#and i just think it would be neat seeing my future partner do her makeup.

[rosecoloredknight]

is it weird that i'd like to watch how my future partner does her makeup?

[sirenreading]

Reincarnation🥀

Paring: Vampire!Ezra x F!reader

Summary: Ezra spent years looking for his lost love whom the Gods promised would return to him.

Rating: Explicit (18+)

Word count: 2.3k

Warning: mentions of : blood and death, PIV, unprotected sex, biting, age gap (obviously) , no use of y/n.

A/N: finally able to post this after writing it for a week, was on such a bad writers burn out ugh anyways enjoy! sorry for any mistakes if i missed them while editing! (creds to @/cinewhore for the idea of vampire!ezra) (creds to gif owner)

You walked down the dark hallways of an unknown castle. Your black floor length dress dragging behind you as you finally see light coming from inside of a room, Quickly making your way in, Your met with a tall man, he's handsome with brown eyes; That stare right into your soul. And a smile showing you his white fangs. You begin to slowly back away as he slowly approaches you. “Don't be scared my love, I have finally found you. This will only hurt for a second.” As he grabs you by the arm, sinking his teeth into your neck.

You awake, Your whole body hot, Sweat coming down your forehead, You try to slow your breathing, throwing the blanket off of you to run to look into the mirror.

No bite marks.

“Sir Ezra, all the invitations have been sent.” A small voice said, Ezra stood looking out the window of his castle; that sat at the tallest hill a little outside of the village. “Perfect.” He said ”Thank you.” slightly turning his head, waving the maid away. She quickly made her way out before Ezra could change his mind and have her as an evening snack.

‘You are hereby invited to Sir Ezra’s Masquerade Ball’

You read the small note, Sent to you and every other woman in the town. Sir Ezra threw this party every 20 or so years, Some say out of pure fun, Some think he's searching for something, or someone.

You set the letter down and go hop in the bath to prepare to do your chores. Once you showered and done your hair, You put on a simple dress from your closet and made sure to pack your knife, That your late father gave you for safety.

On your way to the watering hole you saw women and girls of all ages making their way into dress and fabric stores, All getting ready for the ball. You didn't understand why everyone was so excited to meet this man.’ He stayed up in his castle looking down at all of us like ants.’ you thought

You looked up through the trees and could see the dark castle shrouded by fog, Shaking your head as you continued on.

Ezra sat up in his bed, After dismissing another maid, He barely gave her time to recover before sending her back to her duties. She pulled back on her clothes and whipped the leftover blood on her neck, Before making her way out. Ezra let out a brief sigh, As he stood and retrieved his robe, Wrapping it around his naked body.

He heard three knocks to the door and told them to come in. “How are we this evening Sir?” His butler asked, Obviously asking about the sexual encounter. “She was like the rest of them, Beautiful but, Not her.” Ezra looked out at the midnight sky, looking up to see the stars and the full moon.

“Sir, Your reincarnated love will find her way to you soon, just as the Gods promised; I’m sure of it.” Ezra wasn't sure at this point living as long as he had, Having all the women he had, Throwing ball and the one with the face of his love nowhere to be found. “Sir, The ball is tomorrow, You never know. She may finally turn up.

Ezra turned to him, “I hope you're right.”

That night you awake from your dream once again, You’d had this dream countless times, Never understanding why or what was happening. You would walk into a room, see the vampire and he would bite you, walking you up. You wanted to understand who this man was, And what he wanted with you.

Ezra also awakens from a dream or i guess this is more of a nightmare, The same dream he had since his wife, Elizabeta died. He would go off to war not before giving his wife a tender kiss, Telling her he would return, Only to return to his home, With blood all over him, Finding his wife’s deceased body. Picking her up and holding her against his chest as his tears fell, Yelling to the Gods asking why.

Ezra walked into the bathroom running water over his breaded face. He would have to get one of the maids to save it for him later seeing he couldn't do it himself.

The ball a mere hours away, But all Ezra could think about is having to spend eternity without his soulmate, He’d lost her once, But his future foretold him that he would see her face, on another , again. So he was patient.

You sat as your friend finished putting your hair up in a neat but tight updo. You looked in the mirror at your makeup, the curled lashes along with the dark red lip you had on felt out of place.

“You look perfect.” Your friend said as she finished with your hair. “Thank you.” You gave a small, fake smile. She sighed as she sat next to you. “Ever since I talked you into going to this ball you've been upset, What's wrong?”

“Nothing, I'm just nervous.” You looked down at your gloved hands. “Nervous of what? That Sir Ezra will take a look at you and Fuck you?” you both giggled.

“Of course not, But i've been having these weird dreams, I dont kn-'' Before you could finish you both looked to see her mother knocked at the door, Telling you both the ball begins soon and it was time to make your way up the hill. You both quickly put on your masks and run out the door.

As you both sat in the carriage your friend arranged for you, You stared out the window, As you gained closer to the castle the fog became more intense, You couldn't barely see, the mask was no help. The carriage made a sudden stop, You both got out hand and hand making your way to the opened door of the castle, Maids in dresses greeted all the guests.

You walked into the open ballroom, The room was crowded with people from your town, and even some who didn't look familiar. Your friend whispered that she was going to find a dance partner and you waved her off trying to not show how nervous you were. Something about this castle felt familiar, you couldn't explain it.

You watched all the people in the ballroom as they began a slow song and slowly stepped away to the garden outside. You found the garden to be peaceful. Hopefully it will help calm your nerves. You walked towards a fountain with a dove on top, the only noise coming from the drips of water.

“It's a beautiful night isn't it.” I deep voice said behind you, You gasped quickly turning to see a man, very tall, you couldn't make out his face, due to the mask that covered his eyes, but he could see his deep brown eyes, and tan skin with a little bit of stubble around his chin and mouth.“I didn't mean to scare you Miss, My apologies.” He nodded, as he was about to walk away. You stopped him.

“It's fine, I j-just very nervous, I couldn't even tell you why, Thought i’d just catch some fresh air.” he nodded understanding “may i?”

He said sitting with you on the bench, The two of you staring up at the sky.

“I also needed a break from the party.” Ezra said, breaking the silence. “No nerves, just tired of waiting.” You looked over at him. Something about him felt so familiar. “Tired of waiting for wha-” Before you could finish, A butler holding a tray, called for the man sitting next to you. Sadly only calling him ‘Sir’ so you didn't catch his name, He politely dismissed himself, telling you to enjoy the party before disappearing back into the castle.

After a few more minutes alone you decided to make your way back into the party.

You felt a sudden shiver go up your spine and cold air went across the back of your neck, You turned to see a dark hallway. Just like the one in your dreams, You turned to see if any other guests were experiencing it too, Only to see everyone dancing, laughing, and getting drunk.

You slowly walk down the hall,’ This is stupid’ You think to yourself, ‘You know how this ends.’

You opened a room far from the party and came face to face with something you’d never seen in your dreams, a painting of a woman, she was wearing a dated dress with her hair down her back in a braid.

You and her were identical, You couldn't believe it. You began to breathe heavily and took steps back to leave the room, before you bumped into the hard chest of someone behind you.

“Hello, mi amor” He said into your ear, You turned to see the man who had been haunting your dreams for a year. You wanted to scream but could barely make one out.

“Mi amor, I've finally found you.” He said, grabbing your face between his cold hands. You tried pulling away but he was too strong.

“Don't be scared. I would never hurt you.” You turned your chin up forcing you to look into his eyes. You noticed the small blonde hair streak. “It’s you.” you said whispered.

“You are just as beautiful.” He was lost in your eyes, he couldn't believe he'd found you after all this time. “As all those years ago.” He leaned in kissing your plump lips, You immediately fell under his spell. His lips had a faint taste of blood, but it didn't bother you. A tear fell from Ezra’s eye, He finally found the woman he would spend eternity with, His soulmate.

Once you two finally broke the kiss, you stared at each other once more before Ezra picked you up, setting you on the bed.

“I'll be back mi amor.” He said giving you one more peck on the lips.

Ezra made his way to the ballroom, whispering to the butlers that everyone was to go home at once and all maids and butlers were dismissed for the night. They nodded and Ezra made his way back to you.

While Ezra was away you looked around the room, seeing old photos, books all looked hundreds of years old.

You heard the door crick behind you and you slowly turned, Seeing Ezra put a smile on your face, You barely knew the man, But something about him brought you comfort. Ezra noticed you were lost in thought and asked what was on your mind.

“At first when I had all those dreams, I was scared, terrified of what they meant, I thought it was showing me my future… my death. But here with you, I feel safe.”

Ezra smiled down at you “It's because you are her” Pointing to the woman in the painting, “My wife, my soulmate , my Elizabeta. I searched for hundreds of years to find you, I almost gave up, I was told by the Gods, If I continued to search I would find you.” He stood looking at the painting.

“And I did.” He turned to you making his way towards you.

Taking your lips once more, Your hands tangled in his hair as he picked you up placing you on the edge of the bed. He began to unbutton his dress shirt, leaving him in only his dress pants.

He took in his chest, Everything about him was so familiar and perfect.

“Mi amor, May I?” Asking permission to remove your dress, You nodded eagerly. He unzipped the dress, letting it drop to your hips, before pulling it completely off, leaving you in a bralette and panties. He finished undressing himself , and crawled onto the bed to unhook your bra, throwing it across the room.

“May I taste you, mi amor?” He asked already sinking to his knees, you eagerly shook your head yes, He began trailing kissing from your foot all the way to you thighs, stopping before he got to your core, and slowly sank his fangs into them, you threw back your head in pleasure, you’d been nervous it would be painful but he’s taken all your worry away.

He licked the leaking  blood before moving onto your folds, he lapped at them, drinking your juices before taking his fingers and slowly fucking them into you, spreading your lips apart and attacking your clit as he did so. Your eyes rolled to the back of your head as you ran your fingers through his soft hair. You told him you were close, he immediately crawled up to meet you face to face, “We're going to come together.”

Ezra kissed you as he slowly sank himself into you, you moaned allowing him to sneak his tongue into your mouth--His hands grabbed at the flesh on your hips roughly. “I've waited a thousand years for this mi amor.” He said as his hips barred into you, With his precise movements he lifted your thighs, “I could show you so many things.” trying to get himself deeper. “Just one bite and we can have eternity.” he said into your ear, the heat from his voice attacking your neck.

You were writhing beneath him. You were so close. “Ezra” you barely made out, your breath shaky. He starts applying sloppy thrusts as he tries to ride out his orgasm , you could hear the moans slipping from his lips into your ear, his warm breath behind your neck. Your hands gripping the white stain sheets on the bed.

“Mark me , Ezra.” You finally make out with a shaky voice, Ezra takes a quick look deep into your eyes, still deep inside of you, asking once again for permission to bite you and make you one of him. You nodded as well as you could before he sunk his teeth into your neck, making you let out a moan as your eyes rolled to the back of your head. “ Te quiero mi amor, now we have eternity.”

****

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[yikesharringrove]

how do u feel abt doing smth like a modern au where billy is like , all this punk rock and teen angst and leather nd jean jackets kinda of thing and steve is the exact opposite of him with fluffy skirts and soft polos nd just really soft and they two have seen eachother but dont actually talk to one another until they have a school project and they just. fall in love overtime? basically , femme steve + punk rock billy falling in love.

(pt. 2) also!! happy 21st birthday 💓💕💗💖💕

The university had a strict core curriculum, meaning that Steve was ten minutes late for his Philosophy of the Modern Era class.

He couldn’t find the room, was wandering around in this basement with his schedule written on the back of his hand. He was peering at room numbers and muttering to himself 067 067 067.

“You looking for that philosophy class?” Steve turned around at the voice.

The guy was stomping down the hallway in big leather boots. His jeans were ripped and shredded, and he was wearing a black t-shirt with pink font reading Dog Park Dissidents. His denim jacket was covered in pins and patches and sharpie drawings. He had Silence = Death written on one of the pockets, Being nice IS punk rock was scrawled down one arm.

“Yeah, that modern era one?” The guy smiled and nodded, reaching forward to shake Steve’s hand. His eyes were a startling blue, lined with a thin smudge on black. His hair was wild and curly, shaved on each side into this beachy looking mohawk. He had his nose and his eyebrow pierced, along with several in his ears.

“Billy Hargrove.”

“Steve Harrington.” Steve could feel the tips of his ears go red as Billy looked him up and down. He was wearing something cute for the first day of class, a chunky white cardigan over a soft pink peasant dress. He had gotten up early to do his makeup well, and was late to class anyway because this stupid building was a fucking maze.

They set off down the hall together, looking at each door they passed by.

“Oh shit. Pretty Boy, I think I got it.” Steve flushed slightly at being called pretty, still not used to being able to dress like this in public. Billy wrenched open the door, and stomped in, not a care in the world for being twenty minutes late.

The professor raised his eyebrow.

“And what were you two doing out in the hall?”

“I’m sorry, we couldn’t find the room.” Steve’s cheeks were hot as he was standing at the front of the class.

“That’s okay. you have missed class introductions, to please say your names, pronouns and majors.”

“Billy Hargrove, he/him, double majoring in literature and social work.”

“Steve Harrington, he/they. I’m also a double major in education and early childhood development.” The professor made a note on his role sheet.

“Thank you, you may sit down.” Steve went for the back of the room, flopping into the first empty seat he could find, ducking his head as he quietly got his laptop out. Billy had stomped into the seat next to him, had gotten out a notebook and proceeded to doodle in it for the rest of class.

He sat next to Billy every Monday Wednesday and Friday from 9:20-10:35 and and outside of their ten minute search for the classroom, they had yet to say anything to one another.

It certainly didn’t help that Steve was harboring a little crush on the guy. He would watch him in class, the way he would doodle little sunflowers in the margins of his notes, smiling softly at them.

“So, for the rest of the semester you will be working in pairs. I want you to go through the readings we have completely and work together with the philosophers we have discussed to create your own system for the modern era. How do you believe society exists now?” Billy turned to Steve, grinning at him.

“You wanna be my partner?” Steve gave a sheepish smile, his heart racing.

“I, um. Yes. Yeah, I’ll be your partner.” Steve dug his phone out of the tight pocket of his skirt, trading with Billy. He put his number under Steve Harrington - Modern Era Philosphy.

“You wanna get coffee after class, start working through our beliefs?”

“Um, sure. I don’t have class until, like, 3:30 today.” Billy grinned again and fucking winked at Steve. He needed to calm the fuck down.

“So basically, a lot of my beliefs are based on the punk message.” Billy was sipping at his black coffee, had laughed and said should’ve fucking known when Steve ordered a large mocha with extra chocolate syrup, and whipped cream. “I’m a very live and let live person, but I believe everyone should live and let live. If someone is trying to dictate how others should exist, they’re fucking garbage.”

“Okay, I actually really agree with that.”

“That’s because you’re punk rock.” Steve laughed, but Billy’s eyes were serious. “No seriously, there’s nothing more punk rock than being unapologetically yourself.”

“When did you get into punk philosophy?”

“When I was in high school. My dad was a real prick, and I was angry, and a lot of punk is loud and pissed off and it helped, but then I started going to shows, and talking to people, and it’s not what you’d expect. Everyone at a show is like a weird family for a night. If someone comes in and tries to fuck with someone, the family deals. I can’t tell you how many fights I saw that broke out because someone was perving on a girl, and these other guys started protecting her. And that only grew as I started getting into queercore.”

Steve was listening to Billy, eyes wide as he described stories from shows, how he had jumped in on fights to defend the family, how he would walk girls home or to their cars parked a ways down the street, how he knew everyone would do the same for him.

“God, I wish I had a community like that. I didn’t really have anyone growing up. You know, token queer in a small town kinda vibe.” Billy smiled at him sympathetically.

“That why you came out to San Fransisco?”

“Oh yeah. Wanted to come somewhere where, this, didn’t matter.” He gestured to himself. “I just don’t get why it bothers people. I just do it because it makes me happy. I don’t know why it concerns anyone else.” Billy was nodding vigorously.

“Exactly. That’s the whole truth about being queer. People hate you for something that has nothing to do with them. It’s completely wack. Like if I’m with someone in whatever capacity, we’re both consenting adults. It literally doesn’t matter.”

“Do you think we could expand upon this enough for our project? Talk about how we feel the world should just stop caring about what other people do if it has nothing to do with them.” Billy grinned.

“I think we could make something happen.”

They began getting coffee after each class, taking through their project, finding resources to back up the ideas they had discussed. The more time they spent together, the more Steve liked Billy, liked how sweet he was, how positive. They talked about having terrible parents, how Billy’s dad had kicked him out at sixteen for being gay, how he had lived with friends, saving up to get himself through college. They talked about how Steve’s dad had found his stash of makeup and threw it all away, making sure it was ruined and broken. How disappointed his father was that he was studying to become a teacher.

There was one Friday they had met up and stayed all day in the coffee shop stayed until the 5 pm closing.

“You wanna come over? I have a single room. We can keep working.” Billy grinned at Steve like he always did, showing off all his white teeth. So they walked side by side to Steve’s room.

Steve kept his room neat, a habit left over from overbearing parents who would shame him into cleaning his room.

Steve’s room was exactly how Billy imagined.

He had soft white lights, a full length mirror on one wall. His bed was covered in pillows, duvets, and even a few stuffed animals. The wall above the bed was covered in pictures of Steve back home, several with a group of younger kids, and a lot with a blonde girl.

“This your girlfriend?” Steve snorted.

“No, that’s Robin. She and I are just really close friends.”

“What’s with the kids?” Steve blushed.

“I babysat all through high school, and those kids kinda adopted me as their pseudo parent. It was a lot of driving them all over town.”

“That’s cute. That why you wanna teach?”

“Yeah, I’m good with kids.” Steve had plopped himself on the made bed. He watched as Billy took off his heavy boots, placing them neatly by the door before stepping onto Steve’s plush grey rug. His socks were thick wool and had little cartoon dogs on them. Steve was in love.

Billy sat with Steve on the bed. He was taking a closer look at the photos.

“I could see that for you. You’re a caring type.” Steve looked down as his feet, could feel his face getting hot.

“Why did you pick social work?”

“When I was a kid, CPS would be called to our place like, once every few months. My dad was a real good schmoozer, so I would always just be left with him. I wanna be able to help kids get out of bad situations.”

“God, and you call me a caring type. You’re gonna save the world.” Billy laughed.

“The children are the future. I’ll save ‘em, you teach ‘em.” When Steve looked up, Billy was leaning closer into Steve’s space. He had a soft smile on his face. His eyes were bright and beautiful and so fucking blue. “Can I kiss you?”

“Can you, what?”

“Can I kiss you?”

“Why?” Billy still hadn’t leaned back.

“‘Cause I have a big dumb crush on you, and I think you have one on me.” Steve’s face was pink.

“I, uh, yeah. Go, go for it.” Billy laughed, taking Steve’s face in both hands. He leaned in, just gently pressing their lips together.

“So, was I right?”

“Yes. Very much so.” Billy laughed again, loud and sweet, pressing another kiss to Steve’s lips.

“You wanna go on a date? A real one? Not just us getting coffee and pretending we both weren’t totally into each other.” Steve snorted again.

“Yeah, I would really like that.”

[thethousandyearwitch]

The Show Must Go On! Chap. 7

- A Youtuber AU you didn’t want and didn’t need -

Hisoka Morrow, italian Makeup Youtuber, enjoys his life in the comfort and occasional drama of his profession. But nothing brings more drama into his life than the eldest son of the Zoldyck fashion magazine empire.

Meanwhile, aspiring australian Twitch Streamer Gon Freecs forms a special bond to a Speedrunner commonly going by "Kil".

Chapter 7 “Montero” out now!

AO3 Link

What could be worse than taking care of a teenage boy who is developing a steady video game addiction?

There was a loud bang coming from the room above the kitchen, followed by laughter and cackling. The boys were in Gons room and tried their hardest to set up the sleeping cod. They refused help, naturally, convinced that they are just as capable, confidence heightened by being in each other’s presence, hyping each other up, and the consumption of their own body weight in burgers.

Another bang. A shriek. More laughter. Mito sighed so deeply that she feared a piece of her soul might have left her.

Taking care of TWO teenage boys who are developing a steady video game addiction.

Her phone vibrated with a new message. Gon had sent her a selfie of himself and Killua on the cot, which seemed to be standing securely. The boys were flexing their arm muscles (or lack thereof) with proud looks on their faces, and the only caption was “#success”. Well, at least they are having fun.

.

.

.

Bellissimo<3: Good morning. I am going to pick you up at 1pm, be dressed by then, and pack your bag for tonight’s show. We are going for a brief detour.

Hisoka stretched out on his bed and squinted at the too-bright phone screen. It was 10 in the morning, though the rooms curtains were drawn shut tightly as a defence against harsh sunlight. A lazy smile spread on his lips.

Hisoka: Are we finally running away together to get married in Las Vegas? I thought you’d never ask~~❤️

Bellisssimo<3: I am trying to reward you for not getting arrested last night.

Bellissimo<3: Do not make me regret this.

Hisoka: I should avoid getting arrested more often ❤️

Bellissimo<3: 1pm Hisoka. See you then.

Hisoka let his phone drop back into pillow-mountain. This was certainly an interesting surprise, and an opportunity that the make up artist wasn’t going to waste. Getting One-on-One time with the Zoldyck was something precious and rare to him. Because Illumi was a rarity himself. In a world of increasingly bland and repetitive personalities, especially in his field of work, Illumi presented a challenge of raw potential. Cold and calculated to the masses, an obedient dog to his family, a revolutionary in his work. Hisoka knew that he must be hiding so much more, and the more walls he encountered with the man, the more he wanted to tear them down with his bare hands. Hisoka hated calling whatever this was a ‘Crush’. Sure, he was affectionate towards the other man, and at this point he couldn’t deny the pleasant twist of his heart whenever they touched. But he didn’t yearn for lazy Sundays in bed together, didn’t want the peaceful domesticity that seemed to be inherited in being a ‘couple’.

What do I want?

Hisoka pulled himself out of bed, and made his way to the shower, determined to abandon this pesky train of thought. There was no point in pondering the unlikely. Though… Illumi had been indulging him. And he was going to indulge him again this day. Maybe he wasn’t the only one getting soft, even if neither would ever admit it. The thought brought another satisfied smirk to his lips as he massaged his favourite shampoo into his scalp.

He wondered how Illumis family would react, hypothetically, if they were to end up a couple. The eldest son of the Zoldycks, not just gay, but in a relationship with a makeup artist who is famous for starting drama whenever possible. They certainly would be a more feared and adored couple than if Illumi were to marry some busty heiress who hooks up with her tennis coach when he’s away.

Silva Zoldyck would drop dead right on the spot if Hisoka would ask him if he should call him dad, he was sure.

He stepped out of the steamy shower and mustered his refreshed face in the mirror. Maybe that’s all he wanted. To form something with Illumi that would be even more powerful than the Zoldyck empire, to make everyone else envy/fear/adore them. They had the capacity and the ability to do so, no doubt.

Or maybe he just wanted to have something he wasn’t supposed to have.

Hisoka shrugged to himself, before he went over his usual beauty routine. Today could prove very interesting.

.

.

12:45 pm, Hisoka leaned on his kitchen island, absentmindedly scrolled through social media to beat time. Illumi wasn’t going to be late, but he’s never been early either.

He decided to go with a casual look, fitted beige khakis, with an oxford blue button up, sleeves rolled up just above his elbows, debated with himself on how far unbuttoned would be appropriate-yet-slutty (Top 3 Buttons unbuttoned, was the conclusion). Under his eyes, rested on his cheekbones, he had painted his signature star and teardrop, eyebrows plucked to perfection, and after 10 tries he managed to get a satisfying cat eye done. It was perfectly normal to want to look like hell on wheels while meeting with your friend-partner-associate-crush-insertsatisfactoryterm.

The afternoons were always the worst time to check social media, the calm before the posting-storm that comes during the evening and night. Hisoka had already reached posts that were done last night, a few screenshots taken here and there for future reference and roasting purposes.

Almost fed up with endless scrolling, suddenly it appeared. Hisoka had followed a twitch streamer on twitter recently, some kid who was definitely going to screw up in some point of his career (they always do, when the fame gets to their heads), and didn’t want to miss that mess. “Foxbeargaming”, what the fuck is even a foxbear, he had thought.

He had seen the brat before, in his profile picture and clips of his streams. But that wasn’t the problem with the newly posted selfie.

The problem was that he also recognized the second brat in it. Remembered the way Illumi boasted about his talented little brother, the same wild hair and blue eyes as he showed him a picture of the kid. Killua Zoldyck is currently in the middle of nowhere Australia, and his family most likely doesn’t know about it.

Oh, this will be delicious.

Hisokas day had been upgraded from surprisingly interesting to extremely entertaining if everything were to go smoothly. Immediately revealing to Illumi before their date that his little brother is out in the desert trying to tame himself a boyfriend wouldn’t do either of them good. Let it simmer, let it fester, keep Illumi away from his phone the rest of the day.

Lost in his scheming, he just barely noticed that the clock hit 1pm. He grabbed his bag from the floor and stuffed his phone into his back pocket before he headed out the door.

Hisoka wasn’t sure what he expected, yet he was taken aback by the sight in front of him as he exited the apartment complex.

Illumi leaned leisurely against a black sports car, as if that were his only purpose in life. His sleek hair was tied into a neat ponytail, eyes hidden behind a pair of sunglasses. Hisoka let his eyes take in every detail of him. Peridot green jeans, fashionably washed out, paired with a simple grey polo shirt, the collar popped open just enough to reveal more neck than usual.

“Are you waiting on an invitation?” Illumi didn’t sound as agitated as he probably intended, giving Hisoka only more reason to push his luck.

“I was thinking about whether I want to pounce on you now or later.” He approached the other man, who in turn straightened up his posture in defence. But instead of any hostile movements, Hisoka simply took Illumis hand, and bought it to his lips for a caste kiss. “But I’d rather not spoil our date this early.”

Illumi pulled his hand away, though maybe with a second’s hesitation. “Not happening, also not a date. Get in the car before I change my mind.”

The car was equipped with fabric seats, which Hisoka was grateful for in the Italian heat. “Maybe I should film one of those Vlogs today, what do you think of the title ‘Partner takes me away for secret date’?”

“What about ‘Multimillionaire kicked me out of a speeding car’?”

“Touché.” Now Hisoka was sure that his companion had to be in a good mood, despite what he’d claim, he’d never go along with his jokes if he were feeling neutral-to-pissed otherwise. He rolled his shoulders back into the seat comfortably, golden eyes fixated on the way that Illumis elegant pale hands wrapped around the steering wheel. “I didn’t know you can drive, considering you always have someone to do it for you.”

“I prefer it over flying, and I still consider myself a better driver than half of our staff.”

“I’m sure you’re great at handling stick shift as well.”

“Of co-“Illumi pressed his lips together in sudden annoyance, he most definitely had caught onto Hisokas smirk as he waited for an answer. “That is repulsive.” That prompted the makeup artist to break out into self-satisfied snickering.

“No clue what you’re talking about, Tesoro.” This earned him an eye roll, and silence as the car made its way through mostly empty streets. Hisokas eyes fell onto Illumis phone that rested on the console of the car. “Ah, I’m sure mister multimillionaire has Spotify Premium, right? Let me turn on some music.”

“Use your own phone.”

“I ran out of data volume. Are you that afraid I’ll discover your disastrous music taste?” His teasing smirk was met with another, more defeated eyeroll and a sigh.

“Don’t play anything trashy. The passcode is 0707.” After a questioning silence, he added “It’s Killuas birthday.”

Hisoka replied with an appreciative purr, before he started scrolling through the others music library. No personal playlists, not even a profile picture attached to his account. He was almost offended at the man’s lack of care for something as deeply personal as ones Spotify account, something that surely could tell a lot about a person. “Tchaikovsky? I’m not sure if I am impressed or utterly bored. Oh-“ His eyes stopped on a familiar album cover. “Maybe you’re not a lost cause after all, dear.”

A button press later, and the familiar opening sounds to Tame Impalas “Currents” played. The faintest trace of a smile curled on Illumis lips, barely noticeable, but Hisoka wanted to burn it into his mind anyway. Never mind that he took the brief distraction to turn the others phone onto silent mode. No unnecessary distractions.

It took the rest of the album until Illumi pulled the car into the exit towards the nature reserve near Lago di Bracciano, the last notes of “New Person, Same old Mistakes” dying together with the engine as they parked.

Hisoka stretched at the warm sunlight that caressed his skin when he exited the vehicle. Birds sang happily in the trees that lined the path around the large lake, and the only other person in sight was an elderly woman walking a small white dog. As the second car door shut close, he turned around with a pleased smile that showed off his shining teeth. “I never took you for the kind to take afternoon strolls.”

His friend-or-whatever set a relaxed pace onto the path and looked out onto the deep blue water. “I can’t sit around the hotel room the entire day, can I? And Rome is crawling with sweaty tourists and noisy journalists.”

“So you wanted to get some quality time outside?” Hisoka absentmindedly ran his tongue over his own sharp incisors.

“Correct.” Illumi didn’t seem to notice, or at least ignored, the predatory gesture.

“With me.”

He missed a beat before a simple, “It seemed appropriate.”.

This earned him an appreciative purr, before the men walked in silence along the large lake. Italy still wouldn’t reach its heights of temperatures this time of year, but any breeze was still a welcomed change from the rising humidity and sting of the sun. Hisoka wondered how much the others pale skin would change if he’d expose himself for a bit longer to the sun, if he’d immediately burn up in red, or if he’d start to tan, even just the faintest bit. He’d definitely look more alive, less like a puppet on invisible strings.

They continued to walk in a comfortable silence next to each other, took in the different sounds and sights of nature and the others presence, until eventually they reached the border of one of the shore towns. Beautiful stone buildings climbed the side of a smaller hill, only interrupted by greenery sprouting up between them. The main path was lined with flower shops, cafes, and Gelateria, whose smells mixed into a pleasant sweetness in the air. But one store in particular stood out. It wasn’t super flashy, it could have been found in any city and any street, but Hisoka knew this one from memory.

Without hesitation, he grabbed the others hand, effectively stopping him in his tracks.

“Excuse me-“ Before he could free his hand, Hisoka intertwined their fingers and pulled him closer.

“Let me treat you to something as well, I promise you won’t regret it,amore.” As his flaming eyes were met with a wrinkled nose, the sunshades Illumi were as not-telling as his eyes, he added “If you do regret it, I’ll gladly let you drown me right here.”

There was hesitation as the other mans wrist twitched against his hold. “You’d love that, wouldn’t you?”

The absence of a struggle was still taken as accepting whatever had gotten him so excited, and thus Illumi was quickly pulled and seated outside the small café. Hisokas attitude had changed from a lazy yet scheming happiness, to pure, unfiltered excitement. It became almost impossible for him to sit still, he rapidly tapped his fingernails against the small glass table, until a waitress (in her mid-40s, he assumed) stepped out. She handed the men a small, leather bound menu, though both were immediately snatched by Hisoka and held back towards her.

“Non sarà necessario. Ordineremo la Cheesecake alla fragola. Grazie.”

“Certamente.” The woman replied with a smile, before she retreated into the shop.

“Cheesecake?” Illumi asked with a raised eyebrow, he had taken off his sunglasses by now and placed them on the table.

Hisoka tutted, “Not any Cheesecake, dear, it is the best Cheesecake you will ever have. I will have it at my wedding, funeral, and every occasion in between that.”

“I take it you’ve been here before.”

“When I had just moved to Rieti, I’d come here almost every weekend, though I unfortunately stopped when weekends became workdays as well.” He considered carefully how much more he was willing to share about that time of his life with the other, though the decision was taken off him as the waitress approached with two plates, each adorned with a generous slice of cheesecake, topped with strawberry slices and strawberry jam dripping off it.

His jaw clenched in anticipation as he watched Illumi take the first bite of the cake, reminiscent of all the rituals he’d do for him whenever he visited. It felt degrading to admit that he wanted to impress and gain the approval of the Zoldyck, but not degrading enough to stop the attention seeking behaviour.

A bite. Some careful chewing. Averted eyes because Hisoka was staringbut he did not care. He swallowed.

Illumi didn’t look at him as he spoke, seemingly engrossed in studying the décor of the shop. But his eyes betrayed him, Hisoka swore he saw something within the dark orbs glisten and flash to life. He didn’t know people could smile only with their eyes, but Illumi continued to be different in the most intoxicating way. “It’s�� really good.”

Hisoka tried hard not to pick up his train of thought from the morning, tried not to think about what he wanted from Illumi or a relationship, and he especially tried not to think about the growing urge to leap across the table at that very moment to kiss him until their lips were sore. Instead, he started to eat his own cake, and failed to supress his sharpened smile.

They ate mostly in silence, safe for Hisokas muffled crazed snickering, and ordered espresso to chase down the thick cake.

“Hey, let’s play a game. What is wrong with that woman over there?” Hisoka pointed at a blonde who rested against a railing near the lake.

Illumi seemed to consider for a second whether he even wanted to play a weird game like that, before he stopped mid espresso-sip. “Ah. Those red heels are obviously spray-painted on.”

“Bingo~! It’s super obvious, right? You can still see the black shine through.”

“I’m more concerned about the uneven stitching on her shirt. Either she did that herself, or she has gotten scammed.”

Somehow that conversation triggered them to analyse the fashion choices of every stranger they encountered on their way back to the car with increasingly devilish tones. Illumi Zoldyck was a surprisingly good gossiper, and Hisoka filed that fact into the growing corner of his brain that he reserved just for him.

In the car, Illumi informed him they would just head to his hotel room to get dressed for the show, and then head there together. Any attempt at a joke about spending hotel-room-time wisely was, expectedly, cut off.

.

.

.

Illumi had never focused on the road this much in his entire life. He tried to be grateful that they had managed to get ready for the show in his hotel room without any major incidents, but now Hisoka was seated next to him again, wearing the suit he made for him. He looked good, annoyingly so. Naturally, Illumi wouldn’t grant him the satisfaction of telling him that though. He had indulged the man plenty enough for that day already and was holding back from chastising himself for it.

Last night had made him soft, Illumi decided. A brief waver of confidence and self-preservation that made him want to spend one-on-one time with Hisoka, in what may have resembled friendship to an outsider.

But his head was clearer now, cleansed from whatever foolishness had overcome him – the image of his mother recovering from a coughing fit and regaining her composure crept itself into his mind. Unrelated, he thought, though cleared his throat regardless.

“Machi says the crowd tonight is dreadful. Do you think she is just saying that to keep me from going~?” Hisoka tapped his long nails against the screen of his phone. Machi was a model they both have worked with in the past, though she was no where close to a breakthrough. A pretty face, objectively spoken, though smaller than most models, and the personality of royalty about to be executed. Do they always text each other?

“She’s there as well today?” He tried not to sound bitter. He didn’t have a reason to be bitter.

“Mhm, she’s modelling for a friend of hers it seems, though all the examples she sent me looked like someone with a priest-kink designed them, so it doesn’t hurt as much that she didn’t hire me as her artist.”

A moment of silence. “I see.” Illumi was not going to indulge Hisoka even more by inquiring about the nature of his relationship to the woman. It did not concern him; it wasn’t relevant to him or his work.

“Illumi?” Hisoka leaned over in his seat, golden eyes piercing into the side of his face.

“Yes, Hisoka?” Just now he noticed that he had been clenching his jaw uncomfortably.

“Are you jealous of Machi?” He didn’t need to look to know that Hisoka was smiling from one ear to the other, voice dripping with joy. He wasn’t going to look at Hisoka.

“You are insane. Why would I be jealous of her? I pity the girl, still having to work as a favour for acquaintances.”

Predatory eyes continued to drill into him, and a dangerous purr escaped the man, “Is that so?”.

“Yes, don’t be ridiculous.” They pulled into the valet line.

“Then you surely won’t mind that she’ll meet us in the entrance hall, wonderful!”

Illumi shouldn’t mind. It should be perfectly fine that instead of spending the evening alone with Hisoka, a good-looking young woman with an unclear relationship to him would meet them. He definitely couldn’t be jealous; it would be irrational and yet-

He threw the keys to the car at the valet and grabbed the number-marker without a word. His face wouldn’t give it away to others, that he was practically fuming, but Hisoka seemed to take pleasure in the subtle way that Illumis facial features tightened. “I heard jealousy can give you wrinkles~” Hisoka whispered cheekily as they approached the venue entrance, rows of reporters and interviewers lined at the sides, even more so than at the opening day before.

“You must have a lot of experience with that.” He hissed in reply and straightened his posture as they passed the crowd, mostly reporters who desperately tried to take pictures of attendees. Pictures, Interviews, all loathsome cries for attention that Illumi has always tried to avoid as much as possible without damaging the families reputation. He looked down the carpeted entrance and spotted the young woman known as Machi Komacine, clothed in a painfully tight black dress adorned with rosaries draped around her waist like belts, her messy pink hair pulled into a high ponytail. Her posture signalled boredom, but her eyes screamed murder.

Illumi was not a man who easily feared anyone, especially not a woman who stands at 5’2 proud; But he also was not necessarily thrilled to approach her. As he tried to hiss something in Hisokas direction again, something about not having much time to chat with their acquaintance due to meeting a client, he noticed: The other man had stayed behind, and was now busy posing for numerous cameras. Their eyes met, and with a mischievous grin, Hisoka held his hand out to beckon Illumi closer. For Pictures. Together.

Take pictures with Hisoka together in a public appearance that will most definitely set the gears of the rumour mill in motion; Or approach Machi alone and run the risk of uncomfortable conversation about our respective relationships to Hisoka?

He looked back at Machi, whose eyes met his instantly with a raised eyebrow. Fucking Hell-

Illumi made his way back to Hisoka, casually disregarded the hand that was held out to him and positioned himself as practiced – left arm leisurely to the side, right arm three quarters across his front. Not too strict, but not too relaxed either. In contrast, Hisoka had his left hand in the pocket of his suit, his right hand rested on Illumis shoulder as if were the most natural thing in the world. Journalists started to yell even more for their attention now, asking pesky questions that he tried to ignore, telling them to stand closer to each other, the likes. He kept the façade of his neutral face through the blinding flashes intact, even as Hisoka snaked his arms from his shoulder around his waist. “Do you wish for a public execution?”

“It looks better for the pictures~”

Illumi brushed a few strands of hairs behind his shoulder and used the motion to glance back to where Machi was waiting, her steady gaze on the two of them. “It’s rude to let her wait.”

“How considerate you are!” Hisoka snickered. “I know you aren’t jealous, caro, but I’d still like to reassure you of something.”

“And what’s that?”

“Machi and I look for, how should I say, very different things in a partner.” He tugged at Illumi waist and pulled him closer. “She’s looking for women and I am not.”

“Oh.” Illumi continued to look at the reporters cooing for their attention, as he tried not to think of the warm hand on his waist that felt searing hot and- Wait.

“OH.” He turned in Hisokas hold to properly look at him, who in turned grinned like the cat that ate the canary, then he looked back to Machi, and suddenly he felt stupid, which he didn’t experience a lot.

“Feeling relieved, even though you definitely weren’t jealous?”

“I think they got enough pictures.”

Illumi heard Hisokas snickering trail behind him as he made his way down the entrance. Machis eyes met his again, hands steady on her hips. Up closer now, he could observe the details of her dress, white seams stitched into crucifixes that crept up the sides, and the number “3” painted on every bead of the rosaries. It was cleanly executed, but Illumi was confident in the superiority of his own work.

“Miss Komacine.” He extended his hand to her, which she shook half-heartedly.

“Illumi. I’d like to get to business talk right away, so I don’t have to look at this clown longer than necessary.”

“Business talk?”

The young woman lit a cigarette for herself and shot a glare to Hisoka. “I assume you didn’t tell him I wanted to speak with him?” This granted her only a shrug and a smile from the man. “Fine, whatever. Illumi, I want to model for your next line, it would proof beneficial for both of us.”

“I don’t deal in women’s fashion. Furthermore, I do not see how I’d gain benefits from having you work for me.” Finally, a topic he felt comfortable to speak about, even it was only to criticize the woman for her awful attempt at business.

“I don’t mind wearing a suit, you should be at least competent enough to make smaller sizes, right?” She stepped closer to push a sharp index finger against his chest. “And about those benefits; Having me model for you would give me more exposure from a mainstream crowd, and thus exposure for my group. You would gain exposure to a wider audience of underground fashion-following, that isn’t influenced by your family’s name, meaning you could manifest a name for yourself. Unless you prefer being ‘a Zoldyck’ forever.”

The nerve. The audacity. Illumi considered just calling her a presumptuous cunt and leaving with his pride intact, but Machi looked like the kind of woman who knew how to slice car tires and break-wires.

A manicured hand curled around his shoulder, and Hisoka pushed himself between Machi and him. “What could be better than this; My two favourite people in this world, getting along, talking friendly business. Unfortunately, dear Machi, there’s some people inside that are dying to meet us tonight, so we’ll catch you later~”

Before he could object, Illumi was pushed through the entrance of the venue. The large runway was occupied by a high-end brand that premiered their women’s gala collection, mood-lighting engulfed the rest of the room, rhythmic beats of low music drowned out most of the talking crowd.

“Be a darling and just let her offer simmer a little. Machi can be very scary when she’s mad, and not in the way I enjoy.” Hisoka purred closer to his ear.

“Did you know she was going to ask?”

“What if I did?”

A waiter offered them drinks on a tray, and Illumi leisurely grabbed a glass of champagne.

“What does that even mean, ‘a Zoldyck’, as if it is something bad.”

“Don’t wreck your pretty head over it, you know how women are.” Hisoka laughed, and Illumi wasn’t sure how serious he meant that, considering that personally he had no idea how women are, and after newest revelations, neither did Hisoka.

But through the course of the night, Illumi couldn’t get it out of his head. He pretended not to notice how people approached Hisoka, addressed him by his name, first or full name, and talked with him about the content he has created, complimented on his most recent videos and looks. And he pretended not to notice how people approached him, addressed him only by his last name, and asked about the family business. “Mr. Zoldyck, are you going to write an article about this line?” “Mr. Zoldyck, about the next issue-“ “Mr. Zoldyck, tell my greetings to your father.”

No word about his own collection he had premiered. No one even uttered his first name.

He was ‘a Zoldyck’. Nothing more, nothing less.

“If looks could kill, we’d be ankle deep in a blood bath by now.” Hisoka snaked an arm around Illumis waist again and rested his hand on the tip of his hip. The designer took a long sip of the bitter champagne, casually slapped away the offending hand, and kept his dark eyes fixed on the crowd. “Still pouting because Machi was being a bully?”

“I am not pouting.”

“And you weren’t jealous either, got it~”

An eye roll, followed by “I have a headache, what’s the time anyway?” Illumi tried to reach for his phone in his pocket, though before he could grab it, Hisoka took hold of his wrist. They locked eyes, and even in the dim lighting of the venue, Illumi saw something wild glisten in those amber eyes. “Let’s leave, together, to my place.”

“Very subtle, Hisoka. I am not going to-”

“Indulge me, Tesoro, I want to show you something.” Determined to blame it on the repulsive atmosphere that had build itself up at the fashion show, Illumi let himself be swept away by Hisoka for the second time that day. The thought of getting away from noisy reporters and cockroaches of the industry who only knew him as the eldest Zoldyck.- former Heir to the empire, was pleasant enough, yet he also didn’t have to be alone and actively think about his reputation, name, and being a ‘lapdog’, technically a win-win situation.

The drive back to the apartment was oddly quiet, despite Hisokas prior excitement. The car tore through the dark night primarily in silence, only accented by the ‘The Velvet Underground’ album they agreed on after scrolling through Hisokas bizarre Spotify library. It definitely wasn’t the kind of music he was used to from the home he was raised in, didn’t fit between the classical music his mother used to play before her headaches made it impossible and the obscene noise music that Killua would play to trigger the same headaches.

“Could you check my messages for me?”

Hisoka hummed in response and grabbed the phone, manicured nails tapping on the screen, before dropping it unceremoniously back into the cup-holders. “Batteries dead.”

“That can’t be, I charged it before I went out this morning, the battery is supposed to hold for a minimum of 72 hours when idle.”

“Your dainty British batteries sometimes give out under Italian heat, invest in better engineering, and charge it at my place for now.”

“…This will better be worth the trouble.”

The streets of Rieti were expectantly empty, and Illumi parked the car right in front of the apartment (Was it a legal parking spot? Unlikely. But parking fines barely matter when seemingly half the world knows your families name.)

The stairs, the door, the entrance, Illumi knew all of these things about Hisokas apartment. “What is there to show me?”

“Patience. Come here~” Hisoka opened the doors to the balcony, white drapes gently tossed in the fresh breeze. The Zoldyck followed- with sceptical hesitation, but followed nonetheless.

He rested his hands on the railing, eyes turned sky-wards, a few strands of hair upset by the wind.

“If you took me here to just look at the stars, I’m not sure which one of us is the bigger fool.”

“Right, if we wanted to look at soon-to-be dead stars, we could have stayed at the show. But we’re not here for them. They are insignificant, always there to look at until one day they vanish and are forgotten. The real star of the show is over there.” He pointed a long nail at the night sky, and Illumi tried to follow where it pointed.

“The moon? Really?”

“Close, but also mundane and boring. Here- “Before Illumi could react, the strange man had placed their heads next to each other and started to correct Illumis position with a pointed yet gentle grip on his chin. “Look straight ahead.”

Just a little bit off to the left of the moon shone a star brighter than anything else, for a moment Illumi felt ridiculous for missing it.

“It’s Venus. Among all these long dead stars, she’s ever present, stands out the most, and is a rare sight to behold.”

“You took me away from the show to gaze at other planets?” Illumi turned towards the other man, suddenly all too aware of how close they were standing once again.

“I took you away from the show because no one there is capable of understanding your true potential. The way everyone there only sees you as an extension of your family is so infuriating, that it makes me want to ruin all their hopeless little dreams right in front their pitiful faces.” With a swift movement Hisoka had pinned the designer against the railing of the balcony. “You could crush all these people under your heel and make them beg for forgiveness. And there’s nothing I’d rather see than that.”

“I don’t need to make anyone beg, if I want something, I get it. It’s always been like that.” A cold thumb traced the line of his sharp chin, followed by a dark chuckle, and all of a sudden Illumi felt fatigued, all air leaving his lungs. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he remembers his mother recalling symptoms like that. It’s a sickness, nothing more nothing less.

“You get it because you’re a pretty show dog held on a short leash by your family.”

Fucking lapdog. The weight on his chest feels like it could crush his organs any second.

“I’m not asking you to bite the hand that feeds you. But I’d give everything to see what you could do if you were free of restraints.”

Feeling like he needed to hold onto anything, Illumi grabbed onto the back of the other man’s head, fingers buried in wild hair. “And why would you care so much? If you’re just trying to rile me up, there’s ways that don’t make me want to throw you off the balcony and watch your mangled body struggle for life.”

“It’s because you fascinate me, Illumi. You’re my Venus in a sea of dying stars. I want to observe you in all your glory as you outshine everyone else, in your full potential.”

“Who says I won’t crush you as well?” His fingers grasped harder on a few strands of hair. Everything in his body felt wrong, the way his skin was freezing all over, but searing hot wherever he made contact with the other man, the suffocating weight on his chest increased by the second, and in the back of his mind something about sickness echoes again.

They locked eyes, and just then Illumi noticed how close they truly were, Hisokas hot breath falling onto his lips.

And he should have pushed him away.

Should have slapped him, insulted him like the sorry maggot he was.

But he felt weak and sick and so cold, and Hisoka radiated pure heat.

Their lips met, softer than expected of either of them, and Illumi wondered if this is what it feels like to be saved from drowning.

A pleasant warmth seeped into his body, and his lungs felt weightless, like he could breathe for the first time in his life.

Hisoka kissed like each touch might be the last, and Illumi let himself be guided as he wanted, eventually wrapping his arms around the others neck, eager to steal as much of this intoxicating heat as possible.

The man kissed along his jawline, stopping just barely below his ear. “Stay here tonight, cuore mio.”

And Illumi placed a kiss to his temple, as gentle as a man who was never been taught gentleness with people could manage. “Let’s go inside.”

[lnarizakis]

— sam’s match-ups masterlist

hi! if you sent in a match-up ask, you can find ‘em all here! if you sent off anon, i have just tagged you and added the link to the post. if you sent as anon/anon with identifying emoji, i included your description along with the link. this post will be constantly updated as i continue to post my match-ups! thank you and i hope you all enjoy your match-ups!!

— @hqprotectionsquad . . .

— anon . . . ❝ could i get a matchup🥺 with 2 boys~ i'm 4'9, i'm really tiny and i've been told i have really nice hair hehe personality wise i've been told i'm really gentle and calming, i had a teacher that said my voice is "serene" and "soothing" >__< i'm the mom friend of the group🥰 i'm quite the introvert, i enjoy just staying home with some takeout, studying quietly or playing acnh underneath all my blankets.. i'm quite fond of hugs and cuddling and forehead kisses too though😚😚💞💞💞 ❞

— anon . . . ❝ could i request for a matchup?🥺 i'm about 5'3, my friends always say i'm the perfect height to hug 🤗 i have long hair till my waist that i dyed a rose-gold colour, i like wearing green or grey contacts because i like the way they make my eyes look. i have a resting b!tch face though...i'm not very approachable because of it😭 i've been playing netball for about 6 years now and i'm quiet irl i guess, but off the court and when i'm comfy, i'm quite the goodball🤙🏻🤙🏻 ❞

— anon . . . ❝ grats for 500! I'd like to request a matchup w 3 ppl pls! Im female, 5'2, i LOVE volleyball! i play wing spiker but i used to play setter, i loved setting for my besties in hs after training. I like to work out, read books & study. i clean my room every morning cos i like neat things, my closet's organized. i have dark brown eyes and thick thighs, proud of em! i also dance, im flexible, and im taking journalism. i wanna play pro vb in the future but tbh 158.5cm's too short, but im not giving up! ❞

— ⭐️ 🌸 anon . . . ❝ Hey hey! If ur still doing the matchup event i would love one!! Im a short gal with wavy dark hair and green eyes. I wear makeup p often esp red eyeshadow and black winged eyeliner (bc im an egirl until i DIE). Speaking of egirl i dress in black and with a chain most of the time but i also randomly flip into floral soft girl hours?? As for personality im really energetic once im comfortable and i love people who can match that energy, esp bc i get anxious rlly easily so i need someone . . . who will help keep me calm and happy when my drive for success gets a lil out if hand lmao. I’m also v combative towards ppl who i think are disrespectful! I love classic novels and watching foreign movies, but I also LOVE sports and get rlly hype abt them. I also LOVE music esp metal but i can and WILL vibe to literally anything esp if its during a workout (bc i live at the gym and someone spotting my squats is so romantic 2 me 🥺). A match w/ 2 boys would be sick, tysm in advance! ❞

— anon . . . ❝ Im medium height with long brown hair and sharp features. I like drawing, reading, cooking. I’m rather chill and level-headed, i’m usually the one to fix objects and solve problems, I avoid drama. I’m compassionate and caring but sometimes indifferent. I like mountains, art galleries, concerts, cello and graphic design. I’m adaptable and open to learning new things but I don’t like changing my routine too much. + 1 male character. ty for this and congrats on 500 followers!!! you deserve it ❞

—anon . . . ❝ hihi!!!! congrats on 500!! i lov ur content sm.. akfjag im asking for a two chara match up!!! im 5'3 and i have pink hair,, i switch between so many hobbies LOL i play volleyball and softball,, and i love singing and painting!! i have a really cottagecore aesthetic and i love baking things for people!!!!! im really energetic and v bratty over text but i get flustered so easily in person,, i hope youre having a good day//night !!!!!! ty for ur fics ❞

— 🐧 anon . . . ❝ match up please!!🥺 2 characters n no gender preference!! im a tall (around 184cm) kinda chubby girl w/ shoulder length brown hair, hazel eyes, pale skin w/ a lot of moles n i wear glasses! im p shy n it takes me a while to open up. but when i do i am a completely dif person,, making friends is hard but the ones i do have i love more than anything! when im w/ them im cheerful, talk a lot n goof around. otherwise i look p intimidating n serious cause i have a rbf n barely talk,, . . . im the mom friend, an optimist, a dreamer n a procrastinator. im p hard to piss off but when im angry i can get scary 😳 im sensitive n cry a lot, currently im working on being more confident! i love animals n flowers!! cause im not the best with words i use lil gifts n touches to express my love! my hobby is drawing! ive been doing it my whole life n im rlly proud of it!! congrats on 500 followers love❤ ❞

— @raevaioli . . .

— 🦆 anon . . . ❝ Happy 500 bubs! You def deserve it :)! I was wondering if I could get a #1 male matchup? Looks: 5’1 petite fem w/ small chest/tiny waist. Thick/medium brown hair and eyes. I’m a cancer with ENTP type! I’m a very affectionate person to my loved ones. I’m very stubborn, sensitive (but I try to hide it), ambitious, witty and very talkative! I like to tease my friends, watch Netflix and try new baking things! Although I show my love through actions, I’m fine with getting love back in any way . . . Also I like baths! (It’s random but why not 😌) I wish you a good day! ❞

— anon . . . ❝ Hey! Can I get a matchup? (#1)I’m a Leo and a ISFJ chick! I have medium brown hair and big eyes w/ glasses. I have a petite body with a small waist and chest. I’m really nice to people but very awkward (I’ll laugh at the floor) and when annoyed. I’m much more open to others like my best friend,I feel at home with her :,) .My hobbies include watching greys anatomy, shopping for clothes, and calling my friends. I would want my partner to be a lil more extroverted than me. Happy 500 😊 ❞

— anon . . . ❝ hi! Can I get a matchup? I’m 5’2 straight girl w/ long brown wavy hair and big brown eyes. I’m thick in all the right places🥴 plus I have a curvy body. My star sign is Pisces and I’m a ISFP. I’m more introverted than extroverted. I dress like Hobo type of way, but i always wear AF1s and I NEVER crease them. In my spare time I draw,listen to raps (mostly by Tupac) and oldies, learn raps, and hang out wit friends. I also have a bunch of piercings on my ears and one on my nose. ty CONGRATS ON 500+ ❞

— anon . . . ❝ CONGRATULATIONS ON 500 WHOOP WHOOP❣️🥺, can i please have a matchup doe! so happy to celebrate this with you❤️ i’m a female, straight, 5’4 and a half, dark skin with medium black curly hair, chubby cheeks and always smiling, i love being outside just experiencing life or trying new drinks at restaurants!! i also enjoy staying home to watch tons of anime & movies or dates to the museum or theme park, spring is my favorite season and orange is my favorite color, i’m so hyper and loving, thank you! ❞

— 🐾 anon . . . ❝ Twice the charm I suppose :) I’m a 5’1 girl with long wavy brown hair. I have a lot of piercings and I tend to wear a lot of jewelry. I wear two knee braces due to a connective tissue disorder. I’m bisexual, so either way works for me owo. I’m an INFJ and a type 4. I’m told that I’m pretty easygoing but I get angry real quick when someone I love is threatened. I’m very empathetic and I’m the mom friend of the group 🐾 . . . Fun fact, don’t leave me alone in public for more than two seconds or else random strangers come up to me asking for advice. This has happened way too many times now don’t ask me why lmaooo. I’ve been playing soccer for eleven years now. I was the captain of a coed college-age division team for two years. I play left defense and goalkeeper. 🐾 . . . I go hiking a lot, I love cliff diving, and I’m an archer. I am also a painter and a writer. My dream job is to become a book editor, but I want to eventually live off my books. I tend to be pretty clingy when it comes to people. I randomly need a lot of attention and force my friends to cuddle. They like rejecting me 😔. Sorry that this was so long aha. Ily and have a good day 💕��� ❞

thanks for sending in an ask ! didn’t see yours? please let me know !

[cela-astral-projection]

Aric/Aedan Vernersson Character Survey

Basic Character Questions

First name? Aric. Psuedoname is Aedan 

Surname? Vernersson 

Middle names? Axel 

Nicknames? Brother 

Date of birth? September 23rd 

Age? Early to mid-twenties (died around his 25th birthday), but he's quite responsible for a young man. 

 Physical / Appearance

Height? 6'3

Weight? 240

Build? Buff but still soft. 

Hair color? Pale yellow/white. 

Hairstyle? Long, thick and wavy hair that is usually pulled back 

Eye color? Silver 

Glasses or contact lenses?: He wears glasses when he has to do a lot of writing or reading for eyestrain, but other than that, he has excellent vision. 

Distinguishing facial features? He's not big on shaving, so he generally has some form of facial hair. 

Which facial feature is most prominent? His jawline. 

Which bodily feature is most prominent? His arms or his monster hands. 

Other distinguishing features? Bright silver eyes. 

Skin? Tawny brown, like his mother's. 

Hands? Ginormous meat hooks. 

Makeup? Not his thing. Lucio made him put on his eyeliner once. It melted in the sun, and he swore it off because it burned his eyes. 

Scars? His hands are a little rough, and he's got a few cuts up his arms, but nothing too pronounced. 

Birthmarks? Some darker brown pigmentation on the back of his arms. Pretty faint. 

Tattoos? He has some sun paintings (one on each pec) reminiscent of the rock art from his village on his chest in a dark sienna color.

Physical handicaps? Bone spurs on his heels, but that's just an annoyance. 

Type of clothes?: It depends on what he's doing. In the palace, he wears grey and charcoal with red and gold accents. When he's just going about his day, he wears lightweight linens in a rainbow of colors. 

What are their feet like? (type of shoes, state of shoes, socks, feet, pristine, dirty, worn, etc.) Like I said, the boy has bone spurs on his heels, so they were already giant monster feet, but that just adds to their length. He takes good care of his feet. He likes high-quality boots and shoes. (Unlike his sister who would go barefoot everywhere.)

Race / Ethnicity?: His father is from Lucio and Morga's tribe, and his mother is one of the southern tribes on the frozen sea. (A/N: for all intents and purposes, I write them as Swedes/Post-Spanish Mission  Chumash Indians because...that's what Kristen (Celeste) and Erik (Aric) are.) 

Are they in good health? Aric was always in generally good health. Until he wasn't... 

Do they have any disabilities? None to speak of. 

(image of Chumash Rock art for tattoo reference) 

Personality

What words or phrases do they overuse? "Yeah, Bud!" 

Are they more optimistic or pessimistic? Optimistic 

Are they introverted or extroverted? Extroverted

Do they ever put on airs? Nope. You won't find a more chill, friendly guy. 

What bad habits do they have? Nail-biting and hair pulling (trichotillomania, but he has to be very, very anxious) 

What makes them laugh out loud?: So many things. And at inappropriate times. 

How do they display affection? Gifts, acts of service. 

How do they want to be seen by others? Reliable, approachable, trustworthy.

Strongest character trait? Seeing the best in others. 

Weakest character trait? Blind loyalty. 

How competitive are they? Very. 

How do they react to praise? He loves hearing praise and being told he's doing a good job. It gives him warm fuzzies. 

How do they react to criticism? He is very open to criticism as long as it's constructive. 

What is their greatest fear? Not being able to save his loved ones. 

What are their biggest secrets? He's an open book. Except for that whole...fake name-Lucio is my cousin thing. (Which he is not terribly good at hiding) 

What is their philosophy of life? How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.

What haunts them? His mother's face when he left home. 

What will they stand up for? Anyone, anytime. 

Are they indoorsy or outdoorsy? Outdoorsy. 

What is their sinful little habit? He wouldn't consider it immoral, but he does indulge in some of the magician's...herbal remedies. 

What sense do they most rely on? Sight. 

How do they treat people better than them? As equals

How do they treat people worse than them? As equals

What do they consider an overrated virtue? Temperance.

If they could change one thing about themselves, what would it be?   Probably would do better to realize that some people just can't be reached, but damned if he doesn't try. 

What is their obsession? Fishing and his dog. 

What are their pet peeves? People that touch his food without permission. Aedan doesn't share food! He will buy your food! NO TOUCH. (Though Celeste will note that he has no compunction about stealing her food.) 

Friends and Family

Is their family big or small? Who does it consist of?: Small. Mama, Papa, Sister, and Him. There is, of course, the extended family and his tribe, but the core group was relatively small. 

What is their perception of a family? Family is the most important thing. 

Do they have siblings? Older or younger?: One sister. Same age. 

Describe their best friend. Bit of a ditz. Funny (though it's unclear if he means to be). Dog lover. Drinking buddy. 

Ideal best friend? Someone not afraid to throw their stuff in a satchel and get lost for a day. Bonfire under the stars. Loves dogs. Not scared of touching fish. 

Do they have any pets? Ebba! Borzoi like M & M but with big brown patches and knows how to mind. 

 Past and Future

What was your character like as a baby? As a child?: He was a happy, inquisitive baby. He was rough and tumble, always on the go. Occasionally he’d scare himself (falling) but he only needed to be told that he was okay and he’d keep on going. 

Did they grow up rich or poor? They had no real need for money unless they were traveling, and then they mostly traded for what they needed.

Did they grow up nurtured or neglected? Nurtured. 

What is the worst thing they did to someone they loved? Left them. Wasn't his idea, though. Still feels terrible.

What are their ambitions? Getting to be free and live his own life. 

What smells remind them of their childhood? Woodfire. Briny seawater. Spice. 

What was their childhood ambition? Be the head of the rowers that went out to the islands. 

What is their best childhood memory? Traveling with dad to the surrounding tribes and making friends with other kids. 

Did they have an imaginary childhood friend? No. He had so many friends he didn't have time for imaginary ones. 

 Love

Do they believe in love at first sight? Maybe? His parents had an arranged marriage, and he thinks that's pretty fine.  He likes getting to know people to make sure that what he's feeling is real. 

How do they behave in a relationship? He's all about making his partner feel cherished and comfortable. He likes to move slow...ish. 

What sort of sex do they have? He's not exactly wild. But, he's open-minded. 

Has your character ever been in love? Sure. 

Have they ever had their heart broken? Nah. If he parts with people, it's amicable. 

 Conflict

How do they respond to a threat? Try to reason. If not, try to subdue with as little injury as possible. 

Are they most likely to fight with their fists or their tongue? Fists, honestly. If it comes to that. Even then, he'd probably just try to wrestle and pin them. 

What is your character's kryptonite? The concept of someone he cares about being hurt. 

If your character could only save one thing from their burning house, what would it be? His dog. Not an object, but things aren't that important. 

How do they perceive strangers? Never met one. 

What are their phobias? Ophidiophobia, so it's probably good that he never really got to know Asra because Faust would have scared him to death. 

What is their choice of weapon? If he had to really fight, he'd use a one-handed battle-ax. 

What living person do they most despise? Valdemar, but living and person are both kinda uncertain terms. 

Have they ever been bullied or teased? No. Even if he was, it wouldn't bother him. 

Where do they go when they're angry? For a walk. 

 Work, Education, and Hobbies

What is their current job? Head guard of the palace. 

What do they think about their current job? Get to hang out with his bud most of the time, so that's pretty neat. Could do with less having to enforce his stupid decrees (which he finds ways around if he can.) 

What are some of their past jobs? Fisherman and hunter. 

What are their hobbies? Fishing, hunting, falconry, reading. 

Educational background? No formal education. Dad taught him how to read and write, but he didn't have much use for either of those skills until he came to Vesuvia. 

Intelligence level? Himbo-lite. 

Do they have any specialist training? Jack of all trades, master of none. 

Do they play a sport? Are they any good? Rowing and wrestling. 

What is their socioeconomic status? Upper class? Lucio pays well. 

 Favorites

What is their favorite animal? Ebba. 

Which animal to they dislike the most? Snakes. 

What place would they most like to visit? He'd like to travel like his dad did before his parents got married, but he's not picky. 

What is the most beautiful thing they've ever seen? Poppy fields! 

What is their favorite song? No Hurry - Zac Brown Band

Music, art, reading preferred? Reading but music is a close second. 

What is their favorite color? Green or blue. 

Favorite food: Grilled stuffed portobello mushrooms with bleu cheese. 

 Possessions

What is in their fridge: Beer, red wine (that hefty stuff that leaves long tendrils when you swirl it. he likes to chew his wine). Meat, cheese, mushrooms, bread, a lot of veggies. 

What is on their bedside table? Reading glasses and a book. 

What is in their pockets? Money. 

What is their most treasured possession? His dog. But calling her a possession feels terrible. 

 Spirituality

Do they believe in the afterlife? Sure. 

What are their religious views? He believes in spiritual guides, and he believes in magic. Though he is sadly more like his father than his mother in that he really can't cast.

Are they superstitious? He's a little 'stitious. 

What would they like to be reincarnated as? A peregrine falcon. 

How would they like to die? Not the way he did, that's for sure. That sucked. 

What is your character's spirit guide? Duckhawk! 

What is their zodiac sign? Libra. 

 Daily life

What are their eating habits? An army marches on their stomach. He always makes sure to have a decent breakfast, lunch, and dinner. 

Do they have any allergies? Just pollen. 

Describe their home. The palace. His room is pretty spartan. Bed, dresser, desk, couple side tables, mirror. 

Are they minimalist or a clutter hoarder? Minimalist. 

What do they do first thing on a weekday morning? Try to get to the bath before everyone else does. 

What do they do on a Sunday afternoon? Nap or go for a hike out in the woods. 

What do they do on a Friday night? Drink with Lou. 

What is the soft drink of choice? If such a thing existed, it would be original Coke. 

What is their alcoholic drink of choice? He's an appreciator of fine whiskey and wine. But, he won't turn his nose up at a good ale or cider. 

 Miscellaneous

What is their character archetype? The hunter. 

Who is their hero? His dad. 

What or who would your character dress up as for Halloween? Thor. 

Are they comfortable with technology? Ehhhh. Not really. He can use it but would rather not. 

If they could save one person, who would it be? He couldn't pick. 

If they could call one person for help, who would it be? Linnea. 

What is their favorite proverb? Friendship is love with understanding. 

What is their greatest extravagance? Gifts. He buys gifts like the world will end tomorrow. 

Do they believe in happy endings? Sure. 

What would they ask a fortune-teller? Am I doing the right thing?

@vesuviasfastestcourier​ Will this help until I can write more Aedan fic? :)

[justanoutlawfic]

The Virgin: An Outlaw Queen Ficlet

Summary: When Robin's sister accidentally inseminates Regina, their worlds are turned upside down. Little do any of them realize, they're not in as control of their lives as they think. The past Regina never knew about, is suddenly coming to haunt her.

Also on AO3

February 1st, 1994

 Cora sat up in bed, looking down at the baby girls in her arms. She had known that they wouldn’t be identical but hadn’t expected them to look that different. Baby A had fair skin and blue eyes, some wisps of blonde hair atop her head. Baby B had darker features, from her deep brown eyes to the dark fuzz that stood out next to her sister’s. The nurse, who had no idea of the situation, said that she had never seen twins come out looking so different. Cora would’ve strangled her if she wasn’t so exhausted from giving birth.

 The door opened and her father entered the room. Cora looked up at him, craning her neck to try to see behind him, but he simply shook his head.

“Henry is still stuck in France, trying like hell to get a flight but the weather is putting it off for a few days, and that loser you call a lover didn’t show his face.”

Cora huffed. “His name is Jonathan, Daddy.”

“I don’t really care what his name is. You had a chance to be better, Cora. Now, look at you. How is Henry ever going to accept having a daughter with such light features? He’ll know instantly that she’s not his.”

“I could simply say she inherited it from my side of the family…”

“And when he sees that she looks exactly like your gardener?” Cora adverted her gaze down to the babies. “That’s what I thought.”

“I didn’t even think this was possible,” she whispered. “How can twins have different fathers?”

“I don’t know, but I do know that you’ve ruined your life.”

 Cora stared down at the squirming babies in her arms. She couldn’t go back to living at her father’s, working as a cocktail waitress. She had pulled herself up from nothing and there was no going back. Henry was a boring man, not very good in bed. Even so, he was giving her a life that she had always dreamed of.

“No, I haven’t,” she said.

“There’s no way you can…”

“They didn’t survive the labor.” Cora looked up, meeting her father’s gaze. “It was terrible, tragic, but they lost oxygen. I gave their organs so they could save other babies.”

“You cannot be serious.”

“I told you when I married him, I was willing to do anything to keep him.”

“That’s all well and good, but there’s the mere factor of the girls. What are you going to do with them?”

“I’ll worry about that.”

 The following evening, Cora was discharged from the hospital. She wrapped the babies in the blankets that she had been knitting throughout the pregnancy. and put on a shawl before having her father drive her to the fire station. It was the dead of night and chilly, for Florida’s standards anyway. Cora walked up the steps and settled the girls’ baskets down on the steps. Each blanket was embroidered with a name. For Baby A, they had gone with Zelena, derived from the goddess of the moon. Baby B was named Regina, which meant queen. Cora wanted powerful names, so one day they would be powerful women. Zelena’s basket had green ribbon on it, while Regina’s was red.

 “Poor babes,” she whispered. “Life is cruel and full of betrayal. That is my only lesson for you. Now, I must give you away, to give you my best chance.” Cora’s breath caught, as the tears pooled her eyes. “As long as I have the two of you, I can never be more than a miller’s daughter.”

 The wind picked up and the rain began to fall, signaling to Cora that it was time to go. As she walked away, she could hear both of her daughters crying for their mother, but she simply ignored it. She was on her way to her better life.

 October 23rd, 2018

Good food, amazing champagne and everyone donating to the local homeless shelter. It was a night that Robin had been looking forward to for a really long time. His family hadn’t always had the money they did and even so, charity had been so important to his mother, especially given her own upbringing. Robin hoped that she would be happy with how they were giving back. The shelter would be able to do the repairs they needed and add more beds.

 The party would be what Robin remembered as the last night normal night of his life. His father had insisted on a party and Robin told him that if that was the case, it needed to be for charity. There was lots of loud music, the servers dressed as aquatic mythical creatures and bubbles for the few kids that were in attendance.

 Despite the presence of his father, Robin would remember it as a good night. He got to talk with Lacey, it was rare that she went anywhere without her husband and Robin was glad that she had left him home for the night. Robin loved his half-sister with everything in him, but when it came to romantic partners, she either picked the absolute worst person or someone that was far too old. It seemed like Adam Gold was a mix of both of those things.

 Marian stood by his side, smiling from ear to ear. Neither had any way of knowing that this would be the last party they would ever throw together. As far as they knew, the next morning they would be on their way to making Roland a big brother. Roland himself was chasing the other kids around that were his age, tiring himself out. It would be pretty easy to put him to bed that night.

 It was truly the happiest Robin had felt in a really long time. Had he known what would come, he would’ve cancelled Marian’s appointment the next day. Instead, they’d have breakfast at the hotel before taking Roland to school. They’d discuss different, more secure ways of expanding their family. At the very least, he would’ve insisted that his sister stay at the hotel for the night. Roland would love having a sleepover with his favorite (and only) aunt.

 Alas, no one is capable of telling the future. So, he kissed Lacey on the cheek, watching as she headed home to her husband. When Marian suggested they turn in and leave the hosting duties to Richard, he agreed. He picked up a sleeping Roland in his arms and they headed up to their suite together. They lived the last normal night of their lives, when their family could still very much be one.

Sobriety is an uphill battle, ask any addict. There are several triggers that you know to avoid once you start recovery, whether it be people, events or objects. That’s the easy part. One can learn to avoid those.

 What isn’t easy, are the things that come out of nowhere. They pull you down and practically force the bottle to your lips. At least that’s how Lacey Locksley-Gold felt.

 She had cleaned up her act when she married Adam Gold. There was no more hanging out at the Rabbit Hole after her shift, no hustling men as she played pool (even though that had been how they met). She focused on work and being a good wife. With that, she finally did what her family had been begging her to do for years and quit drinking all together. Lacey began attending A.A meetings and left behind the group of friends that pushed scotch into her hands at parties. It wasn’t an easy process, but it was one she was proud of nonetheless.

 After yet another party thrown by her father, Lacey walked into the salmon colored home that she shared with her husband. There was music coming from upstairs, which put a big grin on her face. She walked up, unzipping her black dress as she did. When she reached the door, she took the clip that held her auburn curls up in a bun out and let them tumble down. As she opened the door to her bedroom, she allowed the dress to fall to the floor.

“Waiting for me, baby?” She asked.

 Gold shot up from the bed, but he didn’t do it alone. Beside him was Carlotta De Vil, a fellow lawyer at his practice. Lacey’s jaw practically dropped to the floor, taking in the Dalmatian print lingerie that Carlotta wore, along with the lack of anything on her own husband’s body.

 “Lacey…” he stammered.

 She didn’t say anything in response. Instead, she merely pulled up her dress to cover her naked body before running down the stairs. She got in her cherry red Jaguar, not even sure where she was going until she pulled up at the Hole. Lacey pushed through the doors and marched straight up to the bar.

 “Whiskey, neat,” she demanded.

 Keith simply gave her a smirk and filled her order. Lacey knocked it back in one go, before ordering another one. The thought of her two early morning appointments didn’t even cross her mind, none of that mattered. All that did, was getting the image of Carlotta in her bed out of her head.

Lacey woke up the following morning with a pounding headache and dry mouth. She rolled over in bed, nearly falling over the body that laid beside her. She blinked a few times before realizing it was Ruby Lucas. Wait, why had she gone home with her? Why wasn’t she in her own bed?

 The memory of the night before hit her like a ton of bricks, causing tears to cloud her eyes. She furiously wiped them away as her phone rang, causing her head to throb even more. Lacey followed the sound to her purse, digging it out. The screen informed her that it was her personal assistant. She slid the green button over and held it to her ear.

“Ugh, what?”

“Lacey!” Astrid’s worried voice filled her ear. “You’re late! You’ve got two patients waiting on you!”

“What?” Lacey looked over at the fuzzy red alarm clock that was on Ruby’s nightstand and cursed herself. “Shit! I’ll be right there!”

“Are you alright?”

“I’m fine. Just, distract them.”

 Hanging up the phone, Lacey raced into the adjoining bathroom and splashed water on her face. She borrowed some of Ruby’s makeup to make herself look somewhat presentable, running a brush through her hair. She had a change of clothes at the office along with some gum. Not the most hygienic, but she didn’t have time to go back home and she didn’t necessarily want to, knowing her husband would be there.

 Ruby appeared in the doorway, wearing a t-shirt that rode up over belly button and black underwear. “Hey, I can go pick us up some breakfast.”

“I have to get to work.”

“Need a ride? You left your car at the bar last night.”

“I’ll be fine.”

“I had a lot of fun last night…”

“Does it look like I have time right now, Ruby?”

 Pushing past her one-night stand, Lacey ignored the pulsing headache she had. No one could know how hungover she was, she couldn’t afford for it to get back to her father or God forbid, her brother.

Regina settled onto the bus seat, feeling exhausted. She had been up late the night before grading papers and had considered canceling her visit, but it had taken her months to get an appointment with Dr. Locksley-Gold. She was the only one that accepted her insurance in the city.

 Being 24, it probably shouldn’t have been her first appointment. She had told herself for years that she didn’t need it, it wasn’t as if she were sexually active and up until she started at her new job, she hadn’t had insurance since she aged out of the system. Emma was taken aback when she heard that and insisted she made an appointment right away. Regina had to bite her tongue at how surprised Emma was. Both of them had grown up in the foster system, but after Emma got pregnant at 17 by the son of one of the wealthiest women in the city, her life had gotten a lot better.

 Regina had to fight for any bit of success that she got. She worked her ass off in high school to get a scholarship to a good college, working in any spare moment to make up the rest. On top of a full course load, she had worked as a waitress. Being over the age of 18 meant she could work full time, but that was both a blessing and a curse. She had barely slept during those 5 years, living off of coffee and ramen. It had been worth it, at the very least. She was an English teacher at a Catholic middle school and was slowly chipping away at student loans.

 She pulled out her notebook as the bus drove along to the office. She knew that the idea of a novel was silly, but she couldn’t push the dream out of her head. Books were one of the few things that got her through her crappy childhood. They were an escape to various places, where she could pretend that for a minute, things weren’t so dreary. Maybe she could do that for someone else, no matter how old.

 Eventually, Regina found herself walking inside Dr. Locksley-Gold’s office. It wasn’t long before she was pulled back into a room, where a nurse took her vitals and confirmed the reason for her visit. After the nurse left and she changed into the paper gown provided, she was waiting awhile for the doctor. She couldn’t help but feel her eyes slowly shutting. It was just for a second, the only break she’d get. After her appointment, she had to get to work. She wasn’t going to fall asleep…no…

 The door slammed shut and Regina shot up, the paper beneath her crinkling. She blinked a few times, before realizing the short doctor with auburn hair was talking to her.

“Um, yes, hello. Sorry. I drifted off.”

“It’s fine. I’m Dr. Lacey Locksley-Gold.” she sniffled and Regina noticed that she had red, bloodshot eyes.

“Are you alright?”

“Yes, yes. Please scoot down a bit.” Regina did as told, her feet sliding into the stirrups. “Did you bring anyone with you?”

“Um, here? No…it’s just me.” She was confused. Did adults normally bring someone with them to get a pap smear?

Lacey sniffled yet again. “You’re doing it alone, good for you. It’s…it’s probably easiest that way,” her voice cracked near the end of her sentence and it became clear she was fighting off tears.

Regina suddenly felt very uncomfortable. She wasn’t good when it came to other people’s emotions. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

“I’m sorry…I’m so sorry. This is so unprofessional. I’m just going through some personal problems.”

“Um…do you want me to come back then?”

“No, then we’ll have to wait another month and that’s not fair to you.”

 Regina nodded, though still unsure if she trusted the woman in front of her. She stayed leaning back, feeling a tiny bit of discomfort, but then Lacey was pulling away from her.

 “Alright, you’re all set. Just rest here for 10 minutes and then you’ll get your results in two weeks.”

Regna tilted her head. “That’s it?”

“That’s it. And again, I’m sorry about the…you know.” She gestured to her face.

“No, it’s fine. I hope…I hope you feel better.”

Lacey merely nodded, before walking out of the room. God, that had been so embarrassing. She had never broken down in front of anyone like that before outside her family, much less a patient. She just hoped that it didn’t cause any stress and wouldn’t affect the insemination.

 Heading out of the room, she went down the hall to her next patient. She raised an eyebrow when she saw her sister-in-law, Marian, sitting up one of the cots. Lacey’s brother, Robin, stood beside her, a smile on his face. Lacey’s brows furrowed as she looked from her chart, back up at them.

���I wasn’t expecting you two today.”

“We’ve finally decided to try for another baby,” Marian explained. “So, we had the nurse unfreeze Robin’s sperm.”

 Lacey stood frozen in spot, her mind replaying Astrid’s words as she walked down the hall.

 “You’ve got a pap smear in 3 and an insemination in 1.”

 The number on the door read 1…but she had put the sample inside the patient in 3.

 She had put her brother’s sample inside the patient in 3.

 Robin’s only sample. He and Marian had their son four years ago. Shortly after that, he had been diagnosed with testicular cancer. Before entering chemo, Robin had decided to freeze his sperm so that way he and Marian could still live out their dream of having two children in the future. He had beat the cancer and all of his checkups still showed that he was as healthy as a horse. Of course they’d want to try again.

 Lacey suddenly felt as though she was going to pass out. What the hell had she just done?

“Lacey?” Robin asked. “Are you alright?”

 Lacey blinked a few times. She couldn’t let them know. No, that’d be a terrible, terrible idea. Robin would never trust her again. IUI only had a 10 to 20 percent success rate the first go around, Marian and Robin knew that. The odds of it even working on the other patient were slim to none. No one had to know. Especially not Robin.

“Yes, I’m fine. I just…I forgot your sample. I’ll be right back.”

 When Lacey returned, she inseminated Marian with some saline before stressing the statistics once more to them. The hopeful look in their eyes drilled a hole in Lacey’s soul. There would be other options for them, wouldn’t they? Plus, they already had Roland.

 No matter how she justified it, Lacey knew she was wrong. After all Robin had ever done for her, she had just screwed him over in the worst way possible.

[ramblingthoughtsofayoungadult]

Don’t Trust the Lady, Chapter Three-Peaky Blinders Series

Requested: No

Warnings: angst

A/N: Sorry I’ve been gone for so long! College has been insane! 

 That night I looked good, real good. I used the time after the meeting with Alfie to comb all the shops in London for the best dresses and makeup. When I got back to the hotel, I spent hours getting ready. It was typical for me to take my time to look good for social events, but usually they were more glamorous than having dinner with a gangster. However, dinner with Alfie was a special occasion.

  The sleeveless magenta Elsa Schiaparelli dress I’d bought accentuated my slim build as well as my dark skin. My black hair was in soft waves that rested just below my chin. I slipped on my camel coat and left for Alfie’s place.

   Alfie’s home was simple and not too far off from the bakery. It wasn’t extremely lavish or gaudy as some gangster’s houses are. The house was mostly bare save for some neutral colored furniture in the parlor and sitting rooms. He was wearing a different shirt than he had been earlier, but not a jacker nor a hat. In fact, he answered the door with a white apron tied around his waist and quirked an eyebrow at me.

   “You’re early,” Alfie said. 

   “I’m usually fashionably late, but if I did that for tea, they’d always be cold,” I said.

   Alfie nodded and stepped aside. “Well, tea’s almost on.”    I walked inside and let him take my coat off my shoulders. “Smells like bread.”

  “Happens.” Alfie paused. “You look nice for dinner.”

   I half-smiled. “Thank you, Alfie. What’d you make for dinner?” 

   “A roast.”

   “S’not Sunday.” 

   “You can have roast at any time, sweetheart.”

   I hesitated. “I know that, I’m just used to waiting till Sunday to enjoy one. Waiting for things makes finally getting them so much sweeter.” 

   “S’pose it can, but doin’ what ya want when ya want is a fine way to live.”

   “Of course.” 

    Alfie was never tense that night. He told stories and spoke around business over tea. He did not speak with his mouth full-----something I half expected him to do. I did my best to steer him towards business, but he was certainly not biting. On the other hand, the best part of my job was the dance----the dance of conversation, that is. There was something exhilarating about the other person not having the slightest idea of my intentions. By the time they realized what I’d done---if they realized what I’d done---it was too late. One would assume that Alfie would know what I was on about since he worked with so many “bad” people, but I’d gotten my way with men like Alfie before.

   “That must have been astounding,” I said.

   “I’d hardly call the war astounding, but I suppose that story was,” Alfie said before having some whiskey.

   “No, I’ve always thought the war was horrid, absolutely horrid.” I swished the wine around in my glass. “The...the dread of knowing a dear friend or family member had gone to fight and never knowing if they were all right or if they’d come back. “

    The wine was dry but it went alright with the roast. I looked down at my half eaten food, forcing myself to look pitiful. It wasn’t too hard to pull off considering the best way to tell a lie was to insert a bit of the truth.

    “I heard that Tommy and the rest of ‘em fought in the war,” Alfie griped. 

    “Yes, they did.”

     “But so did someone else you knew.”

     “Yes, my brother----he was older, Tommy’s age, actually.”

    “What was his name?”

    “Edward, but everyone who was mates with ‘im called him Eddy. He was tall, dark, and handsome as well as one of the smartest people I knew. When he got drafted, he and Tommy promised me that they’d come back. I prayed and hoped every day he would come home.” I hesitated. “Then, the train came in and Eddy didn’t come off it. Tommy told me that Eddy had been killed in a tunneling explosion and he couldn’t do anything to stop it.”

     “I’m sorry, love.”

     “Did you kill him?”

     “No.”

     “Then you have nothing to be sorry about.” I finished the rest of the wine. “Is there a particular reason as to why you gave me wine?” 

     “Women like wine.” 

     “Most wines but not all women solely drink wine. I, for example, wouldn’t have minded gin or whiskey.”

    “No rum?”

    “Not the piss you make.”

    It was a risk and for a second, my heart lept up to my throat. Then, Alfie’s mouth broke into a smile and he chuckled. 

    “I’ll tell you what, I’ll let you have that, love, but don’t think you’ll get to go around talkin’ about my product like that.” 

     “I wouldn’t dream of it. Could I have some more?” I lifted my glass.

     “Course.” Alfie re-filled my glass.  

     I took another sip and watched Alfie take a sip of his third glass of whiskey. One rule of thumb I’d learn to follow was to never match the other person in drinks. One should always stay one and a half behind the other person in order to keep one’s head.

     “So, Alfie, I believe the time has come for me to ask you just why you invited me to dinner.” 

     Alfie’s expression grew more serious as he leaned forward on his forearms. “As I said before, I wanted to get to know the woman I’ll be working closely with for the forseeable future.” 

    “You have no ulterior motives?”

    “No.” 

    “I find that hard to believe. Everyone has an ulterior motive, even if they don’t know it.”

    “Then what’s yours?” 

    “I saw this as an opportunity to get to know the man I will be working so closely with for the forseeable future. Also, I wanted to take advantage of the free meal.” 

    “You are an interesting woman, Theodora.”

    “Thank you.” 

    “Theodora, where does a girl get a name like that?” 

    “My father read a lot and he came across it in a book of short stories.” 

    “Hm, and no one calls you by anything different?” 

    “My brother called me Teddy and it stuck.”

    Alfie lit a cigarette and leaned back into his seat. “Teddy and Eddy, what a pair.”

    “Yes, we once were.” I sipped some more wine, feeling my mind wander a bit. “Why rum? You could sell anything to America---vodka, whiskey, beer, gin---but you chose rum.”

    “The only other place they can get rum is from the Caribbean and it’s a far riskier operation than buyin’ from me.” 

    “Ah, but you could still serve to learn something from those Caribbeans. Rum should be sweeter than what you’re selling.”

    “They drink what I give ‘em and they like it. Takes more time to distill sweeter rum anyway. The way I run the distillery is like a tight ship and one change,” Alfie held up one finger, “could make it fall apart.”

     “Distillery’s a delicate thing,” I said. 

     “’S practically a glass house.” 

     Alfie had no idea that he had just shown his trump card to me, but if he did, he was better at my game than I was. My stomach churned at the fact that I would have to tell Tommy everything once I got back to the hotel and I usually never felt that way. If anything, I felt giddier than Christmas morning. I shouldn’t be feeling this way, especially since I barely knew Alfie.

     The rest of the night was civilized and I thanked Alfie after dessert for tea.

     “It was lovely and I appreciate it.” 

     “I appreciate it as well, love. You could’ve been out at the pub gettin’ any bloke you want but you stayed in with me.”

     “It wasn’t so bad, sometimes the pubs are as dull as the dead.” 

     He walked me to the car and kissed the top of my hand goodnight. A shiver ran up my spine as I slid into the car and leaned my head against the seat. 

     I could not and would not continue feeling this way about Alfie. Sure, he had brute strength and was handsome in his own right, but he was business partners with Tommy and I had to remain professional around him. Besides, Alfie was not the kind of man I preferred.

   Twenty minutes later, I was walking over to Tommy’s suite and knocked on the door. There was a bit of rustling before he opened the door.

   “What?” The door was barely open and he was blocking my line of vision. To most people, Tommy still looked neat but his hair was too mussed to have been done on his own. 

    I gritted my teeth involuntarily. “I just got back from Alfie’s and wanted to give you my report.” 

   “Fine, we can do this later.” 

   When I looked away, I saw it: a flash of curled blonde hair. I knew that hair like the back of my hand. The woman who owned the head of hair had been the bane of my existence and ruined everything. My heart thudded in my ears and everything moved slowly as I managed to brush past Tommy. There she was, sitting on the velvet couch, wearing a blue silk dress and looking shameful: Grace bloody Burgess.

    “Grace, I believe congratulations are in order,” I said facetiously. 

    “Hello, Teddy,” she said quietly, her eyes aimed on her hands in her lap.

    “Teddy, get out,” Tommy said.

    “No, Tom, I’m quite fine here seein’ as I’m supposed to be here. You’re not supposed to be here, are you, Grace?” I asked as I took a step closer. “No, you’re supposed to be with that fine American man you married. He’s extremely respectable where he’s from.”

    Grace’s eyes snapped up to peer into mine. “How did you know that?” 

    “I have connections everywhere. I had connections at the museum where you and Campbell used to rendezvous back when you worked for him.”

    “That’s enough, Teddy,” Tommy said.

    “No, it isn’t.” 

    Grace stood. “You should listen to Tommy.”

    “Do not tell me what to do.” I stepped closer to her. “I suggest you leave now.”

     “Or what? You’ll kill me.”

     “I would never waste a manicure on you. However, I do have ways of getting information to anyone and everyone I please.”

    Grace’s eyes widened. “You wouldn’t.”

    “Do not test me. I told you to leave and never come back a year ago and here you are, back with him. Don’t you see that you ruin ‘im? That all you’ll ever do is ruin ‘im? He does not need you.”

     “Teddy!” 

     “If I ever catch you in Small Heath or near him again, you will wish that you never left Ireland.” 

     Slowly, Grace grabbed her things and walked out of the suite. Tommy was absolutely seething, but I couldn’t have cared less. He would never lay a hand on me unless he wanted Polly, John, and Arthur taking turns strangling him. That was why when he whirled around once Grace left, I didn’t move from my place. He stormed over to me, the anger rising in his face. 

    “That was none of your business!” Tommy snapped.

    “It was all of my business, Tommy! She was using you to get information and take the whole family down, me included! She’s only back because her husband isn’t exciting or dangerous-----she does not really care about you!” I snapped.

    “YOU DON’T KNOW THAT!’

    “YES, I DO!” I breathed and shook my head at him. “People like us don’t get to be happy, Tom. We don’t get to fall in love and care about people----not when all we do is rob, kill, and destroy our enemies.”

    “Who told you that?” His voice was barely above a whisper.

    “You did.” I swallowed thickly since the tension brewing between us was practically suffocating. Grace had always been a point of tension between Tommy and me since she became a barmaid. I didn’t trust her and I was right to. So, when the time was right, I told her to leave Small Heath and never look back unless she wanted her life ripped away from her. She’d tried to appear strong and accused me of being jealous of her and Tom, but the next day, she was gone. Sure, Tommy was upset and withdrawn for a long time, but he got over it. He would have been completely over her if she hadn’t found out that he was in London.  

    Tommy sighed and poured himself a drink. “What makes you think I didn’t call her over here?” 

    “Because you didn’t know she was in the country and I did.” 

    Tommy narrowed his eyes at me but said nothing. “What do you have on Solomons?” 

   “He didn’t give me much besides some war stories, but the distillery is a glass house. One rock thrown at it will make it shatter into bits.” 

   Tommy nodded and took another drink. “Imagine what a grenade would do.”

   “Irreparable damage.” 

   Of course, I immediately knew that Tommy was going to throw a grenade into the distillery or, at the very least, make a threat to do so. A part of me wanted to warn Alfie, but a larger, more logical part of me told me to keep quiet and do my job. Destroying other people’s businesses was not my expertise anyway.

[hopeishappinessff]

Chapter 16

I felt groggy, though I fell asleep at a reasonable hour the night before and I’d just stood nearly twenty minutes in the middle of a lukewarm shower to wake myself up. My hair was a wild mess and all over my head and I barely had the energy to unwrap my oversized towel to get dressed for the day. Gazing at my own tired reflection in the foggy mirror, I reached up and slithered the tips of fingers over the deep shadows beneath my eyes. I hadn’t paid much attention to them since the last dream, or nightmare, or whatever it was, but after losing half a night’s sleep from it the shadows were more prominent now. Easing over to my makeup products on the far corner of the counter, I decided to apply a light coat of foundation and concealer to cover the lack of sleep evident beneath my eyes.

Wrapping my hair into a tight, neat bun atop my head I dressed leisurely in a soft pink sweatshirt, a pair of light wash denim shorts, and a pair of white Keds. Retrieving my brown leather backpack and my books from my desk, I made my way out into the hall and downstairs to the kitchen. I pulled my phone out to text Destani, letting her know that I’d be driving and to meet me at my house. She arrived nearly ten minutes later and once she did, I collected my belongings along with a small bottle of orange juice and a muffin. Within minutes, we were situated in the car and on our way to school.

I thoughtlessly placed a hand over my mouth to stifle an oncoming yawn as I drove and from the corner of my eye, I could see Destani staring at me “What’s up with all this yawning?” “Oh nothing, I’m just really tired.” I admitted, yawning again only a second later. “Oh really… tired huh? From what?” She asked with a smirk. With a roll of my eyes, I shook my head and focused on the road ahead “From no sleep Dez.” “No sleep…” She repeated slowly. “Yeah… I had that dream thing again last night and I only got a couple of hours of sleep.” “Damn girl… have you talked to your aunt about that?” She asked, dropping her sly smirk into a frown.

“No… I don’t want her worrying about it when it’s not really a big deal.” I said as I pulled into the student parking lot. “It’s not a big deal? Sy, you just said you only got a couple of hours of sleep last night. I don’t know about you, but I think that means it's time to take a trip to a hospital or a psych ward or something.” She fussed as she climbed from the car. Laughing at her somber expression paired with her ridiculous comment, I followed suit and exited the car “I’m not about to go to a hospital and certainly not a psych ward for lack of sleep Destani.”

With a loud drastic sigh, she cut her eyes in my direction and smacked her lips right after she rolled her eyes. “I’m just saying girl. You have a problem… I’m just trying to help you find a solution!” With yet another laugh, I walked in sync with her as we headed up toward the school. After entering the double doors of the building, I veered toward my locker as Destani continued on to hers. “Hey yella!” I whipped around at the sound of the loud voice ringing out behind me only to find Tameka and Nalay in route toward me. With a smirk, I shut my locker door and turned to face them. “Hey guys.” I greeted.

“Where Dez at?” Nalay asked as she leaned against the locker next to mine. “She’s at her locker.” I said as I pointed in her direction. As a group, we moved further down the hall toward Destani’s locker. “Morning bitch.” Tameka greeted as she chomped on a piece of gum. “Morning hoe.” Destani said with a smirk. Once Destani had gathered the last of her items, we all headed toward the cafeteria and claimed a table. I sat comfortably with Nalay while Destani and Tameka made their way up to the line to grab breakfast.

“What’s poppin beautiful and gorgeous?” A familiar masculine voice rang out behind us and we both turned to find Dontay, Rashad, and BJ sauntering toward our table. “Oh look, it’s dumb, dumber, and dumb ass.” Destani cackled as she and Tameka arrived at the table in sync with the boys. “Well good morning to you too, my future baby mama.” Rashad said with a smirk. “Um, no little nigga… you need to calm down.” She said as she took a seat beside me.

“Aye, where Breezy at?” Dontay asked. His absence was noticed within seconds by the entire group and soon enough, everyone took a glance around the table as if he would suddenly appear. “I know man. I haven’t heard from that nigga since like last week.” Rashad said. With a harsh roll of her eyes, Destani quickly chimed in “Well he ain’t here.” “Well duh Dez, isn’t that obvious? What I’m saying is, if he ain’t here… where the hell is he at?” He said, playfully rolling his eyes.

“I hope your damn eyes get stuck like that. midget nigga.” She said with a grimace. “Anyway…” Dontay chuckled softly as he turned to face me, “Sy… you know where Chris at?” I didn’t want to look Dontay directly in the eye and lie to him, so with a quick glance toward the entrance of the lunchroom I swiftly shook my head no. “Damn, M.I.A… somebody need to call this nigga and at least see if he’s still living!” BJ blurted and everyone shared a laugh as I sat there quietly, recalling the less than hilarious day I’d just spent watching Chris get kicked out of his mother’s house.

Moments later, the bell rang and everyone dispersed from the table to head off in separate directions for class. To my surprise and delight, the morning classes seemed to fly by much quicker than the afternoon and I soon found myself waiting in the senior English room for the bell signaling the start of class. With only a few minutes before the bell, a small conjugation of people rushed into the room and sauntering leisurely at the back of the pack… was Chris.

“Welcome back Christopher.” Mrs. Donna greeted him with a pat on the shoulder and a warm smile. With a smirk, he responded with a simple nod and waited near her desk for her to sign his slip. After retrieving it, he turned and moved back toward his seat. On his journey down the row to my right, I briefly caught his stare and my eyes couldn’t help but drift down to his perfectly plump lips just as he twisted them into a handsome smirk. It wasn’t until he winked that I tore my gaze from him as he continued on to his desk. “Okay class… settle down, settle down,” Mrs. Donna spoke firmly over the boisterous classroom, “Now, seeing as we spent majority of last week studying the superlative playwrights of Shakespeare, I thought that it would be a wonderful idea to delve a bit further into our studies.”

With a devious smirk, she swept her gaze across the unenthused room and eagerly clapped her hands together “With that being said, I’d like to pair you all off into groups and assign each assembly a different play… written by none other than Mr. Shakespeare himself! Once each play has been appropriately assigned, it will then become the task of you and your fellow group members to research the significance and antiquity behind your assigned play.”

“Now Mr. Brown…” She continued, focusing her gaze fixedly on Chris, “You on the other hand will not be partaking in this particular activity, as you were perceptibly not present during the core of our studies last week. I think what I’d like to do for you is assign two study partners to assist you with the material that will be essential for the big Shakespeare exam at the end of the month.” There seemed to be a simultaneous sigh released from just about everyone in the classroom and Mrs. Donna only laughed as she circled around behind her desk “My, my, my… aren’t we all just so enthusiastic about Shakespeare today?” She giggled.

“Okay Mr. Brown… your study partners will be…” She paused for a moment, only to peep around the classroom before dropping her gaze to her attendance chart, “Miss Sarah Wilkins and Miss Sy’Diyah Donsen.” I tuned in to the sudden shrill gasp to my left and glanced over to see Sarah with blushing cheeks as red as a tomato and a hand slapped tight over her mouth. “Is there a problem Miss Wilkins?” Mrs. Donna asked, brows twisted with concern. “No.” Sarah squealed quickly. With a smile, I glanced to my right at Chris just as he dropped his head and shook it as his shoulders trembled with laughter.

Sarah Wilkins was one of several females in the school that had an odd obsessive nature when it came to Chris. She was a very bright and beautiful white girl, who did everything in her power to try to constantly get Chris’s attention. I guess she assumed his interest was only peaked by girls of color, so she gradually started to incorporate more ‘urban attire’ into her every day apparel throughout the year. As Destani would often say, she was simply a ‘nerd with swag.’

Sarah sat in the far left corner of the classroom, trying to conceal her harsh breathing only moments after hearing that she’d also been paired up to work with Chris. “Sarah… sweetheart, would you perhaps like to head down to the nurse?” Mrs. Donna suggested as she swiftly approached her and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.

“No Mrs. Donna… I… I’m fine. Really.” She stuttered between labored breaths. Her bright blue eyes drifted over to Chris and I watched in utter amusement as he swiped his tongue out over his luscious lips and discreetly winked at her with a suave smirk. She reflexively threw a hand up against her chest and Mrs. Donna immediately gripped her by her wrist and carefully maneuvered her out of her seat. She turned to Sarah’s immediate neighbor and politely demanded that she escort her to the nurse’s office.

Once the class ended a little more than half an hour later, Mrs. Donna called for Chris and I at the front of the room. She explained to me what I’d need to go over with him in our study sessions and provided me with all the necessary materials. The two of us eventually settled on the public library as the most ideal location for all three of us to meet after school.

As we departed from the classroom, I suggested that Chris head on to the cafeteria for lunch while I met up with Sarah at the nurses office to fill her in on our plans. “Nah… I think I’m gonna go with you.” He stated with an impish smirk. “Chris no. That girl nearly passed out because of you.” I fussed. “That shit was so funny though man!” He laughed as he walked beside me down the hall. With a shake of my head, I paused just as we’d arrived at the nurse’s office.

Knocking on the door first and waiting for a response, I slid it open and stuck my head in “Hi Ms. Myers… I just wanted to come talk to Sarah for a second.” I said as I pointed over at a now composed Sarah who sat on a gurney in the corner of the room. “Sure sweetie.” The nurse smiled warmly as she turned to focus on Sarah’s paperwork on the counter.

“Thank you ma’am,” I said before turning my attention to Sarah, “Hey Sarah… are you okay?” “Yeah… I’m okay.” She said with a weak smile plastered on her face. With a glance over my shoulder, her eyes quickly bulged and her cheeks morphed into a light shade of pink. Fully aware of what’d caused her to instantly become so flustered, I turned with a roll of my eyes and spotted Chris leaning casually against the frame of the door.

“Hey Sarah… how you feelin?” He asked with a charming grin. The girl looked like she was literally trembling as she nodded and stared at him. Clearing my throat, I glanced back at him then turned to face Sarah. “We were planning to meet at the city library today after school.” I explained. “At… at the library?” She stammered. “Yes, but only if you’ll feel up to it. If not we can meet up some other time.” I said as took a small step back toward the door.

“No, no…,” She exclaimed with an abrupt burst of energy, "I can make it. I can be there today!” “Okay, well um… why don’t you give me your number and I’ll text you later to let you know what time we’ll meet up.” She recited her number, occasionally glancing nervously at Chris with every other digit she mumbled. "Alright, so… I’ll text you later, okay. You’re sure you can make it?” I asked. “Yeah… yeah I can make it.” She said. “Okay… well, see you later,” I said then turned back to face Chris, “Come on Chris.” “Bye Sarah… see you tonight.” He said with a two finger salute and yet another alluring wink.

--

Together, Chris and I entered the cafeteria and headed straight for our designated table. The clamor seemed to increase the closer we got and I quickly realized the cause for all the ruckus… “Breezy… what’s up my nigga!” Rashad shouted enthusiastically as he stood to greet Chris. “What’s up boy?” Chris replied with a goofy grin as he dapped Rashad. “Bro, where the hell you been?” Dontay asked as he too stood to greet him. “I been where I been my dude.” Chris laughed, taking a seat across from me at the table. “Well I know we were about to call in a missing persons report on your ass this morning, so I’m glad you finally decided to join society again.” Rashad exclaimed as we all laughed.

The table immediately erupted into chatter, with everyone trying to catch Chris up on everything he’d missed during his absence. My breath hitched and I swore my heart nearly stopped as I spotted Destani approaching the table with Tameka at her side. Laughing jovially at his conversation with Rashad and Dontay, Chris glanced briefly at the pair and within the blink of an eye, his laughter died down almost completely.

“Hey Charlie Brown… how you doing boy?” Tameka asked as she walked around to Chris and embraced him in a hug. “I’m good Meka, how you doing?” He responded with a half smirk. “Oh you know I’m straight boo.” She said as she took a seat beside BJ. Everyone continued on with their conversations though there was an evident air of silence and tension between Chris and Destani. “Hey Chris.” She finally mumbled with defeat. With only a single nod of his head, he eyed the food on the table in front of him and popped a fry in his mouth. Allowing her stare to linger momentarily, Destani finally quietly plopped down in the seat beside me.

“So Breezy… where exactly have you been all week?” Dontay was the first to spark the topic sure to be on everyone’s mind. “Aw man,” Chris started as he ran a hand over his face, “I um… I actually been stayin with Gabby.” “Nigga what… why?” BJ asked, instantly chiming into the now scandalous conversation. “Because man,” He paused, glancing down at his lap with a shake of his head and a sigh, “…She’s pregnant.” The clamor returned immediately as they all simultaneously howled and shrouded Chris with questions with Rashad nearly choking on his food.

“Damn Shad, maybe if you didn’t eat like a damn horse your ass wouldn’t be choking over there.” Nalay said as she reached over to give him a pat on the back. “Shit, whatever Nay.” He mumbled, quickly reaching for the bottle of water sitting in front of him. “Damn nigga… you didn’t strap up?” BJ inquired. “Yeah, well I mean did. I always did… I don’t remember ever being careless with that shit, so I honestly don’t see where I slipped up.” Chris replied with an attentive expression. “Well… you know them hoes can break, plus they’re only like ninety-eight percent effective.” Dontay said. With a nod, Chris frowned and stared out into space “Yeah… I guess.”

--

I leaned against the driver’s side door of my car, waiting for Destani to come out so that we could leave. I stood there, totally consumed in a game I’d downloaded on my phone to kill time and my attention was quickly wavered by the sound of a loud feminine voice moving toward me. Assuming that perhaps it was one of the girls, I glanced up and quickly diverted my gaze right back down once I spotted Chris and Gabby walking toward her car… parked graciously beside mine. “What time is your practice over today mi amor?” She asked as she walked with her arm wrapped loosely around his waist.

“Um… I honestly don’t know. Since I missed last weeks practices, coach is probably gonna be all over my ass today. It’ll probably be a late one for me.” He explained as he strutted with an arm over her shoulder and the other loaded with her bag. “Well I hope he doesn’t work you too hard. I don’t want you all tired when you come home.” Stopping just outside her back left passenger door, she unlocked the car allowing him access to drop her bag inside.

“Yeah… we’ll see.” He muttered once he’d closed the door and stood tall in front of her. With a smirk, she lifted herself onto the tips of her toes then wrapped her arms around his neck. Dropping his hands to her hips, she leaned in and pressed her lips against his. With no desire to tune in to their excessive show of affection, I made sure to focus on my phone like my life depended on it. Assuming that the awkward moment was over almost a full minute later I discreetly glanced up at the pair and gasped with wide eyes at the sight of Chris still standing there, latched at the lips with his girlfriend… with his eyes glued shamelessly to me. That foreign tingling sensation that I’d only experienced once, thanks to him, ripped right through me from the intensity of his piercing light brown orbs and I quickly dropped my gaze for the last time.

What felt like almost an eternity later, she finally peeled herself away from him and used the pads of her thumbs to wipe away the excess lip gloss from his lips “Call me when your practice is over papi.” With a short nod of his head, he silently stuffed his hands down into his pockets and watched as she climbed into her car. Glancing back to blow him a kiss, she eased her gaze in my direction and smirked before pulling out of her space.

Chris stood there momentarily, staring at the back of her car as she whipped out of the parking lot then peered curiously at me with a lick of his plumped lips “What’re you doing?” He asked, casually approaching me. “Playing a game.” I murmured, never breaking my gaze from my phone. “Oh… why are you just standin here?” I looked up at him, irritation quickly consuming me, then looked back down at my phone “I’m waiting for Dez.” “Oh…” He remained quiet for a while, before releasing a deep sigh.

“So um… we may have to meet a little later today because I’m probably gonna be in practice for a while.” He spoke softly as he stared down at the ground. “That’s fine.” I figured if I kept my answers short, perhaps he’d take the hint and move along. He didn’t take the bait, however… or he was just completely oblivious to the awkward tension of the moment, as he continued to linger quietly next to me. “Don’t you have to get to practice?” I asked with a sigh as I dimmed my phone screen and eased it into my purse. “Yeah, but…”

“Aye Sy, can we stop and pick up some food… a bitch is starving!” I could hear the distinct voice of Destani to my left. Chris and I instantaneously turned to see her moving to open the passenger side door of my car. Briefly glancing  up, she hesitated as she locked eyes with Chris. With his jaw clenched to the point where I thought it would break, he peered down at me and clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth “Yeah… I’m gonna get to practice now. I’ll talk to you later.”

I responded with a simple nod of my head and peeked over the hood of the car to find Destani staring at Chris. He gave her a once over before turning and ambling off toward the school. “I don’t understand why he’s acting like that with me.” Destani stated as she climbed into the car after me. She slouched irritably in her seat with her arms crossed tightly over her chest. With a frown, I looked over at her like she’d just lost her mind “Seriously Dez?” “What? I’m just sayin… I don’t get it.” The octave of her voice had risen as though she were surprised.

“So are you forgetting that you stood in the middle of the movie theater parking lot and yelled out to everyone within earshot that his girlfriend is pregnant… and she doesn’t know who the father is? And then you proceeded to try to fight the girl?” With an exasperated sigh, she shut her eyes and leaned her head back against the headrest “Oh my gosh… I tried to forget about that. I swear I did… and I was hoping he would too.” “You were hoping… Destani, you’re kidding right now right? He’s upset about that and he has every right to be. You should consider apologizing to him.”

Smacking her teeth, she rolled her eyes and turned to glare out of the window “You would stick up for that nigga.” She mumbled. “Dez look… this is the same thing I explained to him. This is not a competition… I’m always gonna have your back and his, because you’re both my best friends. If one of you happens to say or do something that I don’t agree with, however, then I feel I should be able to let you know that as your friend. And right now, I’m telling you that what you’re saying is ridiculous!” I exclaimed.

“Do you know how much stupid shit Chris says on a fuckin daily bases? All you ever do is stick up for his ass, I swear.” She fussed. “Wow… I can’t believe you right now. Something clearly climbed up your butt today.” I said, utterly confused by her behavior. “Ain’t shit crawl up my ass today, thank you very damn much,” She said with yet another roll of her eyes, “I just don’t exactly get why you understand why he’s so mad, but I don’t.” “I just told you why he’s mad Dez. What do you mean you don’t understand?”

She sighed and snapped around to sneer at me through squinted eyes “You know what, just forget it… It’s whatever. Apparently you know the nigga better than I do, so what the fuck ever.” With a scoff, I rolled my eyes right back at her. She was frustrating me and I no longer had the energy to entertainment her immature antics, so I silently drove her to the fast food restaurant of her choice. Once she ordered through the drive-thru, I drove us back to our neighborhood and silently dropped her off at home.