you can get your hands on him he pushes you softly back to the pillows and begins to push the fabric the rest of the way down to his knees. Once he’s wriggled out of them he kicks the briefs away, the last piece to join the clothing’s now scattered over his bedroom floor. Lying across his bedding, spread out for him, wet and waiting, he wonders over how it is that you still look so innocent and completely untainted.

“You look like a flower.” You lift an eyebrow in question alongside a hand to coax him back to you, which he accepts. When his body is hovering over yours again, his dick nestled between your thighs and resting against the slick moisture coating your flesh there, he leans in closer to whisper, “Soft and pink, delicate and naturally beautiful. You look like a flower. My flower.”

You crane your neck to capture his lips, and he kisses you back firmly, pushing you back into his pillows. Snaking a hand down between your bodies, you run it over his stomach until you reach the base of him, wrapping your fingers around him. A soft hmph huffs against your mouth at the contact, the first time you’ve touched him there. You’ve hardly touched him at all but he doesn’t seem to mind right now as you’re guiding him to your cunt and the head of him is nudging you, begging for entry. He reaches down to replace your hand with his, rubs himself through your arousal before asking if you’re ready.

“So ready, please…”

Slowly, so so slowly, he pushes into you. As your hands move up his arms and over his shoulders he keeps his eyes on your face, searching for any sign that he should stop, but he doesn’t find one as he rocks his hips and eases in inch by inch.

“Jesus, flower, you’re so fucking tight. Relax for me.”

“I am relaxed, keep going…”

Not sure that you’re telling the truth, but positive that you can handle him, he thrusts into you to the hilt.

“Fuck!” You can’t help it yelping out of you but there’s nothing but pleasure behind it.

Throat tight, he asks if you’re okay and you’re quickly assuring him with a nod of your head, soft words of confirmation and finally pulling him in to connect your lips. You move your hips, encouraging him to do the same and the drag against your walls as he pulls back draws a low moan from deep in your chest. His thrust back into you knocks the air from your lungs and your mouths part as you gasp to get it back.

He rests his forehead against yours as he moves inside you, settling into a slow rhythm of deep strokes that are lighting you up from the inside out.

“So fucking good, you feel so good Jesus fuck,” his typical eloquence leaves the room as you squeeze around him. “Mm tell me, let me hear you.” He delivers a harder thrust, punching a string of expletives past your lips. Instantly drunk on your hazy murmurings, he picks up the speed of his hips until your legs wrap themselves around him and a heel is digging into the flesh high on his backside.

“Just like that, it’s perfect, perfect…” He doesn’t change a thing as you trail off, but your own hips are pushing into his and the sounds of skin meeting skin are echoing through his room.

“Gonna move, just a little bit. Need to see you.” When your head nods he pushes up from you, the skin of your chests audibly separates, a thin layer of sweat having formed between you. Hovering over you, you watch his eyes move down your body but they stop and focus on your chest, tits bouncing with every thrust of his hips. When he moves lower and realizes the view he wants is still obstructed, he lifts further and settles back on his heels, hands wrapped around the small of your waist and pulling you into him. Now he can see everything, but what he’s interested in rests between your legs and he zeroes in on it. His eyes squeeze shut as he shakes his head, like he’s trying to wake up but when they open he’s still watching your pussy suck him in, over and over again.

“God, look at you. Taking it all, I knew you could. A perfect fit, fuck…” His words have you clenching around him. “So good for me, perfect.” He lifts his eyes to your face and finds your eyes closed and mouth open, soft sounds of your pleasure floating from it. “Look at me, beautiful.”

You obey, opening your eyes and instantly moaning a low oh my god at the vision above you. You’ve never seen anything like him, he’s definitely meant to be naked, every inch of him is flawless. His normally fluffy curls have gone loose, damp and sticking across his forehead and his jaw is clenched tight even as he smiles at your expression.

You let your gaze roam over his chest to his stomach, the muscles there are tight as he pumps his hips into you. The v that leads down to where you’re connected stands out, the low light from either side of the bed casting perfect shadows.

“How- ohh… how are you real?” The thing you’ve been wondering for weeks leaves your throat as a whining question.

“Mm, I’m real, my flower. Don’t you feel me everywhere? Here?” One of his hands moves from your waist and comes to rest flat against the skin under your navel, pressing into it. You confirm, yes yes I feel you, and he moves his hand higher, skimming it up your stomach and the center of your chest and letting it land there, over your heart.

“Here? Do you feel me here too?”

You do, you know you’ve been holding him there since well before your first date, your first kiss.

“Yes, yes Josh. I feel you there.”

His expression goes soft and wistful, as it had downstairs before he’d asked you to dance. “I feel it too. I think before I even spoke to you…” The rhythm of his hips has slowed again as he lets himself get lost in his feelings for you. “There’s just something about you…”

One of your hands that have been anchored to him wrapped around his forearms, moves to rest over his on your chest, you want to remember this moment exactly how it is. Just you and him, bodies connected and letting yourselves admit that something more has been happening here. Lacing your fingers together, you’re gripping this moment tight because you know it’ll change, and soon. You pull his hand up to your lips and place kisses to his knuckles before moving it down your body until you’re pressing it into your mound, just above where he’s still moving when gentle purpose.

“Touch me, make me cum. I wanna cum for you, give you everything.” You can feel his cock pulse inside you before he starts thrusting against the backs of your thighs harder and faster again, and he slips his thumb to run over the slick arousal that’s spread over your skin. As soon as he swirls it over your clit, your back leaves the bed.

“Are you always so… responsive?”

Breathless from the emotion and burning under his touch you tell him no, it’s him, it’s all him. The words squeeze his heart and he feels you fluttering around his cock as he adds just a little pressure to his movements over your flesh. “Yes just like that, just like that, I’m there Josh. Don’t stop!”

“Give it to me, beautiful. So pretty when you let go.”

Your body obeys, the explosion of colors behind your eyelids when they snap shut is just like him. Bright and consuming, all that you can see and feel around you as everything else disappears.

Above you, he watches you writhe against his pillows, feels your cunt clench around him impossibly tighter, basks in the sweet curses rolling off your tongue. He’s hanging on by a thread to his own release, fucking into you softly as yours moves through you. When your legs slip from around his hips and your feet hit the bed, he whispers a request for you to open your eyes and look at him again.

You can barely hear him over the buzz in your head, but as soon as you can crack your eyes open and focus on him he’s pulling out of you quickly and stroking himself over you. You watch his mouth fall open as he spills over, his hot release hitting your stomach and pooling there. When the last of it lands below your navel he whimpers before he pulls his hand away and takes a few heaving breaths. You open your mouth to speak but he leans over you and swallows your words, lips and tongues pushed together and bringing your pairing to a soft closing.

He lets his body drop and tucks his face into the crook of your neck, unconcerned about the mess now trapped between you. As you bring a hand up to run over the dampened curls at the back of his neck, he speaks into your skin, “Absolutely worth the wait. I’d wait a thousand lifetimes for you.”

You think it might be a poetic version of the truth, and it’s heart wrenching. Your feelings are the same but you’ve been hiding a part of yourself that you should’ve revealed the first time you met. Now is not the moment, and you’re not sure exactly when the right time could possibly present itself, too far gone. Resigning to the fact that as perfect as this feels, you’re going to ruin it soon, you decide to let it wait. Just a little longer.

Josh eventually, begrudgingly lifted himself from you and left to clean up, returning with a warm cloth to do the same for you. He asked you to stay and you agreed, but told him you had to leave in the morning, you have to meet someone sort of early. Not questioning it, he settled you both under his comforter and pulled you close, lulling you into sleep with kisses pressed into your hair.

⏰

You wake up before him, the sun is already high in the sky and you can tell by the way it’s streaming across his face when you open your eyes.

Shit. Shit shit shit.

Jolting up, you leave the bed without bothering to wake him or attempting not to, plucking your clothes up from around his room and tossing them onto the bed as you find them. When he sits up and finds you pulling your shirt over your head, the rest of you already clothed, he asks what time it is.

“I slept too late Josh, I have to pick up Sam-“

“Wait, what? You have to pick up Sam? Why are you picking up my brother?”

Oh god.

“Not your brother. Josh I don’t have time for this, I have to go.” He watches you leave his room as he jumps out of bed to find his pants, tugging them on as he follows you. You’re almost at the front door when his hand wraps around your arm.

“Y/N stop. Talk to me. Who is Sam?” His eyebrows are knitted together as he searches your face for an answer. “What’s going on?”

You let your head fall back as you stare at the ceiling, willing the right words to come to you. None of the words you come up with are going to make this any easier, a defeated sigh floats from your lips and up into the air before you face him. He looks confused, obviously, but there’s a little bit of fear in his eyes.

“I’m sorry…” It’s hardly a whisper, you’re not sure you even said it but the fear behind his eyes slips into sadness.

“Y/N… please just tell me what is happening here. I’m very confused.”

“Sam is my son.”

His hold on your arm loosens until his hand falls to his side. He’s studying your face as if your expression will bring him some clarity but he only finds regret there. “What?”

“I have a kid. His name is Sam. Ironically enough.”

Now that you’ve repeated it, it’s sinking in. “You have a child.”

You wonder how many times you’ll each have to say it out loud before he’s kicking you out of his house. “I do. And he is my whole world, Josh. Or he was, until I met you.”

He shakes his head and huffs out a sardonic laugh. “And you didn’t think I should know about that? You didn’t think you should tell me that before I let myself fall for you?” It chokes you into silence, the hurt tightens your throat and burns your eyes as your vision blurs. “I think you should go. Go get Sam…”

You turn and walk out the door before he can see you cry.

⏰

How many times can a toddler ask you why you're sad before you have a full mental breakdown? You’re pretty sure you’ll soon find out, Sam is too smart for his own good and too intuitive for yours.

Josh hasn’t called. You haven’t spoken to him in weeks and all you could do was fall back into your regular routine of wake up, drop Sam off at daycare, work, pick him up, playtime, dinnertime, bathtime, bedtime. Every day, and Josh hasn’t called. Hasn’t texted. Hasn’t asked his brother to ask your friend how you’re doing. It’s been over two weeks.

⏰

“You’re being a fucking idiot.”

“Excuse me?”

“You heard me. You’re being stupid.”

“Jake she lied to me. And not something small, she failed to tell me about an entire human life that she created. A whole child. For months.”

They’ve already had several versions of this conversation. Josh had called his brother the same day that you’d left his house, screaming incoherently about sex and lies and Sam but before Jake could make any sense of it his twin was crying over the line.

He’s pissed off, sure, but more than anything he’s hurting. Jake had told him to reach out to you, to clear the air, and most importantly to apologize for shutting you out.

“I get it, Josh. I do, I fully comprehend why you’re upset. But correct me if I’m wrong, you have feelings for her, yes?” Josh, head in his hands propped up on elbows rested on his knees, grumbles a confirmation. “And you miss her. You’ve been moping around here for weeks. What’s the issue?”

Snapping his head up to face his twin, he throws an incredulous look in his direction. “What’s the issue? She hid him from me. I had no fucking clue. I’m sitting here building a fucking life with her in my head and I don’t even know her.”

Jake nods in understanding, turning Josh’s words over in his head before responding. “So it’s not that she has a kid, it’s that she didn’t tell you.”

“I can’t tell if you’re being serious right now. Yes, she deliberately lied to me.”

“You like kids.” Josh just shakes his head, suddenly infuriated with how flippant his brother is being over something that he deems extremely serious. “You actually love kids. Everybody knows that.”

“Your point?”

“Like I said, you’re being an idiot. Do you love her?”

Josh sits up and leans back in his chair, scrubs his hands over his face then runs his fingers over his mustache before scratching at his chin. “Yeah, I think I do, but-“

“And you don’t think you could love her child? Why? Because he’s not yours?”

“I never said that. It has nothing to do with-“

“Stop being stupid about this. Call her.”

⏰

The days crawled by, each one the same aside from nights that Nic would come over for dinner, help you put Sam to bed and then sit with you for hours. Filling the empty time that you used to spend on the phone with Josh.

Tonight is not one of those nights, and you’re sitting in front of your tv as some mindless reality show drones on. You almost jump out of your skin when your phone starts ringing on the table in front of you, but your heart is hammering in your chest when you pick it up to see Josh on the screen. It’s a picture you took of him at the bar on your first date, he’s leaned on one elbow over the bartop, smiling that smile, cheeks rosy and eyes focused beyond the camera lens. Focused on you.

You almost miss it, your hesitation to answer losing out right before it can go to voicemail.

“Hello?” You’re met with silence, he doesn’t answer right away and you think maybe he’s called accidentally, phone in his pocket as he’s out living his life without you. “Josh?”

“God, it’s so good to hear your voice.” His own sounds constricted, tight with emotion though you can’t imagine why. He cut you off and you’ve wallowed in your own misery alone.

“What do you want?” You can’t help but cut to the point, almost angry that he’d dare reach out and open with a line akin to I miss you.

“Just to talk. I know I should’ve called you sooner. Actually, I know I shouldn’t have even let you leave. Not like that… Y/N I’m so sorry.”

“You’re right. You should’ve called.” You know he had every right to be upset with you, but to go weeks with complete radio silence and call out of the blue with an apology seems too little, too late.

“I’m actually outside.”

You’re on your feet and moving to the window before you respond, and you move the curtain aside to find his Jeep in the driveway. “Go home, Josh. Now is not the time, Sam’s here and he’s asleep- actually I don’t owe you a reason. Just go home.”

He immediately does the opposite and you watch him climb out of his car and walk toward your porch. “Come outside and talk to me. Please, flower.” By the time he says it, he’s looking at you through the window with pleading eyes.

You sigh deeply before ending the call.

When you step out onto the porch you can see him fighting the urge to touch you, and you keep your body close to the closed door behind you.

Looking you over, he takes in your outfit, sweatpants and a hoodie, your hair tied up in a knot at the top of your head, eyes tired and a little sad. Also a little angry. “Beautiful as always.”

Unfortunately his words have the same effect on you that they always have, and you feel a blush creep over your cheeks. “Don’t. Please just say what you need to say.”

“Okay…” He takes a deep breath and you know he’s about to deliver a monologue. It’s just how he is, so you try to mentally prepare yourself but anything you could’ve expected is tossed aside immediately.

“To say I reacted poorly would be an understatement. I hope you can understand that my complete shock was not unfounded, I’m sure you know that. But you may not know exactly why I was surprised to find out that you’re a mother, especially after hours, and hours spent getting to know you.” He pauses to take another deep breath, you nod at him to continue and he inches just barely closer to you.

“I thought I knew you already. I spent a lot of time thinking about you, when we weren’t together or on the phone, I was thinking of you constantly. Dreaming of you. I’ve always dreamt of you. I think that’s why I was so drawn to you when we met… I’ve known you in my dreams for years.”

He’s taken a full step closer to you now, his fingertips are aching to reach out and touch you but he doesn’t. Not yet.

“The problem is, in my dreams we built this fantasy life together. The whole thing, we fall in love, a whirlwind romance really and you let me whisk you away. Travel the world with me, do everything you could’ve ever imagined. We have babies, if you want them, and they’re perfect little manifestations of our love.”

You haven’t moved from your spot, arms crossed as he speaks but silent tears have spilled over onto your cheeks and you let them fall, dropping to the ground at your feet. His fantasy of you is exactly that, and it’s something you could never give him. Not the way he’s imagined it.

His hands come up to cup your face and he moves in until the toes of his shoes are touching your slippers. You let him wipe your tears away with his thumbs and he keeps your jaw cradled in his hands as he continues.

“Now the other problem is, when you told me about him, about Sam, I suddenly felt like I didn’t know you at all. Like you had kept such a big part of yourself from me, that that life I had dreamed of was impossible. It took awhile but I’ve realized something.”

He wants you to speak, to let him know that you need to hear his next words.

“What?” It whispers past your lips and he leans in to press his against them. You can’t help but to kiss him back. When it breaks, he rests his forehead against yours and continues.

“I’ve fallen in love with you, my beautiful girl. My flower. And I could love him too, if you give me the chance. How could I not love every part of you?”

You release a sobbing breath and he pulls back to look at you. “Please stop crying, I don’t want you to cry anymore. Not because of me.”

“It’s just not that easy Josh.”

“It can be. Let me try. How old is he?”

“What?”

“How old is Sam?”

You can feel him trying, he wants to know more so you wipe your tears and give him more. “He’s three. Three and a half, really.”

“Three… it’s a good age. You know, Jake started playing guitar at three. Prodigy, that one.” It makes you laugh, exactly as he’d hoped. “Y/N… will you give me the chance to show you? I can do this, I want to.”

“Okay…”

“Okay?” There it is, that smile, perfectly imperfect and wide and bright and all for you.

“Yeah… yeah. On one condition.” He raises his eyebrows and tilts his head. “Kiss me again and then go home. And I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”

“Oh absolutely, my dear.”

⏰

“What have you told him about me?”

You’re sitting across from Josh at a table in the same restaurant he’d chosen for your first date. His curiosity makes you chuckle.

“I already told you, he still doesn’t know what a boyfriend is. No concept whatsoever.” Boyfriend. He grins like a little kid every time you say it, and it’s probably why he asked, again, if you’d talked to Sam about him. “He’s seen pictures of you. He knows your name, and knows I spend time with you when he’s at grandma’s house. He also knows that you like movies and you play the vocals, as requested.”

“When can I meet him?” Ah, that question. Though you’ve technically been with Josh for almost four months, you’re still not sure what the right answer is.

“Soon, I think. Maybe you can… I don’t know, go to the park with us or something. I just don’t want to confuse him too much, babe.”

Satisfied for the moment, he leans back in his chair and smirks at you over the table. “Ya know, if you’d let him get to know me, I wouldn’t have to sneak into your house after bedtime to fuck his pretty mama while she bites the pillows to keep quiet.”

“Josh! You’re disgusting.” You feign offense but you’re laughing with him as you throw your napkin at his face.

When you leave the restaurant, he drives you home and follows you inside. You lead him through the house, past the scattered Hot Wheels, monster trucks and Legos that tend to litter the floor of your living room, into your bedroom where he lets you undress him slowly. With your lips wrapped around him, cock nudging the back of your throat, he reminds you that he loves you. When his tongue is lapping at you, softly drawing you nearer and nearer to release, he shows you that he loves you.

When he’s buried inside you, whispering praise into your ear, calling you his flower, a goddess, you feel that he loves you.

⏰

One more month. You gave it one more month before you told Sam you were going to meet Josh at the park.

“Josh at the park!” He’s going through a phase where he repeats everything you say.

“Yep! Remember, Josh is mommy’s boyfriend. Is that okay?”

“Mommy’s boyfwiend is okay. Go outside?”

His beautiful one-track mind makes you giggle. “Yes sweet boy, let’s go outside.”

You’d told Josh where to meet you, instructed him on how to approach your child, coached him on what to say.

“Flower, I love kids. I myself am just a slightly bigger kid. I can handle this.”

Nervous as you make your way to the park, hauling Sam behind you in a red wagon, you think that maybe you should call Josh and remind him of what to do. On cue, your phone starts to ring in your back pocket and you stop walking to keep your eyes on Sam as you answer.

“Hey babe, we’re almost there.”

“I thought you might be. Do me a favor?”

“What’s up?”

“Tell him I’m excited to meet him, and stop worrying. It’s gonna be great.”

“You’re right. I know you’re right. I’ll tell him. We’ll be there in a few.”

“See you soon, my love.”

Minutes later you’re rolling the wagon to a stop next to a red and blue bench and Sam is already bounding out of it and toward the slides. You know you don’t have to worry about him on the smaller ones but you hesitate to sit down, preferring to stand a little closer to the playground just in case. When a pair of hands come to rest on your shoulders, you grin as Josh leans into your ear and immediately asks where is he? Having seen hundreds of pictures and videos of Sam, he easily spots him amongst the few children begrudgingly taking turns going up and then coming down the slides when you point in their direction.

“Can I go, mama?”

He’s literally vibrating with excitement, you can feel it in his palms that have moved to hold onto your upper arms.

“Go ahead. Have fun!”

He presses a kiss to your cheek and then whispers against it, “I love you. Thank you.”

With that he leaves you, and you watch closely as your worlds are about to collide. Josh approaches the playground casually, and waits until Sam comes down the slide. Crouching down on one knee, he waves your baby over to him and the only part of the conversation you can overhear is the very start.

“Josh at the park!”

You smile as your vision clouds and you blink the tears away before they can fall.

When Sam reaches him, Josh smiles brightly. “Hey Sam, I’m Josh.”

“Mommy’s boyfwiend Josh.”

“That’s right, that’s me! It is sooooo nice to meet you, bud.”

“Nice to meet you bud.” Josh chuckles, remembering what you’ve said about how he repeats things in lieu of actually replying.

“Hey, Sam. Do you think I could play with you for a bit?”

“Play on the swide?”

“Yeah, can I go down the slide with you?”

“Go down the swide Josh! C’mon!” Sam reaches for Josh’s hand and grabs onto two fingers before tugging at it. Josh stands and let’s him “pull” him to the steps, looking back at you over his shoulder. His eyes find yours as you flick a stray tear away with your finger tips and smile. He uses his free hand to give you a thumbs up before he’s being pushed by the backs of his knees to climb steps.

You watch your son push your boyfriend up the tiny steps to go down the slide ahead of him. Josh is laughing when he comes down, the trip especially short for a grown man, even a rather small one. When he reaches the bottom, he turns and squats at the end of the slide, and you watch with fresh tears in your eyes as your baby lands in Josh’s arms. He’s wrapped up and lifted into them, smiles stretched across both of their faces and you can hear Josh’s raspy laughter mixing with Sam’s giggles that you love so much.

What you can’t hear, when Josh shifts Sam onto his hip and points in your direction, is Josh telling him, “Hey buddy, let’s go see your mommy real quick. She looks like she needs a big hug.”

Josh sets him down and he runs to you, arms wide open so you kneel to meet him with open arms of your own. Over his tiny shoulder, you watch Josh walk toward you both, hands shoved into the pockets of his pants and a soft grin on his lips.

“Mommy needed a big hug.”

You pull away to look at your son, his face so similar to your own, for which you’ve been grateful for the last almost four years. “Yeah baby, I did need a hug. You give the best hugs.”

“Are you sad?”

“Not at all, I’m very happy. Are you having fun on the slides?”

“Fun with Josh on the swide. Josh is fun!”

You look up at him, a man you’d completely underestimated, and find him swiping his fingers over his cheeks and grinning that sweet lopsided grin. Eyes still on Josh, you reply, “He is fun isn’t he? Go play some more sweetheart, I need to talk to Josh for a minute. Then we can go on the swings.”

“I go on the swings!” Sam repeats your words before bouncing away, past Josh and back to the slide.

Josh steps forward and offers his hand to pull you to your feet. “I told you it would be fine. He’s so great, Y/N, really.”

You keep his hand in yours and pull him to sit with you on the bench, with your eyes still focused in the direction of the playground. “He’s really special. I- um, his dad has never been in the picture. Didn’t want anything to do with either of us when I told him I was pregnant.”

Josh hasn’t ever asked for further information on Sam’s father. It was clear that he wasn’t involved, your mom and sometimes Nic being the only people you ever mention helping you with him, but this admission only further solidifies what he’d already been feeling. He squeezes the hand that’s clasped in his, his eyes also on your son. “I’m here. Look at me, just for a second.” You both pull your eyes from the playground to look into each other’s. “I love you. Don’t you think I can take care of you? Both of you?”

“I love you too… Josh this is a big thing you’re offering, I don’t think you understand how big. He’s… not yours. You don’t have to-“

“Hm, that’s where you’re wrong, my beautiful girl. My beautiful girl, you are mine to love and take care of, yeah?” He waits for you to confirm, which you do with a nod of your head. “Then he’s mine too.”

Hours later, after many trips down the slide, careful pushes on the swing and lots of baby giggles, Sam began yawning and showing Josh another side of himself. He’d gotten easily upset with another child over whose turn it was to scramble up the tiny climbing wall, and when you’d reminded him that he needs to share, he’d yelled a frustrated no in your face. You knew what needed to be done but Josh seemed to know as well, and he’d scooped Sam up into his arms.

“Hey buddy, I think it’s time to go home and chill out. Let’s go, what do you think?”

Rubbing his eyes, Sam had said, “What do you fink?”

“That’s what I thought you’d say. Let’s go home.”

“Josh go home too.”

“Yeah, I’m gonna take you home.”

He moved toward the bench, you thought he was going to place Sam down in the wagon but he grabbed the handle and started to pull it toward where his Jeep was parked.

“Josh you can’t drive us home.”

“Why’s that, flower?” You’d followed behind him as he reached the Jeep and unlocked it, swung the back passenger door open to reveal a car seat. You stood there, open-mouthed and wide-eyed as he turned to face you, Sam’s head rested on his shoulder. “I did the research, I know it’s the right one for his weight. I even drove to a fire station to make sure it was strapped in the right way. Did you know they do that? You wanna buckle him in? I’ve never done it before.”

Struck speechless, you’d taken your child from his arms and climbed up to buckle him in as Josh pulled the wagon around and stuffed it into the back of the Jeep. Once you were in the passenger seat and Josh had climbed in beside you, you’d told him he didn’t have to do all of this.

“I think that I did, babe.”

⏰

“Oh fuck, just like that baby, just like that.”

Josh growls in response and you can feel yourself clamp down around him. He feels it too and leans to the side to see your face, cheek pushed into his sheets, eyes squeezed shut and mouth hanging open.

“Like that?” He’s pumping his hips against your ass, one hand gripping it tight and the other wrapped around your hipbone. He delivers a sharp thrust that pushes your body forward but the sheen of sweat on your face keeps you stuck in place. “Pretty girl likes it a little rough?”

He knows that you do, sometimes, when the mood strikes. It had struck hard earlier in the night, and you’d practically tackled him the moment you heard his front door click behind you. His back had slammed against it as your body collided with his, a hand immediately sliding down his torso and lower to palm his cock over his jeans. You’d felt it begin to harden under your touch as your tongue slid against his, before you pulled off of his mouth to lick a wet stripe over the sharp angle of his jawline.

“Want you in my mouth, let me taste it.”

He’d groaned against the shell of your ear.

Not long after, he’d lifted you off your knees from the floor and thrown you over his shoulder, hauled you up to his bed and you’d torn the clothes from each other’s bodies.

Now, he’s fucking into you, eyes bouncing from the delicious view of himself retreating and disappearing into your pussy stretched around him, to the expanse of your back, the graceful curve of it arched below him. He hears you mumbling against the mattress, begging for harder and more, and as always he’s trying his best to give you whatever you need despite the bruises you might have on the backs of your thighs tomorrow.

“Christ, I can feel you baby, are you gonna cum for me?”

You’d snaked a hand between your body and the bed and you’re doing your best to swirl frantic circles over your clit, moaning in response to his question. He needs to feel you let go, he wants to flip you over so he can see your face when you do but you’re so close already. He can wait.

When it hits you, he slows his hips to work you through it slowly, drawing it out as long as he can. The way you’d yelped out his name and then continued to murmur it softly into the sheets let’s him know that it’s working. He’s not there yet, and when he feels your muscles relax around him he slips out of you and lets you sink to the mattress. Using his hands to encourage you to roll over, he soaks in the dopey smile on your face once you’re looking up at him.

“Did that feel nice, flower?” You nod your head lazily and reach for him, running your hands over the sticky skin over his ribs before wrapping your arms around his back. “Are you gonna let me back in? I’m not done with you yet.” You let your legs fall open wide, inviting him to settle between them. He slips back inside as he tucks his face into your neck, pressing his lips along the column of your throat. His hips start moving again, he’s really just rocking into you but it’s deep and persistent and you know that sometimes this is just exactly what he needs.

“Mm, I love you like this mama, so sweet and soft for me after you get what you want.”

“Lucky for you, I always get what I want.” He chuckles at that and nips at your neck.

“You do, don’t you? Aren’t I always so good for you?”

His question warms your cheeks and tugs at your heartstrings. He wants to hear your praise and you know him well enough to know that he’s probably about to surprise you with some other minor kink he’s been hiding. You’re correct of course, and you’re definitely surprised.

He pulls away from your neck to hover over you, pets a hand over the damp hair at your temple and settles his hold against the side of your head. He nudges the tip of his nose against yours before he pulls a gentle kiss from your lips. When he opens them again, his eyes are begging for the words.

“You’re so good Josh, always perfect for me.” It causes his hips to break their rhythm momentarily as he twitches inside you.

“Y/N?”

“Hm?”

His voice drops to a whisper. “Let me fill you up, give you another baby.”

Oh.

Your brain turns it over rapidly. It wasn’t a real discussion you’d had, but even though you’d gotten back on birth control months ago and you’ve been together for almost a year, you’ve been using condoms all this time. Unless you didn’t, in which case he’d never even asked, he just didn’t cross that boundary. He’d paint your body with his release and you’d welcome it.

“Please.” His voice sounds strangled now, he’s hanging on by a thread and begging again for a response, his eyes locked onto yours.

“You wanna be a daddy, Josh?”

He clamps his eyes shut for a moment, a deep groan rumbles through him. He liked that, that’s obvious but it’s not a confirmation. “I’m already a daddy, my love. A damn good one. But I wanna see you all round and glowing with my baby inside you.”

A soft moan passes your lips. This is working for you in a way you would never have expected, and you can tell by the way he’s trapped his bottom lip between his teeth that it’s working for him too.

“Do it, cum for me. Inside.”

“Yeah… m’gonna knock you up, pretty girl. Make you a mama again. Fuck-“ His hips push into you hard and you can feel him spilling deep inside you as his mouth crashes into yours. You let him inside you there too, connected everywhere that you possibly could be. He stays tucked inside after he cums, and you whisper love into each other’s ears as you run your fingers up and down his back and over his shoulder blades.

When he finally lifts himself from your chest, propped up and smiling down at you, he surprises you again.

“You and Sam should move in with me.”

⏰

Things were not always perfect, but they usually came pretty close.

Josh had to leave sometimes, which you’d always known, he’d traveled for weeks at a time over the years, sometimes months and while it was never particularly easy, you and Sam got along just fine at home alone. As you always have.

He would call often, as much as he possibly could, and over FaceTime he would tell you all about what’s gone wrong, what’s gone right, and how he wished you were there with him.

“Where’s my boy? Isn't it almost bedtime? Lemme talk to him.”

You called for your now six-year-old who came running into the room, sliding to a stop and jumping onto the couch.

“DAD!! Dad I lost a tooth today, look!” He stretches his lips into a wide grin, showing Josh that one of his front teeth is in fact missing. “Mom said I have a gap like yours.”

You’re stifling a laugh with your palm as Josh flashes his own gap-toothed grin.

“That’s awesome buddy, I heard the tooth fairy is giving out crisp hundred dollar bills for high quality teeth like that one. I hope she delivers.” Your eyes roll back in your head, knowing you’ll have to make that happen. Josh notoriously spoils this kid. “Hey, someone else wants to say hi real quick.”

Josh passes the phone off and you see both of his brothers squeezing together to fit on the screen at the same time. Sam squeals in delight as Uncle Jake and “Big Sam” tell him that they’d heard that front teeth were worth $200.

“Nice hair dude, you’re gonna look just like me soon!”

“No, he looks like me. His namesake.”

Little Sam had decided he wanted to grow his hair out, and you’d let him give it a go. In reality, it just makes him look even more like you but you’ve decided not to hurt their feelings. Which is why you also choose not to reveal the truth, that he’d told you he wanted long hair because “Uncle Jake is so cool, Mom.” Sorry, Sammy.

When Josh takes the phone back, he tells you both how much he loves and misses you, and tells Sam that he better be good because he’ll be home soon and if he’s not good, he won’t get any of the gifts that are packed in Josh’s luggage.

The reunions were sweeter after the two of you had moved into Josh’s house, just a couple months after he’d first floated the idea. He would come home, to your shared home to be greeted first by your little boy and you’d watch as Josh kneeled to the floor to envelop him in a crushing hug that would make them both laugh wildly. He would scoop your baby up as he stood, keep him propped on his hip as he made his way to where you stood. His other arm would circle your waist and he’d pull you in to press his lips to yours, and Sam would make exaggerated sounds of disgust until Josh delivered a kiss to his forehead.

“It’s good to be home. I missed you guys so much.”

⏰

“Hey Sam, can you come with me real quick? I need to talk to you about something.”

You lift an eyebrow in question that Josh ignores as he leaves the kitchen with Sam, who’s happy to abandon his homework at the dining table.

Up in Sam’s room, which used to be a second guest bedroom (why Josh needed a house so big when he lived by himself, you’ll never know), Josh sits on his bed and asks him to sit next to him.

“First of all, you need to clean this room. What the hell are you doing up here?” Sam gasps and then giggles. “Don’t tell your mom I cursed.”

“She’s gonna be mad if I don’t go finish my homework.”

“You’re right. And she’s right, she’s always right, don’t forget that.” Sam’s looking at him expectantly, waiting for whatever he needed to talk about. Josh takes a deep breath and Sam knows this is gonna be a long one, Dad talks a lot.

“Sam, I love your mom very much.”

“Duh.”

“Smart ass. Let me finish. I also love you very much, and I’m so lucky to be your dad. Incredibly lucky that she was willing to share you with me.” Sam knows that Josh is not his real dad, but it doesn’t matter to him. “You two are my whole world, you know that?”

Nodding his head, Sam’s hoping he’ll get to the point soon so he doesn’t get in trouble about the homework.

“I wanna ask your mom to marry me. But I wanted to make sure that was okay with you first.” Josh is chewing over his bottom lip nervously while Sam stays quiet.

“Does that mean you’d be my real dad?”

“Oh, buddy I’ll always be your dad. No matter what. But, we could make it more official, if that’s what you and your mom want.” He’s holding back tears that are burning his eyes as his son studies his face.

“Yeah that would be cool. I hope she says yes, you’re kind of a dork.” The tears spill over as Josh laughs loudly, totally and completely in love with the little boy in front of him.

Later that night, long after that pesky homework is completed and dinner has been eaten and dishes cleaned up, after having sent Sam off to bed at least an hour ago, Josh is leaned against the pillows scrolling on his phone. Waiting for you.

The bathroom light goes dark and he looks up to find you leaned against the doorframe of the en suite, draped in a short forest green robe that’s belted around your waist.

“Don’t you look lovely? You know green is my favorite color.”

“No kidding? How fortuitous that I bought a sexy little slip of satin in your favorite color. Who would’ve known?”

Blood is already rushing to his dick, your voice is low and seductive and having the exact effect you’d hoped for. The robe is for show however, and as you walk toward the bed your fingers pull the belt apart, allowing him a glimpse of the bare skin underneath.

“God I love you.”

“Mm, why don’t you show me how much?” As you reach the end of the bed, you let the satin slip over your shoulders and flutter to the ground.

He’d moved quickly to pull you in, limbs and heart tangled with yours, and he showed you how much he loved you, over and over again, leaving you both breathless and sweating, chests heaving as you rested your head against his.

Drawing soft circles over the shape of his muscles, he stopped the motion of your fingers to grasp your hand and bring it to his lips. When you lifted your gaze to his face, he knew anything he had planned wouldn’t compare to this moment

“Flower?” You hum in response, eyes not leaving his as his expression turns serious. “Baby, I want to adopt Sam.”

You push off of him to sit up and see him clearly, whispering, “Really?”

“Yeah. And I think he wants that too. I should’ve talked to you about it first but it sort of just… came up when we were talking earlier. Would you want that?”

You’re nodding your head enthusiastically before realization hits you and your smile slips. “Josh, I don't think you can if we’re not-“

“Married?” You’re nodding your head again, mouth turned down into a full frown. He sits up to lean into you, a hand coming up to wrap around the back of your neck and pull your lips to his and then rests his forehead against yours, as he so often does. “The thing is, more than anything really, I would love it if you’d marry me.”

Pulling away, eyes wide and jaw slack, you stare at him until he speaks again.

“Will you marry me, Y/N?”

There’s a ring hidden away, but the plan has been abandoned and he has nothing to offer you right now aside from himself.

“Yes.”

“Yes?”

“Yes, absolutely yes.” You’re crawling into his lap, kissing over his face held in your hands and he’s laughing as your kiss lands on his lips.

When you pull away again, love swimming in both of your eyes, he says, "Thank god, Sam said you might say no because I'm a dork. Am I allowed to start grounding him now?

Taglist:

@lightmylove-gvf @spicedandicedtea @weneedsomehealing123 @milkgemini @why-ami-on-here @gretavanbitches @twistedmelodies @wildflowerxx-x @dannythedog @blissfulbellss @averagemisfit03 @dharmasdivine @thetroublegetssoloud71 @lucimoo @toxbexannouncedx @dig0930 @maddie-van-fleet @friska101-cg @welllauragvf

Please let me know if you'd like to be added ❤️

[pluppsauthor]

Character Profile Tag

Thank you to @willtheweaver for the tag!

I've seen a few of these and been tagged before I think, but this'll be my first one. To start it off, I'm doing Dusk from Frequency: Forsaken. (Copy/paste questions at bottom)

Full name: Dusk / Ralillith Tiro / Forsaken Fiend

Age: 19 (at the start of the story)

Gender: Male

Species: Human

Appearance: Dusk stands at 178 centimetres, his build is fairly thin, but he is still very fit and physically strong. His skin is a slightly pale sand colour and is covered with a few notable scars and no tattoos or other markings. He has a small vertical scar on the right side of his mouth and a thin horizontal scar around the middle of his neck. His eyes lack colour and are instead reflective like the surface of a mirror. His hair (at the start of story) reaches to the middle of his back, it's natural colour is black but there are streaks of pure, snow-white from his roots to his tips.

Occupation: None (start of story) / Face/head of the New Season.

Family: N/A

Best friend: Zenith Freydra

Pets: N/A

Describe their room: Since Dusk doesn't need to sleep, his room is very bare-bones. It generally only contains a desk, shelf, and a few training dummies. He also doesn't tend to stay in one place for very long, and although he does eventually get a permanent place of residence, that isn't for a while in the story.

Items in their bag/purse: Dusk doesn't need much, so he carries only useful supplies, such as navigational aids, means of note taking such as a journal, as well as carrying the others' supplies. He doesn't need to carry food, water, bedrolls, or anything relating to those items, so his pack is generally light.

Hobbies: Dusk tends to have a lot of free time when not exploring or travelling. He never gathered any hobbies throughout his childhood (since he didn't have much of a childhood). He does spend most of his free time reading, or training if he doesn't have proper access to reading material.

Favourite sport: Dusk, personally, has no real attachment to sports. His favourite would likely be whatever he is good at, so something in the realm of fencing, sword fighting, or boxing.

Abilities / talents / powers: Dusk, like most characters in my Frequency series, has a Frequency (tl;dr, superpower). His Frequency allows him to create objects out of light. Due to his connection to the runes (and a few other things), it isn't limited to that. For example, he can tell if someone's lying (i.e. a walking lie detector).

Some more mundane talents of his: Due to his past, and natural talent, he is extremely adaptable in combat. He hasn't been trained in every form of combat or weapon, but he is able to use whatever he can to the same effectiveness. He is also good at giving speeches.

Relationships: Dusk has two romantic/sexual relationship throughout Forsaken. Other than that, his allies/friends include:

Members of the New Season (Zenith, Dawn, Kyr, and Ino), Viridis, the Titan Family.

His enemies include:

Reven, Everden Family, Aurora Family, and the Daemons.

Fears: Forgetting, being forgotten, heights, jellyfish

Faults: Stubborn, self-doubtful, spiteful, believes himself to be the one to carry the heaviest of burdens

Good points: Resourceful, adaptable, loving/trusting of those close to him

What they want more than anything else: To be free of burden and prosecution. (I.e. to have no one pushing him around or wanting to kill him and knowing he can live his life in peace).

-----

This took a bit to fill out, but it was fun nonetheless! If you have any follow-up questions about Dusk, feel free to ask!

No pressure tagging @leahpardo-pa-potato, @tildeathiwillwrite, @mk-writes-stuff, @kaylinalexanderbooks, @honeybewrites, and open tag!

---copy/past questions---

Full name: Age: Gender: Species: Appearance: Occupation: Family: Best friend: Pets: Describe their room: Items in their bag/purse: Hobbies: Favourite sport: Abilities/talents/powers: Relationships: Fears: Faults: Good points: What they want more than anything else:

[boxboxblog]

Technical: F1 Cars v Feeder Cars

Hello, this post is a response to an ask about the differences between F1 cars and feeder series cars. To better understand, I would recommend reading my How Do F1 Cars Work? series (first post linked here) before this one. Enjoy!

(Comparison of the four categories' cars)

Power Units:

F1: F1 cars use a hybrid power unit system, a 1.6-liter V6 turbocharged engine combined with Energy Recovery System (ERS). This can deliver 1,000 horsepower, get the car up to 217 mp, and also go from roughly zero to sixty miles in under 2.5 seconds. This kind of an engine means that the F1 car has tremendous speed and power, and takes corners and straights both at high speeds. To handle this kind of car an F1 driver must have fantastic race craft, good knowledge of engineering, and high precision. They need for focus on more than just driving, as they control a lot of what goes on in the mechanics of the car. In this case they also have to worry about ERS deployment,

(A basic drawing of an F1 engine. Credit: Craig Scarborough Twitter: @ScarbsTech)

F2: F2 cars use a naturally aspirated (non-turbocharger) 3.4 liter V6 engine and does not have a hybrid system. The engine delivers about 620 horsepower, and the car can get up to 205 mph. This means that F2 drivers focus on mechanical engine power. This also means that F2 drivers drive a little less complicated and do not have to worry about the electronic side of racing quite yet.

F3: F3 cars Have a 3.4 liter V6 engine that is very similar to F2 engines, but has a lot less power. It delivers around 380 horsepower, and has a top speed of around 186 mph. This is still at the level where drivers are learning the fundamentals of racing, but it kicks up the speed a bit compared to F4. You will notice that the progression toward F1's extreme speed is rather gradual.

F4: The simplest and least powerful engine, F4 used a 2.0 liter turbocharged four cylinder engine. This produces around 160-189 horsepower, and can reach 150 mph. This means the car requires more patience with the throttle and very simple driving tactics. It obviously is a very different power and speed than karting, but it allows young drivers to start to get used to speed.

Aerodynamics:

F1: An F1 car's aerodynamic system is very complicated. It has an intensely designed front wing, a very important and complex rear wing with DRS, and also uses ground effect in order to generate downforce. In general, the F1 car always tries to produce as much down force as possible, which keeps the car's grip up. This downforce means that F1 cars take corners extremely fast, and drivers must balance it well. They also tend to get more effected by dirty air than other series cars.

(An F1 car, you can see the complex front wing and the wide rear wing with it's DRS flap)

F2: F2 cars are slightly less complex, but still have a designed front and rear wing. They do not focus on downforce as much and have no ground effect in their cars. This means that F2 cars are much more reliant on mechanical grip over aerodynamic grip. Drivers must use a smoother way of cornering and focus on tire management to keep grip.

(an F2 car, Visibly less detailed but still has similar styling to an F1 car)

F3, F4: Even more simple ( I think you get the theme) there are minimal downforce-generating elements, and the designs for the wings are very very simple. The focus when driving this kind of car is similar to F2 in that tire management is paramount to keep grip and corners must be taken rather slow.

(An F3 car, has no DRS flap in back and the front wing has almost no details)

(An F4 car, front wing is completely different and rear wing is much more tall and open)

Weight:

F1: An F1 car is incredibly heavy. It weights around 1800 lbs without fuel, and most of the weight is due to the tires, power unit, and safety measures inside of the car. The tires that F1 car uses are the Pirelli 18-inch low profile tires, which are heavy and large and keep the weight of the car up. Because of how heavy they are, F1 drivers must manage the balance very carefully, especially during braking and acceleration.

F2: While they use the same tire size as F1 (just less complicated), F2 cars are lighter, but not by much. They are about 1740 lbs without fuel, and because of this they need to focus on much of the same as F1 drivers. This heavier weight gets drivers prepared for handling an F1 car.

F3: F3 car's are significantly light, weighing around 1500 lbs without fuel. they also use different tires, instead having 13 inch ones. This means that they are a much more nimble car, which allows for more aggressive braking and cornering.

F4: The lightest of them all, at 1100 lbs, this is by far the most nimble and easiest to handle. It has the same tires as F3. This lightness helps start new drivers out on learning how to drive a one-seater car without putting them in too much danger, as they can move around corners fast and make more mistakes with less consequences

Electronics:

F1: F1 cars are extremely technologically advanced. The steering wheel on an F1 car is basically a computer, and they control a variety of things with it. They have the ERS system, electronic gear shifts, engine modes, brake-by-wire systems, complex suspension setups, customizable engine maps, etc. This isn't even including the hundreds of sensors all throughout the car. This means that mid race they are focused on things like switching engine modes around, deploying ERS, and other such things. They have to be aware of how everything works together, so it also requires a high technical knowledge.

(An F1 steering wheel. The many knobs and buttons you see are used by drivers as they race.)

F2,F3,F4: These cars are simple and have essentially the same level of electronic complexity. Only F2 has gear shifts and basic engine modes, but everything else is much more mechanically focused. This allows junior drivers to focus on the actual car over electronics in their early career, and once they get into F1 the mechanical side is almost muscle memory.

Braking:

F1,F2: So, these two series both use a carbon-carbon braking system. These types of brakes have immense stopping power but require a lot of heat to function properly. This is why brake temperature management is so important in races. They manage this through rim heating (transferring heat from brakes to rims on front tires), coasting and gliding, and controlling air flow. In F2 the brakes have slightly less power.

(An F1 carbon-carbon system)

F3,F4: These series use a steel braking system. This is a lot less powerful and simple to use, which allows junior drivers to develop fundamental braking skills. They are much easier to handle and forgiving of mistakes.

(A steel braking system)

Alright that is the basics of it. There are of course other differences like in basic shape, but these are the ones that most effect how the cars operate and how the drivers handle them. I hope I answered any questions.

Cheers,

-B

[dullgecko]

Okay.. SO SHADOW SORCERER RIZ GUKGAK BECAUSE OF HIS CONNECTION WITH KALINA (also Baron or Kalina is his shadow cus I just think that’s silly)

You won’t see him unless he wants you to, and even then he’s hard to spot. You feel like watching from afar, but little do you know he’s looking right over your shoulder.

(Also maybe this Riz is a little evil idk man I love making shit up)

Riz is 8 and his father dies. There's no reason for it, sometimes goblins just get sick and don't get better again. For some reason though his job won't pay out his life insurance. They won't tell them why but it means they're very suddenly a single income household with zero safety net.

So, funeral over with no time to mourn his mom had to go back to work. Picking up extra shifts in order to meet rent while Riz was left home. The young goblins anger at the whole situation only growing with every instance of his mom coming home exhausted beyond what he even thought possible.

They can't afford a babysitter but at least Riz isn't completely without a friend. One that only he seems to be able to see that tells him secrets. Tells him that the council of chosen is wrong, that it was their fault they never got what they were owed after his dads death. He listens, because why wouldn't he? He's not stupid and investigates everything Kalina tells him, and it's all true as far as he can tell.

He doesn't end up going to Aguefort, choosing instead to go to Mumple where he can keep a low profile. Kalina teaches him everything he needs to know to be a scarily effective sorcerer using his own inate magic. Goblins in the fae wilds used to serve the queen of wind and shadows after all.

He doesn't make any moves his entire first year of high school, only following the stories of a group of kids from Aguefort trying to find some missing girls with mild interest as he works on his own project. Those kids end up being useful though, their fight with a dragon on school property affording him the distraction necessary to sneak in and steal the Nightmare Kings crown.

He's rewarded for his efforts, gaining a familiar of sorts in the form of a skeletal goblin puppet. He names it Baron, mostly because of its ridiculous flouncy outfit. The only problem is that he seems to have attracted the attention of that strange group of kids, one of them the daughter of some of his allies that Kalina led him towards.

Theyre always one step behind though, right up until his idiot allies kidnap their daughter from Leviathan. They might be his enemies at the moment but he's appaled by what he sees when he goes to the tower. One daughter on the verge of madness from sheer exhaustion and the other about to be tortured in the same way. They're just kids, like him, and it makes him feel a little sick.

The new one sees him when he slips into the room but he says nothing, even when she starts hurling abuse at him. He has good reasons for what he's doing, they're saving kalinas goddess after all and it can help him get his revenge against the Council, but what they're doing to this girl is just sadistic. He sabotages the sphere on his way out of the room, stilling its rotation for long enough for her to rest as he makes himself scarce and leaves.

He doesn't see them again until they're in the forest, plan almost complete when they're interrupted. The fight was brutal but he was holding his own right up until a teifling said something that made him pause. She had met his dad somehow (in hell apparently? But he wasn't being punished?) and she had a message from him.

He let his arcubus drop limp to his side, leaving himself open to an attack from their cleric (if you could call a greater restoration an attack). He felt kalinas grip on him vanish in that instant, while simultaneously reeling from the news that it had been HER that had gotten his dad killed.

Hed done all of this, hurt so many people, all on the guidance of the person responsible for all his suffering? He wasn't going to let that stand. He knew a thing or two about his mentor, knew she weakened when viewed by more people and helped these strange kids execute their plan. Killing the familiar himself with a shot from his arcubus and helping them win.

Their cleric managing to restore the goddesses true form had been a surprise and he felt a bit.... weird... standing off to the side as they celebrated their victory. Not knowing what to do without kalina in his head anymore but also a little scared to move after the idiot elf got her magic stripped and a van with hands set on her.

[astra-galaxie]

"Petite Cece! I was hoping I would get to see you before the award ceremony! You are a very busy lady!" - Kilian Bontemps

Biographical information

Full Name: Kilian Bontemps

Alias(es):

Kili

Ki

Night Rider/Le Cavalier de Nuit

King of Shadows/Shadow King

Gender: Genderqueer (pronouns he/him)

Sexuality: Pansexual

Status: Alive

Age: 38 (season 4)

Birth: 1852

Race: Witch

Nationality: French-American

Origin: New Orleans, USA

Residence:

Concordia, USA

New Orleans, USA (formerly)

Profession(s):

Equestrian

Magician

Past profession(s):

Magician's Assistant

Prostitute

Family:

Isaac Bontemps (brother)

Jacob Bontemps (twin brother) (deceased)

Unnamed mother

Noah Bontemps (father)

Celine Georges (cousin) (deceased)

Jacques Bontemps (son)

Sélène Bontemps (daughter)

Rochelle Chevalier (stepdaughter)

Partner(s): Notre Chevalier (boyfriend)

Affiliation(s):

The Circus of Dreams

Cirque de Nuit (formerly)

Profile

Height: 5'6" Age: 38 (season 4) Weight: 150lbs Eyes: black Blood: O+

Kilian is a man of average height with a lithe build, dark skin and thick, inky, straight black hair that brushes his shoulders. He wears an informal horseback rider's uniform consisting of tight white breeches fastened with a black belt tucked into tall black boots, a black coat with silver buttons, a silver horseshoe brooch on the left side and a matching short scarf tied around his neck.

When performing, Kilian wears a silver mask with black trim covering his eyes. The mask has a black Cheshire moon in the center of the eyes, covered by black mesh; black stars frame the eyes, and smaller white sparks fill the empty spaces.

When not performing, he usually wears a plain black mask with silver, white or black mesh over the eyes.

As per his suspect appearance in Heartbroken, Kilian knows anatomy, likes horse shows, and speaks French.

As per his appearance in The Greatest Murder, he wears his magician outfit consisting of a fitted dark gray, long-sleeved shirt with a silver and white waist corset. Tight black pants tucked into mid-calf high black boots with silver heels, matching laces, and white fur trimming the tops. The outfit has a few layered silver chains hung from the bottom of the corset to drape over Kilian’s hips. For accessories, it has fingerless black gloves, silver bracelets with chains that connected to rings on the middle fingers, a small black tophat with a gray band and a silver bell pinned on one side, and a knee-length black cloak with a silver clasp shaped like a crescent moon. It has Kilian’s starry mask and black lipstick with a shiny ombre effect in the center to complete the look.

When acting as a magician, Kilian openly carries a black staff with a bat on top. The bat is secretly his Palismen, a familiar-like creature made of wood from a special tree infused with magic to help him with spell casting. The Palismen is a black bat with ruby-red eyes. It is known as the Palismen of Darkness and is one of the strongest Palismen in existence.

Powers and abilities

Kilian is a shadow witch. His powders focus on darkness, but his type of magic does not limit him to just darkness. Some of Kilian’s abilities include:

Potion making

Spell casting

Shadow/Darkness manipulation

Dream Manipulation

This is only for nightmares. He can twist people’s dreams into nightmares, but he can also remove nightmares from people, leaving behind only good dreams

Shadow Travel

Shadow portals

Night vision

Other facts about Kilian’s magic:

His horse, Éclipsa, is created out of shadows. While he can shadow travel without her, Éclipsa makes it easier

Like all Palismen, Kilian’s help regulate his magic and prevent it from going haywire

His Palismen can come to life and act as Kilian’s familiar. It appears to be a real bat but has some un-bat-like qualities that give away its Palismen status

The Palismen’s name is Onyx

Onyx and all future Palismen are based on the ones from the show The Owl House

He really did make the sailors who assaulted him go insane. He used their shadows to trap them in their minds, forcing them only to see their worst nightmares and causing them to lose their sanity. Kilian doesn't remember doing this as he was disassociating at the time as a trauma response, and his magic took control to protect him

While he wears his mask to avoid his reflection, Kilian also wears it for magical reasons. Due to his magic being darkness-based, his eyes are sensitive to light. Kilian also wears masks to prevent himself from accidentally unleashing nightmares on people, as it can easily happen when someone looks into his eyes

History

Kilian is the youngest brother of Isaac Bontemps and the twin brother of the late Jacob Bontemps. He grew up in New Orleans alongside his brothers until Jacob was killed in a tragic accident when a horse trampled him. The Bontemps family fell apart after the boy's death, and Kilian suffered the worst. His parents and Isaac couldn't bear to see his face, the face he shared with his deceased twin. Soon, Kilian became a ghost in his own home and raised himself as his family neglected him.

Things never improved, except when he started wearing masks to hide his eyes. While his parents still ignored him, Isaac did start talking to him occasionally now that he couldn't see Jacob's eyes when he looked at Kilian. It was also around this time that Kilian began performing on the stress of New Orleans as a magician, entertaining locals and tourists. It didn't make much money, but it was enough to let Kilian buy necessities for himself.

However, the nicer times wouldn't last long. When the anniversary of Jacob's death arrived, the Bontemps did what they did every year: the parents visited the cemetery, Isaac went to the bar and got drunk, and Kilian stayed home in his room. But unlike previous years, this time, Kilian ran into a drunk Isaac when his brother returned home after being kicked out of the bar. Isaac, believing Kilian was Jacob, begged for his forgiveness and apologized for killing him. Kilian was outraged at hearing Isaac plead for Jacob's forgiveness after all the suffering he had gone through and yelled at his brother before storming off, packing his things and leaving New Orleans.

After leaving New Orleans, Kilian travelled around the USA, putting on magic shows to try and make enough money to survive. Sadly, it wasn't very profitable, and he needed to resort to another way of making money: selling his body for other people's pleasure. He did this for years and hated every intimate moment, but he couldn't go home or find any better work. Eventually, one of these encounters resulted in a baby, his son Jacques, who was abandoned by his mother to cover up her affair from her husband.

The new father continued his prostitution to provide for his son, but after an incident in town, Kilian was forced to flee with Jacques or else they would be killed. They escaped by hiding in a train car belonging to Cirque de Nuit and, thankfully, weren't discovered until the following day when they were long gone from the town. Kilian feared the circus workers would hurt him and Jacques, but to his shock, they offered him a home instead. He became the magician's assistant and found a new family- and a lover who only saw Kilian when he looked into his black eyes.

For the first time in his life, Kilian felt like he had a place where he belonged. He loved performing wherever the travelling circus went and watching his son grow up happier than he ever would have dreamed. Jacques had a childhood of love and happiness, and while Kilian wishes he could have had the same kind of childhood, he's glad his son got one. Several years after joining the circus, Kilian decided that he wanted Jacques to have a chance to get a formal education, so he, his partner and his partner's daughter (Kilian's unofficial stepdaughter) left Cirque de Nuit.

The family settled in a small town where Kilian and his partner got jobs at a local stable as an equestrian performer and stablehand, respectively. It wasn't as exciting as the circus, but Jacques and Rochelle enjoyed their schools and new friends, so the fathers couldn't complain. Kilian also became friends with a woman who worked on the farm, an ex-prostitute who wanted a safer life for herself. But that dream of hers was shattered after she was attacked and impregnated against her will, though her attacker didn't know he'd left her pregnant.

To protect his friend, Kilian pretended he was the father of her baby. While the biological father was suspicious, everyone else easily believed two ex-prostitutes had slept together… Kilian was hurt that the town thought so low of them, but his friend was safe, and that was all that mattered. And when the baby was born, he instantly fell in love with her despite not sharing any blood. But sadly, the mother died due to blood loss from the birth.

Kilian imminently claimed the baby as his own, signing his name on her birth certificate and naming her Sélène after his cousin. With a new addition to their family, they left town to prevent Sélène's biological father from discovering the truth and ended up in Concordia. They fell in love with the new city and found a home to call their own. Concordia was like nowhere else they had been before, and Kilian was excited for the next chapter of his life.

Events of Criminal Case

Season 4

Kilian debuted in Heartbroken after a poster for his show was found on one of the crime scenes. Argo and Maddie, not knowing his connection to Isaac, interrogated him about the murder. Kilian claimed not to know the victim, and after introducing himself to the detectives, he was shocked to discover that they worked with his brother. But he hid most of his surprise at the reveal and avoided further suspicion.

However, Kilian was questioned a second time after it was discovered that he had been a patient of the victim. Kilian confirmed that the victim had treated him, but he respected the man and had no reason to kill him, especially not after the exceptional care he received. Kilian's innocence was proven true after the killer was arrested.

Later, he reunited with Isaac, but the reunion was so tense that Argo could have cut it with a knife. In an attempt to get into his brother's good graces, Isaac (with Argo's help) retrieved a music box Kilian had asked them to find for him. After discovering an unknown name on the box, Evie analyzed it and found that Kilian had a son named Jacques. Isaac was stunned to hear he had a nephew but was less surprised when Kilian refused to let them meet. Despite getting the cold shoulder, Isaac vowed to prove himself to his brother and show Kilian that he loved him and wanted to be a family again.

The night before the World Exhibition award ceremony, Celine dragged Isaac to the equestrian arena to see Kilian. However, it wasn't the happy family reunion she had imagined. Instead, Kilian revealed all the pain and neglect he endured growing up as the ghost of his dead brother. Many secrets were exposed, and even more tears were shed. But even though it was filled with heartbreak, it did help Kilian and Isaac take the first step towards becoming brothers again.

Sadly, the next time Isaac and Kilian would be together was when they were packing up Celine's workshop following her death. Kilian brought Sélène with him and had to silently admit it was nice to see one of his kids interacting with his brother. Of course, it was still Jacques's decision on if he wanted to meet Isaac, but this was a step in the right direction. The brothers also got to deliver Celine's final message to Greta Gundwood, the woman their cousin loved most. It was hard to watch Greta take Celine's cremated remains back to France, but Kilian and Isaac know their cousin is in good hands.

Story Information

First appeared: Heartbroken

Trivia

He started wearing masks to hide his eyes, as every time he or someone else looked at them, they only saw Jacob's. Kilian has gotten so used to wearing masks that he can get panic attacks without them

He owns many masks in several colours, styles, and designs. He prefers to wear black and/or silver ones, but he's not opposed to wearing other colours depending on the occasion

While he served as a magician/magician assistant at Cirque de Nuit, Kilian occasionally performed as an acrobat. He loved flying through the air and performing on the trapeze

Kilian got his horse, a beautiful black Friesian mare named Éclipsa, while he still worked for Cirque de Nuit

Unlike traditional equestrians, Kilian is a lot more "showy." He's not afraid to take risks with his tricks and use his good looks to his advantage. People call him a show-off, but Kilian just replies that he knows how to entertain a crowd

Kilian's parents neglected him after Jacob's death. They couldn't handle looking at him and seeing their dead son's face, which led to them ignoring/avoiding him to the point of neglect

Gallery

Here is the drawing I made for the mask Kilian wears during shows:

Kilian without a mask:

A drawing of Onyx by @sereno-world-sky

Link to original pin

Disclaimer: Character design was created using Rinmarugames ! I have only made minor edits to the design! Background courtesy of CriminalArtist5

Links to my stories:

The Case of the Criminal (Ao3/Wattpad) Killer Bay (Ao3/Wattpad) Where in the World are the Killers? (Ao3/Wattpad) Murders of The Past (Ao3/Wattpad)

(Thank you to @chessmaton for listening to me ramble about Kilian's design and backstory! You were a big help in fleshing out this OC!🥰)

[bots-and-cons]

How's it kicking Ony? I wanted to request something with a human that was previously attacked by cons but they fought back and ended up getting exposed to the cons energon and therefore their DNA. Nothing happens for a little while but slowly the human starts doing things that normally only a bot would do? Developing small habits and the sort. Like when someone is coming out from that big elevator they can tell from the EM field who it is without seeing them. Amusing example is all is calm until their head shoots up like a dog and says "Wheeljack is back!" Then Miko and Bulkhead go running without questioning it. Before he even leaves the elevator. Essentially what I want is some of the bots reactions to figuring out one way or another that the exposure has left the human with some Cybertronian DNA? Since it came from a con and wasn't newly processed energon. I know it wouldn't be a completely smooth so the new abilities may be uncomfortable sometimes. I imagine a human would be more sensitive to the fields since they weren’t born with the ability. I hope this isn't to specific; I've just seen writers not be able to write somethings cause it was too vague. For this I'd like to see Ratchet & Bulkhead if that's alright! Feel free to have some artistic liberties here🤙. I don't want the scenario to seem to unrealistic ya know what I mean?

I was kind of dreading writing this, because I honestly had zero ideas for this for the longest time. I just rambled a bit about whatever came to mind surrounding this topic, but I hope it's okay. Also as a side note, I have a much harder time rejecting someone’s request when they aren’t on anon. Which is a good thing (?) and I love seeing the same names over and over again, when the same people ask me stuff, because it makes me happy when I see people have been here for a while. Of course I see a lot of you in the my notifications, and some names or profile pics have stuck in my mind, but I appreciate you all so much 💜

~Bulkhead~

•Your new abilities have much more to do with your senses, rather than you body noticeably changing or anything

•Bulkhead was very worried when you first got exposed to energon, but there didn’t seem to be many bad effects after Ratchet’s treatment

•You of course started noticing the changes in yourself first, but you thought it was just the after effects from the energon and that they would disappear on their own

•You started being able to sense the bots in some weird way and in time you learned to differentiate the vibes you got and be able to tell them apart

•You didn’t even really notice it at first, you just started mentioning “Hey they came back” before anyone else even heard anything and you were right every time

•You’d always be waiting for Bulkhead outside your place when he came to pick you up, because you sensed him coming

•Bulk didn’t even really notice it at first, he just thought you had good timing, but when it kept happening, he started wondering why

•You also became stronger than you were before, not inhumanly so, but pretty damn close

•Bulkhead wasn’t particularly worried about the changes, since you didn’t seem too bothered by them yourself

•Sure you sometimes got a headache when you spent time with the whole team for a long time, because the energy fields/vibes got a bit too overwhelming

~Ratchet~

•Ratchet was of course very worried when you were brought back to the base for treatment after you got hit by the energon

•He did checkups for weeks after you were already feeling better, because he had a feeling you weren’t as unaffected as you seemed

•And he was right of course

•When you started getting these odd headaches after hanging out with too many of the team members at the same time, Ratchet was baffled

•He couldn’t come up with a reason for that, until you started talking about sensing these weird things before one of the team members appeared

•It never happened with the trouble trio, only with the bots, so Ratchet put it together pretty quickly after that

•There wasn’t any energon traces in you, because it had fused with your dna, so he couldn’t detect it with just a scan, he needed to look at blood samples, which June helped him with

•Smokescreen started wondering if your ability to sense the bots would also work with the cons, and he suggested you try it out

•Ratchet was of course vehemently against this, because he was not going to expose you to any more danger

•It did become a bit of an early alarming system for the team, because if you sensed an energy you didn’t recognize nearby, you knew it was a decepticon and could alert them

[bts-trans]

230820 Weverse Translations

RM's Comment 💬 on ARMY's Post ❇️

💜: 안녕💜남주나💜 あんにょん(´︶`)ﾉ💜 お昼にジンくんが来てくれて armyに シャボン玉で魔法をかけていかれたようです𓈒𓂂𓂃◌𓈒𓐍 かくいう私も、魔法にかかってしまいました🧙‍♂️✨ 📷 rkive Instagram エフェクト加工 with jin 씨😎✨ ジンくんのシャボン玉が、ハートになって💜✨ 釜山liveのナムさんに逢いたくなって、BANGTAN TVのstage cam観てきたよ💖✨ 初っ端からボルテージ全開💖✨ 『そんなに始めからアゲアゲで、大丈夫？』って、心配になったのを思い出した😂✨ ビハインドでは『飛ばしすぎないで、いつも通りで』って、声かけてた うりリーダー🍀✨ 全てに全力投球なんだよね🍀✨ (armyの心配をよそに😂) そのヤンチャさがまた、魅力なんだけど。 1日だけの���1回のコンサートの為に、あんなに楽しんで、頑張ってくれるバンタン💜✨ どこまでもついていくよ🍀✨ to etanity🍀✨ 💖✨ ありがとうナムさん💖✨ 爆イケナムさんも、可愛いナムさんも、ぜーんぶぜんぶ💜✨ I Purple you💜✨ 🐋💜🌿 #to_rm 楽しい午後に☕️🍀✨ RM: 💕 https://weverse.io/bts/fanpost/3-129397477?anchor=4-233695756

💜: Hi💜Namjoon💜 Annyeong (´︶`)ﾉ💜 Jin came in the day It seems he cast magic on army with bubbles 𓈒𓂂𓂃◌𓈒𓐍 As for myself, I've also been enchanted 🧙‍♂️✨ 📷 rkive Instagram effect filter with jin 😎✨ Jin's bubbles become hearts 💜✨ I wanted to see again Namu in the Busan live so I watched the stage cam on BANGTAN TV 💖✨ Giving it all from the very start 💖✨ I remember worrying thinking "is it okay to be that excited from the beginning?" 😂✨ Our leader saying in the behind footage ""don't get too hyped, do as usual"" 🍀✨ Giving everything always 🍀✨ (despite army's worries😂) That mischievous side is also attractive. That Bangtan who gives it their all and enjoys themselves so much for just one concert and one day 💜✨ I'll follow you anywhere 🍀✨ to etanity🍀✨ 💖✨ Thank you Namu 💖✨ Super handsome Namu, super cute Namu, aaaall of it 💜✨ I Purple you💜✨ 🐋💜🌿 #to_rm

Have a good afternoon ☕️🍀✨

RM: 💕

Trans cr; Aditi & Elfe @ bts-trans © TAKE OUT WITH FULL CREDITS

RM's Comments 💬 on ARMY's Posts ❇️

💜: 하지만 방탄소년단이 정말 그리워😭💜 #to_bts RM: 나도 그리워… https://weverse.io/bts/fanpost/3-129397526?anchor=4-233696707

💜: But I really miss Bangtan 😭💜 #to_bts

RM: I also miss them…

Trans cr; Eisha

💜: 쮼하~ RM: 아ㅡ하 https://weverse.io/bts/fanpost/2-124367379?anchor=3-233694617

💜: Jjoon-hi

RM: A-hi* (T/N: Stands for 'ARMY-hi'.)

Trans cr; Aditi

💜: 남준이 뭐해요 RM: 대낮에 독서.. https://weverse.io/bts/fanpost/3-129397605?anchor=3-233695623

💜: Namjoonie, what are you doing?

RM: Doing some reading in broad daylight…

Trans cr; Eisha

💜: 남준오빠 점심머묵음?? RM: 스킵할 예정 https://weverse.io/bts/fanpost/0-124356479?anchor=3-233696042

💜: Namjoon, what will you have for lunch?

RM: I was planning to skip lunch

Trans cr; Eisha

💜: 남준쓰 오늘도 운동했어??? RM: 곧 하러갑니다… 으으 https://weverse.io/bts/fanpost/3-129398026?anchor=0-250692470

💜: Namjoon-ss, did you workout today too?

RM: I'm going to go workout soon… ughhh

Trans cr; Eisha

💜: 우리 두더지 왔나!!!!!! 복복복복 🫳🏻🫳🏻🫳🏻 RM: ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ RM: 복잡한 마음 https://weverse.io/bts/fanpost/3-129398350

💜: Our mole* has arrived!!!!!! Pat pat pat 🫳🏻 🫳🏻 🫳🏻

RM: Hahahahahahaha RM: I have mixed feelings about it

(T/N: *Referring to RM's Instagram profile picture of a mole.)

Trans cr; Eisha

💜: 오빠 나 살이 자꾸 찌는데 어떡하지 큰일났어 RM: 괜찮아 왔다갔다 하는겨 날봐 https://weverse.io/bts/fanpost/3-129399040?anchor=3-233698290

💜: Namjoon I keep gaining weight, what should I do? It's really troubling

RM: It's alright. if you look at my weight, it keeps going up and down too

Trans cr; Aditi

💜: 남준쓰 최근에 영화 본거있나? RM: 팬텀스레드 https://weverse.io/bts/fanpost/3-129399581?anchor=2-250685201

💜: Namjoon-ss, have you been watching any movie recently?

RM: Phantom Thread

Trans cr; Eisha

💜: 남준 요즘 기분이 어때? RM: 다사다난해 RM: 그치만 내 특장점은 낙천성이야 난 사랑이 많아 https://weverse.io/bts/fanpost/3-129399997/comment/2-250685611

💜: Namjoon, how are you feeling nowadays?

RM: A lot of things have happened RM: But my specialty is staying positive, I have a lot of love

Trans cr; Eisha

💜: 오빠 나는 별 말 안 할게… 사랑해 ♥ RM: 나도 사랑해 많이많이 https://weverse.io/bts/fanpost/4-129404310/comment/1-250691644

💜: Namjoon I don't have a lot to say… I love you

RM: I love you too, so very much

Trans cr; Eisha

💜: 준이 최근엔 최애 노래가 이써?? RM: John Caroll Kirby https://weverse.io/bts/fanpost/4-129404896/comment/3-233701855

💜: Joonie, do you have a song that's your favourite these days?

RM: John Caroll Kirby

Trans cr; Eisha

💜: kim Namjoon i Miss you🤸 RM: 모두들 너무 보고싶다 ㅜㅜ https://weverse.io/bts/fanpost/2-124369887?anchor=4-233705203

💜: kim Namjoon i Miss you🤸

RM: I miss all of you a lot ㅜㅜ

Trans cr; Eisha

💜: 준아 아점저다 먹은 파 vs 먹고 싶을때 먹은 파 RM: 1일 1식이 최선... https://weverse.io/bts/fanpost/3-129406153/comment/4-233708705

💜: Joon-ah, which team are you on: having a proper breakfast, lunch and dinner vs just eating whenever you want to

RM: Having one meal a day is the best…

Trans cr; Aditi

💜: 남준오라버니께서 저의 포스트에 답글을 남겨주신다면 기꺼이 이 한몸 국방부에 바치도록 하것습니다 ㅠㅠ RM: 그건 안됩니다 https://weverse.io/bts/fanpost/4-129409455/comment/2-250689073

💜: If Mr. Namjoon were to grace my post with his comment, I would gladly give my life in service of the Ministry of Defense ㅠㅠ

RM: You shouldn't do that

Trans cr; Aditi

💜: 홍대가려면 어디로 가야되나요?? RM: 알엠의 들꽃놀이요 https://weverse.io/bts/fanpost/4-129409452/comment/4-233709917

💜: Excuse me, how do you get to Hongdae??

RM: 'Wildflower' by RM.

(T/N: Following a common meme in Korea meant to be a parody of the popular 'What are you listening to?' videos.)

Trans cr; Aditi

💜: 이기자의 반댓말은? RM: 사기자 https://weverse.io/bts/fanpost/4-129414142/comment/1-250696349

💜: What's the opposite of i-gi-ja?*

RM: Sa-gi-ja*

(T/N: *A joke meant to get the response 'ja-gi', which is a term of affection like 'babe'. However, RM responded with a word that sounds similar, but means 'let's go out' or 'let's date'.)

Trans cr; Aditi

💜: 시험 때문에 스트레스 받았는데 와줘서 고마워 오빠…💜🫂😭 RM: 괜찮아 나도 그랬어 RM: 서른에도 매일매일이 시험이여 https://weverse.io/bts/fanpost/4-129414134/comment/3-233711644

💜: I was stressed because of a test, so thank you for coming, oppa…💜🫂😭

RM: It's okay, I was stressed too RM: Even in your thirties, everyday is a test.

Trans cr; Aditi

💜: 남준 씨는 오늘 어떤 활동을 할 예정인가요? RM: 일해야죠! https://weverse.io/bts/fanpost/3-129415088/comment/2-250692332

💜: Namjoon, what kind of activities do you plan to do today?

RM: Gotta work!

Trans cr; Aditi

💜: 자기 vs 안자기 RM: 보자기 https://weverse.io/bts/fanpost/4-129418979/comment/3-233714860

💜: Sleeping vs Not sleeping

RM: Wrapping cloth*

(T/N: *A play on words as this word, '보자기/bo-ja-gi', is similar to the word for sleeping, '자기/ja-gi'.)

Trans cr; Aditi

💜: 남준이는 어떤 스타일의 춤을 연습하고 있나요?? RM: 저그냥 다 하고있어요 되는대로.. https://weverse.io/bts/fanpost/4-129418977/comment/0-250701843

💜: What kind of dance style are you rehearsing??

RM: I'm just doing a bit of everything, just seeing how it goes..

Trans cr; Aditi

💜: 남준이 형 사진 한 장 찍어서 보여줄래? RM: 이따 상태좋으면 찌글게!! https://weverse.io/bts/fanpost/0-124366654/comment/4-233719040

💜: Namjoonie hyung, could you take a picture and show it to us?

RM: I'll take one later if I'm in good condition!!

Trans cr; Aditi

RM's Post ❇️

태형이 바톤 이어받기 https://weverse.io/bts/artist/0-124396332

Taking the baton from Taehyungie

Trans cr; Aditi

RM's Post ❇️

Video Translation: 👤: One more, nice!

Trans cr; Aditi

[tohwitchesduels]

REQUEST BATTLES OF WITCHES DUELS - Battle 46: Gus Porter vs Hunter

Disclaimer: This is not a popularity contest or which character you prefer, in this tournament, you decide who is stronger/better/smarter/etc. opponent.

information for both opponents under the cut to those who don't know what they can do in their battle:

Since both have quite huge profiles, I won't be getting into specifics, just motivations and I will link to their profiles in their names.

Gus Porter:

Gus Porter is a prodigy when it comes to illusion magic. Prodigious enough to skip a few grades and even defeat the coven head of illusions with his sheer raw power. Gus displays insane potential and a big imagination when it comes to his magic. Now his powers are still limited by his own imagination and creativity meaning his illusions for the most part can be used mostly for deception and distraction, but during this tournament, Gus finally revised his own skill to find even offensive capabilities of his powers. While Gus did display the willingness to study other tracks, he ultimately never did due to his reassurance in being a master illusionist how easy it comes to him, and how much he can do with illusions alone.

One must know how intelligent Gus is during his battles. He can easily fool and toy with his opponents thanks to his illusions and Gus is also not afraid to either mock or straight-up torture his enemies during his battle just to get the results he needs, and has more than enough raw power to pull his schemes to their fullest. It's worth noting that when Gus feels extreme emotions, his magic only gets amplified, however, the side effects could be that Gus actually loses control over his own powers and gets to be the victim of them too, though thankfully to the magical amplifier from Graye, the risk of that is lesser.

Gus does possess a Palisman and is known to be an utter speed demon. Gus doesn't fly in a traditional sense like most other competitors due, to preferring to surf in the air, but this only further allows him to still cast spells while midair, which mixed with his capacity to trick his opponents more dangerous. It's hard to tell however how good he is in combat with his staff, but it appears he knows how to battle with it if he still used it as a means to fight in LR when briefly facing Hunter.

One of the artifacts I allow Gus to have independently regarding whether or not his opponent also has any supportive gear is the looking glass earring he got after he defeated Adrian. The magical amplifier allows Gus to further concentrate his raw power into specific abilities he has a hard time pulling on his own and even enhancing them in the process, growing more powerful.

Gus and Hunter are the best bros and there's no bad blood between them while going into this battle nor will there be any after they finish. Gus wants to have a chance to battle the finalists; it's nothing personal. Gus realises he may be outmatched as he knows how dangerous Hunter can be but he's willing to face him as he knows Hunter isn't invincible or flawless either. Granted Gus won't do his worst towards Hunter (so no Belos trauma as it would be hit below the belt... but Gus may aim with his staff below Hunter's belt).

More Gus pictures showing his powers:

Hunter The Golden Guard:

Hunter "Insert your preferred surname/s for him", also known as a former and the youngest Golden Guard in history, head of the Emperor's Coven, Emperor Belos's right-hand man. One must know that unlike other contestants (aside from Luz) he's not constricted to specific covens and tracks since as a former leader of the coven that allows all kinds of magic, Hunter will have expertise in all types of coven magic as well, and he's also very dedicated to studying wild magic.

Hunter has no bad blood towards Gus, he's his best bro. Hunter does feel bad a bit to have to battle Gus, but he's willing to do so and win this match since he knows Gus will be a little shit if Hunter lets him win (siblings am I right?). It's worth noting that Hunter already had to face Gus at his strongest even when they weren't battled and while it wasn't easy, Hunter managed to push through Gus's powers to save him, so Hunter sees no reason why he can't do the same to take down Gus as well. After all his position in the tournament is also at stake because of this.

Hunter himself was also known as a genius teen prodigy and is undeniably a child soldier who was raised by both hell and the library to get to the very top. While he was born magicless, it did not stop him from earning his title as the right-hand man of the most powerful witch of the Boiling Isles. Hunter spends days and nights both training and learning everything about magic both as a duty and as fun. He's incredibly knowledgeable regarding all kinds of magic, meaning it's hard to actually surprise him with anything. And since he's a child soldier raised in a magical military with no magic by himself, Hunter had to survive hell even worse than some of the adults that also were part of this coven went through, and he survived it all. Hunter has already been to countless witches' duels beforehand, he made it several times through a maze full of traps, and judging by how he calls getting from the top to the bottom of the mountain alive "a classic", this might as well suggest that this Hunter's version of "summer camp", as he did that numerous times and he considers it "fond memories". Hunter without a doubt has the most experience among all participants when it comes to battling, because you know Belos never gave him a break or easy time and for Hunter to be where he is today is all thanks to his own strength, intelligence, and resilience.

Hunter certainly has one of the strongest wills among all characters in TOH, as despite going through a ridiculous amount of pain, he is capable of brushing it off and pushing forward, with his only weakness being Belos. Hunter's willpower was even able to withstand Gus's trauma bubble which specifically puts you through your worst memories and even renders you useless, but Hunter resisted its effect and calmed Gus down instead, despite his pain being very fresh and severe and Hunter in fact not being ok with it, but Hunter keeps on going anyway. One must know it's very hard to break him, trust Belos, he tried but didn't succeed. Hunter even managed to resist Belos's possession for some time, which is a lot considering Belos was his abuser and had power over him metaphorically and physically in that moment.

Hunter displayed throughout the series to have some great athletic skills and agility, being able to keep up pace with running Luz without breaking a sweat while proving he has experience in parkour and acrobatics as seen in him flying on staff. Certainly, he can use his skills to evade incoming attacks with his reflexes while keeping up with his opponents and close distance between him and his enemies. He also has plenty of brute strength at his disposal as well, considering he managed to shatter falling debris by just swinging his staff in one hand.

Hand-To-Hand Combat - Hunter has proven to be efficient in hand-to-hand combat throughout the series. While Hunter overall plays more on defense as a protector rather than offense, he is not afraid to throw a punch. This post goes more in-depth about Hunter's proficiency in staff-wielding, but I will explain some of it here too. Hunter as a trained soldier and experienced martial artist has his body be his weapon. He knows how the body works and has great control over it. He defeated both Luz and Eda in his debut with a quick kick while evading their attack, straight-up toyed with Kikimora, and had to be put to sleep to be restrained by coven scouts as he was still fighting and kicking. This also gives him a huge advantage against other competitors who are used to fighting across distance, whereas Hunter fights at a close range.

Back in EC Hunter learned how to be smart, resourceful, and strong, and as I've mentioned before multiple times, he's a child soldier. His opponents usually underestimate him, but he's not the one to be crossed. His victories compromise of defeating Eda and Luz on 2v1 in his debut; immediately defeating Luz in HP once he's recovered; defeating Kikimora in HP; and Tying with Amity in EL after being physically and mentally exhausted, in 2v1 with King (who was rather defeated by Hunter in this duel), while wielding a completely new staff and restraining himself to not kill her but just getting the key; winning flyer derby game on his first try; catching Darius off-guard (which is a feat with Darius's great reflexes); making a strong glyph combo on his very first try; resisting Gus's trauma bubble; kicking ass during Hexside against EC battle; he was defeated twice by coven scouts, which while fair, was also due to his poor condition and the second time he had to be put to sleep to be restrained; handling abomatons and scouts with rest of the Hexsquad during S2 finale; standing his ground and protecting Hexsquad from Belos while being severely weakened in KT; breaking through Willow's vines in FtF with his freshly awakened powers.

Hunter now is sub-merged with Flapjack meaning he does not require staff anymore to cast spells as magic now comes from within. What's more, I allow Hunter to also levitate/fly without the help of any staff. This is more of a fanon ability, but it's supposed to connect him to having the powers of a palisman (but no, he can't turn into a staff, nor is wooden) and abilities of a palisman are usually just enhanced abilities of the holder, meaning flight is in capacity of any witch, but all of them utilise staff since flight on its own is probably hard spell to pull off, but Hunter should do just fine for the sake of this tournament.

And now finally, let's talk about his staff. For the purposes of this tournament, I will give Hunter Waffles. You know Hunter is the best staff wielder in the entire tournament only rivaled by Luz. I already mentioned how Hunter is absolutely proficient with his staff, utilizing it for both offensive and very effective strikes and flawless defense. Hunter is also a real aerial ace capable of flying at high speeds with agility to dodge attacks and is capable of even surfing on his staff as demonstrated when he showed off in ASIAS. His flying skills were also decisive in both forming EE and winning their very first game together.

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[qcomicsy]

Things about Peter Parker that warms my heart:

- He wakes up at Mary Jane's side everyday.

- He probably took many naps with Torch when they lived together.

- He definitely had/has a portifolio fill with photos of Spider-Man and random moments in new york, specially with the citizens;

- He canonically keeps photos of Gwen, the coffee bean gang and MJ with him;

- He's low profile and has to constantly update his knowledge about cyber security;

- He really enjoys the moments he gets to just sit and talk with the random team-up of the month;

- He used to wake up to the smell of aunt May's coffee;

- He's constantly under the effect of caffeine;

- He has a tired baby face. Meaning he always had a babyface, but the older he gets the more tired he looks and he hates it because the babyface it's still there. It's the John Mulaney effect of "Oh that tall child look terrible!";

- He looks like your random STEM nerdy guy, it gets him bitches and he has no idea of that;

- His best friend (torch) is pan so theres a huge probability that he attended pride as Peter Parker once or twice;

- He and others superheros always keep an eye at pride and others protests to make sure everyone it's safe;

- He doesn't trust cops, but tries to believe it must be good people out there (sweet poor summer child);

- His nature and nurture is kind and he fucking hates it. He's always like "Can't I let it go just this time? And no. He can't;

- Everyone loves him, he's just that guy. A lot people hate his guts because he's also that guy.

- Big brown doe eyes *sight*;

- Has no idea about how pretty he is, has a certa idea about how hot he is;

- "Yes my wife is hotter than me, yes I'm aware about how much cooler she is too but *I* got the funny bone in this relationship";

- Is unsufferable;

- cries at queer weddings;

- cries a lot how much a middle age man can cry, fuck he was supposed to stop that at highschool goddamit-

- Hate's men with passion will get annoying about how much he hates men;

- Easily makes friendship with woman, is the "I'll awkwardly wait them in front of the woman's bathroom" type of guy vibes;

- Bad dad jokes since he was fourteen;

- Was hated in highschool, slighted less hated in college, very well liked by his work colleges;

- "I don't have anxiety I don't have money to afford have anxiety I am currently undiagnosing myself as we speak";

- Hating men will not stopping him from flirting with them what? what are you homophobic or something???

- "Wdym my hair is a mess I just- *checks mirror* oh FOR FUCK SAKE-"

- He is that guy:

- That's him and Johnny and he is SO MAD about it;

- And he and johnny are that tiktok meme where those two friends are always on eachother instagram because they always take photos together.

- That's him and Deadpool when they finally got better at being friends with eachother:

Deadpool does takes pictures of him but they always end up being like that (hehateshimsomuch):

- That's how he knows deadpool is in new york because he sends him aligned with "this u" meme

- He also does that when they're text arguing "wade i WILL fuckig kill you";

- misspell when angry, misspell when sad, misspell regardless.