#and then I sighed very loudly and dramatically and went ‘I suppose’

[possum-quesadilla]

whaaaaat kind of concert?

…. Darius Rucker….

[tainted-liquor]

'I Have A Girlfriend! ₊‧.°

Post-Anesthesia!Miles Morales x BlackFem!Reader ᧔᧓Ingredients: Crack, kisses, and a lil bit of smiles! zᶻ∘⋆TWs: Menace Miles, N-word usage, Cussing, Jeff abuse, me brushing up on Spanish ⁺˚���W/C: 1k! ♡⸝⸝A/N: Crackfic abt post-op Miles 😝 I spent 20 minutes trying to get tumblr to work on my fuhkin computer. No images but dividers idc

"Miles, Put your tongue back in your mouth!" Mrs. Morales urged as she pulled him back on the couch. "Ay, Dios! ¿Cuándo te poniste tan pesado?" She huffed, flopping back on the couch. Miles didn't answer, groaning in frustration as he slid halfway down the sofa in protest. "MamiiiiiiiiiI!" He whined in a shrill voice, gauze muffling his every syllable. "Yes, Miles? What is it now?" Mama Rio asked, her tone laced with amused irritation.

"Dónde está mi novia?" He muttered as the top of his head smushed against the glazed hardwood floor. "She's on her way Miles, calm down you're not supposed to talk too much…MILES! NO NO NO!" She urged as she watched her son attempt to spit out the bloody gauze tucked into the back of his mouth. There were three soft knocks at the Morales's door, with Mama Rio sighing in relief as she opened the door to reveal your smiling face, your eyes widening as you heard Miles's low groans of disproval in the background. "Hi, Mrs. Morales! Is he…okay?" You asked quietly, peering your head through the front door as you watched Miles inch slowly off of the sofa. "Hey, sweetie! Oh don't worry about him he's…being dramatic…" she trailed off, slowly gazing at her son who was now folded in half on the floor.

She giggled quietly, stepping to the side as she permitted you entry into her warm and inviting home. You made a B-line for Miles, scooping the liquid boy up under his arms and laying him back on the couch. "Hey, my love! How are you-…Aht! Nigga!?" you began, eyes widening in shock as he shushes you, grabbing your face in his entire hand as he barely held his eyes open. "No! I…Have a girlfriend!" he slurs, doing a half-crunch to be eye level with you as he attempts to make eye contact. You laughed quietly, gently easing him back to his resting position. "I am your girlfriend!" You chuckled, watching as his eyes widened as wide as the anesthesia would allow them to.

"Muñequita! Te amo tan mucho…" He exclaimed, engulfing you in a surprisingly lethal hug that left you tapping his forearm for release. You nodded avidly, loosening his arm slightly so you could comfortably breathe before slipping away from his grasp to go help Mama Rio with some household chores. You spent around 20 minutes making small talk with her, talking about how his procedure went, how long it would take to recover, and a bit about how much of a fool he was acting just minutes before your arrival. You giggled as you gossiped like school girls, perking up when you heard the front door swing open. "Oh, Hello Mr. Morales!" You greeted, waving a hand energetically from the kitchen sink.

"Hey! Thanks for coming to check on…Miles." He begins, head slowly turning towards his son who was now face down and completely on the floor. He was babbling absolute nonsense, singing songs in the completely wrong key to keep himself distracted as he attempted to find his footing. You rushed over to him, Mama Rio holding up her camera and covering her mouth to silence any giggles that threatened to break free. "C'mon, Vamos a recuperarte…that's it…" You grunted, lifting a very zooted Miles off the ground, knees buckling as he leaned his head on your shoulder and rested every pound of his body weight against you. You gasped, nearly falling over before Jeff quickly grabbed Miles, attempting to throw him over his shoulder and get him to his room. Everyone fell silent as a loud *pop!* noise was heard, Rio laughing as loudly as humanly possible while Jeff winced in slight pain. Miles put all his strength possible into popping his father, remaining groggy and unafraid as he gave his father a sleepy but stern glare. "Who the FUCK are you nigga?" he garbled, feet dangling in the air as Jeff held him up under his arms just above his head. He gave him the most livid glare that would've sent sober Miles into a coma, sighing and shaking his head as he mumbled to himself. "Yeah, that's it alright. Grounded for TWO MONTHS!" You lost all composure, wheezing and cackling on the floor as you watched Jeff angrily swaddle Miles in his hoodie, tying the sleeves of the red cotton together in a makeshift way to make sure his arms didn't move again.

You and Rio struggled to find your air as Jeff threw him down onto the couch, wrapping two blankets underneath the cushion and around Miles to hold him in place. Miles cried loudly, screaming as his life depended on it as his father put his hands on his hips, giving him one final glare, and walking away. You struggled to breathe as you got up and patted Miles's head, hooting and hollering as you wiped the remnants of tears from your waterline. You were just about to calm down, taking deep breaths as you stabilized your lungs. "Oh, hey, Kitty!" you cooed, glancing over at the family cat as he jumped up on Miles's chest. Miles squinted at the small ginger cat, taking it in for about 10 seconds before screaming. "WOAH WOAH WOAH WHATS WRONG!?" You asked, watching as Miles's face contorted into one of genuine horror. The cat was now long gone, swishing off into the hallway to take several deep bites of food. Miles was still screaming, babbling incoherently about some sort of 'overgrown rat' being on his chest. You lost it once more, head and chest throbbing as you laughed yourself into hysteria. You cuddled up by your boyfriend, shushing him through tears as you peppered gentle kisses to the side of his face. "Miles! Calm down, okay? It's literally your cat!" You giggled, patting his face gently as he squirmed in the makeshift straight jacket his father put him in. After calming him down and getting him to drink some water you noticed him begin to mellow out, holding him close to you as you slowly silenced him to sleep.

"C'mon, shut the mouth…No-No, don't spit out your gauze we'll change that later. I love you, Miles!" "Bleh."

[animemensblog]

Invisible

Gojo x gn!reader

Summary: what happens when Gojo meets someone who is immune to his six eyes?

No warnings :)

It was a hot day, sun beaming down and causing sweat to build along your hairline. Your headphones weren't helping with the soft muff cupping your ear and rubbing against your skin. Although it's tolerable in the shade, that means nothing when you decided today all your errands would be done by walking or train.

As you turn the corner you notice a small convenient store with a huge sign advertising 'buy one get one' on all cold items during the summer. The choices were clear; spend more money to cool off or finish walking home and die the second you enter your no ac apartment.

When you opened the store door you could feel the vibration of the bell and a faint ringing that seemed to last forever. Your feet were sore but weren't dragging, they almost felt like they were floating. You reach down in the fridge, grabbing water and a juice. The condensation quickly dripped off your hands and onto the ground, as the drop falls it splatters and hits your leg.

You stare at the water dropping towards your ankle, soaking a part of your sock. It quickly becomes uncomfortable, and what better way to ignore it other than changing your playlist?

You start shuffling to the counter, standing behind a tall white haired man waiting in line. As it moves forward, you can hear the cashier and the customer talking very loudly. As if their heads are against your chest and yelling into it, the vibrating and thumping echoed in your lungs and stomach.

As you click on a new song, an awkward laugh in front of you erupts, shortly after the stranger turned around and hit you. His arms had swung and threw you to the ground, along with your drinks and phone which managed to disappear. When you look up he's standing there, staring like he saw a ghost, his eyes were blown wide and his mouth partially agape.

At first, you thought he was just shocked. I mean, wouldn't you be if you hit someone to the ground? Then, you noticed your shorts slid down your thighs, revealing the rather brightly colored underwear peaking through. Your legs shut as you stand up, giving him a nasty glare and a meek "pervert".

Gojo on the other hand can't grasp how he didn't notice you, or even hear you behind him. His six eyes are supposed to help him, right? So how did he miss you approaching, standing there for minutes and managed to throw you to the ground? It didn't make sense.

"I'm not a pervert" Gojo says as he follows you around the store

"Your stalking says otherwise"

His pace picks up so he's less than a foot behind you, "ha! I bet you wish that's what I was doing!" He says, striking a small pose in hopes you'd notice. "Really, I just want to make sure you're ok-"

You turn around, almost chest to chest. Usually he'd be excited someone so pretty came so close but that look said maybe he shouldn't be happy. "Leave me alone" you spit before going back to searching, he watches as you turn into the isle to the right and follows.

"I can help you, ya know! I've been told my sight is the best" he boasts, turning into the isle he saw you go into.

"Really? Because you didn't see me at all before" you mumble behind him, once again he quickly turns around to find you kneeling.

"How are you doing that?" His tone had switched, it sounded like he was worried, concerned. Almost upset.

"Kneeling?" You question

"No! That's not what-" He shakes his head and sighs, they're just a normal person he thinks to himself. "Nevermind" he sighs again, then went back to looking for your drinks.

You think finally, he's gonna leave me alone. Thats until he's yelling for you from another isle, "ohhh strangerrrr!" He says dramatically, "I found your drinksss!" You can see him waving his lanky arms over the shelving.

"Most annoying man I've ever met, and I've known him less than an hour. This is some bullshit for an already bullshit day.." you continue mumbling as you almost stomp to the other side.

When you turn the corner, he's still waving his arms. He truly looked ridiculous with that big ass smile, jumping up and down like he's done the impossible. You sharply inhale before getting a running start- if he isn't going to acknowledge you when you're in the same isle, you'll just have to get it back on your own.

Despite how loud the impact of your feet was, to everyone else they were silent like paper landing completely flat on tile floor. You jump up as soon as he comes down and yank the bottles from his hands then landing before you hit the fridges. The only sound anyone else heard was you landing- the running, deep breaths and mumbling had gone unnoticed.

For a third time, the Gojo Satoru couldn't see or hear you. You. A normal person he just happened to run into while he was picking up snacks for himself, Geto and Shoko.

"You're quite annoying, you know that?" You ask as you make your way back down the isle towards the counter. Gojo doesn't realize when he started walking, gravity was just pulling him towards you. It was screaming that he needed to know who you are, how you operate, every detail a human can possibly know about themselves. More specifically, he wants to know if you're good or bad, if you're loyal or untrustworthy, if you're single or taken.

He marches up beside you with (and you hate to admit it) a charming and bright smile. He nudges your hands out of the way and pays the cashier, then turns to you and only gives you one of the bottles.

"You can have the other one later!" He says smuggly before snatching his receipt from the guys hand.

"You're a cute couple" the worker says.

"What? Ew no" you argue while leaving Gojo at the counter. He's embarrassed to say the least and only shrugs as he follows you, again.

He silently, and blindly, followed you halfway back to your apartment before you turned around to acknowledge him. "Are you actually a stalker or something?" He takes a step closer to hover over you, placing a tiny flick to your forehead.

"How are you going to hear my answer if you're wearing those headphones?" He softly asks

"I can hear perfectly fine, unlike you." Your eyes narrow at him and he chuckles. That gentle laugh has your heart skipping a beat or two.

He hums as he opens your water and takes a gulp. "Hey! That's mine you creep" you say as you try to grab it.

"I'm not a creep!" He laughs, raising his arm above his head.

"You wouldn't be following me if you weren't" you say inbetween jumps.

He once again avoids the question, this time by walking around you. "Where we heading?" He asks

"I'm heading home, you're leaving me alone."

"Aw why can't I come?" He pouts, you scoff at him while you cross the street.

"Isn't it obvious? You're a strange man following me like a lost puppy. Of course you don't belong in my house."

"But I want to go!" Gojo whines

"Why?"

Why does he want to, he wonders, is there even an appropriate answer?

"I wanna know you" he mumbles as he looks down at you, waiting to see your reaction. He imagined it as cute, sweet maybe, instead your eyebrows are furrowed and you looked mad. And yet, you let him follow you. In silence, of course.

Your mom did say make friends. I mean, she never said bring strangers into your home, especially when they borderline harassed you. But you can't shake him off, plus he's seems nice? However nice someone can be after bothering and assaulting you.

You turn onto your street and stop, "how do I know you're not going to hurt me?" Your voice sounded weak to him, even softer than when you called him a pervert earlier.

"Why would I hurt you?"

"Why would you wanna get to know me?"

He chuckles, "why wouldn't I?"

You wanted to gag. What was this, a love sitcom?

"I'll tell you what-" you take a deep breath, "I'll give you my number and if I decide you're not a creep, or a pervert or a stalker, or-"

"I get it" he says as he rubs the back of his neck

"If I somehow decide you're not any of those things, I guess we can hangout."

"Hangout?! It'd be a date!"

You pull out a pen from your bag and grab his arm, "Just because you're not a disgusting man, doesn't mean I'll go out with you. It just means you can get to know me, like you said."

"Yeahh but I meant like I'd take you out to dinner or something."

"Then tell me that." you chuckle, a sound that was music to his ears.

"I'd like to take you out to dinner, or something."

"You're weird" you laugh and walk away, when you hear him following you shooed him away and disappeared down a small alley.

When Gojo looks down at his arm, ready to immediately put it in his phone, he sees '9-1-1' and "get help <3" written.

[injestedsoap]

@femalefemur and i had WAY too much fun spinning this idea and now it's a fic that you can read!

18+ MDNI

reader beware you're in for-- non gendered reader with breasts and a pussy, dubcon, improvised restraints, face fucking, degradation, and power play

You glared at yourself in the little shaving mirror directly in front of you. You weren't supposed to be here, you really weren't supposed to be here. It had been a dare, sneak into Lt Ghost's room, nab a pair of boxers, and sneak back out. They knew you had a crush on him and this was the highest form of teasing they could think of. And you were a cocky little shit so you agreed to it. Which is how you ended up here, under Ghost's bed, holding your breath as the door opened and heavy footsteps entered the room.

Ghost wasn't stupid, you didn't get to be The Ghost by being stupid, which was why as soon as he opened the door to his bedroom he knew something was Off. He didn't sense any danger just... Off, like someone had slipped in and walked around in his room while he was out. His eyes carefully swept the room, looking for anything to affirm his senses. Nothing caught his eye until... there, the tip of a finger peeking out from under his bed, slowly he shifted his gaze over to the shaving mirror on the floor in front of his closet.

Ah.

Under his mask he grinned. It was the little recruit who fancied him. Oh yeah, he'd noticed the way they kept an eye on him when he was around base. He's even heard the hushed giggles from their friends when he passed out of normal ear shot. He has a guess about what had happened for this one to end up in his room and he grinned even wider as he started to spin a plan.

"Sure wish I had someone in here to suck my cock," Ghost announced to the room, waking over to the bed with intentionally heavy steps, watching as the hand drew back further under the bed. He stopped at the edge of the bed, sitting down to begin unlacing his boots. "Really could use a nice hot mouth on my big fat cock." With the angle of his head and the way his mask sat on his face he could watch the recruit without them seeing his eyes and he felt heat curl in his stomach at the look on their face hidden in the shadows of his bed. He even watched as their throat worked around a swallow.

He grunted, bouncing on the bed slightly as he kicked off one boot and went for the other. "God 'm fucking hard," Ghost continued, removing the second boot and laying back, breaking his line of sight but giving him the opportunity to really make a meal of this poor thing. Ghost rolled back into the middle of the bed and cupped his cock over his pants, sighing louder than he ever had while doing this. He grinned, enjoying the idea that he was torturing the little dove. Ghost unzipped his pants as loudly as he could and wriggled out of them gracelessly, intentionally dropping them in front of the cadet. He hissed, loud and dramatic, as he pulled off his boxers dropping them down off the side of the bed as well.

Ghost wasn't planning on jerking off, not when he had such a lovely opportunity to indulge in something else, but that wasn't any reason to deny a pair of spying eyes a show, now was it? Ghost had never been a very vocal man but Christ did he play it up now. He tossed his head back and groaned, bouncing the bed intentionally, and slapping his cupped hand against his thigh, the sound of skin on skin filling the room as his hard cock bounced on his stomach. He arched his back, a blurt of precum dribbling over his tensed stomach as he moaned out a fake orgasm, his cock twitching at the idea of the real one he was going to have soon. Ghost smirked, wondering what the little cadet looked like under the bed right now. He waited a beat, then rolled over, dropped his feet to the floor and stood up, shooting his eyes down to the mirror for his answer. Sweat was dripping down their face, one hand clearly shoved between their thighs, their lovely full lips parted as they panted silently. Ghost turned, making sure the cadet got a good look at his cock, hot and red and leaking cum, he wondered what they were thinking, they assumed he'd already came, were they wondering if his cock really got hard again that fast. Ghost chuckled silently and then made a big show of stooping to pick up a towel, sighing again, "Fuck me I wanna get sucked," He announced, and then made all the noise he could as he walked across the room to the small en suite bathroom, opened the door, closed it, and tucked himself into the corner of the room to wait.

You took a steadying breath, rubbing the heel of your hand against your pussy and shoving a whimper into your hand. Your heartbeat was in your ears but you still managed to hear the sound of the bathroom door opening and closing.

You needed to go and you needed to go now. Slowly, so slowly, you sneaked your way out from under the bed. You needed to do this in as few movement as possible to decrease the noise you were going to make. You spared a thought to grab the boxers as you crawled and then adjusted yourself so you could stand and step toward the door in one motion.

You never did make that step.

The massive arm around your waist made you shriek but the hand clamped over your mouth stuffed the shriek back down your throat as you were twisted and tossed onto the bed, bouncing up and into the hard chest above you. You looked up at the skull mask and pressed your thighs together, your face as hot as your wet pussy.

"So," Ghost drawled, gathering up both your wrists in one massive hand and pinning you to the bed. "Little recon mission, eh?" He asked as he plucked the boxers from your hands.

"I'm so sorry!" You gasp, trying to wriggle out from his grasp, hyper aware of the damp spot on your white sleep shorts, "It was a dare, it was a stupid dare, I'm so sorry, I didn't think you'd notice, I shouldn't have--"

"Mmh," Ghost shoved two fingers into your mouth, watching your eyes go wide before you slowly started to suck on them, "There we go, see, you can be a good little soldier and take direction when you want, hm?"

You let your lids droop slightly, sucking on his fingers with all you had. This was taking a turn but... not an entirely unwelcome one. You were so focused on his fingers you didn't notice what was happening above you until the fingers left your mouth and your groan turned into a squeak as your wrists were tied.

"There now," Ghost's hand moved from your wrists and he looked down at you, his eyes filled with terrifying glee, "Now let's see what I can do with both hands free."

You swallowed loudly as he moved his hands down your body, stopping to grope your breasts, big thumbs tweaking your nipples, when he got down to your hips he chuckled darkly, pressing two fingers against the wet spot between your legs.

"Enjoying the show, were we?" He asked, his voice husky as he pressed at your slit through your shorts.

"Y-uh!" You groaned, nodding your head and trying to press against his fingers.

"Use your words, pet," He said, pulling back.

"Yes," You managed to squeak.

"Yes what?" Ghost asked, rubbing two cruel fingers on either side of your mound.

"Yes sir!" You yelped.

"Good," Ghost whispered, before pulling his hand back, leaving you cold and whimpering in confusion, "Now I think I said something about wanting a suck job."

With no pomp or circumstance you were pushed to the ground with a yelp, falling off the bed in a heap before Ghost hauled you back up to your knees. "Clumsy," He commented, you could tell he was grinning behind his mask as he situated you between his legs. He looked over you, sweat on your brow, mouth open and panting, disheveled hair, spit soaked lips, hands tied up with his boxers.

"Mh," He muttered before taking a hold of the hem of your tank top and lifting it up until he could see your bra. "Aren't these pajamas?" He asked, cupping your breasts as he looked at them in confusion. "You sleep in a bra?"

"N-no," A rough pinch to your nipples had you gasping out a "No sir! I, uh, take the bra off before I go to sleep."

"Hm," He tugged the bra up and over your boobs until it was tangled with your tank top and he could cup your breasts in his hands, rubbing his thumb over the nipples and bouncing them slightly, "Stop doing that," He said, looking up and meeting your eyes, "Lt's orders."

You pressed your thighs together harder.

"Now that we're all settled," Ghost said like he was getting ready to start a meeting before grabbing a you by the back of your head and shoving you down on his cock.

You gagged loudly, unable to get a good breath before you were being skull fucked, heavy balls slapping against your chin as he spread his legs further and arched into your mouth.

"God fuck that's good," Ghost grunted as you choked and gagged around his cock, struggling back as he plundered your throat relentlessly. He pulled back just enough that you were able to gasp a breath before going back to fucking your mouth. You'd never taken anything like his cock before, nothing that big, nothing that hard, your throat burned with the abuse, your head swimming from lack of air. Your pussy was throbbing between your thighs as Ghost pulled back, pushing your head down to rub his balls against your slack lips and using his free hand to slap his hard cock against your cheek.

"Filthy fucking slag," Ghost groaned, his hand moving from his dick to your hard nipples, "Getting caught by your superior and letting him fuck you like this, tits out, pussy dripping all over the floor like a bitch in heat." you moaned, clenching your thighs as he spoke. "Bet you'd like this cock in your pussy to, wouldn't you? Wonder what would have happened if you got trapped under the bed, ass out. Would have just let me fuck you right there, wouldn't you? Filthy little slut, would have loved that."

You cried out as he gave your tit a slap before he leaned in close and growled, "Just have to get caught with your pants down next time, huh, whore?"

You barely had time to whine before he was back to fucking your throat like a fleshlight. You felt his thrusts growing more and more erratic, his cock jumping in your throat. You started to pull back, only to be yanked further down his cock, you made all the noise you could manage as his cock was shoved so far down your throat it passed your tongue and your nose was buried in his thick, blonde, pubes. He let out a wolfish laugh and then he was cumming deep and hard, you choked as it slid past your pallet and down your throat, giving you no choice but to swallow him down.

"There we go," Ghost slurred, you were willing to bet there was a lazy post orgasm smile under the mask, "Drink it all down, good little sneak."

He pulled his soft cock out of your mouth and you gagged and gasped, slumping over and gulping down as much air as you could get into your screaming lungs. You looked up, blinking star bursts out of your eyes and thought for a second you were having a near death experience before you realized that Ghost had pulled up the mask just to let you see his grin. You stared, mouth slack, at the scars on his lips and his crooked teeth. You'd always thought of him as hot. You hadn't ever anticipated him being this hot.

"Alright, pet," He said as he stood, his soft cock still looking intimidating, "I need to shower and if I find you in my room when I get out you're really in for it."

"Oh?" You asked, visions of your pussy being stretched to its limit dancing in your head.

"Mhm, fraternizing with a superior is an offense that could get your discharged,"

The color drained from your face as he picked up his towel and looked over his shoulder at you, "So hurry back to your room, there's a love."

"W-wait!" You yelped, struggling to get your hands untied, "Wait!"

He didn't even turn around as he opened the door to the bathroom and left you behind him, tits out, tied up, and very wet.

[honeygrahambitch]

Wedding cake shenanigans

"Alright. Ready?" Hannibal asked as he handed Will a fork.

"So ready."

"We have to take this very seriously, Will."

"Relax and count on my sugar tooth."

Hannibal pulled a chair and sat down in front of Will. Various sortiments of cakes were resting on the table in front of their eyes.

"And I suppose you know what every cake contains? Every cake?"

"Yes. Pick one to begin with, dearest."

Will's gaze fell on the cakes. He pulled some of them closer to have a better look. He was examining them as if they were a boat engine which needed to be repaired.

"This." He said as he pulled a chocolate one between them.

"Sachertorte. Excellent choice. Austrian cake made from chocolate and apricot Marmelade."

Will nodded in approval and sank his fork into it, followed by Hannibal who was more interested in Will's reaction. He admired the way he frowned as he chewed slowly and had another bite. And another. But the delight was not on his facial features.

"What do you think, darling?"

"It's good. More Marmelade would definitely make a difference. Do we rate them?"

"Like in a tiktok video?"

"I mean, you use that app, I do not. But, sure, like in a tiktok video."

"Yes, we rate them, then."

"8/10. You?"

"6/10."

"Alright, Doctor, and here we thought I would be the difficult one."

"Will, I will always appreciate Sachertorte but I feel like it would be too basic for our wedding. Too simple. Choose another one."

Will sighed dramatically even if, in fact, he did not mind eating as much cake as he wanted.

"This."

Hannibal sighed loudly.

"Why do we even have a red velvet slice if you have a problem with it?" Will asked an arched an eyebrow as he greedily sunk his fork into it.

"The one thing that I love is the red and white contrast. It is aesthetic enough for what I have in mind. But as far as I'm aware, it's been extremely overused."

Will grabbed another bite and fed Hannibal.

"A bit too dry. But the cream is nice. 7/10" Will commented as he watched Hannibal think about it, as if it was the most important decision in his life.

"5/10. It has no flavor. Just sugar. And I agree, too dry. If it was not for the color, it would have been a well deserved 4/10."

Will laughed. "Choose another one."

"This. Sponge bathed in whiskey, dark chocolate and mint-orange glaze."

Will made a face which Hannibal pretended to ignore and they both tried it while their gazes remained locked.

"This is as if you had sex and then immediately went to wash the dishes."

"Elaborate on that." Hannibal said with an amused smile on his lips. Watching Will trying so many cakes was one of the most entertaining things they had ever done.

"So the texture is great, and the orange bit is also great...and that would be the orgasm. And if it ended there, the cake would have been brilliant. But then there's the mint. Tastes like toothpaste. Then there's the dark chocolate. Too bitter. So instead of having a nice ending... you end up regretting life choices."

"Wonderful description. I am not a fan of the toothpaste taste. But the subtle whiskey flavour is lovely."

"I was harassed by so many flavors at the same time that I could not even identify the whiskey. A 4/10 for that."

"I will give it a 6. It has potential. Your turn."

Will looked at the remaining cakes and immediately went for the cheesecake to Hannibal's dismay.

"A passion fruit cheesecake. But it can be other type of fruit too."

"But?" Will asked as he dug in.

"It's... cheesecake. I can make it for you any other day. It does not scream "wedding"."

"Well, now we know the issue. You want our cake to scream. That should not be a problem, right?" He said as he devoured the slice.

"I unfortunately cannot incorporate human meat in our cake. Since you insisted to get it done somewhere else."

"I don't want all that pressure on you. You shouldn't be doing so much while I am not doing anything. You are definitely worrying about the decor, the flowers, the invitations, the food, the suits-"

"I am not worrying, I actually enjoy doing most of the planning. And you are doing enough by tasting the cakes. You are helping a lot. The other things would not be as entertaining to you anyway."

Will knew he was right. "Well, thank you. And everything you have updated me on with looks brilliant. I think navy blue and silver are a great combination."

"You remembered it was navy blue." Hannibal said as he was about to propose to him once again.

"Of course." Will said as he finished the cake. "9/10."

"0/10 since you ate it all."

"Oh. Next."

The next five cakes were not it. They were either too dry, too basic, too sweet, too flavoury, nor flavoury enough.

"This was all?" Will asked as if he did not tried 9 types of cake.

"I am afraid so. We can try a different cake shop tomorrow."

"No. I have a better idea. The best compromise."

"I'm listening."

"We both like a moist sponge. And we both like coffee. And we both like Italy."

"Tiramisu."

"Exactly."

"You are pulling the Italy card because you know I will not refuse it."

"That and also the fact that we actually really like Tiramisu."

"I love you so much that I could marry you right here in the kitchen."

"I would gladly do it here in the kitchen."

[ghost-with-a-teacup]

hello!! I loved what's in between so much and I need some more miguel o'hara fluff😭😭

if you're talking requests could you write one about how miguel and the reader have obvious feelings for each other but arent dating, Peter b trying to be the wingman and tagging mayday along while trying to set them up.

idk if this prompt has any scope, but I just liked the idea 😭😭

𝐈𝐧𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐏𝐨𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬

Pairing: Miguel O'Hara x Reader

Summary: You have feelings for Miguel, so Jess and Peter decide to play cupid and help you out a bit :3

Warnings: None!! It's just pure fluff, silliness, paired with the classic best friends to lovers. Enjoy!!

You had a problem.

You had a very, very big problem.

Alright, so it wasn’t that big of a problem, but it lingered on your mind day and night. From the moment you woke up to the moment you went to bed it was on your mind.

What was it, you ask?

You might, just maybe, have feelings for your best friend. Now, you knew the tropes. Best friends to loves was arguably one of, if not the best trope to have. But those were stories, this was real life. It made it all the harder when your best friend was Miguel O’Hara, leader of the Spider Society.

Frankly, it was a miracle you even became friends with him in the first place. Somehow you had wormed your way into his heart and had the honour of being his closest friend. This however meant that it was highly unlikely for anything to progress further beyond the scope of platonic love.

This was a fact that you had grown to accept in the months of realizing your feelings. This didn’t mean you didn’t mope over it though.

~

“Ugh,” you groaned loudly, your forehead pressed into the cafeteria table as you lamented your feelings out into the world. A happy giggle interrupts your swirling mess of thoughts, however, and you turn your head and are met with the sight of Peter B. and Mayday by your side.

Lifting your head up, you open your arms and Mayday happily climbs into your lap, babbling softly. You feel your heart warm a little as she played with your fingers, her red hair a mess as she laughs happily.

“Can’t stay upset for long when this little one is around,” Peter says, smoothing out her hair that somehow only becomes more messy.

“This sucks, Peter,” you whine to the man, and he smiles sympathetically.

“We’ve all been there y’know,” and you only huff slightly. Peter was another one of your closest friends and the one you happened to rant to the most about your unspoken feelings.

“Would it hurt so much to just tell him?” he asks, and you whip your head over dramatically, a horrified expression on your face.

“I would quite literally rather take a dive straight down into Earth-67982 with all the gators than tell him,” you say, and Peter only snorts.

“C’mon, it’s not that bad! How do you expect to get anywhere if you never tell him how you actually feel about him,” he says, and while you knew he had a point you chose to disregard it.

“I’m perfectly happy where I am Peter. Single, and still with a best friend,” you say, but you sigh softly. “It’s not that easy anyway. There’s no way he likes me back, and it took him long enough to talk to me beyond anything superficial like the weather or the happenings of other universes. How am I supposed to confess to him,” you say, pinching Mayday’s cheek lightly. She scrunches her face up and you can’t help the giggle that escapes.

“Ah, relationship woes?” Jess jumps in, and you yelp in surprise while Mayday only laughs at your expense. You glare at her playfully and she imitates your expression in turn which makes everyone around the table laugh.

“We’re not in a relationship, so I don’t think it really counts as a ‘relationship woe’ Jess,” you say, turning to the woman as she settles in next to you for lunch.

“You could be in one if you mustered the guts to actually confess instead of pining for him like a lovesick teenager,” she says, and you shoot her a deadpanned look.

“There is no way in the 7 hells that I am ever going to confess to him, I mean, just look at him,” you say, nodding over to where he was picking up his own lunch from across the hall. “In the billions of possibilities that exist, there is not a single one where he likes me back.”

“Don’t see yourself short, you never know,” Peter says as he and Jess share a look, cogs turning as they scheme their own plots.

~

You were just walking about the HQ, stopping periodically to talk to the Spiders you knew. It was your day off, and your own universe decided to be boring today so you figured what better place to hang around than Earth-928?

Well, it was supposed to be your day off, until your name is called over the intercom alongside Miguel’s, telling you both to come to the monitoring room.

With a groan, you nod to the Spider you were talking to before walking over.

“Jess? Is something wrong?” you ask as you pop into the room, Miguel is already there and turns to nod to you in greeting which you return with a grin.

“There’s a mission I need the two of you to go on,” she says offhandedly, swiping through the screens as she studies the universe’s events.

“But Jess, it's my day off! There are literally hundreds of other spiders you could send on this mission,” you whine, the aches of the mission from yesterday still lingering on your body. Though almost imperceptibly she glances over at you, making it clear that there were hidden intentions behind this mission, and you press your lips together knowingly. You supposed she was in the mood to play Cupid.

“Why do you need us specifically?” Miguel asks, eyes narrowing suspiciously. It was his day off too, you were about to go see him as he worked on all his gizmos, he still wore his work outfit in place of his regular suit.

“This guy’s a bit of a tough one, so Lyla and I decided that we needed our best out in the field. Be ready to head out in 20, he’s already on the move,” she says, and you sigh lightly, unable to disobey orders.

Miguel only pats you on the shoulder.

“Bold of you to assume you think you can order around the Leader of this place,” he says jokingly.

“I can order around anyone I want when the Leader puts me in charge for the day,” Jess retorts as she puts her hands on her hips.

“Good point,” he relents.

“Uh-huh.”

“Alright, let’s get this over with,” you say to Miguel as you head out together.

~

“…wasn’t this guy supposed to be a ‘tough one’” you say, quoting the air as you stare down at the anomaly you were supposed to take down. Miguel only snorts in response before shrugging. There, in your line of sight was the anomaly; a snail that moved at a top speed of maybe 2 kilometres per hour that a single well-placed trap could take down in seconds.

“Easier for us,” Miguel says simply before swinging down and doing just that. Immediately the force field wraps the villain up like a present, and his mask disappears from his face as he looks over at you.

At that moment felt your heart skip a beat as he grins up at you playfully.

“Are you going to hang up there all day or are you gonna head back with me?” he calls out as a portal opens up, snapping you out of your stupor.

“C-coming!”

~

“Peter, why don’t you get one of the younger spiders to babysit? Don’t get me wrong, I love Mayday just as much as the next person but I’m not that great with kids,” you say with a worried smile.

“That’s why you’ll have Miguel to help! I think you two will make a great team,” Peter says, handing Mayday over. You eye him suspiciously when the realization strikes.

“This is all a ploy to get me and him together, isn’t it?” you ask, and Peter puts on an oblivious face.

“What? No! No way, this is just a friend asking for a favour,” he replies.

“Don’t lie! You and Jess have been up to something for the past week, that mission, the closet, and now this,” you huff.

“Alright, fine. Maybe we did plan this out, but maybe the two of you just need the push,” he says, a hand on the back of his neck sheepishly.

“Peter, he doesn’t like me back. I know that already,” you say frustratedly, but sigh softly. “I’ll help you out, but no more games alright?”

“Alright,” he relents. “Thanks for this though. MJ and I haven’t had time to ourselves in a while,” he says, and you give him an understanding look.

“What are friends for?” you smile.

~

“Mayday! Get down from the ceiling, please?” you plead, watching as she babbles happily while crawling across the ceiling. You were right up there with her as Miguel stood on the floor with his hands on his hips, watching with blatant amusement.

“Miguel, a little help here please?” you ask him, and he only snorts.

“You seem to be doing just fine,” he says, and you let out a groan. Finally he gives in to your pleading.

“Solecito, you wanna come down now? I think you’re going to give your babysitter a heart attack,” he says and immediately she drops down from the ceiling into his waiting arms. You let out a sigh of relief as you follow suit.

“She only listens to you, I swear,” you say as you look at her, huffing softly.

“She likes playing around, and you have the most reactions so you’re her main target,” he replies, and you boop her nose playfully.

“You’re a little menace, aren’t you.” She only babbles happily at that.

“I’m going to grab her lunch, will you be okay by yourself?” you ask Miguel, and he bounces her up and down as she giggles loudly.

“We’ll be just fine, won’t we chiquitita,” he says with a small smile. It makes your heart warm as you watch them play together. You knew how hard it was for Miguel to be around Mayday after losing his own daughter, but he seemed to truly adore the little girl. It was precious to watch.

“Alright, I’ll be right back.”

~

After searching aimlessly for a few minutes, and a couple of mishaps you finally have a small bowl of food to feed Mayday. When you come back into the living room, you find Miguel sitting on the floor with Mayday in his lap, a toy grasped in her hand.

“I think you’d make a really good parent if you ever want to have kids one day,” Miguel says offhandedly as he continues to watch over the little girl. You feel your cheeks warm in embarrassment at the compliment.

“Seems like the same would go for you, Miguel,” you say as you watch the two of them fondly. You can’t help the thoughts that flash through your mind. The two of you, together, sitting in a nursery just like this one with a child of your own. It was far-fetched and would probably never happen, but it doesn’t hurt to imagine all the ‘what-ifs’.

“Though that’s ironic of you to say considering I was just hanging on the ceiling trying to get her down not even 15 minutes ago,” you say, and he chuckles lightly.

“Parenting isn’t always smooth sailing, but you have a softness that makes the little ones feel safe. I see it when you’re with Mayday, even with the kids at HQ. Don’t sell yourself short,” he says, glancing over at you before holding out his hand to take the food. Somehow you feel your face heat up even more as you sit down by his side.

“Thanks, Miguel,” you say softly, and he only hums in response.

~

After all the events of the last week, you find yourself lost in all your swirling feelings. All those possibilities, all those moments you spend with Miguel wishing that they were more, it quickly became overwhelming. It’s why you find yourself trekking up to the observatory of HQ.

This was your favourite spot to come to when you were stuck in your head. Very few of the Spiders knew about it, which made it the perfect hiding spot when you wanted to be alone with your thoughts.

The ceiling panned up into a dome of intricate glass, allowing the light of the stars to shine through. Though realistically it was more the light of the futuristic Nueva York, the city that never sleeps. It didn’t make it any less beautiful though.

“So this is where you’ve been,” a voice cuts through the silence, and you jump slightly as you turn around to face Miguel who only chuckles at your expense.

“You found me,” you say softly, smiling at him though it doesn’t quite meet your eyes. A look of concern washes over his face, and you wince.

He could always read you too well.

For a moment you just sit there in the silence, the only thing breaking the quiet being his soft footsteps as he approached you. Every step he took had your heart racing faster and faster until finally, he was by your side. Glancing at him, you see that he’s already looking at you, and there was something on his mind.

“Do you like me?” he asks softly, and you turn away from him, instead choosing to look out through the windows. Slowly, you sigh, still unwilling to make eye contact.

“Do you want me to be honest?” you say just as softly.

“I do.”

A lump forms in your throat as you fidget with your hands a bit, wondering if you should just lie. If that would make this any easier.

It was hard for you to be vulnerable with people, from a young age you were conditioned to hide how you felt because it made you seem weak. And even worse, you were told it made you a burden on other people.

You never wanted to be a burden.

It was hard for you to be honest with your feelings…especially if they were about how you felt about someone you loved. You think this is the first time you’ve ever loved someone like this, and you swallow harshly at the thought.

“I do…like you,” you whisper finally so that only his ears could hear. “I know it's cliche, but it's nothing but the truth when I say that I’ve never felt, felt feelings with anyone else the way I do with you,” you ramble, realizing that once you started you weren’t able to stop yourself.

“It makes me scared, Miguel. Feeling this way? I don’t know how to do this,” you gesture between the two of you, but still hesitating to look into those beautiful crimson eyes you adored so much.

“You’re my favourite person. Throughout every universe, every infinite possibility it’s still true. And I’m scared because it seems like throughout my life every single time I have something good it slips out from beneath me, and I can’t afford to lose you. I, I can’t,” you say, a single tear trickling down your cheek.

For a moment he doesn’t speak, and the car falls silent until he inhales lightly.

“That…is a possibility, it’s true. Maybe what we have, what we could have won’t work out. But maybe we’re that one possibility where us together is possible,” he says as he takes your hand into his own. It was warm.

So warm.

Finally, you dare to look into his eyes, and inside them, you find a swirling storm of emotions that you get lost in.

“Can we do this? Do you think we can?” you ask hesitantly.

“As long as you’re willing to try, mi vida,” he says, squeezing your hand lightly.

“I think…I want to try,” you say softly, and his eyes immediately brighten up like the sun rising over the horizon, lighting up everything in its path. He smiles at you, and you can’t help but smile back.

“Can I kiss you?” he asks, and all you can do is nod as you feel your heart jump to your throat in anticipation. You’ve never wanted to do anything more.

Gently his hand rises up, tucking a strand of hair behind your ear before settling on your cheek as he leans in. You close your eyes as his lips touch yours, and a small happy sound escapes your throat.

It didn’t feel like how the love stories described how your first kiss would be, with explosions and fireworks.

No. It felt like the first breath of fresh air on a warm sunny day. Like the heat of a fire after a long day in the cold.

Kissing your best friend was like coming home, a comfort in every sense and oh so right.

After a few seconds that felt like an eternity condensed into a single moment, Miguel pulls away. You look up at him with teary eyes, not tears of sadness but instead pure and utter joy as you smile brightly.

“I think this might be the start of something wonderful,” you say to him.

“I think so too, mi vida.”

A/N: I hope you enjoyed reading because that entire confession was what I imagined I would say to my crush ghfkjghdfkjghfdk (I was in my feelings, as a result this fic was born)

Taglist: @beiroviski, @scaraza, @blueoorchid, @remuslupinwifee, @local-mr-frog, @johfaam0, @rawegggohan, @honeycriess, @alexenoirex, @chimpkinnuggies, @rqdior, @banana—belle, @notasadgirlipromise, @6billionyearsold, @gods-perfectidiot, @ieatmunson, @honeii-puff, @wh0re4zaynmalik, @toplinehyunjin, @ohworm-writes, @ishii03, @snowywhiterose, @leftcupcakedefendor

[strawberry-cowmilk]

failed exams

-> asmo x mc (platonic or romantic)

-> asmo comforts mc after recieving some upsetting news

mc's gender is not mentioned, not proof read

content warnings: stress due to school stuff, crying

-----

'Oh nooo, Mc! I lost my shoe somewhere.' Asmo sighed dramatically while rolling over onto his back on the bed next to you. You showed him the Cinderella movie last night and now he's obsessed with 'hiding' one of his shoes and having you put it back on him. He keeps staring at you with his amber eyes until you start looking for the shoe. You laughed a little before getting ready to go find the shoe he always hides under the bed, but your ddd pinged with an incoming email at that exact moment. You got a slight glimpse at the lit up screen, and your heart sank.

'Asmo hold on I got an email from RAD.' you explained. You've never recieved an email from the school before, and Asmo too could sense something was going on. He sat up straight on the bed and read the email with you.

Dear Mc,

We regret to inform you the results you scored on the last exam period were not sufficient enough to be classified as passing grades. We cannot enroll you in further courses as long as you have not passed your classes from your last semester.

However, we wish to give you a chance to retake these exams. These retake exams will take place in two weeks. We advice you to carefully revise the contents of your lectures and books.

We wish you luck with your studies.

Sincerely, RAD team

While you stared blankly at your screen, trying to process what you just read, you could hear Mammon yelling 'damn it' from the living room, Levi laughing very loudly, followed by what sounds like an angry Lucifer chasing Mammon who's escaped the house (save poor mammon). 'Oh! I remember!' Asmo suddenly broke the silence after a while of silence. 'At the last meeting, Diavolo said they'd send an email to those who failed three or more exams.' Your heart dropped again. Seriously? you failed at least three out of the five exams? At least you're not alone in it. Still, you were fighting tears.

The look of pure horror on your face was enough to make Asmo gently embrace you. 'Hey, listen..' he spoke gently, trying to make you feel more at ease. 'Hon, I probably failed some exams too, it's okay, and you can retake them so that's good news, right?' You sought comfort in his hug, carefully pressing yourself closer to him. 'I know it's just.. I worked so hard.' there was a slight crack in your voice and that was when the tears started. Asmo immediately dried your tears with his sleeve. 'It's okay, I'm sure Satan will be happy to tutor you.' he reassured you. 'Just make sure to show up at the right time.' the demon chuckled a little before continuing his story. 'One time Satan was supposed to tutor me but I went shopping instead and ignored all his 'where are you' texts. Guess what that evil guy did.' You smiled a little at Asmo's attempt to cheer you up, which he in turn immediately noticed. 'He went into my bathroom and dissolved all my expensive bath bombs in the sink! I was so mad I almost destroyed half of this house!' You let out a faint laugh. 'Is that why you installed a lock on your bathroom door?' Asmo nodded. 'Yeah! So no crazy blond brother of mine can go inside to bring destruction upon it again.' he slightly released his grip on you when he noticed you were less upset now. He completely forgot about the shoe he hid under the bed as he kissed you on the cheek.

'Hm, anyways, I know you'll do well next time. I believe in you, Mc.'

[morelikeravenbore]

POP!

"Good morning, Miss Aura! Guess wh—WHAT?!"

Snowflake stares at the empty library, now featuring a huge glowing portal from which loud music and… wailing? are echoing.

"Oh no! Miss Aura, did you seriously try to time travel after Snowflake told you not to?! Snowflake was only gone for a couple of days—attending therapy and helping with massive Christmas preparations—only to return to this?! Oh no, no, no!"

Snowflake hurries through the portal. It's clear as day now—the spilled iTime-Turner sand has created some chaotic pocket dimension. The Christmas songs are gone, replaced by loud, thrashing music. The words, "'Cause I'm just a kid, and life is a nightmare!" echo over and over. And over.

All the portraits are now dressed in ripped denim jackets with patches for The Clash, Green Day and others. The suits of armour are moshing furiously. Madam Scribner clutches a notebook covered in pink and black hearts, little drawn-on tears, and "It's not a phase" stickers, wailing the lyrics as if her life depends on it.

"Well… Oh, good, here you are! Hello, Miss Aura!!"

Aura doesn't respond—she's desperately trying to escape from Sebastian, who is strumming a very out-of-tune guitar while dramatically flipping his hair. He's simultaneously quoting Shakespeare for some reason and ending every single quote with, "Leik omg, so deep!"

The iTime-Turner zips by, saying, "Hustle harder, sleep is for the weak!" followed by a distant, "Grind now, shine later!"

"Oh, no, no, no. It wasn't supposed to say such—"

Snowflake spots the Enchanted Scroll flipping its edges to the rhythm of the music. "Scroll! Scroll, what exactly is going on?!"

The Scroll rolls its eyes (yes) dramatically. "The iTime-Turner's so-called 'smart' enchantments went haywire. Instead of quoting comforting productivity affirmations twice a day, it decided the best way to boost her productivity was to trap her in early 2000s chaos. Honestly? I'm thriving."

"Oh, fantastic. How does Snowflake fix this?!"

The Scroll sighs heavily. "No idea ¯_(ツ)_/¯ But why would you fix it? This is amazing."

The Scroll suddenly tapes on fake piercings made of paperclips and joins Madam Scribner in yelling, "This is the anthem, throw all your hands up!"

"OH NO, NO, NO!.. Alright, if the productivity smart charm is broken, Snowflake needs to fix that as fast as possible!"

Snowflake catches the iTime-Turner from the air and focuses, charming the thing to redefine productivity back to light positive affirmations, like, "Rest is productive!" and "Slay at your own pace!"

"It's working! Hmmm… It's okay to vibe and thrive! It's okay to vibe and thrive!"

The pocket dimension begins to shrink. Aura stops running away from Sebastian (who is now loudly insisting that anarchy starts with good posture) and finally notices Snowflake waving frantically.

"LET'S GO, MISS AURA! WE NEED TO GET OUT! THIS PLACE IS GOING TO COLLAPSE!"

They jump out of the portal just in time and land back in the real Hogwarts library, still littered with ash stains from the burned desks. Madam Scribner is now wailing in the distant corner, clutching her notebook. No one knows how she got out. No one will ever ask.

Sebastian got out too. Apparently. He's slamming an imaginary guitar, utterly oblivious. Is it the residual influence of that wild pocket dimension? Is it just him? Does anyone really want to know the answer?

The iTime-Turner now sits quietly in Snowflake's hands, mumbling, "Being random is a lifestyle" before its voice finally trails off.

"Alright! Snowflake will keep this safe. And you as well." Snowflake snaps fingers, and the iTime-Turner disappears. For good. Somewhere above, the Enchanted Scroll sighs in disappointment (it was the last to escape the portal before it finally dissolved into thin air).

"Snowflake told you not to mess with time travel, Miss Aura! Please, don't do anything like this ever again!.. Anyway, Snowflake is, of course, glad you're safe now. Snowflake doesn't understand how you even managed to run in those ultra skinny jeans, though."

"Oh, and before Snowflake forgets—here's another little Christmas present! This one is definitely less… universe-distorting. A tiny bottle of Felix Felicis! Definitely not stolen from a Potions prodigy. Use it wisely. And legally. Please!"

"Now Snowflake must return to Christmas preparation duties. Have a good day, Miss Aura! Stay safe!"

POP!

Happy Christmas to Snowflake aka the best secret santa EVER and my favourite cutest lil cactus @ps-cactus 🌵🎅

I didn't have time to reply to this one but it's TOO HILARIOUS not to share. I literally laughed til my cheeks hurt! You can read the previous ask here for context 😂

It was SOO MUCH FUN writing chaos with you and I hope we get to do it again some time!!

[tmrwsuns]

(❆⋆.˚) raise the roof !

✶⋆.˚꩜ .ᐟ [takayama riki x reader] ...୨♡୧... wc. 2.4k w. curse words, little make out sesh! fluff ᶻ 𝗓 𐰁 .ᐟ

you had always known taki was very competitive. 

considering you had met him when he pushed you out of a race because he was too concentrated on winning in kindergarten, his competitiveness was a given. however, the holidays were supposed to be a time of love, to leave competition behind and give place to unity.

not to taki, though.

“i’m telling you, baby, no one has ever made a gingerbread house better than mine,” your boyfriend spoke as you walked around the mall, a bunch of bags in your hands from the christmas shopping that was taking place. “i’m not even trying to brag, i’m just stating the facts.”

you rolled your eyes humorously as you heard him, already too used to his normal demeanor to be annoyed at the way he was acting. “sure, taki, whatever you say.”

“see? i knew you wouldn’t believe me!” he exclaimed, making you look at him with an incredulous expression.

“i’m literally telling you you’re right!” you exclaimed back.

“but you’re just doing it to appease me,” he accused, and you couldn’t help but laugh at his theatrics.

“maybe, but i’m still agreeing,” you pointed out, making him roll his eyes exaggeratedly.

“i knew it would come to this,” he sighed dramatically, making you look at him with a questioning expression. he moved back from you, standing a couple feet away before speaking loudly enough to have some people turn to look at you. “yn ln, i challenge you to a gingerbread house bake off!” he let go of the bags he was holding, leaving them on the floor next to him.

normally, if anyone screamed at you in the middle of a very packed mall challenging you to a bake off as if it was a duel of the sixteen hundredths, you would want the ground to swallow you whole and spit you off somewhere very far away. but as you looked at taki, his smile breaking through the serious facade he was trying to put on, his dimples sitting gloriously on his precious cheeks, his hand extended towards you and his eyes fixated on you, everything was different. at that moment, the people who stared at you curiously didn’t exist, it was only you and the boy in front of you. 

you walked towards him in silence, attempting to restrain the smile that fought to take place on your lips. his own smile widened the closer you got to his body, finding its full form when you let go of your bags and your hand came in contact with his. “i accept!” you exclaimed just as loudly as he had before.

taki’s heart soared with happiness. not because you had accepted his duel, but because he knew how hard it was for you to ignore the looks; to put away your embarrassment and meet him halfway in his silliness. 

“okay, but we have to seal it with a kiss” he smiled as he pulled you from your arm, getting you closer to his body as he watched your lips for a couple of seconds. 

“yeah, i guess it’s only fair” you chuckled and tiptoed to join your lips, holding his face between your palms. his hands went immediately to your waist, pulling you closer as he immersed himself in the shape of your lips and the way they felt against his own. you parted away, giggling softly at the way he chased your lips unconsciously. “we’re still in the middle of the mall,” you reminded him.

“they can suck it up, can’t they?” he asked, voice barely a whisper as he leaned back into your lips.

you smiled and moved your head to the side, causing his lips to collide with your cheek instead. “they can’t, but you can,” you giggled.

he groaned dramatically and stood up right again, holding your hand and grabbing all the bags he had left on the floor. “you’re such a meanie,” he pouted as you began walking once again.

“don’t be a baby, i’ll give you all the kisses you want once we get home,” you smiled, bumping into his side softly.

“promise?” he asked, looking at you with puppy dog eyes.

“promise,” you nodded, feeling your heart fluttering at how adorable he was sometimes. 

“good. now, do we think maki and his girl would be down to participate?” he asked as he began swinging your arms between your bodies.

“i don’t know, but we can ask…”

…

you knew that mall hated to see you two coming.

it had been days since you had agreed to taki’s duel in the very same mall you entered then, your hands laced together as if they had been stuck with glue. you had already decided on the day the bake off would take place, so now you had to get all the things you wanted to use for decorations.

“we’re going to have to separate here” he sighed as you stood dramatically at the entrance of the mall, staring at the distance. you nodded equally as theatrically, moving your eyes to him again when he lifted your hand up to his lips, kissing the back of it softly. “i love you, good luck.”

you chuckled softly at his antics, bringing his hand back to you so to do the same thing. “good luck, baby.”

taki couldn’t resist the urge to pull you against him one more time, holding your cheeks in his hands and peppering your face with kisses. if anyone saw you they would think you were saying goodbye forever and not for the two hours you had agreed to use. you waited happily for him to let you go before stealing a quick peck and parting away from him, giving him a little wave and embarking on your journey around the stores.

it was kind of ridiculous, really; the amount of work you had been putting into the competition with your boyfriend. pinterest boards were made, youtube tutorials were watched, designs were drawn. but it would all be worth it when you proved to him that you could do so much better than him.

the time passed and you waited for taki in front of the gigantic christmas tree, smiling softly when you saw him in the distance. he looked adorable all clad up in his winter clothes, holding alarmingly large bags as he looked for you, almost resembling a puppy looking for its owner. nothing could’ve prepared you for the way his face lit up when his eyes connected with yours. it was a look that was so incredibly filled with love and adoration that it made you want to tear up.

the boy approached you quickly, letting his bags go and wrapping his arms around you immediately. “hey, i missed you” he muttered, his nose buried in your hair as he held you closely. 

“hey, i missed you too” you said softly, letting go of your bags as well and surrounding his waist, pressing your face further to his chest as if you hadn’t seen him in years. “you ready to go?” you felt him nod against you, but he didn’t move at all. you loved it when he was clingy like that, and he knew it as well. “we’re still at the mall,” you reminded him once again.

“you should already know that i don’t really care where we are,” he smiled, breaking away from you to give you a small kiss on your forehead. “i love you too much, i have to express it or i might just explode.”

you laughed at his theatrics, kissing his cheek softly before lacing your fingers together and picking your bags up. “let’s go, you can love me at home.”

his eyebrows shot up at your words before he looked at you with a teasing smile. “how much can i love you at home?” he asked, a teasing tone as he moved his eyebrows up and down. 

you groaned with disbelief, swatting at his chest. 

…

with how clingy you guys were, the silence in your apartment was a little crazy.

you found yourselves in complete silence as you sat on opposite sides of the table, a big barrier of random things separating you from each other.

it had been hours since the last time you had actually seen your boyfriend’s face. neither of you wanted to look at what the other was doing, because that would just ruin the surprise factor of the competition. but it was getting a little too much, the christmas music in the background being the only sound was beginning to drive you insane.

just as you were going to speak up, you heard taki’s voice from the other side of the barrier. “angel?”

a smile made its way onto your lips as you answered “yeah?”

“wanna meet me in the hall for a second?” he asked, and you could hear the smile in his voice.

“yeah, let’s go” you stood up and placed your hands on the side of your eyes, shielding you away from seeing his work as you walked towards him. he picked you up once you were in front of him, hugging you and spinning you around. you laughed and gripped his shoulders, looking up at him once you were finally on the floor again.

“look up” he told you, and you couldn’t contain the smile when you saw the mistletoe hanging from the doorframe he had conveniently dragged you to.

you didn’t waste a second before pulling him down to you, connecting your lips in a much needed kiss. taki smiled into it, his hands gripping your hips as he made you back up until your back hit the wall, caging you with his body. your hands travelled up to his hair, your fingers tangling with the strands as you lost yourself in the kiss.

it was easy for you to lose track of time when you found yourself in those situations. he was so pretty, so tall and such a good kisser that if a random alarm didn’t go off on one of your phones you would’ve stayed in that position with him forever.

“i think we have to head back,” you said between kisses, not denying him when he continued his assault on your lips. 

“do we really?” he asked, sounding breathless as his hands caressed the skin of your waist under your shirt. 

“winner gets to decide what we do for the rest of the day” you muttered with a smug smile, knowing that would do the trick.

“right, i have to lock in,” he chuckled, stealing another kiss from your lips before he held your waist tighter, throwing you over his shoulder. “close your eyes, don’t be a cheater” he exclaimed, beginning to walk back towards your stations.

you listened to him with an amused smile, waiting for him to drop you off at the cusp of your division. 

…

it wasn’t long until you were ready to showcase your masterpiece. 

after days of planning and preparing, your creation had come to life. you didn’t normally like to brag, but it was maybe the most stunning gingerbread house you had made in your life. 

“i’m ready” you exclaimed, waiting for him to tell you the same. after a couple seconds that felt like a lifetime, your boyfriend confirmed he was ready as well. “how are we doing this? i’m scared to break down the wall,” you said as you looked at the barrier of different boxes and objects that would definitely collapse the moment someone touched it.

“let’s take them to the kitchen aisle. i’ll go first and cover everything with a tablecloth so you can go.” he explained, waiting for your confirmation before doing what he had said. 

now, you both stood in your kitchen, still divided by a giant cloth that taki held far above his head. 

“ready?” he asked. you took a deep breath and fixed a small piece of candy on the ceiling of the house before letting him know you were ready. “one, two… three!”

taki let go of the cloth and both of you immediately looked at each other’s houses. your mouth fell agape as you saw his creation; a two story building that was strategically wrecked where the toy dinosaur stood. you couldn’t even find the words to describe it, because it was genuinely that good.

“fuck, it’s so good” you muttered as you looked at it. how the fuck had he made it so good? he had used the same amount of time as you, and you were sure that if it was whole, it would look as good or even better decorated than yours. of course, it would’ve been easy for the dinosaur wreck to have made it look worse, but everything was so carefully done that it just looked better. “is there people inside?” you asked as you walked towards it to take a better look.

“it’s you and me” he commented, a smug smile on his lips as he watched you ogle at his house. “yours is beautiful too, my love.”

“don’t lie to me, you could’ve made that with your eyes closed” you dismissed as you still marvelled at the sight.

“i’m not lying! i love the coquette concept” he exclaimed, amusement in his voice.

you turned to look at him with a pout on your face. “how come i had not heard about your absolute talent until this christmas? i’ve known you for like fifteen years!” you complained.

“my family banned me from the competition,” he shrugged, getting closer to you and enveloping you in his arms. “i hadn’t done it in like five years.”

“you should go into a tv show or something” you muttered as you hugged him back.

“nah, i don’t think i would like to be famous” he smiled, cupping your cheek and tilting your head up. “i’d miss you too much.”

you rolled your eyes in amusement, nuzzling into his palm softly. “well, winner, what do you want to do for the rest of the day?”

taki’s smile grew as you asked him. “look up for me?”

you raised your eyes to find a mistletoe hanging on a string above you. how on earth had he done that?.

oh well, he had won the competition, you might as well give him his prize.

★ blue's corner ;; my taki... what can i say, i think its pretty obvious that he's my bias (apart from ej) anyways enjoy ! this is a part of the love actually series that i'm doing with both my blogs, so be sure to check it out ! ★ taglist ;; @tiramisumin @astrasng @chiiyuuvv @nicholasluvbot ★ back to the masterlist. ★ please do not copy, adapt or steal any of the content !!! ★ divider by @fairytopea

© tmrwsuns, 2024

[aidensteddybear]

Hi! I really enjoy your work its super cute!

I saw you were taking requests would like to make one if that's okay.

Its a regressor Jake and Tom fic with Ashley as their caregiver, and the prompt is Jake being jealous because he feels Ashley is giving Tom more attention than him, mainly because Tom is regressed a lot younger than Jake and needs the attention.

Thanks in advance and have a great day!

Regressors! Tom & Jake w/ Caregiver! Ashley

Jake wasn’t having a good day at all today. The only thing he wanted was attention from Ashley, but it seemed like he was never going to get it. Not with Tom’s need to be the “center of attention”.

Though, it wasn’t Tom’s fault. Tom was in a lot younger headspace than Jake was. He was only one year old, if that, while Jake was around four.

So obviously, Tom was very dependent on Ashley and needed pretty much her constant attention. Jake didn’t really understand that, he knew Tom was younger than he was, but he didn’t get why he needed so much attention.

To Jake, it was extremely unfair. He just wanted time with Ashley all to himself, that didn’t involve Tom being there or interrupting them with his whining and crying.

Currently, Jake was glaring at Tom and Ashley, though his anger was mainly towards Tom.

Jake was supposed to be playing with Ashley right now, but just like he expected, Tom had to ruin it for him.

Jake didn’t even get to play with Ashley for ten minutes, until Tom started fussing. So now, Ashley was too busy feeding Tom a bottle to play with Jake.

It wasn’t fair. Jake just wanted to play with Ashley and be given attention, but it was impossible. Tom kept stealing all of the attention he should be getting.

It didn’t take long for Tom to finish his bottle, but to Jake it felt like he was taking forever and doing it on purpose, just to spite him.

Jake watched as Ashley got Tom settled on the couch and went out into the kitchen, so she could go wash the bottle.

While Ashley was out in the kitchen, Tom climbed off the couch and quickly crawled over to Jake, who angrily glared at him.

“Go away..” Jake grumbled, but Tom didn’t listen. He giggled and attempted to sit down beside of Jake, but when he did, Jake harshly shoved him.

“Go away, Tom!” Jake yelled at him. Tom stared at Jake with a confused and upset expression. He had no idea what he did wrong or why Jake was so angry.

Tom tried to sit beside Jake again, but Jake pushed him once more.

“Gooo!” Jake whined as he kept pushing Tom away from him. At this point, Tom was extremely upset over being yelled at and pushed away.

So, Tom began to cry, which caused Jake to loudly groan and cross his arms. To him, Tom was being very annoying and was acting dramatic on purpose, just so he could be favorited by Ashley.

“Hey, hey. What’s going on, boys? I heard yelling and crying.” Ashley quickly went over to the two, and sat with them.

Tom crawled into Ashley’s lap and clung to her while crying. She hugged him back, which obviously only made Jake more upset.

“Jake? Can you tell me what happened?” Ashley questioned as she looked at him. Jake only pouted and shook his head, before standing up and storming off to a different room, making Ashley sigh.

Ashley noticed that Jake was acting a bit off for a while now, but she didn’t know exactly what was bothering him. Right now, she just needed to get Tom calmed down, then she would talk to Jake.

Luckily, Tom settled down pretty quickly. It only took about five minutes for him to fully settle down. Tom rarely cried for a long time, he was pretty easy to calm down whenever he was upset.

Since he was calm again, Ashley got him settled on his play mat. She laid Tom down on his stomach, so he could have some tummy time, and put some toys in front of him to keep him entertained while she went to check on Jake.

“I’ll be right back, Tom. Don’t go crawling off, yeah?” Tom looked up at Ashley and started to happily coo at her. Ashley smiled and patted his head, then went off to find Jake.

She eventually found him in the bedroom, where he was sitting in the corner with his knees up to his face while he quietly cried. Ashley frowned as she went over to him.

“Hey, bud. What’s going on?” She asked, sitting down next to him. Jake whined and didn’t respond to her.

“Jake, can you please tell me what’s wrong? I want to help.” Ashley spoke. Jake loudly whined and stayed quiet for a moment, before speaking.

“Doesn’ matter what’s wrong. You’re not gonna care. Only care ‘bout Tom.” Jake grumbled, still not looking at Ashley.

“Buddy, that’s not true. I don’t only care about Tom, I care about you too.” Ashley said. “Is that why you’re so upset? Have you been feeling left out?” Jake sniffled and nodded as he looked at Ashley.

“Y-Yeah..you keep givin’ Tom attention an’ not me. ‘S not fair! Tom’s doin’ it on purpose and you keep fallin’ for it!” Jake cried, before he practically threw himself into Ashley’s arms and clung to her.

Ashley hugged him tightly and rubbed his back while he cried.

“Jake, I’m so sorry I haven’t been giving you enough attention. But I need you to understand that it’s my fault, not Tom’s.” Ashley told him.

“Tom isn’t doing it on purpose. He’s just a baby, he can’t help it. That’s why he’s been so dependent and needing more attention.” Ashley explained.

“I haven’t been treating you fairly, and I’m sorry for not realizing that sooner. I promise, I’ll try as much as I can to give both you and Tom equal amounts of my attention.” Ashley spoke softly.

“Okay…jus’ wan’ you to play with me..” Jake said quietly. “You want to play?” Jake nodded and buried his face.

“Mhm…feel really bad..” He mumbled. “You feel bad? Why do you feel bad, buddy?” Ashley questioned.

“Cause I made Tom cry cause I was mad at him. I pushed him an’ yelled at him. Thought..he was making me mad on purpose…” Jake quietly admitted.

“Well, I’m very proud of you for owning up to what you did and realizing what you did wasn’t okay. Do you think you can apologize to Tom soon?” Jake nodded.

“Mhm. I go say sorry an’ then me and you play?” Jake asked. “Yeah, baby. We can do that. And I think Tom’s distracted with his toys, so he should be busy for a while.” Ashley said, making Jake smiled a little while wiping his tears.

Ashley held Jake in her arms for a little while, before the two went back out into the living room.

When they got there, Tom was still distracted by his toys and happily playing. Jake slowly went over to him and sat in front of him.

“Tom?” Jake mumbled shyly. Tom looked up at Jake with a smile as he excitedly cooed and giggled at him.

“‘M really sorry I was mean to you. Thought you were bein’ mean to me and stealing Ash from me on purpose..” Jake apologized. Tom only continued to coo at Jake, not exactly processing that Jake was apologizing to him, he was just happy to interact with him.

“I don’t really think he understands what you’re saying, but I’m sure he’d accept your apology if he did. He’s definitely not upset or mad at you, he wouldn’t be all smiley and noisy if he was.” Ashley told Jake as she placed a hand on his shoulder, making him smile.

“Do you want to play now, buddy?” Jake excitedly nodded. He gently patted Tom’s head, then stood up and went to go play with Ashley.

They played for a while, until Tom needed Ashley again. However, this time Jake wasn’t upset or annoyed, now that he knew Tom wasn’t doing it on purpose. He was only a baby, and Jake understood that.

He was well aware that Tom sometimes needed Ashley’s attention more than he did. And Jake was fine with that. He wasn’t jealous anymore.

[slytherhys]

Cruel Summer II

A/N: This story is taking me so long to write but mainly because I have something very specific in mind for it and I want to write it perfectly for every single one of you. I'm sorry for taking so long and I'm so grateful for everyone that keeps coming back. I appreciate it so much.

T/W: Drinking, Strong Language and Mature Content.

AO3

Prologue - I - II - III

Elain had spent many, many nights lying awake, imagining what she’d do when she finally faced Azriel again.

In some scenarios, there were tears, a dramatic encore of the night that had ended it all under the soft Christmas lights. In others, she wouldn’t even bat an eye at his presence, giving him a cursory glance as she sailed off into the sunset with a much more attractive man that made her heartbeat race and her cheeks flush (that he often ended up looking suspiciously like the same man she was avoiding went unacknowledged). 

Most times, however, it was him who didn’t see her, his hazel eyes swiping by her presence like she was nothing but a pretty view – nothing worth seeing. Elain tried not to think about how often those scenarios had invaded her sleepless nights, how they had made her time away stretch for longer than what was probably necessary.

Truth was, no matter how many scenarios Elain had examined, dreaded, wished for… none of them had prepared her for the real thing.

She had promised herself she would act with poise and grace, an unbothered smile on her face as if her insides weren’t twisting and turning inside of her. And she did manage to look gracious - for about 30 seconds. Then she stepped away in a haze to keep well and away from Azriel and bumped against one of one of Nesta’s college friends, sending her crashing into the drinks table and unceremoniously spilling what seemed to be litters of expensive, tasty champagne. 

Not her finest moment. 

Cassian had cursed loudly, helping Nesta’s friend up to her feet, while both Rhys and Feyre rushed to right the glasses that had fallen and stained Nana’s old towel. Elain had stood frozen - eyes wide and unblinking as she tried to process what a fucking idiot she was.

All eyes had turned to them at the noise but all she could focus on were the hazel ones that eyed her with humour, as if he was fighting the urge to laugh. At her. 

She wasn’t proud to admit the thought of it had nearly sent her to tears. After spending 6 months stewing, dreading, wishing… Azriel Rosehall laugh at her was the very last thing she had wanted. 

Which is why she was now standing by the corner, her back to the sea as she watched the party unfold in front of her from under the shade of the fig tree. Music still played, people still laughed and Nesta and Cassian still danced, completely lost to the world around them. 

Elain downed what was probably her 5th champagne glass - not that she deserved it, after the way she had painted Nana’s towel with it - and fought the urge to look to the back of the terrace. To where, exactly, Azriel sat next to Nesta’s friend - a pretty, young  woman who was now wearing one of Nesta’s old dresses and who smiled and laughed as if Azriel was amazing at telling jokes. 

He wasn’t.

She supposed trying to stay away had worked - at least if the way he was smiling at the pretty woman was any indication. And she had done exactly what she had intended - kept well and far away from him. It was a win-win situation, no matter how much the churning in her stomach seemed to disagree.

She just needed to stay on track for the next two weeks and she’d be fine. She could go back to her shop, to her new life, back to the comfort of her small apartment in Velaris and the same routine that had comforted her for the past few months.

It was an herculean effort not to grab her sixth glass.  

“How are you feeling?” Rhysand’s soothing voice startled her slightly, making Elain frown at the champagne that spilled all over her fingers. She set the glass down, sighing heavily as she turned to look at her friend, giving him a wobbly smile. 

Less than 24 hours in Adriata and she was already a fucking disaster.

“I’m good.” She sniffled, looking around for her sister. 

“She needed some time alone,” He explained once he noticed her wandering eyes, chuckling softly as he added, “And a change of clothes.”

Elain groaned, throwing her head back as she cursed herself for the 20th time that night. “I shouldn’t have come.” She said, not offering much else, not even when Rhys raised a brow. 

“Care to explain why you think so?”

Elain sent him an unimpressed look, making him chuckle softly. “I’ve been here for less than two hours and I already destroyed perfectly good champagne, at least 2 dresses and probably scarred that poor woman for life.” She added, eyes flickering to where she still sat next to Azriel, body curved slightly in his direction as she smiled shyly at whatever he was saying. 

God, she was going to be sick. 

Rhys followed her gaze, shrugging as he said. “She seems fine.”

“She does.” Elain all but growled, quickly becoming aware of the amused look on Rhysand's face.  “I’m sorry, it’s just-“

“You don’t need to explain anything to me.” He said, leaning back against the wall with an ease that only he managed. Elain envied him for that gentle confidence, for the way nothing seemed to phase him. “But I do think you’re not giving yourself enough credit.”

Elain frowned, her nose stinging as she blinked away the tears. A 6th glass of champagne would most likely be a bad idea. “I think you give me way too much credit.”

Rhys chuckled, flashing his pretty smile just as Feyre walked back into the terrace, his eyes following her every move. Elain wondered if he was aware that he always did that - that whenever his wife was in close proximity, his eyes would find her and latch onto her like he was just waiting for her to find him and give him her prettiest smile. Which she did. Every single time.

Rhys shook his head slightly, glancing at Elain before looking back at Feyre. “You were away for 6 months, El.” He shrugged. “I think you’re overestimating how much people care about a little mistake.”

“That little mistake nearly sent Nesta into the emergency room.” She grumbled, making Rhys chuckle. 

“I can imagine she’s under a lot of pressure.”

Elain reeled back, mock gasping as she turned to her brother-in-law. “My, are you defending my older sister?”

He shook his head, suddenly looking his age. It was easy to forget Rhysand was older than her, than all of them, but his wisdom never failed to remind her of exactly that. “I think no matter how close we all are, there are a lot of things we don’t know about each other.” His sparkling eyes found hers, and Elain raised a brow. She could feel his assessing stare, could feel the unspoken words floating between them. 

Elain narrowed her eyes. “What do you know?”

“Not enough.” He smirked. “Entirely too much.”

“I’m not going to ask you to develop that any further.”

“I think it’s for the best if you don’t.” He chuckled. “I don’t know what happened, Ellie. I’m not sure I want to know – but maybe these two weeks will be good for you.” He shrugged, smiling softly as his eyes locked onto Feyre’s. “For all of us.”

Elain followed his gaze. “Something you guys want to tell me?”

Rhys chuckled. “No.” He smiled softly at her, pulling her into a side-hug. “Something you want to tell me?”

Elain looked at where Azriel had sat with Nesta’s friend, the sight of the now empty couch sending a pang through her system that she refused to acknowledge. “No.” She mumbled.

Rhys eyed her pensively, a million unspoken words flashing behind his eyes. Elain wondered if Azriel had ever told him about anything - even in the earlier days of their… romp, Rhysand’s pretty eyes had always seemed to glimmer like they knew something. Elain bit her tongue, fighting the sudden need to ask him if Azriel had ever talked about her, if he had an inkling of what had gone through Azriel’s mind the whole time they’d been together… the past 6 months as well. 

But she wouldn’t. She couldn’t - not when she was trying so hard to move on with her life, to be as unaffected as Azriel seemed to be. To not feel like throwing up every time he smiled at a pretty girl. 

As per usual, Rhys seemed to see right through her. “Will you be okay?” He murmured gently, kind eyes taking her in. Elain gave him a wobbly smile, feeling as broken as she had felt the first night she left.

She shrugged, Rhys squeezed her against him, comforting her, just like he always did - the older brother she always wanted. And because of that, she added in a whisper, “I’m so tired of enduring things alone.” 

He gave her a kiss on the top of her head.“Then I think you know what you should do, El.”

She had no idea what she should do, but she hardly had the nerve to tell him that, so she bit her tongue as she watched him walk away.

_ _ _ 

Turns out parties were much more fun when you were actually drunk - or at least everyone else seemed to think so. Elain had admittedly isolated herself and kept away from the brunt of the party, giving strained smiles to curious strangers and short replies to noisy familiars. 

Now, as the music turned louder and the people turned braver, she wondered if anyone would notice if she simply left - she loved lemonade, but there was only so much of it one could drink before it started being too much. 

And it wasn’t like she was adding to anyone’s fun - Feyre and Rhys were slow dancing to the side - completely oblivious to the actual song playing - and Nesta and Cassian had started doing shots and dancing in ways that seemed improper when so many of your present family members were over the age of 70.

Azriel, however… Elain had no idea where he was. Had lost track of him ever since he disappeared with Nesta’s friend earlier. 

It wasn’t like she cared - because she absolutely didn’t - but it was rather rude to leave your best friend’s engagement party to go fuck someone. In her Nana’s house, too.

Elain glared at the lemonade in her hand, deciding enough was enough. There was absolutely no need to stay when all she was doing was wondering where he was and avoiding invasive questions from people she didn’t even know all that well. 

There was a perfectly comfortable bed waiting for her at the hotel downtown, and considering she was going to spend the next two weeks sleeping in a single bed with a broken mattress surrounded by the very same people she had been avoiding since the beginning of the year…Well, she was going to enjoy the fuck out of her queen-sized bed, even if it were just for one night. 

“I’ve been looking for you.” A soft voice startled her away from her escape plans, and Elain felt her stomach twist and her heart sweep in one single swift movement as she felt his familiar presence next to her. His smell enveloped her like an unwelcome breeze, making her heart trip on itself as she turned slowly and met his eyes. 

Pure whiskey, a gleam to them that only promised sin. It was dangerous to get lost in those eyes - and easy, too.

Elain was glad for the dimmed lightning in the hidden alcove, knowing fully well he wouldn’t miss a chance to tease her over the pink she felt rushing to her cheeks from his presence alone.

Still, she scoffed, trying not to laugh bitterly at his comment. “Have you?”  She had hardly moved since he had left.

He frowned, chuckling as he tilted his head. If she didn’t know better, she’d say he looked genuinely confused. “I have.” He straighten up and took a sip from his glass. Whiskey, from the looks of it. “I’ve been meaning to talk to you.”

Elain sure as hell wasn’t ready for that. Whatever was about to leave his mouth was sure to ruin the following two weeks before they even began. 

I hope we can pretend we never happened. Tough but straight to the point. I’m actually fucking Nesta’s friend for the time being so maybe it’s for the best if you stay at the hotel just in case. She could live with that. Kind of. About christmas…

No. Absolutely dreadful. 

“Whatever it is, I’m sure it can wait.” She smiled tersely. “I’m exhausted and I still need to go to the hotel.”

“I’ll take you.” He shrugged, as if he truly believed it were that easy. “We can talk on the way.”

She almost cackled. Going from not seeing that man for 6 months to being closed in a car with him sounded like the closest thing to hell Elain could imagine. “I brought my car.” She said instead. 

His jaw tensed, his eyes flickering from her lemonade glass to her expression. “You’ve been drinking.”

She raised an eyebrow. “This is lemonade.” She pointed out. Sure, she had some champagne when she first arrived, but it wasn’t like he had any way of knowing that. It wasn’t as if he had been around enough time to see her drink anything at all. 

His left cheek twitched, as if he were fighting a smile. Elain hated how on edge that little movement made her feel - how naked and raw she felt just by being close to him. 

She wondered if it was still easy for him to read her - wondered if no matter how much she had fought for them to be merely strangers again, to him, Elain had remained a familiar constant, something he didn’t even think to remove from his life, no matter the distance. Not because of his feelings for her, but simply because it had always been like that. Because what to her had broken her heart and made her want to stay away from everything that reminded her of his caramel eyes and his sinful smiles, to him it had been a bump in the road, her absence not even something to be missed. Or noticed.

“You had some champagne earlier.” He said matter-of-factly. 

Elain narrowed her eyes. “Didn’t realize you were paying that much attention.” She regretted the jab the minute it left her mouth, but Azriel seemed unfazed. 

He shook his head, averting his gaze. “Hard not to.”

Right. Because she had sent his new friend flying over the table. “Is she okay?” She asked, eyeing him for a second before looking away again. 

Azriel's head turned towards her, a frown on his face. “Who is?”

“Your friend.” She said, trying to sound nonchalant. Azriel simply stared at her. “The girl?" She raised her hand towards the oak table. "The champagne?”

“I think so.” He tilted his head. “How should I know?”

“You were talking to her earlier, I just assumed-”

“What, Elain?” He interrupted with a raised brow, a dangerous smile blooming on his lips. Elain cleared her throat, quickly looking away. She had almost forgotten how easily he could play her, how easy it was for him to tease her until she either felt like punching him or kissing him.

“I just assumed you knew her, that's all." She shrugged. "It's really none of my business."

Azriel chuckled, his eyes trained on hers as he stared at her with a look akin to disbelief marring his pretty face. Elain just stared back, unimpressed by his act.

He sighed. "What can I do to make you talk to me?"

Elain laughed, shaking her head. "I think we talked enough already." She grabbed her purse from the table, stepping away. "Look, I really need to go-"

He straightened, as if ready to follow her. “What if I take your car and walk back-” He tried, but Elain stopped in her tracks, eyeing him with a frown, shaking her head.

“You can’t take my car, Azriel.” She snapped, making him stop as well. The idea alone sounded absurd. Did he truly believe they could just keep acting like nothing had happened? Like he could simply drive her car like it meant nothing?

But to her surprise, he didn't press. He simply nodded, eyes flickering all over her face, as if looking for something. 

His Adam's apple bobbed in his throat, eyes still flickering between her own. “Can I at least walk you to your car?” He asked softly, his voice so pleading that Elain nearly said yes. Nearly accepted his offer and took him by the hand, only stopping when they reached her hotel bed.

And fuck, it would be so easy to fall back into their old habits, to get lost in each other’s bodies as if nothing had happened. Wasn’t that how it had all begun? Using their bodies instead of their words, a million conversations that had needed no voice. The pure belief that what they had was enough, that they both understood each other so deeply that nothing more was necessary.

Turns out, they were speaking in completely different languages.

Elain refused to go through it all again, which was why distance was needed - she was far too weak when it came to Azriel, and she refused to let him get his way. Not when none of it meant the same to him as it did for her.

"I have nothing to say to you, Azriel." She smiled sadly. "And there's nothing you can say or do that will change that."

She saw his face fall, saw how the words landed and struck true. She had no idea what was going through his mind, but at least he had believed her enough that he didn't follow her to her car.

Maybe if she said it enough times, she would start believing it too.

[fangirls-fanfiction]

Chapter 18

♦️𝙽𝚘𝚝 𝙰𝚗𝚘𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚂𝚎𝚌𝚛𝚎𝚝♠️

Sorry it’s so short 😅

Stickler knocked on the Devil's office door, receiving no answer. No talking, no shuffling, not even a loud and dramatic groan the Devil usually does when the demon came within a 3 mile radius of her. Knocking again, Stickler tapped her foot as she waited impatiently for the Demon Queen to answer her door.

"Your majesty, may I have a word?" She asked.

Still nothing.

Now it was starting to get concerning. At this point, she expected her Boss to yell at her to leave it to complain loudly like a petulant child being told to do a chore. Even if Stickler enjoyed not hearing the Devil curse her name upon entering the room, it was still worrisome.

"Your Wretchedness? You may ignore me but I'm not leaving."

Still nothing.

Finally deciding to come back later, Stickler started towards the Hellevator to get back down stairs, but not before she heard commotion at the entrance if the Casino.

The Devil struggled to catch her breath as she seemed to have ran from somewhere— Where? Why knows. Finally catching her breath, she strutted through the Casino, glaring at Chips Bettigan slacking as usual.

"And here I thought not bringing my trident would be beneficial..." She muttered to herself, trying her attention to some papers she'd arrived at the Casino with.

"Your grace, may I have a word?" Stickler stood in front of her office door to ensure she had her complete attention. 

"Not now, Stickler, I'm not in the mood."

"This will only take a moment, I wanted to ask— "

"I said not now. Now move it!"

Lucifer went to push Stickler out of the way, obviously forgetting a very crucial detail;

"Your majesty, I wouldn't— "

The Devil received a shock from the invisible sweater, making her drop the papers.

"OUCH!! YOU'RE STILL WEARING THAT DAMNED SWEATER?! WHY?!"

"With all due respect, I tried to warn you." Stickler attempted to help pick up the papers, the Devil snatching them before she even had a chance to look at them.

"What do you want, Stickler? I'm very busy, you know."

"I'm sure you're very busy." 'Fawning over that stupid girlfriend of yours.' She decided to leave that thought out, she was aware that while the Devil was unable to harm her as long as she wore the sweater, it wouldn't stop Queen Dice.

"I'd just like to know why you're not doing your job?"

"Collecting souls? That's what the Casino is for, idiot. Business has been booming!"

"I'm aware. I meant the rest of your job. Causing misery, solitude, pain and fear— All of which you were made for? That's your purpose on Earth is not?" Stickler looked up from her book to see the Devil mocking every word she said.

Upon making eye contact, the Devil cleared her throat and stopped.

"Life isn't all about work, Stickler. I've been busy is all." She seemed to hug the papers closer to her as she glanced at them. "I promise I'll start up again once these girls are... Taken care of."

"You've made plenty of empty promises throughout the years, Devil."

"Oh come on! Would I lie to you?"

"Most definitely."

"Awe come on!"

"I'll only be satisfied when your swear to it."

The Devil grumbled a few unkind words, rolling her eyes and she freed up one of her hands.

"Fine, I swear that I'll get back to work after I take care of the girls." She crossed her heart. "There now I can't break the promise. Happy now?"

"Well... I suppose... Just don't break the promise."

"Please, Stickler, you and I both know that if I try, I'll get shocked every day until I fulfill the promise."

"This is true, well if that's settled, I'll be on my way."

"Good riddance." Lucifer mumbled as Stickler got the the Hellevator.

Going straight into her office, she locked the door behind her. Setting the papers on her desk, the Devil signed them off as if they were contracts. Staring at the page, she frowned. Now, she had to make sure Dice was completely on board with it.

"Well, here goes nothing." She sighed, hoping Dice would be reasonable.

♠️ ♠️ ♠️

Taking just a little time to herself to freshen up, Queen Dice headed upstairs to start her shift at the Casino. With this newfound confidence in her relationship with her girlfriend, she was in a rather good mood. She should've known that Luci wouldn't treat her the way she did all those years ago, she promised after all. Dice found that Luci was surprisingly good at keeping promises for her, even before they got together.

The Hellevator door opened just before Dice got to it, and she barely held back an eyeroll as Stickler exited the elevator.

"Afternoon Miss Dice."

"Hello, Stickler." She glared at the imp as she headed down the corridor. "Hope she didn't put the Boss in a bad mood." She mumbled, closing the Hellevator door.

Queen Dice hummed as she rode the Hellevator up to the Casino. Of course, she was late for work, but her Boss would obviously be understanding. As the Hellevator doors opened, she straightened out her jacket to make sure she looked her best before scamming sinners. What she wasn't expecting was a jump scare;

"Are you busy right now?" Luci stood right in front of the Hellevator doors.

"AHH— BOSS!!" Dice screamed. "What the Hell?!"

"Sorry…" Luci scratched the back of her neck.

"It’s… Whatever. What is it? I need to get to work."

"I... I need to show you something."

"Can it wait?"

"N— No... It's— It's really important."

Queen Dice opened her mouth to protest, Luci giving her the very best puppy eyes.

"Ok."

"Great! Thank you! I promise it'll only take a minute."

The Devil took Dice by the hand, leading her to her office. Closing the door, she locked it and went to her desk.

"Uhm, Boss... Why'd you lock the door...?"

"So no one could come in, duh."

"R— Right..." Queen Dice tugged at her collar.

"Relax, Dice, I just don't want anyone to see this." The demon motioned her to the desk.

"See what—?" Queen Dice saw the papers on her desk, gasping loudly. "You're serious?"

"Yes...? Do you think it's a good idea."

"It's a great idea, Luci." Dice placed a kiss on her cheek.

Lucifer slowly turned to look at Dice blinking as a big, goofy smile appeared on her face. Giggling like a goon, she pulled Dice in for a hug, scattering a bunch of little kisses all over her face.

“Oh, I love you, Dice.”

“I love you too, Luci.”

They sat there in silence, embracing one another for just a moment. With the muffled sounds of the Casino right outside the door, they found it rather tranquil to just enjoy a little time together in peace.

Opening her eye, however, Queen Dice cleared her throat, glancing at the door.

“I really should get to work.”

“In a minute…” Lucifer sighed.

“Ok, just a minute.”

“Ten minutes?”

“Sure.”

“Twenty?”

“Boss.”

“Ok, ok, ten.”

♣️ ♣️ ♣️

If Henchwoman was honest, she wasn’t sure how much she trusted the girls to keep her secret from her Boss. She herself had trouble keeping it to herself, nevermind two seventeen year olds that— Now that she thought about it— Didn’t know very well. Perhaps she was simply just being too hard on the sisters, but the last thing that she wanted was for her Boss to find out.

Walking down the hall to her Boss’ office, she knocked on the door, hearing not only the Devil’s voice but Queen Dice’s voice.

“Go away, Stickler!”

“You don’t know if it’s Stickler, dear.”

A few seconds later, the door unlocked and opened.

“D’uh, Boss…? If ya don’t mind me askin… Why was the door locked?” Henchwoman asked.

“So people couldn’t get in, duh.” The Devil placed a hand on her hip, as if it were obvious.

“Uh……Huh…” Henchwoman nodded.

“Well, I should get to work,” Queen Dice said, kissing Luci’s cheek. “See you soon, Luci.”

Apparently jealousy wasn’t reserved just for the worst demons, as Henchwoman frowned slightly as Dice walked away. Though she reminded herself that being jealous of her wouldn’t do a thing about this situation, besides make it worse.

“Oh, is it tea time already?! Come on in!”

“You’re in a good mood.” Henchwoman commented, pushing the cart in the demon’s office.

“Oh, you have no idea. I can’t wait to tell you all about it!”

[ghost-throat]

soapghost fic: cherry stem (pt. 1)

soap has a special talent.

no nsfw in pt. 1 but it's suggestive. cn: explicit language, very mild angst (resolved)

there was this kind of easy flow between them.

a back and forth that ghost had grown to apprechiate, if not look forward to. there were slight hiccups here and there. a joke that went a bit too far, a breathy huff when something flirtatious was uttered between sounds of gunfire, the silence that followed.

sometimes he wasn't in the mood for banter and pushed through it, only for the sergeant to pick up on it and grow selfconcious. he always thought it was because of him. little did he know, that even during those days ghost wanted nothing more than to listen to him talk.

he simply didn't want to talk. or think too much. about how it was johnny and johnny only that could get his mood to lighten. with that damn smile of his and those broad gestures and the tongue twisters he called an accent.

the smile that would surely be the end of him lit up the kitchen the second he stepped inside, making his stomach twirl and his eye narrow as he pretended he didn't like to think it was because of him. it was a coincidence. nothing more.

"hey lt," the other waved at him, undeterred by the gruff exterior ghost presented him with. he shuffled over, hands in his pockets. the sergeant was standing by the counter, happily snacking away at what looked to be a tub of cherries. gaz was lazily perched against the fridge and looked at his phone with an eyeroll the moment he spotted ghost approaching. a sly smile was hidden behind the mask, eyes sticking with the cool front he put up. gaz was usually annoyed at what soap managed to come up with when it came to teasing ghost. 

soap didn't mind gaz's dramatic sigh, moving a cherry around in his mouth in a way that made ghost shiver. inwardly, of course. he wouldn't dare giving johnny the satisfaction. "i don't like the look of you in a kitchen," he scoffed. 

"huh," the cherry moved from one cheek to the other as soap looked at him with big, innocent eyes. "any ideas on where i'd look better?”

gaz made a show of turning around and loudly leaving the kitchen.

ghost couldn't hide the smile spreading to his eyes. "any place you don't stand a chance of lighting something on fire." he stared at a drop of cherry juice that was sitting oh so perfectly on soap's bottom lip. there was no way the other didn't notice that. 

soap nodded, batting his eyelashes as he pretended to think.

"that would be hard, sir." he smacked his lips together and spit a cherry pit into the sink next to him. 

he shouldn't. there was no way this was going to be good. 

"oh really? pray tell, why would that be?" fucking hell. he couldn't stop.

soap smiled like he had anticipated ghost asking that. 'course he had the damn fucker. "because i'm explosive in be-" 

ghost groaned and turned away, hands rubbing over his mask. "goddamnit, johnny keep it tactical will ya?" 

"can do that in bed, too." 

ghost would die. simply perish. how was he supposed to live like this? 

"wanna see what else i can do?" soap continued on, drinking in the embarrassment ghost was trying to hide. it was like he could see through the mask, sometimes. 

infuriating? yes. 

strangely grounding? also yes. 

ghost shook with the kind of silent laughter he reserved for when they were alone. something johnny owned. he wanted the other to feel special that way, hoping soap would notice and dreading it at the same time. 

"check it out!" soap popped a cherry stem into his mouth and ghost rolled his eyes. 

"really, johnny? that is such an old trick i-" his words got stuck in his throat as the other produced the stem again, holding it between his teeth with a smirk. there was a clean, tight knot in the middle that hadn't been there before. ghost tried not to think about what else johnny could do with his tongue. but he was only human. 

"wanna take it for a spin?" soap pointed at the cherries, but he knew damn well that his word choice left very little doubt about what he actually meant. 

"fucking hell,” ghost muttered. he had half a mind to just accept and see what would happen. if only to remind himself that none of this was serious. "your flirting is getting worse by the day."

"you should know.” soap smirked. 

a scoff. "like you don't talk that way with everyone." it had been a try to cool the situation down, preserve what little professionalism still existed between them. but johnny's eyes got wide in a way ghost hadn't expected.

"you really think that?" his voice was small and low. hurt. ghost had hurt him. 

"i-” he struggled for words, "i just assumed as much because-" 

"because you think i'm a slag. got it. thanks for that." soap pushed past him towards the door.

shit.

ghost grabbed his arm, turning him towards him and letting all that warmth inside of him finally reach his eyes and voice. "because i didn't think you'd seriously flirt with me." 

why would he? why would anyone? soap stared up, brows furrowed. 

"i've been flirting with you for weeks you muppet! what the hell did you think i was doing that for?" 

ghost grimaced. "getting under my skin?" making fun of him. playing with him because he had noticed one lingering stare or a breathy response too many? 

johnny perked up. "i'd settle for getting under your clothes instead." 

the sharp laugh ripping from his throat surprised both of them. "you really don't miss an opportunity, do you?" ghost was happy to have his mask to shield the blush on his cheeks from soap's gaze. 

"no, sir." soap smiled up and ghost realised that they were still really close. "not until you finally take me up on it." 

he didn't. not just yet. 

but later that week, he found himself wandering over to the other's room to finally get an answer to the ‘what if?’.

[crowzwrites]

McCoy/Kirk

ao3

content warning: Sex

words: 870

writing under the cut.

McCoy doesn’t know how they ended up here but somehow they did. Everything had happened very quickly and neither he or Kirk had time to think, to put it simply, a diplomatic talk had gone south by a misstep in speech. Jim accidentally insulted the leader of the planet because of a goddamn translation error, shots had been fired and they were left with little options as their weapons and communicators were confiscated as an act of trust. McCoy sorely regrets not trusting his gut about the situation, from the get go he felt as if something was up but Jim brushed him off and as usual went head-first into it. Look where that got them.

Now they are stuck in a tiny closet in very close proximity to one another, McCoy can feel Jim’s breath on his cheek and he can’t look anywhere but his sapphire eyes.

“So. Come here often?” Kirk smirks at him.

“Shut up.” he frowns and glares at the blonde.

“Well it could be worse, Bones.”

“Really? Nothing is worse than being stuck in a confined space with an immature man-child. Nothing.” Jim gasps dramatically

“Aw you love me really.”

Jim waggles his eyebrows suggestively. As of late the blonde had been flirting with him more often and honestly McCoy can’t tell if he’s joking or not. The man had shown no interest in him like that during their academy days although he had made a few offhand remarks about him being attractive and such but McCoy had chalked it up to his flirtatious nature. However, the situation at hand is definitely making him rethink his relationship with Jim. His leg is pressed in between Kirk’s thighs whilst his crotch ghost over the man’s leg, their faces are mere inches apart and Kirk is looking at him questioningly.

“Whatever makes you sleep better at night.” he rolls his eyes.

“So you don't deny it?” Jim inches forward, their lips centimetres apart

“I… Jim, w-whats…”

“Can I kiss you? Or am I missing the mark?”

“I don't… Ah to hell with it.”

McCoy kisses Jim gently, of course the blonde doesn't resist and instead moans loudly in his mouth. God, he's been wanting to kiss the man senseless ever since they got in this closet and probably before too. It's a passionate embrace and lasts until McCoy has to choke in a breath of air, he wants to laugh at the irony of the whole situation. Being stuck in a closet with his best friend that maybe he's been pining for since he first set eyes on him, the irony of it all.

Jim smiles at him then shifts his leg so that his groin presses against the blonde's thigh.

“Jim!” he gasps.

“Yes doctor?” Jim says in a low voice.

“We're supposed to be hiding! Not screwing around so that they can find us, dammit!”

“I can be quiet.”

He's about to say something else when Jim presses his thigh further into his crotch, making his dick twitch and him grunt. He bites his lip to stop himself from moaning, he gives Jim glare but concedes and kisses him more passionately. Then he reaches down and gropes Jim's cock through his pants, Jim makes a lewd sound in McCoy mouth and in turn bites his lip playfully. Jim ruts against him like some horny teenager then shifts so that their dicks brush against each other through their clothes, Jim puts a hand over his mouth to muffle his embarrassingly loud groan. In retaliation he sucks on Jim’s pulse point hard enough that it’ll leave a mark. The blonde flops his head back against the wall, so he reaches down and frees his hard cock from his trousers with considerable effort as they are cramped up against each other. Jim follows his lead and unzips his trousers. Their erections bump against each other and he sighs into Jim’s neck as he licks the mark he just made. McCoy grabs both of them and rubs them off slowly, pre-come leaks out of their tips and he uses that to jerk them both off. Jim’s dick is slightly longer then his but is more slim compared to his thicker length, Jim catches his lips again and it’s a kiss filled with lust.

“Fuck, Bones. been wanting to do this forever.. ah!” Jim whispers and pants in his ear.

McCoy quickens the pace of his movement, Jim thrusts into him needily. Both of them are on the edge of orgasam, McCoy uses his other hand to cover Jims mouth and Jim does the same, then he squeezes them both and gives a few more rough pumps before they are coming on each other's stomachs. Jim sighs into his hand and he closes his eyes shut as they ride through it together. McCoys hand is painted in both their fluids, he tucks their spent cocks back into their trousers. The blonde brings his sticky hand to his mouth and licks it clean.

“I can't believe we just did that!” he shout-whispers.

“We should probably get out of this closet huh? The Enterprise must've realised what's going on by now.” Jim says nonchalantly as if that hadn't just screwed each other.

[starlightswitch]

@flashfictionfridayofficial I knew what I wanted to do as soon as I saw the other prompt while thinking about this one, but I was out of town all weekend so it took me a while.

Jeff didn’t talk to her when the guys came over. He didn’t talk to her on the way to the party. He didn’t talk to her at the party.

And Lily noticed he wasn’t talking to her, so he wasn’t just not talking to her. He was not talking to her on purpose.

After the group had done a shot, she started pushing the issue. She asked him a question directly, and he looked at someone else, throwing the question to them so he didn’t have to answer it. And since it was Lee he looked at, Lee jumped right in and answered the question and Jeff still hadn’t talked to Lily.

So she forced the issue. When the group had spread out a bit so she had less of an audience, she cornered him. “Can we talk?”

He took a deep breath, and let it out in an even louder sigh. Still without saying words.

“Outside,” she said, and started for the door, hoping she had sounded enough like she wouldn’t take no for an answer that he wouldn’t just refuse to follow her. She glanced behind her as she opened the door and he was following, thank god. After it had shut behind them she stared him down. “What are you trying to do?”

“Do?”

At least he wasn’t dragging it out even further. “By making it really obvious you’re not talking to me.”

"I’m not trying to make it obvious.”

“But you aren’t talking to me.”

“What did you expect? You broke my heart.”

That was a very dramatic way of putting it. "I didn't expect you to stop talking to me!"

"You expected me to just get over you and be friends as if nothing happened? You don't just fall out of love with someone!"

"You weren't in love with me!" Lily automatically glanced behind her as if someone might be listening. Of course she didn't see anyone. Everyone was inside. "We went on like two dates. Nobody falls in love that fast outside of like rom coms."

“What else am I supposed to call it? I really liked you. I do really like you. It hurt a lot when you said you didn't want to keep dating or be my girlfriend. I don't like thinking about you being with someone else."

"You don't get to tell me not to be with someone else."

Jeff shoved his hands out. "I'm not. I'm telling you how I feel. Because you asked me. Because you couldn't just let me not talk to you when I knew if we talked I was going to say things you didn't want to hear."

"Things you shouldn't be saying."

"You asked! Do you want me to lie to you?"

Lily rolled her eyes. "No."

"Seems like you do. Seems like you want me to say I'm perfectly fine talking to you and I didn't really like you that much so I moved right on as soon as you said you didn't like me. Which would be a lie."

"I want you to be a grown-up and be able to talk to someone you went on a couple of dates with."

Jeff crossed his arms. "See, I don't think most adults have to keep talking to someone who doesn't want to be with them. My brother broke up with his girlfriend like six months ago and I've never seen or heard about her again." He sighed loudly. "But I dated a friend, and this is why they say not to date a friend I guess, because if you have all the same friends you either have to lose all your friends or you have to see your ex all the time. But when you fall—" He pointedly changed his wording. "—when you start to really like somebody, you don’t always consider what will happen if they don’t feel the same.”

This was confusing. This was frustrating. Why couldn't he just agree to stop making things weird? "It's not that deep. We went on a couple of dates. Since when is the guy the one who gets attached after a couple of dates?"

"When the guy is me, I guess? When the girl is you? Is it that surprising to you that a guy might like you and want to be with you?"

"It's never happened before!" said Lily.

She didn't think about how it sounded. She didn't realize how it sounded until he didn't respond, and the words hung over them. He took a breath and said with a wry smile, “Well, that’s not fair.”

When Lily thought about it that way, she sighed. If she believed him, then she knew how he felt, because she’d felt the same way. And would she have wanted those guys to tell her to talk to them like it was no big deal? “Yeah, it would be a lot more convenient if it matched up better. Or,” she admitted, “if you didn’t have to pick between the group and not seeing me. It’s just awkward when I can tell you’re trying to avoid talking to me. Because it is really obvious. And then I feel guilty for not liking you, which doesn’t help.” It slowly came together as she said it, and it felt right. That was it, really. That was why they were out here.

“Oh. Sorry. You don’t have to feel guilty.” He ducked his head. “I didn’t mean to make you feel guilty.”

She laughed weakly. “I didn’t mean to make it more awkward, and I think I did. I will try to make it less awkward going forward.”

“Deal,” he said, holding his hand out.

She shook it. She could tell he held on for a moment longer than he needed to, but she didn’t point it out. She just gently let go.

"What did you expect? You broke my heart."

"I didn't think you'd stop talking to me."

[lesbian-knights-and-tragic-gays]

Alliance

Tristan’s white mare pulled up to the Bent Arrow Tavern just as the sun set behind the trees. The tavern was situated along the main forest trail and has for years now been a resting place for many a weary traveller; the usual patrons being tradesmen, bounty hunters and husbands who went out for milk years ago and never seemed to make their way back home.

Tristan dismounts and his fine leather boots land in a deep mud puddle. He swears profusely as he secures his steed and is still cursing as he makes his way through the pub's threshold.

He flops down dramatically onto one of the barstools, “Sir! Sir! One flagon of your finest mead. This instant”.

The bartender doesn’t look up from the cup he’s polishing, “I’ll be with you in a second”.

Tristan rears back, affronted. “Do you know who I am? This service is wholly unacceptable. I demand to speak with your superior”.

The bartender sighs and sets down the cup, “All right all right, calm down”, he pours the drink, “Here you go pretty boy, try not to choke on it”.

Tristan accepted the drink with a dissatisfied grunt.

Some time and many drinks later, Tristan was loudly sharing, to the few unfortunate conscious patrons at the bar, his tale of woe, “–and then she stabbed me that bitch. Now I’m running all over the kingdom trying to find her deranged ass or my father will be more disappointed in me than he already is and then I’m supposed to marry her! After she stabbed me! Ugh! She’s not even my type. Because, well she’s not even that hot! Not–not that I don’t find women hot… Just that, objectively there are few women who could even remotely be considered good enough for me–”.

Little did Tristan know that there was a hooded figure in a back booth of the Tavern who was listening very intently to his story.

…

Tristan drunkenly made his way back to his horse when suddenly he felt something press against his back. “Don’t move,” said a deep voice from behind him “Tell me everything you know about the princess’s whereabouts”. Luckily for Tristan–while he may be an idiot–he wasn’t a half-bad knight. With one fluid movement, he pulled his sword from his sheath and turned around, meeting the assailant sword to sword.

The assailant was a tall man in a cloak whose sword was levelled at Tristan.

“Who are you now?” Tristan asked, glaring down the length of his sword. He was also swaying slightly, considering that he was still somewhat drunk. “What do you want with the princess?”

The assailant considers Tristan for a moment, then stores away his sword. “My name is Ambroise and I want much the same thing as you, to find her”.

Tristan doesn’t lower his sword, “To what end?” Implores Tristan.

“Well she is the princess. I am sure her parents are willing to pay a fair sum for her safe return”.

Tristan squints at Ambroise; partially out of scrutiny, partially out of drunkenness. “Very well,” Tristan returns his sword, “You shall come with me”.

Now it’s Ambroise’s turn to squint, “What?”

“Well it’s quite simple: We both want the same thing and we will only get in each other's way otherwise. It makes far more sense for us to work together to return her. You get your reward and I get to redeem my honour. Do we have a deal?”

Ambroise considers this for a moment. “Alright”, he replies eventually. They shake on it.