#anyway this meant that I have actually talked to him a bunch without overthinking it this term which honestly has been very cool

[exopelagic]

i said i wouldn’t do it this time but it’s 3am and mods asleep. boy

[inventors-fair]

Unique Token Runners-Up: Interesting Convokations ~

Our runners-up this week are @azathoth-the-bored, @hiygamer, and @wolkemesser!

@azathoth-the-bored — Old Bone Ritualist

Well, this is a fascinating treat. I’ve never played WoW, but for some reason, I’m getting those vibes, of a whole bunch of modern fantasy civilizations with their own sorts of outreach and cultures and tropes. In terms of templating, you need to capitalize the C in “create” but aside from that everything looks fine. I’m a little worried about the size of the body, but if you’re using it usually for sacrificial purposes, I think it’s okay to push it a little. And hey, it can sacrifice itself, which is great. On-curve with sacrifice-aggro strategies, I’d love to see what kind of world this takes place in on the mechanical side, since the flavor is already knowable. Is this a BG enemy set with a death aspect? A communal Jundian side with rainforest rituals? I think the vagueness is fine when the thematic connection is so strong. “Beast,” too, that’s fascinating. Orc and their connections, that’s super neat. Civilization and the feral. This feels awesome.

The name’s...alright. I think it’s fine, honestly, even if it’s not the most kick-ass-ian name in the history of Magic. The flavor text could use a touch-up. Histories of what? Memories of whom? The paradox of history and memory contrasts rather than confounds; it feels like they’re trying to sound mysterious and that gets in the way of meaning. “These carcasses hold ancient memories—and even older grudges.” Maybe specifying what kind of carcasses/skeletons? I think that the art direction, with the benefit of the doubt, is how this ritualist is using the MAGIC of the old bones to turn CURRENT flesh into spirits, rather than breaking old bones in half, and I think I like that, the past connection. I think you made a real simple, neat treat here!

~

@hiygamer — Koth, Mirran Survivor

The name makes sense but I wish it could be amped up. Is it not already kind of amped already? It’s good, it’s sensible, and maybe I’m in a “gimme epic” greedy mood. Whatever, the art direction is awesome, if sad. I mean, sheesh, do all the refugees die with him when he dies? It might be a little too real, honestly. The Phyrexian invasion was effed up. Still, the molten surveying, the strength and scarring, wow. Love it. It’s then not above grousing about that he makes Rebels even though he’s depicted with characters that aren’t really meant to attack. Y’know? So anyway, that’s me being a critic, but it’s because you have these good elements that need polishing in a specific way that makes their goodness stand out even more.

Like how the numbers/mechanics could be tweaked just a skooch. Well, maybe just the middle one. Or maybe the loyalty. I’m just argh about the fact that the -3 will—wait NO. I’m DUMB. Okay, so, you get a turn two play, then next turn, you play Koth main phase, then attack, then SECOND main phase you can -3 and deal damage without killing something. Right? Was that the intent, or am I overthinking this? I mean, shoot, my whiny side wants him to start with 4 loyalty so he can Mountain-slam something without dying, but all the same. First ability is great, emblem is great, trigger is great, what the middle ability does is also great. Koth is a pretty fun guy to design for, isn’t he? Yeah, no, I like this card and I like talking about it.

~

@wolkemesser​ — Orgg Trainer

Old-school, huh? I think that this is one of my sneak favorites for no discernable reason. I have no attachments to Orggs, but I know a lot of people do, and this card’s certainly cute. And powerful. A 6/6 Orgg is no joke! You sent me down a bit of a rabbit hole with how appropriate the cost to ability is, whether or not it should tap, but five mana is an investment. If you make it land, then sure, you’ll have fun, but I’m sensing that there are maybe one or two more Orgg makers in this set. Actually, come to think of it, there’s an issue here that’s not really an issue: I don’t see much space for more Orgg tokens. Cards, sure, but tokens? I’d be more than happy if this card was the only Orgg token maker in the set, as long as we have a couple Orggs to go with it.

The point of this contest was pretty clear, but this card hits a soft spot with its simplicity that borders on elegance. There’s no reason for “fourth” to be “4th” especially considering that one of the few places we see “fourth” is ON AN ORGG CARD (argh!), but pet peeves aside, hey, it’s a callback in more ways than one, and this guy sure does train his Orggs. What a Samaritan. Yeah, no, this card’s good enough for me to say: well done. Orrg’n’t you proud of yourself.

Commentary comin’ right up~ Probably.

@abelzumi​

[nomsugayoongi]

Off My Face. Part 3.

Pairings: Jungkook X OC female (nameless) Tags: Yet more fluff. Smuutttyyy smut. Please don't read if you're not at an age to actually legally carry out smut. She was aware of the fact that they'd been in the kitchen long enough to start raising suspicion from the others. As much as she didn't want to, she knew at some point she'd have to head back out with Jungkook to rejoin them. They were just stood, still in front of the fridge, his arms wrapped around her, she face nuzzling into his shoulder. She was just enjoying being so close to him. "They're gonna wonder what we're doing" she muttered. "I know. Do you want to tell them something?" He asked carefully.

She stepped out of the hug, immediately feeling colder without his body heat. She studied him. She didn't even know what it was she'd have to tell them. A couple of stolen kisses in a kitchen didn't exactly qualify as announcement material. "Do you?" Yes, answering a question with a question was kind of a dick move but she wanted to know how he felt about it before giving anything away. He looked thoughtful and shrugged, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his grey sweatpants. "Not really. I wouldn't know what to tell. I think I need to figure that out with you before I talk to them." He said, still being very careful with his wording. He didn't want her to think he wasn't willing to tell them that something had happened between them but until he understood what exactly that meant, he didn't really want to start that conversation. She nodded feeling slightly relieved. "Yeah, me too. I mean...I don't even know what..." She broke off, indicating between the two of them then punctuating her point with a shrug. He smiled and nodded his agreement. "So...we say nothing while we figure out..." He replied, repeating her hand gesture. "Ok. Well...you go back out first. I'll...brew a pot of coffee or something and follow in a couple of minutes. " She suggested. He nodded. The mood between them had switched slightly and was a little awkward. Not because of what had happened but because neither of them particularly wanted to join the others. Jungkook felt strange. This thing with her was literally brand new. He'd had it for minutes and now he had to go back and pretend that everything that had just happened, hadn't. He felt weird about that. He wanted more time. He wanted to take her for a walk in the garden or up to his room or something. Somewhere they could talk properly and kiss more and just...be all over each other. Instead he had to go join his brothers and be right next to her...without acting like they'd just completely changed what they were. He frowned, kicking his foot against the floor. Patience wasn't his strong point. He couldn't even think of when he possibly could get her alone. That was the thing about living with his hyungs. You could guarentee that at least one of them was always around. "Ok, I'll go back now." He muttered. He shook his head, telling himself not to overthink. He headed for the kitchen door, ready to rejoin his group. "Wait wait wait" she hissed, throwing a coffee filter on the counter and running over to him. She pulled him away from kitchen door and kissed him again. "One more..." She breathed against his lips. He chuckled into her mouth, tangling his fingers into her hair and indulging her. "No...many more" he corrected. He caught her bottom lip between his teeth, biting softly before releasing her. "...just not right now." He gave her his bunny smile, nose crinkling adorably as he ruffled his hair. "Don't be long" he said, swiftly exiting the kitchen. She waited a few minutes, brewing a coffee pot and putting cups on a tray to take out to the boys, not actually paying attention to a single thing she did. She felt like she was floating. Her stomach twisting giddily as she completed her task on autopilot. Jungkook....liked her. How was that even possible? He was beyond gorgeous and she'd just kissed him a bunch of times in the BTS house kitchen. She sighed, trying to get the dumb grin off her face. He was such a good kisser. She could still feel the pressure of his lips on hers, the brush of his tongue, the taste of him. She squeeked quietly, a small giggle erupting from her as she let herself have a moment to feel it. Pure happiness. Excitement. She couldn't wait for the next moment with him. She'd spent ages tormented by him, never imagining that the things she longed for would become reality. She sighed deeply, trying to regulate her breathing and pop the expanding bubble of giggles lodged in her chest. She had to pretend that nothing had happened. "Come on girl. Get a grip of yourself" she whispered, collecting the coffee and heading for the door. "Let's get it" she grinned, kicking it

open with her foot. The lounge was still in darkness. The quiet chatter of the boys punctuating parts of the film. "Anyone want coffee?" She asked, resting the tray on a table behind the sofa. There was a chorus of affirmatives, Suga practically throwing himself over the back of the sofa to get to the pot first. She chuckled, rolling her eyes. Namjoon smiled at her, giving her arm a quick squeeze. She glanced at Jungkook. He was back laid in the corner on the sofa, an arm casually slung behind his head. Dressed in a long sleeved black shirt and grey sweatpants yet looking like he could have been on the cover of a magazine. Damn he was gorgeous. She smirked, her eyes gorging on him. He seemed to be watching the film but she noticed the smile playing round his lips starting to grow. He flicked his eyes over to her. His tongue came out to wet his lips, dragging his bottom lip back where he caught it between his teeth for a split second before releasing, his face becoming completely neutral once again. Her smile grew as her stomach somersaulted. He was such a shit. She wanted to go over there, straddle his hips and bite that lip herself. There was so much she could do with him on the sofa pinned beneith her. She shook the thoughts away, feeling a flush creep up into her face. She wandered back over to her spot, falling down onto the sofa next to him as the boys returned to their places. She was painfully aware of Jungkook right beside her. She kept glancing at him out of the corner of her eye only to find him looking back at her. Once everyone had settled back into watching, he twisted round onto his side, leaning in so his lips were right next to her ear. "I want to kiss your neck" he whispered. His breath on her ear in combination with his words made her shiver. She swallowed hard and cleared her throat. She could feel his nose burying into her hair just behind her ear. "You smell so good" he murmured. She desperately wanted to turned her head, to catch his lips. Instead she gripped his thigh, squeezing slightly. He sat back again just in time for Namjoon to turn and look at them both. "Another film?" He questioned. She didn't even realise the first had ended. "Ummm...." The guys contemplated whether to watching something else. "I think I'm gonna go for a quick walk in the garden. It's stuffy in here." She hummed. "Anyone coming?" Namjoon eyed Jungkook expectantly. "Fine, I'll go by myself." She chuckled, getting up from the sofa and heading out. "Jungkook, go with her. It's dark out." Namjoon smiled. "But the garden is fenced. It's safe." He replied, pulling himself into a sitting position. Of course he wanted to go with her but he didn't want to look too obvious. Namjoon continued to stare at him. "Fine, I'll go." He relented, standing up and following her out. She slid open the patio doors, breathing deeply as she stepped out into the cool night. It was actually really nice. Not too cold but dark and silent. She turned to slide the door closed behind her and smiled when she was Jungkook walking towards her with a grin. He stepped out, closing the door behind him. "Namjoon told me to come with you" he explained. He started walking down the patio steps and onto the grass, hands in his pockets, walking slowly. " Head down to the benches" he muttered. She walked slowly beside him. Once they were out of earshot of the house he turned to her. "I did want to come with you. I just didn't want to seem like I was trying to be alone with you." He explained. She chuckled and shook her head. "It's ok. I know. I just had to get out for a minute." She replied. He led her down the garden until the darkness swallowed them, then turned her to face him, his arms snaking round her shoulders as he pulled her close. She studied him in the moonlight. "This is hard. How do I sit right next to you and pretend everything's normal?" She asked with a smile. He shrugged, kissing her sweetly. "No. Idea. Too. Hard." He responded, each word separated by a kiss. "Jungkook, what is this?" She asked. "Is this a tonight only kind of thing or..." She

broke off and sighed. The last thing she wanted to do was be all serious and heavy but she had to know. Jungkook let go of her, lacing his fingers in hers and beginning the slow walk again. "Do you just want tonight?" He asked. She was already shaking her head before he finished speaking. "Absolutely not. But...I'd get it. You're busy a lot and not telling the guys is going to be hard and I don't even know what you want. I just don't wanna assume...." He hummed with understanding. "That is true. I am busy a lot. But...I don't want one night. I like you. So much. And I don't know if we will work out together but...I would like to find out. I want to try. See what happens. I'm not technically allowed to have a girlfriend. Not publicly anyway. But...I wanna be with you. Not just tonight." He said softly. She melted, glancing at him adoringly. "That what I want too." She whispered. He smiled, squeezing her hand. " So...we see where this takes us? Like...dating...kind of. But..secretly." he proposed. She grinned and nodded. "Getting time alone is going to be difficult." He sighed. " A lot of sneaking." She nodded again, aware of the fact that they were going to get much less time than they wanted. "Just means we'll have to make the most of the time we do have." She responded. "I want to try." He nodded his agreement. "Me too." Once they'd rejoined the group, she sat contentedly next to Jungkook for another movie. At some point he'd pulled a blanket over their legs and was holding her hand beneith it. As the night wore on, she felt less guarded and let herself snuggle into him as the tiredness hit. She'd realised pretty quickly that nobody expected anything different between the two of them so they weren't paying any attention. They were always laying on each other or falling asleep together. It was normal so it didn't raise any eyebrows. She didn't actually want to go to bed. She was far too comfy where she was. But unfortunately that choice was taken away from her. "Guys, we should call it. We have practise tomorrow" Namjoon sighed, pulling himself up sleepily and kicking Jins foot to wake him up. Everyone murmured their agreement, either jumping up straight away or groaning unhappily at the thought of having to move. She untangled herself from Jungkook, standing up to hug the guys and say goodnight. As they were herded towards the steps and everything was switched off, she looked for Jungkook. He was at the back of the bunch, rubbing his eyes and yawning. There was a pang of disappointment at not being able to say goodnight to him properly but she disregarded it. There would be other nights. That was the most important thing. A collective "Goodnight" was shouted from everyone and the tell tale shuffling and banging of the guys settling into their rooms followed. She reached her room, stripping off her jeans and Jungkooks hoodie before falling into bed, his hoodie thrown next to her pillow to snuggle into. Her bed was freezing. She missed his warmth already. She folded his hoodie under her head, burying her nose into it and inhaling deeply. His scent still clung to it and she smiled happily, thinking about the events of the evening. She was almost drifting off to sleep when a vibrating sound caught her attention. She frowned for a second before releasing it was her phone. She swiped it off her beside table quickly, already grinning before she even looked at it. Sure enough, a message from Jungkook flashed on her screen. "Sleeping?" It read. She tapped out her quick response. "Nope. Can't. Too cold. 😋" She grinned, sitting up, watching the dots bounce on her screen as he typed back. "Come say goodnight?" She chuckled quietly, throwing her covers off her legs. She pulled on a pair of short shorts and a vest top and tied her hair up into a messy bun then crept out of her room. The house was already silent. As she tiptoed past doors she could hear the faint sound of snoring from some of them. She could see faint light spilling out from under Jungkooks door. As she reached it, she carefully pushed the handle, trying to

make as little noise as possible. She crept into his room with a smile. He was laid in bed, the lamp beside his bed illuminating him in a soft glow, he grinned, his phone still in his hand. She waved then turned to close the door behind her. "Hi" he whispered. "Hey you" she replied quietly, turning to face him. He threw back the covers beside him and held his hand out to her. She noticed he'd also changed into shorts and a short sleeved t-shirt. She tiptoed over to his bed, climbing in beside him. "You look cute" he muttered, nuzzling against her neck as he threw the covers over her legs. He curled his fingers round a strand of hair that had escaped from her messy bun. "I like this" She smiled bashfully and shrugged. "I can't sleep with my hair down. I wake up with it wrapped around my face." She explained. He chuckled quietly and nodded, tucking the strand behind her ear. "Your legs are cold" he whispered with a grin. Again she nodded, "I told you I was too cold to sleep. My room is freezing." He rubbed her calf with his foot. "Electric blanket" he said earnestly. "I'll bear that in mind" she giggled. "Let's warm you up" he muttered, pushing back on her shoulder gently so that she'd lay down. She scooted her butt down the bed and laid back against his pillows, he proposed himself on his side next to her, one hand curling round to rest on her hip. She gazed at him, smiling slightly as she felt his fingers create a gap between her shorts and vest so that he could touch her, his fingertips swirling over the bare skin just above her hip. His fingers were warm and his touch was light and slow. She hummed quietly, her eyes closing. She could feel the ache behind her eyes from the pull of sleep but the pull of him was stronger. She felt the tickle of his hair brushing her face then the soft press of his lips against hers. She ran her fingers through his hair, sighing against his mouth. He kissed her slowly, sweetly. When his mouth opened, his tongue brushed hers softly. The combination of it all was pulling her in. She felt like she was sinking through the bed. Her whole body felt gorgeously heavy. The soft tickle of his roaming fingers and the way he kissed her like he had all the time in the world. It was heavenly. His mouth was minty from brushing his teeth and it made her tongue tingle pleasantly. He broke away from her mouth, delicate kisses trailing across her cheek to her earlobe when he sucked lightly. His breath was hot in her ear and she moaned softly, tilting her head to the side to give him room. "Your skin is so soft. I want to kiss all of it." He breathed, teeth catching her lobe and nibbling gently. She swallowed hard, every tiny bite of his teeth on her ear shooting straight to her stomach which churned with desire. His lips skimmed down her neck, parting to suck at the juncture of her neck and shoulder. Her toes curled. Another heavy roll of her stomach. If he wasn't careful he was gonna have to transport her back to her room in a bucket. She felt like a puddle. A useless puddle. She turned her head, fingers still playing in his hair, her nose joining to smell the top of his head. God he smelled good. His fingers pushed under her vest top, gripping her hip and pulling her slightly toward him. He hooked one leg over hers, sinking his teeth into her neck making her gasp and push against him. He groaned, the pressure of her hips against his making him bite down again, a little harder. He rolled backward, pulling her with him until she was on her side too. All thought of the guys sleeping in the next rooms was completely gone. Lost in each other, he rolled his hips slowly, grinding against her through two pairs of shorts and underwear. She whined softly, hands gripping in his hair and pulling a little. He stopped the assault on her neck, kissing back up to her mouth, his tongue tangling with hers greedily. Another roll of his hips, another breathless gasp from her. Her hand pushed under his t-shirt, travelling up his back to his shoulders and back down. She could feel every muscle tense under her hands every

time he moved. He hand slid round under his shirt, trialing down his chest, fingers bumping over his abs. He had the most perfect body in the world. Lithe, muscular, capable. His whole form yelled strength. Her head was swimming. His kiss was hungry but his hips rolled tantalisingly slowly. The most delicious contradiction. She pulled away from his kiss, burying her head into his shoulder, hands gripping his back tightly. "Fuck...Jungkook..." she breathed. He moaned in response, his name falling out of her mouth like a sacred word mixed with a plea. It had never sounded better. He wanted to hear it again. He wanted to hear it cried, panted, screamed. How many ways could he make her twist his name into a different word. He rolled her onto her back, nudging her legs apart with his knee before straddling her hips, his hands deftly battled with the drawstring on her shorts, undoing and pushing them down while not breaking the kiss. His fingers danced over her underwear. The heat radiating from between her thighs made his stomach clench painfully. "I need to feel you" he grunted against her lips, fingers slipping under her panties. His pointer and middle finger slid easily through her folds, he teased her opening, groaning at how hot and wet she was, then sliding up, locating her clit, circling slowly before slipping back down, another brush over her hole. He smirked against her lips as she inhaled a deep, shuddery breath. "You really do like me" he whispered. She nodded dumbly, eyes closed but fluttering. He continued to tease, alternating between rubbing her clit and teasing her hole. He watched a faint red tinge creep up her face, her breathing shudder, becoming slower and deeper,her lips swell and flood a dark pink colour, her long, dark eyelashes fluttering rapidly. He pressed his lips to her ear, "Look at me!" he whispered huskily. Her eyes opened heavily and it took a second for her to focus on him. He looked fucking glorious. His long purple hair tousled, lips parted, flawless skin, eyes dark brown around the outside and melting into a bright amber colour. A smile tugged at his perfect, pouty lips. He watched her eyes fly round his face, drinking in his features. His smile grew, watching her carefully as he pushed his pointer and middle finger inside her, curling up to press against the sensative inner walls. She groaned heavily, a pleasured frown creasing her brow as her breath left her, her hips rising under his touch. His fingers twisted and scissored, stretching and probing, withdrawing before sliding back in easily. He added his thumb, circling and gently stroking her clit as he worked his fingers, out, in, curl, scissor, twist, stroke. Dexterity was not the word. He'd not even taken off her panties yet he could somehow get everywhere. Restricted or not. He watched her face, occasionally placing kisses on her increasingly sweaty forehead or her neck or a cheeky nibble on her earlobe. But mostly he just wanted to watch her climb. The expressions on her face as he took her higher and higher. Her moans, starting soft, were growing in volume, coming thicker and faster. Deep, gutteral cries from her diaphragm. "Shhhh Jagi. We're not alone." He reminded. She bit her lip but it was pointless. She couldn't stop. She was completely at the mercy of him and his magic hands. How he knew exactly how to touch her was a total mystery but she'd never felt so good. He somehow knew how to keep her climbing. She could be absolutely sure that she was about to explode, then he'd move a finger slightly or change pace or do something else to keep her building. Her back arched and she tried to stifle a moan but failed miserably. He laughed, pulling the pillow over with his other hand. "Bite Jagi. Bite" he instructed. She stuffed the corner of the pillow into her mouth, groaning deeply into it. He rolled his eyes with a smirk. Her moans were somewhat muffled but not enough. He had planned to keep this up as long as she could take it but apparently he had a screamer on his hands. Literally. " Too loud baby. You'll wake the hyungs" he

told her. "Fuck the hyungs" she growled back. He laughed loud, shaking his head. "They can't know yet. You need to come baby." She wrenched the pillow out of her mouth, glaring at him. "IM TRYING, YOU LITTLE SHIT" she spat. He laughed harder. Apparently she was vicious when she was being pleasured. He pulled his hand out of her panties, smirking at the death glare she was shooting him. "Relax Jagi. I got this" he smiled, snaking down her body. She audibly gulped as he pushed her knees apart, glancing up at her with far too beautiful eyes as he pulled her underwear aside and ran his tongue along her slit. Her head plopped back down as she rammed the pillow back into her mouth. He groaned, the taste of her exploding on his tongue. "Fuck" he grunted, yanking her underwear down. He gripped her thighs, spreading her, delivering another long, slow lick from hole to clit. He groaned again, trying to keep in his head that his purpose was to get her to come. Not to spend as long as he possible could, torturing her with his mouth, even if that's exaclty what he wanted to do. He sucked her clit softly between his lips, flicking his tongue rapidly. He felt her thighs clench. She was close. He could tell. He shuffled, supporting himself on one elbow, pushing three fingers into her. The delicious stretch was all she needed. He felt her walls clench hard around his fingers. He heard her gasp then silence. There was a moment as her orgasm took hold, making her motionless as it unleashed then ripped through her. He felt the wild pulsing of her pussy muscles around his fingers, satisfied, he slowed to a stop, lifting his mouth from her clit with an obnoxious pop. He smirked, sitting cross legged between her splayed legs, observing the devastation in front of him smugly. The pillow was still pulled over her face, her hands still gripping his sheets for dear life, the rapid rise and fall of her chest as she struggled for air. Satisfied that he'd done his job well, he shuffled back up to her, carefully pulling the pillow off her face and smoothing her mussed hair back. He smiled sweetly, nose crinkling at her defeated form. He pulled the cover over her body, winding himself around her, placing gentle, soothing kisses on her cheek. "Goodnight Jagi" he whispered, closing his eyes.

[n0r14k1-k4ky01n]

hello! this might be a bit of a weird alsk but can i request headcanons for the crusaders x reader having a vibe session at 2 in the morning? maybe they just had a rough day and decided to listen to loud music at 2am and dye their hair to make them self feel better. the reader is a bit less verbal about their emotions so they just kinda vibe to music? thank you for your time, have a nice day/night/evening!

!!! First ask, woo!!! This is actually so adorable, I love it- I'm gonna say this takes place after the Egypt trip (in an everyone lives AU, of course) so no one is pestering you to sleep for obvious reasons, lol. Also, I wasn't sure if you meant for this to be romantic or not, so I made it kinda ambiguous. You can interpret it how you like tho!!

Crusaders Having A Vibe Session With The Reader At 2AM!!

Jotaro

Jotaro... Probably doesn't sleep very well anyways.

He hears you up and moving at 2am, gives a quiet yare yare as he realizes he's not gonna get any sleep tonight, takes a few minutes to mentally prepare, and goes to check on you.

He finds you as you're waiting for the dye to set, raising an eyebrow, but not reacting much otherwise.

He's used to nonverbal communication, not to mention observant as hell, so he can tell pretty easily that you're not doing so hot.

"... Bad day?"

You just nod in response. He sighs and sits himself down next to you.

This is a rare opportunity to lean on him without being pushed off. He might even put an arm around your shoulder.

He's gonna help you with the rest of your hair if you ask, but only if you explain how, and let him pick the next few songs. He has a very specific music taste, it's a wonder he's been listening to what you put on with only a few snide comments here and there.

... But he'll still take your music taste into account too. Don't point it out, he'll deny it and get grumpy.

When all is said and done, you're definitely gonna fall asleep first. If he's up, he's up. He won't move you (other than off his shoulder) but he'll shut off the music, and if you left your phone unlocked, there's a good chance he'll shut off any alarms you have. He's sure you need the rest, even if you might get pissy that he did something like that without asking.

As long as you're feeling a bit better, he couldn't care less if you're upset at him.

Kakyoin

Either he was already out cold by midnight, or he stayed up playing videogames. Regardless, he's gonna hear the music at some point, and go out to check on you.

He shows up before you've actually dyed your hair, a more confused than he is annoyed.

"Y/N, why on earth are you up this late...?"

"You don't have room to judge, Nori."

"...Touché."

He catches on that you're not doing so hot, and sticks around, trying to fall into a comfortable silence with you.

... The key word here is "trying".

He feels really awkward being around people in the first place, especially one-on-one. Add in the fact that there's nothing but the music to keep him from overthinking...

He's piping up every little while with a fun fact about something or another. He doesn't actually know what to say, but he can't stand the silence, so that's his way of trying to fill the void. He doesn't mind if you don't respond with much more than a nod, just acknowledge that he said something and he's fine.

He let's you pick all the music. He likes just about anything, and besides, you're not doing so hot. It's the least he can do.

He'd also absolutely help you dye your hair, and he already knows how. He's definitely looked into dying his own, but is too worried it won't look better than what he already has, or that it won't look good enough to be worth the time/effort/money.

Once again, you'll probably fall asleep first. This man has trained himself well in the art of "I'm doing something, sleep can wait". An Epic Gaymer™ of the highest degree.

He'll probably try to move you to your bed, but unless he can very easily pick you up, he's just gonna leave you there. Maybe shift you so you're lying down. He just really doesn't wanna accidentally wake you up.

Avdol

I'm gonna start this one off by saying I'm so sorry, I have no idea how to write for Avdol-

Probably still up when he hears you. One of my personal headcanons is that he opens his shop in the evening and shuts it down in the day, since tarot stuff seems to be a lot more popular with the night crowd, so he's on a bit of a weird sleep schedule anyway.

Immediately concerned. He's pretty good at picking up on other people's emotions.

"Y/N, you look down. Is there anything I could do to help...?"

Just ask him to stick around and he will. He might even make you some tea, if you like it. Or like, hot chocolate. But no coffee unless it's decaf, he's not about to let you stay up later than you need to.

He's okay with the silence, actually. Will open his arms up for a cuddle, if you want. He's such a good space heater cuddler.

He doesn't really know how to help you dye your hair, but he'll try if you tell him how! Honestly, just let him know what you need in general, and he'll do it in a heartbeat... So long as it's not gonna backfire in the long run, like caffeine, or starting a big task/project (it's the middle of the night, for Pete's sake).

Might suggest listening to quieter music after you've finished with your hair, in an attempt to help you wind down and maybe fall asleep.

... But it's a 50/50 as to who actually falls asleep first. If he manages to stay up, he'll try and carry you to bed. If he can't, he's gonna wake you up and tell you to go properly lay down. He feels bad about disturbing you, but it's better than letting you sleeping funny and get a sore neck.

Polnareff

See, Polnareff needs his beauty sleep. He's out at a reasonable time, 11 at the very latest, and your music absolutely woke him up.

He's gonna stomp out of his room grumbling and groggy.

"It's 2 in the damn morning, Y/N, what the hell...?"

Not the most observant of the bunch, so for him to clue in, you'll either need to look like death, or straight up tell him you feel like shit.

Any hint of grumpiness or sleepiness is gone in an instant, replaced by a small gasp and so much worry.

This man is absolutely going to help you with your hair. Hell, if you let him, he's going to try and give you a full-blown spa experience. Face mask, nail painting, he might give you a massage!! Please indulge him, it's going to be so nice and he's going to be so happy he could help. But, if not, he's more than happy to just sit with you.

However, unless you specifically ask him to be quiet, he's going to talk your ear off. He won't mind if you don't respond, he's more than happy to just blabber about anything that crosses his mind.

Hell, even if you do ask him to hush, he's gonna struggle with it. He never stops talking, the absolute dork.

He'll suggest songs he thinks you might enjoy, and will sometimes ask if you can skip one or two that he really doesn't like, but for the most part you have free range over the music.

He's going to try so hard to stay awake, but he's used to a full 8 hours or more, so he's falling asleep first. Though, when he wakes up, he's gonna remember what happened last night and apologize profusely for passing out on you. Oh, and compliment how nice your hair looks in the natural light, of course.

Joseph

Another early sleeper. When he was younger, he'd stay up until the wee hours of the morning with no problems, but nowadays he's pretty consistent about passing out at 10 on the dot. Your music woke him up, which is impressive, because he sleeps like a rock.

Manages to be less grumpy than Polnareff when he comes out, but not by much.

"Geez, Y/N, could you please save all the noise for the daytime?"

However, he's still got his paternal instincts, and as soon as he gets a good look at you, he's gonna know somethings up.

He's gonna insist on helping dye your hair. Hell, if the dye is temporary, there's a good chance he'll ask if he can dye his too! He doesn't see why not, and besides, it might get you to smile.

That's his main goal here, actually. He'll try not to talk too much, but similarly to Kakyoin, he's not great with silence. The difference is that he's gonna fill it with terrible dad jokes and over-the-top stories rather than fun facts. But if you really want him to shush, he'll try his best. He'll get quieter the later it gets anyways. He just wants to make you happy.

Expect him to hum along to any songs he knows, but he won't ask you to play anything specific.

Absolutely going to cuddle you if you let him. He's a very good cuddler/pillow.

Although he's probably really sleepy, absolutely refuses to fall asleep first. As soon as you're out, he'll shut off the music and carry you to your bed, no matter if he struggles with it or not. Tucks you in, pats your head, the whole nine yards.

... And then he goes and passes the hell out too. He's an old man, leave him be.

[nelllraiser]

sharks and strippers | group birthday chatzy

LOCATION: a frozen pond in the forest. PARTIES: @chasseurdeloup, @divineluce, @beatrice-blaze, @whatsin-yourhead, @connorspiracy, @phoenixleah, @notsoharsh, @corpse--diem, @detectivedreameater, @letsbenditlikebennett, @halequeenjas, @walker-journal, @seizethecarpe, Jack SUMMARY: nell’s birthday party has a surprise guest. 

It was technically still two days until Nell's birthday, but with that actual day of celebration stuck right in the middle of the full moon and during the beginning of the work week, it had made much more sense to have the party today. The three Vural girls had pooled their magic to freeze over the pond they'd found to make a suitable outdoor ice skating rink, and hired someone to rent out skates for those that needed them. Fairy lights were hung around the perimeter of the new ice rink, and not all that far away was a bonfire pit already stacked with wood and marshmallows for s'mores nestled into the surrounding snow. Somewhere nearby was a speaker to play some music to skate along to, but perhaps most important was the little tent and table where guests could find an assortment of alcohol. Whoever said intoxication didn't mix well with ice skating hadn't watched their friends hilariously fall on their asses countless times. The spicy aroma of mulled wine and hot toddy filled the air along with irish coffee. In addition to the winter drink staples there were also the typical options for the more traditional. As she waited for others to arrive, Nell paced by the edge of the rink, realizing perhaps a bit too late that a magical invitation might not be all that intuitive for everyone receiving it. "You don't think they'll get lost, right? I mean- if you saw a golden trail come from an invitation you'd follow it, wouldn't you?" she asked.

Kaden wasn’t really up for a party, but this was for Nell. And the invitation was from Bea. So he’d make a brief appearance. Plus, it was a decent distraction. Might as well. And he knew it would be a sight to see. He ripped the invitation, followed the golden light and ended up in the middle of the woods. Of course they made it a magical invite. It took a while to get there, but none of it felt like the middle of the woods. It was decorated to the nines, as expected. He dropped his present off at the table that looked like it was meant for that sort of thing and saw the set up for alcohol. His first stop. Easily.

Luce leaned against one of the tables that had been set up, her hands tucked in the pockets of her jeans as she stared at the ice skating rink she and her sisters had put together. The effort had taken more out of her than she'd thought it would and, right now? She just wanted to sit down. She didn't even really want to be here. But, after all the shit she'd put Nell through, she had to be here. It wouldn't be fair to Nell if she wasn't here at least pretending like she was enjoying the party. Wandering over to the drink station, she made herself an Irish coffee and took a sip from it. Fuck that was good. They might not have access to the family bank account anymore, but they could still throw a good party. "We're witches. They'll figure it out." Luce said with a shake of her head. "Happy Birthday, Nellie." She added, doing her best to smile in a way that she hoped was convincing.

"I think you're overthinking things," Bea told her sister with an amused smile. "If they don't find it with that, they'll hear the people eventually. Or they can just call one of us. They have my phone number." She went over to the tent with the alcohol,"What do you guys want? I'm getting an Irish coffee." She would be skating drunk later and no one would be able to convince her not to.

The invitation was a little strange. Remmy had fiddled with it for a while before realizing that it was asking them to literally rip the piece of paper in half. As soon as they put that together, they realized that was definitely a very Nell thing to do. Or maybe it was just witches that would do stuff like this. They wondered if Morgan had ever done a fancy invitation thing like this, as they followed the trail through the trees and came upon a lake, frosted over. Nell was there, and they spotted Bea and Luce as well, waving over to them and giving a slow trot over. "Hey! Happy birthday Nell!" they said, trying their hardest to stay bright and happy. They didn't need to think about other stuff right now. Held out the card they'd made her. "Sorry it's not much."

Connor had been happy to receive the invitation to Nell's birthday, but that had led to his tiny dilemma of what to get as a gift. He'd asked Bea for some ideas and brainstormed based on what he knew about her. She seemed the sort of person who would just get whatever she wanted regardless. Ultimately he'd decided on a punny t-shirt that had a cactus on the front with 'Don't Be A Prick' written under it and a six month cactus subscription service so Nell could try out a bunch of different types. He wrapped up warm, like Bea had suggested, following the trail to the party. He put the gift on the gift table, looking around for someone he knew before heading to the bar where he ordered a simple beer. "Hey," he greeted, recognizing Kaden, and recognizing Bea's photo from her online account.

As the invitation led Leah to Nell's party, Leah couldn't help but feel equal parts excited and anxious. It was always a blast to celebrate with the Vurals, but the rumors that they were going to be ice skating had her worried about exposure. She wasn't cold at all, but she was still wearing her heaviest coat, gloves, and a hat. She made her way right to the alcohol tent, knowing full well that's where Bea would be. "Surprise me", she said with a grin, still holding Nell's present under her arm. "Where's the birthday girl?"

As people began to filter towards the party, it seemed that Luce's and Bea's words had come true. With an instantaneous wave at those arriving, Nell greeted everyone with a wide and eager smile, just happy that people had showed up. "Hi guys! Thanks," she said to everyone that greeted her, already bouncing towards the bar where people were seeming to gather. "I'm glad you guys are getting your alcohol before you get on the ice. Then it can be my gift to watch all of you fall." In a moment she was grabbing her own drink in the form of a hot toddy, having already asked for it before the festivities began.

Harsh lurked in the shade, waiting for the sun to dip just a bit more. At least it was getting dark earlier and earlier now. He wouldn't have to wait too much longer to grace Nell's party with his presence. He ripped open the invitation, blinking at the sudden spill of golden light. Witches, they always had the best toys. He followed it, careful to still stick to shady patches where he could find them, just in case the setting sun had it out for him. It didn't take too long to wander his way to the end of the golden path. He dropped his small, neatly wrapped present off with the others before glancing around, grinning when he spotted Nell. He lifted a hand in a little wave before heading over to inspect the booze.

Kaden gave Connor a small wave as he ordered a hot toddy. "I see you all went all out," he said to the sisters. "I expected nothing less." He recognized a number of familiar faces and expected more would file in as the night went on. "Have to say, I'm worried about the ice skating. Did you bring magical first aid kits out here, too? You might need them."

“There’s no location,” Erin pointed out as she inspected the invitation. Keys in hand, jacket on, present in tow, she was ready to head out the door when she realized this one crucial piece of information. How did she miss that when she’d originally received it or when she had made the initial RSVP with Bea? She started out the door anyway, pulling her phone out, hovering over the older Vural sister’s phone number again. “Are you ready to go?” She called back to Marley, narrowing her eyes, scanning the invitation for the fiftieth time. With all the heaviness surrounding them lately, Erin had actually been looking forward to this. She dialed the number and shrugged at Marley as she waited. “I think there’s a typo or something. I'm calling Bea now,” she said, holding it out to her.

Marley picked up the invitation handed to her and read it over once, before rolling her eyes and looking up at Erin. "It literally says right here to rip it in half," she answered, not waiting for Erin to say anything before taking the paper and ripping it straight in half. She handed the two pieces back to Erin before pulling on her jacket. "There better be alcohol at this party," she mumbled, "I don't do parties without alcohol."

Connor smiled over at Nell. "Darling, people are going to be falling arse over tit by the time this is over. If watching people fall is your idea of a good time, you're gonna have a hell of a birthday." He spotted Leah, giving her a grin. "Hey, thanks for the book help the other day." He glanced around. People were still trickling in. "I hardly know anyone here. Some of Nell's friends are kinda old."

Bea grinned at Kaden as her phone rang. "Hello, this is Bea, if this is about the party rip the invitation in half. It'll guide you to us. Bring a jacket too!!" She answered chriply.

Ariana had followed the little lights from the invitation with a fascinated look on her face. While magic was over her head, she found it to be too cool all the same. The little glowing lights led her up to an outdoor ice skating area. She could hear the chatter before she approached and smiled when she saw some familiar faces. She waved in Nell and Connor's direction and brightly greeted, "Happy birthday! Hope you don't mind- I dropped your gift off by your house because it would have been a pain in the ass to carry home. You'll see what I mean."

There were too many people by the alcohol. And, when Luce's choice of who to talk with were between Remmy, Kaden, Leah, some random white boy who was calling people old? Christ. No fucking thanks. Slipping away from the crowd of people, she took her steaming cup of Irish coffee and made her way over to the fire that was roaring off to the side. She didn't care much about the heat or the smores, she was just glad to be out of the fucking away. She'd hang around and make sure the fire was going. She'd do her part to make this a nice birthday for her sister. Glancing across the fire, she pointed at the sticks that were left for people to stab marshmallows on. "If you want smores, go nuts."

Nell waved over at Harsh as he greeted her, hoping the sun would set a little faster so that he'd be able to join the festivities a bit more freely. Nevertheless, she waved him over to the bar where everyone was. Laughing a little she quickly said to Connor, "Why do you think I specifically chose an ice rink? Watching my friends make fools of themselves is my dream." Then she was grinning at Ariana, waving yet again with vigor. "It's that big?" Nell chuckled curiously. "So are you gonna skate with me?"

Connor raised an eyebrow at Ari's mention of her gift. "Bruv, what do you mean? Too big? What'd you get her? A life-size sculpture of Greg the dog?" he asked with a chuckle. He lifted his beer in a small toast. "Happy birthday to Nell, happy party-day to everyone else. I'm Connor, by the way."

Jasmine decided she maybe should have worn more practical heels for this little follow the light to Nell's birthday venture. Normally, she was all about the whole being extra thing, but today, her feet were not particularly feeling it. For Nell, it was all worth it. She'd had a gift in hand that she set down on the table as she approached. She gravitated toward Bea and huffed, "Leave it to you to go all out down to the invitation, Beatrice." She scanned the crowd and waved at a few familiar faces.

Ariana tried to muster her most serious face as she answered Connor's joke. "Obviously. What else would I have made Nell for her birthday?" At Nell's mention of skating, she lit up. Given most of her skating past had included playing hockey, but skating just for skating's sake was always fun too. "You don't have to ask me twice. I love ice skating."

Harsh glanced around, finding a few familiar faces. Huh, it really was a small world. Or a small town, whatever. He followed Nell's wave, casually keeping himself out of the sun. There were enough shadowed spots that it shouldn't be too obvious. "Thanks for the invite, it's pretty cool out here." Trying to catch Kaden's eye, he gave him a little nod. "Hey man, didn't know you were gonna be here. I really need to get out more, I can't remember the last time I went to an actual party."

Remmy,confused, watched Luce slink away and over to the fire pit. They furrowed their brow, but chose to ignore it for now, and smiled at Nell. Moose was already rolling around in the snow, happy as ever. The one person Remmy didn't recognize yet introduced himself as was Connor and they waved. "I'm Remmy," they said, nodding, "and I think I'm gonna try skating!" They backed away and headed over to the table full of skates to rent and picked out their size. They plopped down, put on their boots, and stood up. They hadn't been skating in ages, but how hard could it be? They gave a pointed glance towards Luce at the fire pit before stepping out onto the ice, watching Moose tentatively test it out before deciding to sit happily in the snow at the edge.

"I do have some magical first aid kits, just so you know. I'm prepared for a few scraps," Bea told Kaden. She looked over at Jasmine with a shrug,"You remember how her birthdays were as a kid. She deserves all out." Bea and her friends had always been the few people who came to Nell's birthday parties when she was young. Her classmates, and even the kids in the coven, had avoided Nell. Her sisters had to give Nell a good birthday, especially after how this year has gone for them.

Connor nodded, giving Remmy a smile. "Nice to meet you, mate. Once I've finished this beer, I might grab a pair of skates myself. Hopefully still got enough of my ballet co-ordination to not make an absolute dick of myself." He edged a little closer to Nell, lowering his voice. "How do you know the old people?"

Erins’ mouth gaped as she literally tore the invitation. “What are you--” Almost at the same time, Bea answered and confirmed her question before she could even say anything. Lights appeared out of thin air. “Oh. Thanks. See you soon.” Of course. Magic. That was pretty cool actually. She hung up and led the way. “We’re going to a 24 year old’s birthday party. If there’s not alcohol, I’m leaving,” she joked. Kind of. But if she thought the lights were cool, the frozen pond that definitely shouldn’t be frozen in this weather was just as cool. She moved towards the first familiar face she saw, surprised to see her realtor with Bea, as well as a few others that were less pleasant surprises. “Oh, great,” she mumbled to Marley when she saw Kaden, waving towards Bea and Jasmine. “Please tell me you see the alcohol.”

Ariana snickered to herself as she heard Connor whisper about the old people.

Leah R Sipped her sangria, eyeing the rink cautiously as she walked closer to Bea, Kaden, and Jasmine. "How good are those first aid kits at healing broken bones?" she teased playfully. There was no way she would be out there skating today, but it would be fun to watch her friends tumble over each other. She glanced at Kaden, giving him a short, tight smile, before she looked back to her friends. "That stripper dude that came to your birthday isn't coming, is he? I think it's probably too cold for a stripper."

Luce wasn't surprised by the way Remmy looked at her and she let out a sigh. This wasn't the time or place for drama. Taking another large drink from her cup, Luce looked at the fire and nudged it with magic. The flames turned a slight blue color as she helped it burn a little higher. Glancing over the firepit, she watched as Jasmine, Erin, Marley, and a few other stragglers made their way into the party. What the fuck kind of shoes was Jas wearing?

It took a quick moment to lace up her skates, and in another second Nell was making her way to the ice with her drink still in hand, beckoning the others along. Nell's snicker was quick to join Ariana's before she said, "You know old people need attention, too. If you don't pay attention to them that's how they get wrinkles." Her tone was purposefully loud enough for anyone in the vicinity to hear."

"I sure do," Marley answered, because she'd scouted out the bar table the second she'd gotten there. There were a few familiar faces around, including Langley, of course, but she really didn't care. She didn't exactly want to be here in the first place, but Erin had bullied her into going, and she did kind of like the littlest Vural. Even if she was annoying. Mostly. She split away from Erin and headed towards the bar table, not waiting for her, sunglasses snug on her face. The sun was bright and it was making her head hurt to look at, and this place had just the cure. "Mexican coffee," she said, pointing at the tequila and then the big pot of coffee. "Put a little extra love in it, too."

Jack hadn't expected to be invited back to an event by a Vural after the last time, and definitely not socially rather than as a performer. As he eyed the ice and his breath curling in the cool air, he was kind of glad of that though. He couldn't quite show off his incredible abs and biceps to the crowd in his coat, but there was no amount of clothing that could hide his immaculate silhouette. He slid over to the bar with a casual grace. "Hey Bea, how are you doing?"

Jasmine nodded as she remembered Nell's birthday parties when they were kids. She never quite understood why other kids didn't show up but she was glad Nell got to have something this special now. Even if she did have to walk out here in heels. Skates would actually be a nice change of pace. "Point taken. Next time just warn a girl and she'll wear chunkier heels." She nudged Bea's arm jokingly and gave Kaden a wave. She was just going to gloss over the fact she thought he was a stripper up until a couple of weeks ago. She smiled brightly as Erin approached and said, "You could not be more right, Erin. I need a glass of wine."

Kaden gave Harsh a nod back. "Yeah, I've been friends with Bea for a while now. Nell's had to put up with me at enough dinners over at their house. Guess that earned me an invite." In truth, he cared about Nell, too, but admitting that was different. "How do you know the Vurals?" He blinked in confusion as he saw the stripper from the last party walk in. It was... outdoors. And cold. There was no way they were going to be subjected to this again. At least no one was asking him to strip. Again. For now. Putain. "I think I'm going to need more alcohol for this."

Connor snickered, lightly elbowing Nell. "Oh, better make sure you give them all the attention then. Especially that truck-sized man over there." He could see the sheer size of the man's muscles even beneath the layers of clothing. "Is that Remmy person cool? I'm trying to decide how long is socially acceptable to wait before I ask to pet their dog."

"Not good at all," Bea replied. She wished she could drag her friend out there, but the risk of her breaking wouldn't be worth it. "You could hang out of the edge of the pond? We could try to skate around there if you wanted." She let out a soft laugh as Leah spoke,"I invited him actually. He's sweet and here he comes now!" She grinned at Jack,"Hi! I'm great, so glad you can come! How are you?" She looked over to Jas quickly,"Try the mulled wine! Jack, do you want something to drink?"

Harsh couldn't bite back a laugh. "Wait, you had a stripper at your party? Okay, I clearly need to party with you more often." He turned his smile toward Leah. "Hey, don't think we've met, I'm Harsh." Looking back toward Kaden, he shrugged. "Nell and I hang out sometimes, I haven't spent too much time with the others though. I guess now's a good time to change that."

Jasmine laughed al Nell spoke more loudly. "Yeah, if you don't believe in the old people. They just wither and wrinkle away." She shot a glance over in the area Kaden, Erin, and Bea were standing. She shrugged and looked over to Remmy and asked, "Hey, do you mind if we pet your dog?"

Ariana laughed al Nell spoke more loudly. "Yeah, if you don't believe in the old people. They just wither and wrinkle away." She shot a glance over in the area Kaden, Erin, and Bea were standing. She shrugged and looked over to Remmy and asked, "Hey, do you mind if we pet your dog?"

"Oh hey!" Nell exclaimed as she spotted the enormous man seemingly appear out of thin air which was...quite a feat for someone so large. "Have you met, Kaden?" she asked, pointing towards the man in question. "I think he's actually looking into the stripping business if you have any tips for him," she said in a hushed tone to Jack. Then she turned back to Connor. "Yeah, Remmy is great! And if Moose isn't working I'm sure they'd be fine if you asked to pet him. He's a good boy." Then she turned to Ariana, trying to tug her friend towards the ice with her.

Leah shrugged, not at all put off by not being able to participate in the more physical activities that her friends enjoyed. She was used to it, honestly. "I'll just hang onto the side if I get the urge", she teased, right before her eyes went wide at Bea's next words. "You, invited him? Are you buds with an immaculately sculpted stripper now?" Leah felt heat rise to her face at the idea of it, remembering how forward the man had been at Bea's party. A stranger's introduction was the perfect excuse to calm herself down from the embarrassment. "I'm Leah,” she said with a smile, shaking his hand. She wondered if her body heat crept through her gloves. "I'm good friends with Nell's sister, haven't missed one of her birthday parties yet." She smiled as she looked around at the other members of the party, most of whom she'd met at least once before. "Everyone here is pretty cool, mostly anywhere. There are a few stragglers", she said, her gaze falling to Kaden.

Connor nodded a hello to the other person close-by that he didn't know, who had introduced himself as Harsh. Ariana, in true form, wasn't shy about asking about the gigantic Leonberger. "Well, I don't see a vest on him, so I guess it's okay to ask." People were heading towards the ice, so he decided to go and rent some skates too.

A long, elongated shadow moved under parts of the ice, bumping against the ice occasionally.

Bea pointed at the ice and laughed, "Look, a shark."

“You and me both,” Erin grinned at Jasmine. “I didn’t know the whole town knew the Vurals.” She wasn’t surprised to see Marley already ordering something for herself and followed suit to the table and ordered a glass for herself. “I thought this was supposed to be a kid’s party?” She joked, watching the crowd. Not that she was complaining. She leaned closer to Jasmine, smirking, lowering her voice like she was sharing a secret. “Also, did I overhear someone say there’s a stripper?”

Luce tossed a fresh couple of logs onto the fire and brushed the bits of bark off her hand. Walking away, she made her way back towards the ice, moving past Leah, Jasmine, and Bea. Raising an eyebrow at Leah's words and pointed glance at Kaden, she raised her eyebrows. As she neared the edge of the ice, Luce frowned. There was a dark shadow under the ice-- what? What the fuck was that? Looking over at her sister, Luce rolled her eyes. "It's probably just a piece of driftwood." She said, though she kept her eyes focused on the strange shape.

Connor turned his head at the mention of the word 'shark', furrowing his brow. "Oh, nah, not more White Crest bullshit. It's a birthday party, bro."

Nell saw the shadow moving beneath, and for a quick second wondered whether Ma'al's tentacley ass had decided to make an appearance. Was that cult appropriate? "Maybe it's Squidward," she chuckled, remembering the demon who had lived in the lake.

Jasmine tilted her head and gave Leah a questioning look as he gaze implied Kaden wasn't cool. She barely refrained from asking about it in the moment. Instead, she smiled brightly at Jack. "It's nice to have you here as a guest." Though she did slightly prefer his stripping attire. "Mulled wine it is." She agreed with Erin and said, "They really do, but it's good to see a familiar face. How do you know the Vurals?" She laughed at the mention of there being alcohol and a stripper at a kids' party.

Remmy stopped in the middle of the rink at the mention of 'shark' and glanced around their feet. They noticed the shadow swimming around under them then over to the edge. "Is that, like-- possible? Is he okay? Do you think he's scared?" they asked, skating over to the edge back near Moose and trying to scrape away some ice with the pick of their skate. "Should we do something!?" they asked worriedly.

Kaden rolled his eyes at Leah's pointed comment towards him. What he did to piss her off other than existing, he didn't fucking know. At least he knew why Marley and Erin disliked him. That was good and earned. His brow furrowed at the mention of a fucking shark in the pond. "Only in goddamn White Crest. What is it?" he asked as he approached the ice, drink still in hand but reaching for his knife, just in case.

Bea laughed,"Are you shocked that I became friends with him? He was fun at the birthday party and I love having connections with performers." She kept her eye on the shadow, "Luce's right, it's driftwood, but I'm also right and it's a shark. Driftwood shark. Sharkwood?"

Luce glanced over at Remmy, blinking at their question. "I really don't think that it's a shark. Bea's joking. Or hitting the irish coffee too hard." As Kaden walked up, hand going to the knife on his belt, Luce scowled at him. "Stand down, Ranger Rick. It's nothing. We would have noticed if there was a damn shark in the pond." Right? They would have noticed, right?

Connor hadn't even got to the skate rental booth. He'd turned to watch what was happening with the shark. He doubted it was spiritual in nature, so an exorcist wouldn't do any good. Instead, he stood at the edge of the pond, a little ways back. "Of course Kaden's got his knife." He wasn't complaining when the guy had helped with his Snicker Snacker problem, but at a birthday party? Only in White Crest.

With everyone distracted, maybe Marley could just slip away and go home. Erin seemed to be having fun with her actual friends, anyway. The woman she was with was one Marley recognized from somewhere. Like...a post sign or an ad for something. Marley squinted at her, luckily her gaze hidden behind her glasses, but she wasn't exactly being subtle about it. She sipped her coffee and plodded a little further away, sitting near the fire pit but away from most of the others gathered around it. Where the _fuck_ did she know that woman's face from?

Nell took note of her own knives that were nearly always on her person, not pulling one out but all too willing to take a tease at Kaden despite the hypocrisy of it. "It's the only way he knows how to make friends." It was...actually somewhat true considering all the people he'd to mistakenly hunt and then befriended.

Harsh returned Leah's handshake, more than a little grateful that her gloves probably hid the fact that he was a little colder than he should have been. "Nice to meet you. If they throw a lot of parties like this, I've got to get myself invited to more." The word 'shark floating around turned Harsh's head, his brow furrowing. Well, it probably wouldn't be a White Crest party without some kind of insane nonsense. He casually sauntered a little closer to the ice, trying to catch a glimpse of the supposed shark. "Well, if it's not hurting anyone, or itself, maybe we should leave it be for a bit."

Ariana looked down at the ice and tried to decipher what was underneath it. "Doesn't look like a shark." She peered over the ice as she tried to get a better look before shrugging and deciding to skate anyway. "Come on," she motioned for Nell and Connor to join her while also laughing at the joke's at Kaden's expense.

Leah shook her head with a laugh, grinning. "Listen, I don't know why anything shocks me anymore. As long as you think he's cool and he won't give me a lap dance, I don't mind getting to know him." She tilted her head as the attention turned to a figure under the ice. "A pond shark? It's pretty unlikely". It was more likely a Selkie or a mermaid, here in White Crest. She hoped whoever froze over the pond checked for anyone alive underneath, first. She nodded at Harsh's comment. "Yes, let's let it Bea. It's probably just, uh... saying hello!"

The shadow swam another lap of the pond at unbelievable speeds, banging its tail against the ice where the crowd was.

Remmy shrugged, then, looking at Luce and then everyone else who just didn't seem to care about what was under the ice. Whatever it was, it probably was okay under there. Still a tad nervous, Remmy stood back up and skated backwards, slowly, away from Luce and towards the middle again. "Should we at least give it a little place to get out?"

Erin should have been better prepared for that question. Any which way, her connection with the Vural’s was wildly illegal. “Oh, just family friends,” she shrugged, taking a hearty sip of the mulled wine. And then another when there was sudden talk about a shark in the pond. “Sharks and strippers. Why does this feel appropriate for a Vural party?” Maybe she should have been more worried about whatever was floating down there but she couldn’t bring herself to do more than drink again. Erin glanced over at Marley and narrowed her eyes. “Are you…good?”

Connor wandered over to Jasmine, almost like a child returning to a mother's side during a time of crisis. "Hey, do they have pond sharks in White Crest?"

Jasmine vaguely noticed one of the women staring at her. It wasn't entirely uncommon, her outfit did look great. She decided to stay at the table with the alcohol at the mention of a shark in the pond. It wasn't surprising to see Harsh check it out more closely. Ever the hunter that one was. She stayed close to Bea as she had no need to see what animal was in the pond. "I don't know what it is, but I think I'll let someone else figure it out." Not a ghost, not her problem was her mentality for today. Especially with a hunter present. She still felt eyes on her so she opted to smile and wave.

Luce jumped back as the shadow moved under the ice and began to smack against the ice. "Fuck!" She swore, startled by the sudden movement and noise. Glancing over at Leah and the random dude next to her, Luce glanced around at the people who were gathered. Pond shark, or whatever the fuck it was, didn't wanna be in there. At Remmy's words, she nodded. "Yeah. That sounds like a good idea. Outta the way, people." She said before raising a hand. A small flickering blue flame appeared on the ice and began to melt through. As a hole began to form, Luce snuffed out the magic and then drove the heel of her Doc Marten into the weakened section of ice. Kicking at the ice, she broke open a small area of water and looked down at it. "Uh... shark? You there?" She asked, feeling real fucking stupid as she did.

Harsh grimaced. Alright, that probably wasn't normal. Pond sharks were one thing, but aggressive, turbo, pond sharks were probably worse. He glanced around. "Alright, maybe it's time to get off the ice." He drew a little closer, watching as Luce took charge. "We should give it some space. If it's confused, it might bite anything it gets close to."

Bea watched as she sipped her coffee. It was mainly whiskey, but she was happy with it nonetheless. Pond sharks were exciting and people seemed to be intrigued by it. "I gotta thank whoever put the shark in the pond, this is fun," She wondered if Luce did it as a surprise like Nell had hired Jack for her party.

Jasmine nodded. "Family friends, good stuff." She gave Bea a smile and explained, "I've known this lovely lady since kindergarten." Her attention turned to Connor as he approached and she gave him a pat on the shoulder, "I know the lake used to have a squid. Don't know about pond sharks."

Connor was too stupid to be scared of whatever was in the pond, and instead opted for excitedly intrigued. He sensed he was about to watch one of the Vural sisters do some magic and was thrilled at the prospect. "I love that."

"Wait, I wanna see what it is!" Nell told Ariana as she tried to skate away. "Maybe he just wants a drink..." she mused before tipping a bit of her drink onto the ice as if she were making an offering. "Here you go, Shark-Boy."

Jasmine pouted and scooted up towards the edge of the ice. "It's probably just a fish!" Maybe not in White Crest, but she wanted to skate. "Oh my god," she laughed as Nell poured out a drink on the ice. "You're really giving a whole new meaning to pouring one out for the homies."

Marley felt like her name was right on the tip of her tongue, the mystery lady at the table, but she couldn't figure it out. Grumpily, she sipped more of her coffee, finishing it off before standing up and heading over for another. While she waited, she looked at Erin, then to her companion. "I know you from somewhere, don't I?" she asked, rubbing her eyes briefly before glancing sideways at Erin. "Peachy keen," she said with a grimace, "I've got coffee and alcohol, what more could a girl want?"

Ariana pouted and scooted up towards the edge of the ice. "It's probably just a fish!" Maybe not in White Crest, but she wanted to skate. "Oh my god," she laughed as Nell poured out a drink on the ice. "You're really giving a whole new meaning to pouring one out for the homies."

Jasmine tilted her head and tried to gather if she recognized the other woman. "I don't think we've met, but I'm Jasmine. You've probably seen some of my advertisements around town." She raised her glass towards the woman and said, "Good to meet you."

Bea inched closer to the crowd, she wanted to see the shark. "Do sharks like coffee?"

Luce scowled as Nell leaned over and poured her drink into the ice. "Don't do that. You might... drown it? Can coffee drown sharks? Or is that poisoning?" She asked, looking around for anyone who might have more than a high school freshman biology background.

Adam busted in late pretty sure his ass was grass for getting 'delayed'. However when it turned out that the lady of the hour was peering as some shark circling beneath the ice, siblings and dumbasses in tow, Adam promptly decided to take a swig of birthday wine earlier

Connor couldn't hear all the conversation that was going on surrounding the shark, but he'd decided to forgo getting his skates for the time being. He put his empty bottle in the recycling and ordered another drink. "Well, whatever it is, Kaden is about to go all Crocodile Dundee on it's arse, so I'm not worried about it.”

Leah glanced toward Bea as she inched closer to the pond, pressing her lips together. "I don't think they do... but are we sure that's even a shark?", she wondered aloud. She sipped from her sangria again, she was far too sober for this.

Remmy skated over a little closer to the hole Luce had made and watched with the others, wondering what might come out of the hole. "It-- I...don't think sharks can drown, Luce," they said, a little confused. Could they? "Don't they like...breath water? They've got gills and stuff..." They looked over at Luce and Ariana, pouring stuff onto the ice and into the hole for him. "Maybe we're scaring him by all standing around. SHould we give him some space?"

"It's a shark for sure, I have a degree in this," Bea told Leah seriously, though they both knew that was a lie. "Do you think the shark can get caffeinated?" Seeing Adam, she waved,"Adam! There's a shark here!"

Jasmine took a sip of her mulled wine and looked towards Kaden. Crocodile Dundee? She trusted Harsh to handle it more if it was really needed. "Right, well, he can have fun with that then. I'll be over here enjoying my wine away from the wild life."

Adam threw up his hands and said. "People told me NOT to bring my guns to a party! What the Hell!"

Jasmine shook her head at Nell's gun nut boyfriend.

Connor had watched Adam stroll in. He hoped the guy had brought Nell a bloody good present for turning up late. She didn't seem too upset about it though. "That's Adam. He's just... special."

“Oh, I remember the squid,” Erin shook her head. Boy howdy did she ever. “Jasmine’s the one who got me set up in my apartment, actually,” she added, glancing at Marley, though it was hard to keep her attention off of the group circling the hole in the lake. Leaning against the bar, she ordered another drink. “They look like they’ve definitely got it under control.”

Luce raised an eyebrow at Adam's outburst before returning to the hole. There wasn't anything going on at the moment, but that didn't mean it wasn't gonna pop out of the ice and try and eat them or something. Poking at the water with her boot, Luce looked at Remmy. "Shark's got stage fright? I mean, I've heard weirder shit, so you might be onto something there." She said before shuffling back a bit.

One minute, Dave had been scouting out whether there was any Gryndylow in this tiny pond, beating the pond bottom with his fin to disturb whatever was down there and get a feel for it. The next, he was resurfacing and had banged his head against a lid of ice. No way in hell had it been anywhere near cold enough to freeze over the entire pond in the ten minutes he'd been down there. But it had. Dave had swum around and around, looking for any gap, and had bounced his body against it to try and break the ice until he had a headache. It was only then that he began to worry, the oxygen in his arteries slowly running out. When he'd noticed shadows moving over the ice, he'd tried to get their attention, banging on the ice. Suddenly part of the water warmed up, and he felt the ice crack through his whiskers. Dave swam up quickly, poking his heavily scarred snout out of the water to breath deeply. Imminent threat of death solved, he now had to address the seal in the room: that there shouldn't have been a seal in this pond, and that there definitely shouldn't have been a loose leopard seal on this side of the equator.

As soon as the seal's head broke the ice, a look of slight disappointment came over Nell's face. "Oh. It's a seal." A shark would have been cooler.

"Oh, yes! Right! That's where I've seen your face! On the bench outside the precinct! You're the realtor gal, Jasmine Hale," Marley said, excited suddenly, that something, finally something could come to mind without hours of sitting and thinking about it. She sighed with audible relief and grabbed her next drink, sliding up next to Erin, suddenly much less moody than before. She leaned against Erin as she held her hand out to Jasmine. "Marley Stryder. Nice to meet you. For real. You're like half a celebrity in this town, considering your face is everywhere."

Adam looked at Bea with a scowl that betrayed just a hint of disappointment that a deadly predator hadn't shown up at a social occasion. "It’s a fuckin seal.”

It struck Connor that he'd been the first to ask how Nell knew all these old people, but now he was the one hanging out with them all while the rest of them were skating. "Jas and I only met after I'd found my beach house, but she's pretty good at her job. I bet your place is sick." He turned his head at the commotion as the shark - which actually now revealed itself to be some type of giant seal - emerged from the icy water. "Don't stab it! Or shoot it!" He called, stepping closer to the ice. "Just... I dunno, let it wobble off or something."

"Well, it looked like a shark!!" Bea isn't sure why anyone believed her, but it was nice to know her influence. "Do seals like coffee? Or whiskey?"

Ariana stopped skating as she saw a seal emerge from a hole in the pond. A seal. In a pond. Was it Ricky or Skylar? She'd never actually seen them as seals before so she skated closer to the opening. She eyed Adam and Kaden to see what their reaction would be. "See, it's just a seal. No reason to not skate."

Kaden was waiting for a monster of some sort to pop out from the hole in the ice. It was absolutely the sort of thing that would happen in White Crest. When he saw a seal, a leopard seal at that, all he could say was "putain de merde." There was no reason a seal like that could be in a pond unless it was a selkie. He really should stab it. He would have a year ago. But for now, he sighed and put the knife away. "Leave the seal alone."

Harsh glanced at the weirdo yelling about guns. "Yeah, I still don't think shooting it is the best idea. But I think we should all give it some space, like they said," he noted, nodding at Remmy. His eyes went wide as a seal poked its head up out of the ice. Well, that was new. He moved closer carefully, kneeling near the open hole. "I think it's alright, but uh, I wouldn't give it any alcohol."

Luce swore as the ice was broken and a big fucking animal poked its head out of the water and huffed. "What the fuck is that thing doing in our pond?" She asked. Looking over at Nell, she realized her sister was right. It was a seal. And now Adam had figured it was a seal. Okay, apparently everyone was a fucking zoologist or whatever. "Yeah, what the pasty british kid said. No one attacked it. Just stay away from the hole and let it have room to breathe or whatever."

A seal? Wait-- it wasn't-- Remmy blinked and focused on them. No, not Skylar. Sighing with relief, they skated back over, still keeping a distance. "Umm, are you okay mister seal? Or um-- misses seal? I can't-- I don't know seal genders..." they looked over at everyone else, up to Luce, shrugging. "Maybe they got stuck? Do you need help? I think there's a river close by..." But no one else seemed to be moving to try and help the surprised looking seal. "Should we help them?"

Leah laughed at Bea, shaking her head. It was definitely not a shark, then. But a seal, which meant it was a selkie, which meant they probably needed some room to breath. "Maybe we should leave it alone", she said, agreeing with Kaden for once. She was surprised that he wasn't attacking it, didn't hunters hate selkies, too?

"Big seal," Bea observed. "I'm kind of disappointed that it wasn't a shark, but a seal is cool too." She considered her little sister's friends for a moment, before speaking to the crowd,"Don't try to pet the seal too."

Adam disappeared off to the greenhouse for a time and returned with some plywood planks. Merrily slide-swearing his way out to the pond, Adam proceeded to cover the hole so people didn't plunge in.

If Dave had been able to hear the reaction and thoughts of everyone there, he would have been offended. As Immo's most murderous character, he was definitely more dangerous than the average shark.

Connor couldn't even be upset at the pasty British kid comment, considering it was true. "Yeah, see?" He swallowed another mouthful of beer, deciding he was actually going to get his skates now. He joined the others on the ice within a few moments, but not too close to the seal-hole. "Come on, mate. Weirder shit happens in this town than pond sharks and pond seals. As long as it isn't eating anyone, it's fine." He looked over at Adam, who'd returned with some planks. "Dude, I know you're a football player or whatever, but you know seals need to breathe, right?"

As the wood covered the hole, Nell tried to pour a little more of the hot toddy through the planks of it, figuring the seal should also have a good time. "It's okay- maybe he just wants a drink."

Adam peered down at the seal whose hole he was boarding up, give him a long "Dude we gonna do this or naw?" stare.

Luce shrugged at Remmy's suggestion, shaking her head as she stared at the seal that still had its head poking out the hole. "I'm not about to try and get that thing outta here, I'd get my hand bitten off if I tried to help it out." Watching as Nell moved to pour more alcohol on the animal, Luce grabbed her sister's arm. "C'mon, don't fuck with the wildlife." She chided. "How'd you like it if someone dumped a hot toddy on your head after you got out of bed or whatever?"

Dave carefully considered his options, breathing deeply. They'd forget this, right? Regular humans would talk about the weird fish they'd seen. Just as he'd gotten enough air for half an hour, that fucking kid he'd met in the underwater cave that one time began boarding him up. I damn well saved your neck back then he thought aggressively at Adam, slowly slinking back into the water. As a hot liquid was poured on him, he jerked back in clear discomfort, diving back under the water. He'd have to wait until they fucked off before leaving.

Erin raised a skeptic eyebrow at Marley, her mood suddenly brightening. Didn’t have time to question it as the creature was revealed to be a seal. “Aw, a seal?” Wait, a seal? Her first thought went to Skylar. She doubted it was her but she started gravitating a little closer. “Jesus Christ, Nell, stop pouring alcohol on the seal!” She yelled.

"Aww, oh no," Nell said as the seal obviously didn't like her offer of a drink, not having meant to pour it on the seal. "Sorry!" she called down into the hole even after the seal had disappeared. "I can get something colder if you want?"

Adam murmured "Hey uh Nell....did you like...brain-warp this seal in here..or?"

Remmy frowned, a bit sadly, as Adam started boarding up the hole the seal was in. What if it was a selkie, like Skylar and Ricky? What if they were worried or scared? But they didn't have too much time to contemplate this, as the seal recoiled and dove back under. "Ahh, wait-- oh," they sighed, "bye seal." Waved at them before standing up again and looking down at Luce. "Are you gonna sulk by the fire pit the whole time, or?" they asked, raising a brow. "Don't tell me you don't know how to skate."

Nell considered the question for a long-moment in her inebriated state, wondering if she had actually Summoned the seal here. "...maybe? I don't think so. No- if it was me it would have been a shark. A shark would have been cooler," she lamented once again.

Kaden shouted out at Nell, "What did I say? Leave the sel-- seal. Leave the seal alone." He grumbled and went to refill his drink. He was going to need a lot more to deal with this.

Harsh rose as the gun weirdo moved to board up the hole. Well, crisis apparently averted then. He so needed a drink. Hands in his pockets, he wandered back over to the drinks table to grab something strong.

Adam gave Nell a helpless 'babe your crazy is hot but it scares me' grin and stood up to awkwardly scoot his way over to actually get some skates

Ariana kept skating around the ice and her features brightened up as she saw Adam grabbing skates. "Finally."

Bea looked over at the older crowd around her, "Do we want to get on the ice too?"

Luce looked over at Remmy, squinting as they waved "bye seal" to the weird fucking seal chilling in the pond they'd commandeered for the party. Okay then. Well, that was enough excitement she could take sober. She needed some real fucking alcohol. "I do know how to skate, but I'm sure not gonna do it when that," She gestured to the recently vacated airhole, "is swimming underneath us. Did you see those teeth? It'd fucking bite off a leg. I'm gonna drink is what I'm going to do."

Leah glanced at her friends, deciding what might be best to do. "I'll just walk on the ice, not skate. That's way less chance of me falling in, right? Walking and holding onto the side." Somehow, the drink in her hand was already empty, and a warm haze surrounded her vision.

Jasmine took another long sip of her wine and happily said, "Absolutely. Now that I know nothing in the pond will try to eat me, I'm game."

Connor skated around with Ari and Nell and Leah and now, Adam. "Are you the only one underage?" he asked Ari, giving her a little smile. "Don't worry. Fuck pre-gaming. We can post-game at my house now that it's not infested any more."

Kaden sighed. "Are you going to make me?"

Adam looked back at Connor with a frown, wondering if the infestation was ghosts or cockroaches or satan or something but decided not to ask. He tied up his skates and began breaklining across the pond, perhaps unsure of what 'casual skating' was.

Remmy shook their head. "Scaredy cat," they teased, before skating away. Moose had been following them along the outside of the pond, running back and forth, making sure to stay away from the hole. Finally, he settled into the spot next to Luce, laying down next to her as he watched Remmy skate away. They were choosing to have a good time, Luce could stay behind and be grumpy all she wanted. They skated up to Nell. "Wanna race?"

Jack was better in high heels than skates, but he got on the ice with enthusiasm. "I don't know what all the fuss was about that big fish," he said with a shrug, flexing his gorgeous muscles as he skated about with perfect grace - even when he lost his balance and fell on his ass.

Ariana knew Remmy wasn't talking to her, but couldn't resist a good race. "Hell yeah she does. I'm getting in on it, too."

Marley took another long sip, watching as everyone finally dispersed once the seal was gone and the hole was boarded up. She looked over at Erin, who had started walking towards the pond as well, yelling at Nell. "Ah, leave her alone," she said, grabbing at Erin's arm, tugging her back, "it's her birthday. Let her be crazy." Besides, she wanted Erin to stay with her. "Wanna roast marshmallows? I hear those are supposed to be good or whatever." Plus, she'd never done that before, and she kinda really wanted to try.

Connor was more than happy to join in one the race, provided they all stayed away from the hole. "Oh, I'll play too, but can I please pet your dog after? He's so cute."

Bea put on her skates and waved to all her friends. "Come on! Have some fun! See Jack is having a great time!"

Adam zipped to the far side of the pond and produced a 'flag' from the jersey under his jack, holding it up high for the races to take their places.

For the rest of the evening, Dave would periodically resurface in that tiny hole to breath, and spent the rest of his time judging everyone at their ice skating skills.

Erin winced when the muscle-y hunk of a man she could only assume to be the stripper hit the ice hard. She wanted to skate but she got the impression Marley wasn’t ready yet. “Sure, marshmallows sound good. But don’t think you’re getting out of getting out there with me,” she said pointedly before following Marley to the open fire.

Seeing Remmy come up beside her, Nell didn't hesitate to answer. "Hell yeah I do!" she echoed Ariana's sentiment. "I can start us off." Then she began a countdown. "Three...two...one...go!" On the word 'go' she didn't hesitate to playfully shove both Remmy and Ariana as she took off and Adam worked his makeshift flag, trying to get a cheap head start by throwing them off kilter. Then she called back to Erin and Marley. "Yeah! Leave me alone!" she laughed as she skated on, carefully avoiding the hole in the ice. Despite the seal, and perhaps even in conjunction with the seal, the warmth of the party had her grinning as she raced around the rink, unable to think of anything she'd trade this party, company, and seal for.

[the19thduckpotato]

In the Shadow of a Smile (Pt 3)

Part 2

Izuku grinned. “Woah, that’s a lot of places! You sure we have time for all of ‘em?”

POOMPF!!

"ALL MIGHT ALWAYS HAS PLENTY OF TIME!"  He roared enthusiastic laughter then coughed and disappeared in a cloud of steam.  Toshinori waved the cloud away and rubbed the back of his head, still snickering. "'Cause, you know...retirement...and stuff."  Spoken as casual as possible.

Izuku nodded, responding just as casually. “Ah, fair point, yeah.” He leaned his head against Toshi’s arm. “Don’tcha get tired after a whole day out, though? I do. N I know I don’t... really... have an excuse, but....” He scrubbed at the back on his head with a sheepish grin. “I do, anyway.”

"No excuse?  I disagree!  You're training to be a hero AND training at UA, which is daunting enough as it is.  On top of that--"  Toshi made a show of glancing about, making sure they wouldn't be overheard.  "--One for All.  Especially with all this new stuff, the vestiges, the Quirks."  He ruffled Izuku's hair.  "And don't forget, you're still a growing teenager.  That's the height of your body going through a bunch of stuff that's going to leave you exhausted." He stopped and looked to Izuku as if only just now considering this.  "Promise me you'll let me know when you have had your fill, ok?"

Izuku bit his lip, still feeling a little weird about... quitting when tired?? if he wasn’t sick or injured?? isn’t that for wimps?? but... “Okay.” Maybe if I see you getting tired, I can ask to go too... or even if I don’t, I don’t have to feel bad about saying I wanna go because I know you push yourself n you hide it n—

Mentor sideglanced student then let his gaze drift to the river.  "There's nothing wrong with taking care of yourself.  Remember that." Uh huh.

“W— e-ell... is it REALLY necessary, though... like, I do want to quit far more often than I should. At a lot of things. I can’t just stop every time I feel like it! ...Right?”

"My experience with ya?  You never quit when it really matters." "He takes after you, Toshinori.  ...that's not a compliment." "You're consistently fighting, working harder, pushing farther, to show you're as worthy as anyone else to be where you are.  I trust your judgment.  Don't run yourself into the ground and don't slack on improving One for All when you can.  We can't have an exhausted Symbol of Peace now, can we?" He grinned companionably as he-- i'm tired of being tired --heard the thought flit through.  He mentally batted it away and made for the popcorn shop.

“But... doesn’t everything matter?” Izuku tilted his head.

Toshi chuckled fondly.  "Easy, don't overthink it.  You remember what I asked you, way back when?  When you saved your friend Bakugo from that sludge monster.  I asked what prompted you and you said your body just moved without thinking.  And those are the times that, if I'm forced to say so, are the ones that matter most.  So your body needs to be in its best form as much as possible.  So that means resting when you need to and--" Toshi made an embarrassed noise and dropped his raised arm.  "Oop, I'm lecturing again." Like you think you have any idea what you're talking about. A very faint protest noise and his fingers curled in.  But the nails didn't dig in.  Not this time.

“No no, I like it!” Izuku nodded up at his mentor reassuringly, then sank into overthought, knuckle coming up to his lips. But... what if I’m overthinking in an important moment and don’t move?? There are DEFINITELY things that are important that I’ve messed up— and— ...and I’m overthinking NOW... but does that mean this moment isn’t important?? That CAN’T be, it is, I know, I’m here! I can see it! He looked around as they entered the door of the popcorn shop, distracted by all the new sights and sounds and SMELLS, OH WOW, THE SMELLS— It made Izuku a tiny bit dizzy with the sudden intensity of it.

Toshinori waved cheerfully at the greeting calls of "oh hello, Mr. Yagi!" A plump lady with her hair wrapped up beamed and bobbed welcome.  "Just in time for the fresh batch--and who is this?" Toshi grinned.  "This is Izuku, my student.  Izuku, this is Madame Popol.  I've been talking up your skills all afternoon so you might want to break out your best flavors." Madame Popol looked delighted at that and bustled off to do just so.  Toshi took a seat at the nearby bench and breathed deep.  How he missed the scents that mingled here!

After flashing a grin and small wave at Madame Popol, Izuku took a seat beside his dad, smiling up at him fondly. He looks so happy...♡

Madame Popol soon returned with a circular wooden tray carved with multiple notches.  In each notch sat a handful of popcorn, each a different shade of color.  The plump lady began to describe the flavors and Toshi made his mind wander. remember when you used to get bags full of popcorn all the time?  And Torino would bark disappoint at your snacking habits while Master would just roar laughter and steal a few kernels? "...now this one is strawberry, over here is smokey chipotle, and this one is classic white cheddar." Toshi's mouth watered a bit and he glanced about at the brightly colored bags, tied with equally bright ribbons. Then, unbidden, a sudden urge to rise up and plunge his hands into the barrels and bags of popcorn.  Sink in, elbow deep, and start wildly stuffing his face. that would be incredibly stupid. I know You'd land yourself in the hospital with a stunt like that. I know. And so Toshi busied himself with watching Izuku's reactions to the many flavors presented him.

Izuku’s eyes were wide as he listened, not remembering all of the flavors in the list but making a beeline for the strawberry, picking up a kernel and popping it in his mouth. “Mm!” His eyes somehow got wider. “That’s really good!”

Madame Popol winked.  "Excellent!  Sweet taste for an equally sweet boy.  Don't you worry now, Mr. Yagi, I got some of yours all prepped and ready to go." Toshi began to pull his wallet out and Madame Popol cheerfully swatted his hand. "Poppi!" "You just let me borrow this one's tastebuds for a few more flavors and we'll call it even.  ...how about cookies and cream, Izuku?  Or pickle?  Bet you never heard of that before!"

Half of Izuku’s face scrunched, though he kept smiling amusedly. “Bet I have!”

"But have you actually tried it?"

“Wwwwwwell....”

Madam Popol held out the tray. Toshi leaned back on the bench and smiled, closing his eyes and breathing deep again. just one handful surely it wouldn't be that bad A really small handful, even

Izuku took a piece.... His whole face scrunched up.

Toshi was finding the temptation getting a bit too strong and turned to Izuku to stammer out some sort of excuse-- --saw the kid's face-- "What on earth?!" --and gave in to a helpless bout of laughter. Madame Popol beamed at both of their reactions, still keeping a knowing eye on her lanky regular.  "Isn't that marvelous?" she chirped.

"I'm... not sure it's... my cup of tea." Izuku shook his head, a tiny bit of blush on his cheeks, but being honest. Really don't like pickles....

"It isn't for everyone," Madane Popol agreed, not even slightly put out.  "Now then.  As you can see, we're pretty talented here.  So I need to ask--what is one flavor you'd never expect to taste on popcorn?  And not anything too weird or wild.  I'm asking from a curious business owner standpoint."

Izuku thought for a bit. "....Well I wouldn't want to eat it, but... horseradish?"

Madame Popol nodded thoughtfully.  "And what about something you would eat?  Something like--" With a sudden expert motion that surprised even Toshi, she snatched a small bag from behind the counter and tossed it to the tall blond. "Mr. Yagi," she scolded fondly but firmly, "My dear, have a munch on that and please cheer up.  And you--"  she said, pointing at Izuku.  "--flavor?" Toshi looked sheepish as Madame Popol dropped a large cloth bag in his lap and began filling it with assorted flavors of popcorn. "How many kids in your class again, hun?  I'm sure our lovely Mr. Yagi will make sure these all get to them, won't he?"

"Uuuuhhh...." Izuku thought more. "Really, I just like the cheddar stuff, mostly." He popped one in his mouth, smiling at the flavor. "Strawberry is good, but I could eat these about forever." Am I being too familiar? This is oddly easy. If the words are coming this easy, are they really good? Or am I just not paying enough attention.... He looked around at Toshi and Madame Popol. They do seem unoffended though... maybe it's good, maybe I'm just being funny... yes, play the clown, I can do that... be sure not to try too hard, though, no one likes that-- stOP OVER TH I NK I N G

Toshi froze as the cloth bag filled up.  Was I that easy to read?  Crap.  I need to get better about that.  To stop making it so visible. He glanced at Izuku--my anchor--and grinned.  "You heard him, Madame Popol, biggest bag of cheddar you got." She pretended to look offended.  "I dont think you realize just how big the biggest bag I have is.  I daresay you'd need to bring your big self out to haul it away."  She flexed one arm and giggled. Toshi gave a gentle smile at that.  "Sounds like a challenge," he returned, a little less enthusiastic than he had meant to sound.

Izuku covered his face and squeaked happily at that. "I didn't mean FOREVER forever!" Oh noooooo, that's too much! I can't let him buy that for me... but I can't STOP him! He grinned widely, though not missing Toshi's tone of voice. He didn't quite know what to make of it, though, so he filed the fact away while keeping it in reach.

Madame Popol wedged one last portion of popcorn (bacon jalapeno) into the cloth bag and tutted at Toshi's protests.  "Now now, I dont expect you boys to carry any of these around all day.  You look like you have other places you want to visit.  I'll just have these sent to your office, Mr. Yagi, darlin." Toshi shifted for his wallet again and she cheerfully hmphed.  "This man," she sighed in frustrated adoration, "he doesn't even eat yet like I ask and yet still tries to pay before services rendered." "Poppi--" "Shoo with you now!  Out of my shop, no, out, I'll send you the bill later.  Izuku please, one moment."  She beckoned to the boy while still shooing Toshi out.

"--?" Izuku looked between Madame Popol and the currently-leaving Toshi nervously. He could feel his muscles tensing at the idea of staying behind alone, but... his gaze settled on her.

She produced a pocket sized bag of strawberry popcorn and pressed it into his hands.  "Whatever you're doing, keep it up.  This may sound odd but...you're very good for him."  She sighed softly and gazed about her shop.  "Would that I could show him my appreciation for all that he's done with more than just popcorn but that's what the heavens saw fit.  So that will be as I keep doing.  But you--" Her eyes twinkled knowingly.  "--you've been blessed with the ability to bring his smile out."  She looked like she wanted to say more, then shook her head and waddled back to the counter.  "Come back anytime, lovey.  There will always be a bag of your favorite waiting here for you."

Izuku gazed up at her as she spoke, completely understanding what it feels like to want to support someone you're grateful to but... not being able to. He smiled down at the bag of strawberry popcorn in his hands, glad he had met this Very Warm Person. "Thank you," he said softly.

She gently tweaked one of his freckled cheeks.  "No no," she replied.  "thank you."   Then, returning to form, she cheerfully flapped her apron at him.  "Get on, now!  That man has long legs and could be halfway to Kyoto by now.  Go catch up!"

He squeaked and ducked at the tweak, and hurried obediently after Toshi out the door.

((part 4))

[neocityarchive]

ends | mark lee au (pt 1)

summary | part 1 | part 2 | part 3 | part 4

Word Count: 3.5k

Warnings: none

Chapter Summary: You didn’t have to be reminded that you lost the best thing to ever happen to you, but when a great opportunity came your way, you thought maybe a little risk won’t hurt. 

A/N: i woke up and suddenly this wasnt on my blog lmao im so frustrated. i mightve accidentally deleted it but here it is again.

You looked at your phone to check the time. You have 15 minutes to get to the SM building. Why you’re going back there, you have absolutely no idea.

One of your sunbaes called and asked you to come in, saying they needed the interns’ input on the graphics of the new advertisement material for the recent SM Rookies project. You could have easily said no, but you also are very much aware that SM doesn’t usually do this. It would be crazy to pass an opportunity this big. But that’s not what you’re really worried about.

You stared at your screen until it went black, then pressed on the lock button, illuminating it again. Only a minute has passed since you last checked. You still weren’t used to your generic lockscreen. It’s been a month since you changed it, but it still feels weird not seeing Mark’s cheeky grin everytime your phone lights up.

Stop it, you told yourself.

You don’t know if it’s just in your head or if it’s the fact that you’re anxious and overthinking about the possibility of seeing him again, but the bus seems to be going faster today when you didn’t need it to.

You have no idea if the boys are going to be in the building. You stopped keeping track of the whole group since the break up. You couldn’t bring yourself to watch any of their videos since your ex seems to be in every single one of them.

In an attempt to get distracted, you put your earphones on and your playlist on shuffle, shifting your attention to the busy city life happening outside the bus’ window.

As if the universe didn’t want you happy, the songs coming up the playlist just made everything worse. Yang Da Il’s Sorry started playing and suddenly, you were thrown back to a memory you’ve been trying so hard to suppress lately.

You just got back from a trip to China, two days earlier than what you told everyone. These days, Mark has been really stressed trying to balance his time and energy between the three units. You could tell he was tired despite his efforts not to show it to anyone. You haven’t had a decent conversation in a while. He was always drained, so every phone call would just end up in an argument. If not, he’d be sleeping, or he would say bye even before you could tell him about your day.

It was hectic, so you thought you could pay him a surprise visit to lift some of the stress off his shoulders. After all, it used to work. Used to.

You were already on your way to the conference room where the dreamies were having a meeting but you stopped in your tracks a few feet away from the door.

It was quiet. There wasn’t the usual rowdy noise you could hear even from the elevator, which is very weird considering it’s the dreamies. That’s how you knew they were talking about something serious. A chill went down your spine, finding the whole thing unsettling.

“You should tell her the truth,” you heard Donghyuck’s voice from the hallway.

“I know, though,” Mark replied abruptly.

Your face contorted. You missed the sound of his voice, so much that your chest ached. But that wasn’t what you wanted to hear more about. Tell the truth to who? What truth? Who’s her?

“Just don’t make her wait,” Hyuck said. “She’ll only get hurt.”

Mark sighed. He sounded exhausted, like they’ve been on this topic for quite a while and the flow of the conversation wasn’t going his way.

No one spoke. It was very unusual since they usually just talk over each other, but this time, even a singe drop of water would sound deafening. You found yourself holding your breath.

It didn’t seem like they were talking about work. If it was, they would definitely be louder. You searched your mind of anything or anyone they could be talking about but there wasn’t enough information to make a conclusion. Still, there was something stirring in your chest. You don’t know how to explain it, but it didn’t feel good.

“Mark hyung,” Renjun called, breaking the silence.

“Oh?”

He cleared his throat. “I’m just going to ask the question that is on everyone’s minds right now.”

Silence. It was deafening.

“Do you still love Y/N?”

You blinked. Twice. Thrice. You suddenly felt like all the air had been knocked out of your lungs. Your knees felt week, and your mind was going nuts. This wasn’t what you expected to hear when you came. Not at all.

You started going through the possibilities. Do they know another Y/N? Did you hear Renjun right? Is this some sort of prank??? Do they know you’re listening?

But the silence in the room proves it’s no prank.

You wanted to run, you wanted to scream. You wanted to burst into the room all at once. But your feet stayed glued to the ground. You found yourself waiting for the answer to a question you never thought you’d have to ask.

Do you? you thought.

Your mind wandered to your recent phone calls, your frequent arguments. It happened so often that there has been a part of you that hesitates to call him, afraid you’d fight again. He rarely ever sends goodnight and good morning texts, or even updates about his day anymore. Things have definitely changed between the two of you, but you always thought it was just because he was exhausted from work.

Your breath hitched in your throat. Today was supposed to be a good day. Today was supposed to be the day that would get you your boyfriend back. The day everything would be back to normal. But apparently... not.

“Do you?” Hyuck asked again.

“I don’t know. I’m just...” Mark’s voice trailed off.

You waited.

“...so tired of it.”

You pulled your earphones from your ear and stuffed your phone in your purse in frustration.

Your eyes have started to well up again. You looked up, trying to blink the tears away but it won’t work. No matter how you try to fool yourself and convince yourself you’ve gotten better, all these small moments that lead you back to him proves otherwise.

Part of you always knew things would be like this eventually, that Mark would get tired. He had way too many things on his plate, and you always felt like you should be the least of his problems.

He was always born to be a star. With his talent and passion for what he does, he was bound to take over the world. You knew that meant a lot of sacrifices for him. Living away from his home country, giving up the chance of a normal teenage life, always being within the eyes of the media and fans. You always knew the time would come when the compromise he had to make was our time for each other.

You just never thought it would come to the point where he would give up everything you had after all you’ve been through. Somehow, through all those months of dating him, you had yourself convinced that he loved you enough to not leave you like this. Turns out you were wrong.

“I never imagined I would say this...” you remember him saying, “but I think we should break up.”

It really felt like your world fell apart that day.

You used to be so cynical about how breakups are portrayed in the movies. It’s always so dramatic. The characters always seem like everything have stopped working after the breakup. You used to think it was overboard. But after going through it yourself, you realized maybe the movies were right.

Nothing felt right after that day. Everything seemed so much dimmer, much quieter, much slower. It was like the world forgot how to function properly...

The bus pulled at your stop, breaking your train of thoughts. You got off and walked to the building, taking two steps at a time, afraid of seeing anyone even remotely familiar. Thankfully, you arrived at the 11th floor without any casualty.

The whole thing went by quickly. Your mind was completely preoccupied while working. No traces of Mark, not even on the huge television screens on the walls.

Contrary to what you originally thought, working in SM was actually a fun experience. Aside from the fact you met the love of your life there, the people working with you were really nice. Today, they offered you a job, convincing you to stay. It sounded tempting, good pay, good benefits, but you didn’t know if you could work in a place that holds too much of the past you’re trying to let go of. Maybe not now. You told them you’d think about it.

Before you knew it, the work part was over. You were already back in the elevator, feeling a bit better than you were when you arrived.

The elevator stopped at the 9th floor, revealing a group of people who looked like executives. Upon seeing them, your sunbae grabbed you and the other intern by the arm and pulled you out of the elevator.

“You may go first, Mr. Lee. We’re not in any hurry.” He smiled to them, who nodded politely as they entered the elevator.

“Thank you,” the man who you assumed was Mr. Lee said.

Once the doors closed, your sunbae let out a sigh of relief.

“Are you okay?” you asked. “Who was that?”

“I’m fine.” He nodded. “That was a major stockholder of the company and a bunch of other important people.”

You nodded to yourself, suddenly realizing why the faces looked familiar. You must have seen them in the TV or something.

“Alright you guys. I’m gonna take the stairs. I’m just going down one level anyway. You can wait for the next one here,” your sunbae said.

Just then, the other elevator door opened but it was going up. The other intern went in, saying she forget something upstairs. Just like that, you were alone in the 9th floor.

A sudden realization dawned on you. You didn’t recognize the floor right away since the interior changed a bit, but this was where the recording booths are. This was also where you last saw Mark. As if in a trance, you decided to around to see what else changed within the few months you haven’t been here.

A chill went up your spine as you walked past the lounge beside the recording booth, your mind going back to how easily you got your heart broken the last time you were there.

It was two days after you heard the dreamies’ conversation. You couldn’t bring yourself to see him after that. You called him earlier and asked to meet up, lying that you’ve only just gotten home from China.

He agreed to meet you at the lounge beside the recording booths, saying he can’t leave the studio because the dreamies need him for advice while recording.

So you went there, feeling uneasy. There was no one else around, which was a good thing because you were sure whatever happens, you would cry.

You and Mark haven’t seen each other for weeks, but when he came, there were no kisses. Not even hugs. There was none of the usual excitement and undeniable craving that you both get whenever you see each other after not being able to for a long time. This time, he just sat quietly beside you. You weren’t even surprised.

He looked different. He had makeup on, but you could still tell the circles under his eyes got bigger. He obviously wasn’t doing well. But then again, neither were you. You spent the last two nights sleepless and crying, anxious, wondering what the hell you should do.

Without a word, Mark held out his hand, palm up. It’s something he does when he wants you to hold his hand.

You hesitated, wondering what happens after this, but it didn’t take you much thought. You intertwined your fingers with his anyway. It felt so natural and familiar, and weirdly out of place in the situation. It hurt.

He squeezed your hand gently.

“You okay?” you asked, your voice barely a whisper. If it was any louder than that, you knew it would break.

He nodded weakly.

“You look tired,” you managed to say.

He looked at you for the first time that day, and it took all of your willpower to keep yourself from breaking down.

“Cause I am,” he replied.

“Can I help?”

He shook his head, looking down. He detached his fingers from yours to fix his cap, running his fingers through his hair. You were half expecting for him to hold your hand again, but you weren’t surprised when he didn’t.

“Y/N,” he said.

“Mark,” you replied.

He bit his lip, an anxious habit. “Aren’t you tired?”

“Not really? I had a nap before coming here so–”

“That’s not what I meant.”

You just stared at him.

“Aren’t you tired,” he said again, slower and softer this time, “of this...? Of... us?”

You looked away. You knew this was coming. You just didn’t think it would be this soon. You took a deep breath and tried your hardest not to cry.

“I am,” you said, your voice close to breaking. “But...”

You weren’t sure what to say. It’s true. You are tired. You’re tired of not being able to see him, of not getting a proper conversation out of the small time you have together, of things not being like they were before. You’re so damn tired of it all. But telling him that is like telling him to stop doing his job, to stop doing what he loves. That’s the last thing he needs.

“But?”

You sighed. “I don’t care.”

He shook his head again. “God, this is so hard,” you heard him mutter under his breath before turning to you. “How can you not care that you’re tired? Doesn’t this frustrate you?”

“I can’t just...” your voice broke. You let a deep breath and swallowed, trying to calm yourself. “What do you want me to say? I’m tired, Mark, and yes, it does frustrate me. A lot. But so what if I am? It doesn’t mean I want to give up on us.”

He buried his head in his hands.

You don’t know what you’re still holding on to. It’s like everything that used to be there is disappearing right before your eyes. You’re stalling, but you already know how this ends.

“Y/N,” he said, his eyes meeting yours. “Let’s face it. I’m already losing time for you, and it will only get worse. We never see each other anymore. I can’t even go out of this damn building to spend an hour with you. All we do is argue on the phone, and even when we see each other, we don’t talk properly. How can you still want to stay even after all this?”

You opened your mouth to answer, but nothing came out. Does love really need to have a reason? you thought.

“Look, we barely understand each other anymore. I can’t... I can’t do this.”

Your heart broke. There was no other way to explain it. That’s exactly how it felt. Like something inside your chest just died. It’s like he had stabbed you with a knife, and just when you thought the pain was at its maximum, he still had to twist the blade in your chest.

“I never imagined I would say this,” he said, “but I think we should break up.”

You just sat there, almost motionless if your lips weren’t quivering. If this was a few months ago, he would already have his arms wrapped around you, muttering that it’s going to be fine, that he has your back no matter what. Now, he’s just... there.

You forced yourself to speak. “Just like that?”

He didn’t reply.

You let out an empty laugh, a tear rolling down your cheek simultaneously. “You couldn’t even wait a day and just spend a little more time with me. That’s how much you want this done.”

“No, I—” he tried to speak, but you were already riding the high of your emotions, you just had to let it out.

“I got back from China two days ago,” you said. “I was supposed to surprise you, maybe ask you out for lunch. But when I got here, I overheard your conversation with the guys. I heard you say you were tired of us, but it wasn’t just that. The way you said it...” you let out a shaky breath, your tears now uncontrollable. “God, it hurt to hear. I knew what you were thinking even then, and there was no changing your mind. So I couldn’t bring myself to see you after that because I was so afraid of what you’d say. I had a feeling if we saw each other that day, it would just make things worse. So I spent the last two days thinking what to do, you know how stupid I am.”

“Y/N,” he said softly, but you weren’t done.

“I still hoped I could maybe change your mind. I hoped my gut was wrong, that there was still a chance this could work. But I guess my luck had already ran out. I knew from the moment you walked in and just sat there, not even giving me so much as a hug, that you won’t even try to make things work anymore. So I guess... this is really it.”

“I didn’t... you weren’t supposed to.. I...” He searched for words, but you couldn’t bear to stay and wait for him to change his mind when he clearly won’t.

So you stood up and took something out of your purse. It was an elephant keyring that you got from China, something you bought especially for him. You two have a thing of giving each other tiny souvenirs from the places you went without each other.

Mark stood up too. His eyes were welled with tears, making the situation harder than it already is.

“It’s a lucky charm, supposedly,” you said, handing him the keyring.

He wrapped his fingers around it. A single drop of tear streamed on his cheek. And then another.

“Stop crying. God, at least make it easier for me to leave. This is unfair,” you joked, wiping his tears.

Mark managed to let out a laugh. For some reason, it just broke your hear even more.

You forced a smile. This is the guy you’ve been in love with, longer and harder than you’ve ever been with anyone. You hate the you probably won’t hear his explosive laugh again or watch him get overexcited over the simplest things or hear him randomly sing Frank Ocean under his breath. You hate that you have to let it all go so soon when you never thought you’d ever have to.

“I love you, Mark Lee,” you said, taking a step back. You know he secretly loves it when you say his full name. “And I sincerely hope you’ll find peace again and be happy after this.”

Before you could break down again, you began walking away.

But you haven’t even taken three steps when you were pulled by the arm. You spun around slightly, ending up wrapped in his arms again, his hug tighter than any you’ve felt. He buried his head on your shoulders while you wrapped your arms around his waist like you’ve done so many times before.

He didn’t say a single word when you pulled away. Neither did you. There was nothing left to say.

You turned around and just like that, you were gone.

The ding of the elevator opening pulled you back to the present. But you were too far from the doors already. You wouldn’t make it in time.

Your cheeks were wet. You didn’t realize you’ve been crying.

You figured it’s pointless to tell yourself you’ve moved on when you know full well it would take so much more than just two months to get over something as special as your relationship with Mark. Still, you couldn’t help but beat yourself up over the fact that you’re staring at an empty lounge in an empty hallway, crying like a baby.

You quickly dabbed your eyes and cheeks to dry the tears before looking around to see if there was anyone who witnessed your slightly embarrassing moment, but the are was still empty.

You went back to the elevator before you could see another thing that would trigger your thoughts once more.

You thought you were already safe. Excluding the flashbacks, the day has gone smoothly so far. But with the luck you are born with, when something is bound to go wrong, it definitely will. It’s almost funny that it didn’t even take five minutes before something did.

“Y/N?!” a familiar voice called from behind you.

You turned around, facing a tanned, brunette boy whose eye glinted with surprise, and with an aura radiating mischief and cleverness.

“Hyuck?”

[h3rmitsunited]

Continuing Thoughts on Age of Calamity: I am about 19 hours in at this point and oh man are things going down. Just wanted to record some of my thoughts, theories, reactions, etc... before I get to the last four missions of the story because I’m just thinking about this non-stop and want to share.

Spoilers below the read more, so don’t read if you plan on playing the game. It is a lot more fun to experience in the game than reading it, so just you know, don’t read it.

THE NEW BOTW CHAMPIONS ARE HERE, THE OG CHAMPIONS ARE ALIVE! 

-After the siege of the castle mission that ends with the king's death at the hands of the guardians off screen and the menu music changing to the awesome dark theme and the prompt on the screen saying that Mipha, Daruk, Revali, and Urbosa are trapped in the Divine Beasts, I legitimately cried a little bit. Like I was mostly tearing up because of the bit with Zelda and her father and Link dragging her away, but with the context of BOTW and the Divine Beasts and the Champions having been killed in battle with the Calamity Blights, I was like holy crap, they killed them, they're trapped because they died, but then I started the next chapter and decided to do Urbosa and Revali's first and then it starts and they're both still alive and then we see that Teba and Riju come through and like I lost my shit. I was like WHAT!? IS!? HAPPENING?! I thought that it was a really cool way to get more characters to play as (because this is a Warriors game so the vast array of characters to play as is a selling point) and a cool way to keep the OG Champions from being dead which is depressing. So I got Urbosa and Revali back and then realized what this meant for the other mission, that Mipha would be saved by giant grown Sidon and it was just as cute and sweet as I thought it was going to be. And then them working together on the Divine Beast and teaming up and you can see how much Sidon missed his sister and looks up to her, despite the fact that he is literally ginormous and she is a tiny little thing. It made me tear up. The other champion relationships don't really hit that hard because none of them actually met each other before, but it was pretty funny the bit with Teba and Revali when Revali is once again being an asshole to Link and Teba is just like.... WTF? This is the Rito champion, he's like kind of a di- and Urbosa is like yes, we know. Moving on. Because like damn, they really turned Revali's dick factor way up in this game. Like seriously, bird, can you like chill?

-Anyways, another thing that got me going literally insane was the bit in Hyrule field with Astor and Sooga and Kohga when Astor was like...pulling soul power or something from the Yiga soldiers and like turned it into Hollow Link and when I saw that I was like losing my mind. I don't know why it got me so hyped up, but it did and I'm very excited to battle it out with this dark Link character.

-I just finished the battle at Akkala citadel, which was a pretty cool fight, and going to go into the next battle, something about thunder, so obviously another Divine Beast lead in with Divine Beast support trying to fight off Guardians and monsters and stuff. From the placement, it appears like it'll be near Hateno, and will be involving Urbosa and Vah Nahboris. I don't really care for the Divine Beast levels. They are frustrating to control and the camera movements are annoying and the targeting system just is frustrating. The level with Vah Rudania fighting off the guardians was so annoying, just trying to target the guardians and move around and then I just kept getting stuck on the walls and stuff and the movements are so slow, and it was just like, I don't really care for this at all, thanks... I much prefer the on the ground, quick fighting. Obviously, Link is the most intuitive and easiest to use, he's the highest level, and he's the main fighting character, so he's my favorite to use. I really want to unlock the Hyrule Warriors armor set, so I'm going to have to do a ton of quests and stuff which is a lot, but it will make me keep playing the game for a while, which is good since the game cost sixty dollars. It's fun to play though, so I feel like it's worth it. -Regarding the timeline pieces, I'm really conflicted about the backstory elements that we're getting, and I realize that the moment the eggo was introduced, it set this timeline off into a completely different direction, but it brings up questions for me about the original timeline. We don't really know exactly when the Hyrule Warriors timeline starts out and how far from the Calamity attack it was in the past. I would assume that it wasn't too far in the past, most like like less than a year, maybe less than six months? It's difficult to tell because we don't get a whole lot of context. We are given the information that in this game, the Calamity attack on the castle happens at the same time as in the original timeline, on Zelda's 17th birthday, maybe a little sooner, since in the OG, she's coming down from Lanayru with Link and in this one, I think she's leaving the castle to go to Lanayru when the attack happens. But when did everything else happen? How long has Link had the Master sword and been the chosen knight? He's been following Zelda in this timeline since eggo was introduced, but he was still "just a knight" at that point, even if he was a really good and talented one. But wouldn't that mean that he activates his power in Korok forest like barely anytime before the Calamity attack? I mean I guess in the OG timeline, we can kind of get hints that Link hasn't been chosen for a super long time, since Zelda questions him about how confident he is with the Master Sword and can he hear the voice, and is a bit more antagonistic with him, so he probably hadn't been doing that for a super long time either, but it does feel like he's had it longer in the OG timeline memories compared to here when he gets the Master sword and then like two missions later Ganon is popping up at the castle. I mean, it wouldn't make sense really to drag things out a super long time, so I understand that having a bunch of extra cut scenes and missions that aren't super plot relevant would be kind of weird, especially with this Astor dude's involvement, he would want to push things along. But the Ganon attack still happens the same time as the OG timeline, so all of these things happen within the same amount of time. I don't remember in the OG timeline if we ever got any details about how Link awakened his power. I do like how they did it in this version, how it was like a parallel to how Zelda awakened her power protecting Link, which gave me all the Zelink feels, but I just want canon backstory for the OG timeline, you know? We know that this timeline isn't canon for the OG timeline because of eggo being involved, so we can only really pull character elements from this timeline rather than specific plot elements. I also wondered about Impa since she is there kind of escorting Zelda in most of the missions, but was only in BOTW as an old lady, which is fine because they likely hadn't have developed that into the story at that point, but I also think maybe since Link in AOC hasn't become the chosen knight until later, he wasn't seen as capable or trustworthy enough to be her sole escort knight and wanted to keep Impa around for additional protection or something. I don't know, doesn't make a whole lot of sense, but whatever. I'm also trying to remember... when did the Champions get their champion clothes? Does Link have the blue tunic on in all the memories? I'm pretty sure that one of the first memories is that depressing one where Zelda is like knighting Link or something in the gazebo thing in front of the castle, but I can't remember the order... It's just all so confusing and I'm sure I'm deeply overthinking everything and that they're kind of just like retconning elements, but like what does it all mean? I mean maybe... maybe... since Zelda remembers the eggo in her like baby dream memory in that one cut scene, maybe that means eggo was also sent way back in time to the beginning of her life, so this timeline is deeply changed from the beginning of her life, so while the initial difference weren't super evident, just some small things, once they got to later in the timeline and all the Master sword/Champion stuff, it really just like threw everything in the air. I don't know why it bothers me so much, I think it's just me Zelink heart wanting Link and Zelda to have more time together when it's not just crazy monster fighting sad Zelda all the time like in the AOC cutscenes. In BOTW, we get these soft little memories of Zelda and Link researching in the field and riding horses and stuff and like yes the ever present concern about Zelda's power and Ganon is there in the memories still, but it feels more intimate and slow and down to earth. I think it's also because in several of the memories, it's just them two, and in AOC, there hasn't really been any memories with just the two of them together, so it has a different feel to it. I liked in BOTW, the stories in Zelda's diary about talking to Link about his destiny and why he doesn't talk and how he feels the weight of this title and it keeps him silent and it gave Link this interesting depth and emotion that you couldn't really see without that, and then in the AOC, there are some little moments where you see Link having a scrap of emotion, tiny smiles he gives to Zelda, serious face, confused, happy to eat stuff, but most of his moments are the little grunts and blank stares that he gives. Like seriously? Zelda's father just died, she feels like it's all her fault and Link's response is a tiny smile and a "huh". Like yes, there are dynamics with them, she's a princess, he's a knight, he's protective of her and doesn't push her boundaries or whatever, but like just hug please. I loved that memory in the forest in BOTW where she just collapses into his chest and he holds her and we see this pained expression on his face and it's like yes please give me more not lobotomized Link. Like I know this sounds like complaining, because it is, and like I do understand they want Link to kind of be this blank slate, character insert type of character, but give him something please! 

-I'm hoping we get some good content in these last few mission cut scenes. I'm getting down to the last few missions, only four left, and looking at the chapter titles, which is the only spoilers that I have allowed myself, I'm like, okay, what is going to happen next. And like I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that we win and the bad BOTW timeline ending is subverted and Ganon has to go night night, but like who knows, maybe they'll surprise me, but probably not. This is supposed to be a game that you keep playing after you finish the main story, so like killing off a bunch of playable characters and having it end in destruction would be probably not so smart...

-Okay, that's all my current thoughts. I'll be playing more tonight and we'll see if I finish the story tonight, or maybe I'll have to stop myself and take a breather before blasting through the remaining missions. I finished I think three missions(?) last night, and I had a break for dinner, but like I don't work tomorrow, so like, I could probably blast through the last ones, but I'd also still need to do some additional quest stuff in between for level up purposes since I just go through rupees like crazy. Oh my gosh, that reminds me... it is so dang annoying when you get one of those like quest find item marker things that lights up when you have all the items and you're like sweet I'll complete this and as you're pressing the button, out of habit, without super paying attention, you realize it's going to cost like 2,000 rupees or something and it's like... not again! I can't tell you how many times I have done this and it's so annoying. Like warn me if I have to pay rupees, I don't want to use my brain, game! Lol yes, it's my fault, I'm not really mad.

-Okay, the end. For now. TLDR: This game is fun and unexpected, but it is also not BOTW, so don't go into this expecting BOTW mechanics or gameplay. But hey, smashing through tons of enemies is also kind of satisfying too. Also, like the new enemies are wild. Elemental Moblins, Hinoxs, Lynels, Guardians(!), the use of the Elemental weapons is a cool mechanic, and it's cool having some cinematic fight moments, even if it might get repetitive after playing the game for a while, but you also can use a ton of different characters, so there's variety there, I just have yet to leave my boy because he's the easiest to blast through anything and everything, though Impa is pretty cool too, even if most of my moves with her are random button smashes since I don't really have a good grip on how her moves work. At least with Link it's pretty obvious and I've gotten better about actually having some sort of strategy with how he works, the other characters I haven't played enough to have any sort of knowledge on how they work. Also Zelda's moves are not fun to play at all, sorry, but they're just annoying and useless. Also Daruk is bad at fighting Hinoxes. Okay, now, the end.

[lightskinrry]

I’m jealous of the way you’re happy without me.

The one where being handcuffed to Harry made Y/N realize way more things than she thought (aka part two of ‘I can't remember why i loved you, anyway.’)

Word Count: 4.4k

TW: angst!!! fluff and smut!!!! I really decided to kill y’all

A/N: here’s part two of ‘I can’t remember why I loved you, anyway.’ Thank you for showing so much love!!! I love y’all you filthy bunch!!!

thank you to my beautiful wife @belladonna-styles for reading it over!!!

Read Part One here!

You’ve spent the day avoiding Harry, acting like nothing happened, like you didn’t feel a million butterflies in your stomach when he told you he loved kissing you, like your heart wasn’t drowning in despair – exactly like after you left two years ago.

Danny didn’t mention the whole ‘handcuffs’ situation. She’s been bubbly and sweet as her usual self, but you could tell she was confused and upset. Her cheerfulness wasn’t genuine. And you felt so embarrassed and remorseful for humiliating her. Because that’s how you thought she felt when you accidentally let everyone know that you were not over your ex –despite coming in with your new girlfriend.

You tried being relaxed and aloof about the situation, promising yourself that you’ll talk about it later with her. You mulled over Harry’s words all day. You dwelled on every single detail about him; his shifty eyes, his slow tone, his soft fingertips, everything that could indicate you that somehow he missed you too.

Maybe it was just for the game, just to get out of the handcuffs but your heart wanted to believe that he meant every word he said. That the way his voice vibrated in your ears like a million angels singing wasn’t just a beautiful hallucination, he meant it and he felt it too.

When you came back to Jeff’s house later that night, everybody was already in their rooms. You stayed out late with Danny to try and discuss the whole Harry situation and the outcome wasn’t good.

At least from your perspective; you explained to her how you and Harry stayed three years together only to break up over the most stupid things; and the more you talked about it the more you felt like it was stupid and that it shouldn’t have happened. You excepted Danny to tell you off and be defensive but to your surprise and disarray, she was very comprehensive and supportive, talking about getting you through and him not being worthy of someone like you.

You’ve given her a warm smile and decided to go back home to get some sleep. She collapsed on the bed as soon as she got out of the shower and you were left alone with your thoughts. You took a long and cold shower just to overthink everything again and ponder better answers for Harry. I love your hands; the way you used to touch me made me feel so beautiful, intense, and safe. It made me feel like you were mine. I liked it when you were mine. I wish you were still mine. You chased the thoughts away, trying to focus on something else but all this struggling and confusion in your mind gave you a headache.

You took a glimpse at Danny peacefully sleeping on the king-size bed. You put a large t-shirt on, one you’ve found on the bedside. You looked at yourself in the mirror and realized it was Danny’s, and worst it was a ‘treat people with kindness’ t-shirt from Harry’s merch. You wanted to take it off but the pounding feeling in your head hastened you to go down, so you left it on.

You strolled around the kitchen looking for some aspirin. You opened a higher shelf and saw the treasure you were looking for, way in the back and out of reach. You struggled to try and catch it. The moment you resigned to use a chair, you felt someone behind you. Their chest pressed against your back and their arm over your shoulder, reaching the pill bottle you were desperately trying to reach. You realized soon enough who stood behind you.

Your eyes gazed over at his strong arms covered in ink. Those same arms that used to wrap around your waist and make you swing, the arms you’d cry in, the arms that held you after an orgasm, the arms that let you go, two years ago.

He placed himself next to you; his lower back resting against the counter. He handed you the bottle.

“Thank you.” Your voice was low; you didn’t even look in his eyes.

“You’re welcome.” He crossed his arms on his chest and traced your body with his stare, smiling at the sight of your shirt.

“What are you doing up this late?” You asked him, genuinely curious to know what kept him from sleeping. He was always tight with his sleeping schedule and would never miss a chance to get extra hours of sleep.

“Can’t sleep, that’s all.”

You hummed at his answer, popping the bottle open to grab a pill.

“What about you? What keeps you up?” His tone was cheeky. It was like he knew he was the reason why you couldn’t sleep.

“Not much.” You tried to abridge the conversation.

“I haven’t seen you in all day.” His poor attempt at keeping the conversation alive made you smile. Truth was; you needed the talk but you weren’t too keen on having it.

“You haven’t seen me in over two years, Harry. Are you really complaining about one day?”

He shrugged and a chuckle fell from his lips.

“Fair enough.”

You poured a glass of water and swallowed the aspirin loudly. Harry’s gaze never leaving you; his eyes tracing your body and your every move. He took a deep breath and started talking.

“I’m sorry, I acted like a jerk this weekend.”

You choked a little bit. Was he really apologizing?

You heard him laugh a little bit and you gave him a brazen look.

“Don’t be sorry. It’s just further proof we’re better off avoiding each other.”

He looked at you intently, trying to catch your eyes. But you knew if you made eye contact with him, he would know you were lying.

“Are we, Y/N?” His voice was deep and slow, he talked lower than before as if he didn’t want you to hear him.

“What do you mean?”

An awkward silence installed between the two of you before the words left his mouth.

“I meant what I said earlier this morning. It wasn’t because of the handcuffs.”

You felt your heart smile; he meant it, he felt what you felt.

You tiptoed around with your words, thinking about an answer that wouldn’t give away the relief you felt. After all, you haven’t forgiven him yet.

“I meant what I said too, you know. It’s just… Those are only words, Harry.”

He looked quite offended as if he expected a different reaction from you.

“And what? Words mean a lot!”

“Actions mean more.” You settled your tone making him understand that this was not enough to get anything from you, no matter what he was expecting to get from you.

He looked down for a second and then looked up at you.

“You mean like the night you left me and threw all these horrible things at my face?”

You gasped. You were definitely not anticipating this kind of answer. Was that how that night played for him? You leaving him after saying horrible things?

You had to give him your own version of the breakup.

“The night you let me go after I told you, you hurt me.”

He stared at you silently, biting his cheek.

“You told me I was a cheater, a liar, and that I was never good enough for you.”

His words resounded in the room. It was the words you used but in such a different context, you needed him to understand what he did to you. Your throat tightened as you started talking.

“Because I’ve spent nights crying alone when you were out –I don’t know where! Because I would call your phone for hours and never get a call back before I fell asleep! Because…”

You fought hard against your tears, not wanting him to see you break down.

“Because I gave my all in this relationship and I wanted to work things out but you just gave up on us the minute it got harder.”

He drank your words; you could see it in his eyes, his gloomy look, his lips pinched. He was trying to catch all the information you gave him. He furrowed his eyebrows as your last sentence reached his ears. He looked hurt.

“I… I was only working and you know it!”

You tried to speak but he kept going.

“I never wanted anybody else but you! I’ve never even thought about somebody else because you were the only one I could see.”

You could hear the pain in his voice and you could feel your heart bruise from the inside.

“You act like you were perfect in this relationship! You were not!”

He was right. You were never perfect in this relationship but you sure did more for it than he ever did.

“How many times have I put aside important things so I could be there for you? How can you say I gave up on us? I called a million times after you left? I went asked your friends, your family, just to get a piece of you and apologize.”

You were bewildered by his words. He did what now?

You sensed your heart drown and drown, falling deeper as his answer got to your brain.

“What?”

Your stunned look made him confused.

“I’ve spent months trying to reach you and then you were dating that douche again. It’s the moment I gave up. I gave up on getting you back. I never gave up on us.”

You remembered now how this whole thing played out. You hated him so much after that night; you changed everything, from your number to the locks on your door. You didn’t want to see him ever again and in an attempt to soothe your broken heart you went back to your ex. It has been a hard time. And you just couldn’t believe that this whole time Harry actually tried to reach out.

““I… I changed my number when I left and I asked my family not to let you through. So I’ve never received any call, nothing. And I thought you moved on.”

His face was facing the ground but when he spoke again, he stared right into your eyes –almost reaching your soul.

“I didn’t.”

He didn’t move on. He said it. He said he didn’t move on; at least back then. You couldn’t help but wonder –crave for an answer, how he felt now?

“What about now?” You asked softly. “Have you moved on now?”

A giggle fell from his lips. He looked at you with a fond gaze.

“I was crazy in love with you, Y/N. I saw my future with you. I thought I could never love anyone else more than I loved you.”

That warmed your heart but that wasn’t what you needed. You needed more. You needed to know if he still loved you.

“But now? Now you love somebody else? More than you used to love me?”

Your voice cracked just like your heart did at the thought that he could love someone else more than he loved you.

“I don’t know if I love her more than I used to love you. But I’m happy.”

Ouch. The sound of your heart breaking resounded inside your entire body. He was happy; happy with somebody else. You threw your hands in disbelief. And your voice went two octaves higher as it always does when you’re about to cry.

“Are you? Is that why your eyes were screaming when you talked about kissing me? Is that why we keep fighting every time we see each other? Because if you were really over it, would you act like that?”

The truth was; this speech was for you. Your eyes were screaming when he talked about kissing you. If you kept fighting with him and hating him it was only because it’s the closest you could get to him, it’s the closest you could get to love him. You wouldn’t act like this if you were over him; you were never over him.

“Y/N…”

He whispered softly and the mention of your name threw you off; the tears started running down your face.

“I was so in love with you. With every little thing you do, from the way you called my name to the way you kissed me goodnight. I never loved anyone more.”

His eyes were glistening but you couldn’t tell with what. He just left a word out.

“Never?”

You realized it was a rhetorical question. You never loved anyone else. And if he didn’t say he loved you too by now; it just meant it was over.

“I’m glad you’re happy, Harry.”

Your voice was a whisper; it was so hard for you admitting that he moved on when you clearly didn’t.

“Y/N…”

He tried to grab your wrist but you pulled away, feeling his touch would just hurt you more now. You didn’t have anything more to say. Yet, you didn’t want this conversation to end, not because you were a masochist and that you liked being hurt but because you wanted to give him a chance to reciprocate your feelings.

“I guess… I’m just jealous of the way you’re happy without me.”

You just thought of Labrinth’s song out of the blue, it was always one of your favorites and it oddly appeared to be more than relevant in your situation.

You saw Harry smile and giggle. He tilted his head to the side.

“Did you just quote a song?”

You laughed a little bit, trying to release the tension.

“I’m sorry, I ran out of poetic things to say.”

He looked at you. And his face changed. He looked more… like you? Like he felt the same way, like all the words you said to him tonight just reached his brain. He grasped your hand gently and stroked your skin with his thumb; the way he used to when you were together.

“I never stopped loving you.”

His words mended your heart instantly or at least put a few pieces back together.

You looked over at him trying to catch the truth behind his eyes. He pulled his face as close to yours as possible, and whispered,

“I want to kiss you, right now.” His lips were only inches away from yours.

“Kiss me, then.” You whispered back, your breath warming his skin.

He grabbed your jaw and pulled you in for a kiss; his lips softly pressing on yours. You gave in to the kiss, slowly opening your lips like the inside of a rose, soft and fresh; tasting him again and feeling content. You smiled against his lips and that smile turned quickly into a giggle. You pulled away from the kiss.

He looked at you with the endeared look in his eyes and he didn’t even say a word, he just grabbed your face harder and kissed you more intensely. His tongue gently playing with yours while your hands wandered in his hair. You missed kissing him; the way his breath was hot against your skin and the way it felt when he smiled against your lips.

When he detached his lips from yours, he looked stunned and you certainly did too.

“I missed kissing you.” Your voice was low and soft. He smiled at you and pulled you in for another kiss, shorter this time, just to unglue your lips again and whisper against your skin, “I missed it too.”

He lifted you up from the floor and wrapped your legs around his waist.

You were always impressed at his strength not only because he carried you like you weighed nothing but because the way his muscles would clench just reminded you that this man could lift 500 pounds and has been boxing with some of the best trainers in the world.

He carried you all the way to the spare room. It was another room that nobody used and that Jeff kept in case another friend came in late and wanted to settle in.

He pushed the door open with his back and closed it with yours, pushing you against the door and kissing harder. He walked you in his arms up to the bed and threw you on it. It was softer than it seems. You found yourself in the middle of the messed up blue sheets and Harry was on top of you trying to reach your mouth with his.

You took off his shirt, pulling it above his head and he unbuttoned his trousers, making them slide down his strong legs only to reveal that he was not wearing any underwear. You smiled down at him, remembering his tendency to go commando. He looked at you intensely, nibbling his lower lip.

“Kinda want to see you wear my merch while I fuck you.”

His eyes were sparkling with desire looking at your breasts peeking through the white fabric, reading ‘treat people with kindness’.

He gripped your chin and pulled you in for a kiss, making his tongue dance with yours to the sound of your muffled breaths. His lips then slipped to your jaw, trailing the line to your neck. He stayed there a while, nibbling the sensitive skin, biting and sucking it to mark you.

Your hands slithered on his sides, rubbing his skin, his strong back contracting to your touch. You drag your nails slightly against his skin, just to make him shiver against you.

“I fucking missed you.” His voice was muffled as his head was rested in the crook of your neck.

He finally kissed you again on the lips before trailing your body with his hands, grabbing your breasts through your shirt.

You felt his hand press against your panties, his palm rubbing your pussy. He took off your knickers with one hand and threw them on the floor, only to bring his hand back to your cunt and play with it; rubbing your clit with his thumb, pinching your lips together between his index and his thumb, slapping slightly your clit. He then slid two fingers inside your pussy and you clenched around them, moans falling off of your lips. He fingered you gently, bringing his body down to face your pussy.

He kissed it tenderly and started sucking on your clit, slightly biting it.

“Fucking missed your taste.” He moaned against your swollen skin.

He licked you for only a minute. It was not his way to rush the eating out part, it always been his favorite.

“I need to feel you.” He groaned and picked up his trousers from the ground, pulling a condom out of the pocket.

He put it on in a minute. You remembered how he used to struggle with that part until you showed him the technique.

He spat on his fingers and rubbed them against your entrance. He grabbed his cock in one hand and with the other placed your legs up his shoulders.

He slid inside of you.

“F-Fuck.” You saw his eyes rolled and his lips fall open. He was melting into you.

He started thrusting into you slowly, taking his time to fill you up, to make sure you felt every inches of his cock. You felt overwhelmed by the feeling, the rush and the tingling sensation inside your stomach, every time he was balls-deep inside of you. You felt so full. You missed that so much. Only he knew how to properly fill you, how to properly fuck you.

He started pounding harder, getting his face closer to yours.

“I missed you so fucking much.”

His groans made you wetter and you couldn’t help but clench every time you heard his raspy voice whisper filthy words.

“Missed fucking you. Missed your fucking little cunt.”

You scratched his back and wrapped your legs around his waist to pull him deeper inside of you. You muffled your moans inside his neck, and he kept groaning in your ear.

“Your perfect pussy.”

You knew he was about to come, you could feel him pulse inside of you, his pace fastened up.

“Fuck. I love you so much Y/N!”

You wanted to scream. You felt in heaven and you wanted to feel him completely.

“Come inside of me, please!”

Your whisper sent him. He gripped your hair harder and pounded into you again.

“Fuck…”

You felt his cum filling you up; warming your guts and making you feel content.

He collapsed on top of you; his head buried in your neck, kissing the soft spots. He stayed there for a few minutes before you rolled over him, getting on top of him. You straddled on him, rubbing yourself against his cock.

His hands were resting on your hips, helping you getting more pressure every time you rubbed your pussy against him. He was deciding your pace with his hands. They slipped from your hips to rest on your ass, perfectly cupping it. He grabbed it hard, guiding you as you rubbed your pussy harder on him.

You felt his cock hardened against you. A whimper fell from your lips and you grasped it to make it enter your warm and wet cunt again.

He moaned when you sat on his cock, your walls stretching around him. You started riding him gently, your hands resting on his chest, caressing him.

“Fuck. I love when you’re fucking me like that. It feels so fucking good.”

His voice was raspy and deep and it only made you wetter. You started riding faster, jumping and bouncing on him.

“You like that?”

You knew how much he loved when you asked him that, especially when you were on top. He spanked your ass hard, his rings clapping against your warm skin and the stinging sensation making you appreciate the pleasure even more.

“Fuck yes. Keep riding my cock like that.”

He spanked you harder; making you squeal, your pace getting less steady.

“Do you want me to cum for you?”

His grip on your ass intensified and you started bouncing harder, riding longer, until your hips hurt.

“Fuck. Come on my cock. I wanna feel you drip on me.”

You felt your stomach knot and released itself in a minute, you rolled your eyes, your toes curled, and you gripped the sheets so hard, you might have ripped them. You threw your head back and in a last move, you felt the burning turmoil inside of you discharge.

“Fuck Harry! Harry!”

You screamed so loud, Harry had to cover your mouth with his hand, in order to keep you from waking everybody up.

“Fuck you’re so fucking good.”

He moaned before grabbing your hips hard and lifting them up just a little bit so that he could thrust into you as hard as he could a last time before coming inside of you again. You felt your cum –his and yours, drip on your inner thighs. Your legs were shaking and you put all your weight on him, your body resting on top of his.

You slid next to him and laid, still trembling; your eyes shut and your mouth ajar. You took a deep breath and you felt his arms wrapping around you. It was not his kind to be the big spoon but he just tightened his embrace when he felt you shivered against his skin.

“I missed you.” He murmured in the crook of your neck, leaving a sloppy kiss in the sensitive spot he bit earlier. You kissed his fingertips and whispered against his skin, “I missed you too.”

He kissed your forehead and you drifted away to sleep in his arms.

When you woke up in the morning you were sleeping on the other side of the bed, you probably got out of his embrace during the night when you needed more space.

You pulled out your fist and yawned. When you looked around you and you saw him, you felt dazed for a moment, remembering your night together than the realization struck you; your girlfriend was sleeping in the room next door.

You felt horribly guilty. You always said you would never cheat no matter the situation and now you were about to break the heart of an amazing woman who only brought good in your life. You felt disgusted by yourself.

You decided to get out of the bed before Harry woke up so that you could take a shower and try to think things through.

You couldn’t believe what happened last night. It must’ve been a dream. You felt wrong –because you knew it would hurt Danny, but at the same time it felt right –because you knew it was what you wanted. You just needed time to process it.

You decided to talk to Harry about it first but when you came back to the room after your shower, he was nowhere to be seen. Did you stayed so long in the shower? He had to go to another room? Or did he just leave?

You looked over at the clock; you spent 45 minutes in the shower, a long time but still, you couldn’t help but wonder why he didn’t wait.

You went down in the kitchen and saw everyone happily sitting at wooden table, chatting, laughing and eating. It hit you in the face; Harry was sitting next to Rosie chuckling and eating strawberries from the same bowl. You felt so stupid, so used. You looked over at him again and when his eyes met yours, tears started filling your eyes. You just left the kitchen.

You locked yourself in the bathroom and took a deep breath. You looked at yourself in the mirror. “You’re too cute to cry.” You wiped away your tears and got out.

You made your way back to the kitchen and sat down next to Danny.

“Is everything okay, honey?” She asked you with worry in her voice.

“Yes. Everything’s good.” You spout out.

“Where were you last night?” Danny was stroking your hand, the same way Harry did and it made you ache.

“I fell asleep on the couch.”

You looked over at Harry again and caught him staring at you. You couldn’t believe he was actually pretending like nothing happened, like the two of you didn’t make love all night and fell asleep in each other’s arms, like he didn’t say he missed you and moaned ‘I love you’ in your ear.

It just broke your heart furthermore. Was he really happy without you?

[thathonleygirl]

The Beginning

November 2019 – June 2020 Background

I decided to start this documentation of my journey into motorcycling for many reasons, mainly because I want to work on my writing skills and sometimes it’s nice to take a break from the mindless scrolling. I also think I’ll enjoy going back and reading this when I’m less of a rookie I’ll be recreating the timeline from the MSF course to the present from memory. I decided to dive into motorcycling as a hobby for myself, and also as a hobby for me to share with my boyfriend of 2+ years, Chris. Ultimately I can confidently say he inspired me to ride on my own and has been so supportive every step of the way.

November 2019 – MSF Class & getting my motorcycle endorsement I remember this weekend like it was yesterday. It was a freezing weekend and I’m out in the parking lot of RCCC bundled up from head to toe. I was happy it was cold because I was super nervous and excited, and heat stresses me out. There’s about 15 of us in the class, and right off the bat everyone is super friendly because we’re all here for the same thing – there was defiantly a wide range of skill levels and reasons for taking the class – but we’re all there for the same class. The two teachers of the class were AWESOME, and I’ll remember them for the rest of my riding career. They took us through the basics – controls, friction zone, etc. and soon we were riding through the first set of drills. My bike was a Kawasaki Eliminator from the 1800’s and it kept shutting off due to the cold weather. It also was impossible to find neutral, even the instructors couldn’t find it – I was just relieved that it wasn’t operator error. At the end of the 1st riding day they both told me they were impressed and proud of how I did – which meant so much to me considering I had never touched a clutch before, lol. The second day was a little rough, but still a success, mainly because I began to overthink every little thing because I knew there was going to be a test at the end of the day. This is when I first learned the importance of your headspace when on the bike, and how too much anxiety can be catastrophic. That being said, I still passed the class and got my endorsement the next week I really wish I had gotten the contact info for the people in the class, but the excitement of passing the class got the best of me.

March 2020 – Meeting Jolene I’d be lying if I said the process of bringing Jolene home was smooth, and the truth is I have a newfound hatred for dealerships and salespeople, LOL. But it was all well worth it. I went to Team Charlotte Motorsports with the intention of buying a Honda Rebel 500 in all black, but was disappointed when they didn’t have the right colors, and the bike just didn’t feel right when I first sat on one. But oh boy, when I first sat on Jolene I knew she was the one and I knew I had to have her. I’ve always been super laid back but when my mind is set on something, I get DETERMINED. After leaving the dealership because the price was too high, I began to obsess. After a week of negotiating and an extra fiery in-person negotiation, I finally got the price I wanted and Chris rode her home the next day. The whole process was rewarding in the sense of getting what I want and not backing down!

March-April 2020 – Attitude Adjustment I was off to a ROCKY start, and a few times I lost a lot of hope and had a lot of “WTF did I get myself into?!” moments in my first few loops around our neighborhood. My bike felt 100x heavier and harder to maneuver than my Eliminator, and my nerves were getting the best of me. I was scared to even let out the clutch at first. But after a few times stalling, I was doing loops in first gear around the neighborhood. On the third round of neighborhood loops, I was having a moment overthinking a left turn from a stop sign, and dropped the bike after it stalled and jerked in the middle of the turn. It was a devastating moment because my immediate reaction was that I just ruined my brand new bike in less than 100 miles, and the salt in the wound was the fact that I couldn’t pick the bike up. Luckily, a good Samaritan neighbor was close by with help, and the bike was totally fine (just wasn’t in neutral so it wouldn’t start). Not even a scratch, I’m a lucky girl. I spent some time feeling sorry for myself and hopeless but that was getting me nowhere. In that moment, I realized one theme in all my “practice” – I was scared of my bike, and was not taking control over her like I should be. I began to try and change my mindset, and just love the fuck out of her like she was my best friend. It’s crazy how much your mental state affects performance, especially on a motorcycle. As my attitude shifted, so did my confidence and success. After endless neighborhood loops and sideways stares from the neighbors, I finally made it out on the road (just down the street to the nearest park, but out of the neighborhood nevertheless! That was a game changing feeling for me. That is what it’s all about.

April 2020 – Real Deal At this point, im still having pretty intense nerves before every ride, but I have made it out of Edison Square (finally). The first ride ALL THE WAY out of the neighborhood was me following Chris who was driving his truck, leading me on what would become my trusty loop. We wanted to take some pictures for Instagram, which I’ve been trying to grow since I got Jolene. The biker community on social media is AWESOME, it’s incredible how many other riders around the world I’ve gotten to share experiences with and learn from, most importantly being able to “meet” other girl riders. Anyways, during that first mini trip following chris I finally made it into 5th gear and got into some twistys, I was smiling so hard in my helmet the whole time. I feel so close to my bike now and with every ride I feel more in tune, and less intimidated by her. I almost feel like she’s a horse or something, lol. We stopped to take some pictures in front of some office building which was empty because Covid – I felt so uncomfortable taking pictures but Chris was such a good sport in trying to get the best angles LOL. The whole Instagram thing has defiantly taken me out of my comfort zone – but so has riding as a whole – and I never want to go back. After this trip, I started going out on the same trip as much as I could, but still was having intense pre-ride jitters – but with every ride, I felt less anxiety and I could actually enjoy and have fun while still learning and practicing the basics. The post-ride bliss, however, was always an amazing feeling and I noticed that on the days I did get out to ride, I felt more at ease and generally better for the rest of the day. Meanwhile, we are still waiting on chris’s bike to be done getting worked on.

May 2020 – First Group Ride We finally got chris’ bike back after SUCH a long time. It’s crazy how much I worry when he’s riding his bike with me driving the car; but I don’t worry at all about myself when I’m riding lol. Side note – I’m such a lucky girl to have chris and he amazes me on a daily basis. I love how he set up the group ride, knew the route we were going to ride and also planned out how we would meet up with our two friends along the way. Before this ride, I finally just felt excited for the ride, and less nerves in the pit of my stomach. I found myself agonizing over which placement in the lineup I wanted to ride in, weighing out the pros and cons of each – I had to keep reminding myself that I don’t know shit, there’s no point in worrying, and just to trust chris (that option hasn’t let me down yet!) Side rant – im realizing as I ride more and more miles that most of my fears have been irrational. It starts with me conjuring up a situation that I feel would be dicey on a motorcycle, then I obsess over all the possible negative outcomes in those situations, and then I obsess over when I will come across them in my journey. So far – I have not been right a single time. For example – left turn at a yellow blinking light – I wanted to actually reroute my ride to avoid this, but when I was forced to do it, I rode through it with NO issues. It’s crazy what a whirlwind our minds can conjure up with little to no reason or backup to support our fears. Long story short, I need to get over myself and go with the flow, and take each learning experience as just that. Again, chris’s patience is remarkable. Back to the group ride – it was awesome. I was again, smiling so hard in my helmet as chris and I chatted through the turns, as he’s telling me how proud he is of me and just having all the good feelings along the way. So glad we went with the Cardo systems, I can’t imagine the ride without them. We rode over 100 miles through the country around Midland and hit a bunch of turns. I got to practice things I don’t necessarily enjoy, like stoplights, a LOT which was great. I still need to work on speeding up my starts especially turning starts. Getting home from the ride was a great feeling, it’s such a high – the post ride bliss. We got to head to the beach right after for a long weekend, which was much needed. We came home from the beach and chris surprised me with a longboard, which I had been talking a lot about wanting lately. Words just aren’t enough to describe how grateful I am to call him mine.

May 26th 2020 – 2nd Group Ride It’s been raining for the past two weeks, pretty much ever since we picked Chris’s bike up from the shop. Side note – Chris and I are doing a watermelon cleanse from Tuesday through Friday, and we were at the end of day 1 at this point. I didn’t realize how much of a toll the fast had taken on me until I started riding, I was overthinking every move I made and just felt unstable overall. Everything just felt harder, and it was such a reminder of how much your mental state affects your riding. Overall the ride was great and I’m so glad we got out and rode though, the country roads were beautiful and the temperature was just perfect at around 70. I guess I need to focus on the positives here – that the ride was beautiful, we didn’t get caught in the rain and I got to experience new roads. And of course got some great pics. I’ve officially become that girl who takes pictures in the parking lot for Instagram, but I really don’t care because it’s been fun building my social media presence.

May 31st 2020 – 300 milestone Well, I finally did it – I hit 300 miles on the bike, the halfway mark to my first 600 mile service, lol. Last night’s ride was absolutely perfect, I couldn’t have asked for better weather (mid 70’s, not humid at all) and feeling the crisp air as I was passing my previous top speed at 60+ mph was an unmatchable feeling. Every time I have a ride like this, I always think to myself, “This is what it’s all about.” My headspace was at a great spot and I felt confident and smooth throughout the ride. My starts were quicker and more fluent, my turns were smooth and I had less anxiety and anxious thoughts about shifting gears and going through the motions of riding in general. It’s crazy what a few days of healthy food and relaxing will do to your mind – this ride compared to the last entry was like night and day. We took the bikes to Mac’s Speed Shop for dinner – I was excited to ride my own bike there. Once we pulled up and Chris quickly whipped around to back his bike into his spot, I was reminded of my severe performance anxiety yet again, lol. I really need to get over the thought of people watching me and get over myself, people are going to watch what’s right in front of them, and a girl on a bike is sort of a rare occurrence. I feel like when people watch me, specifically men, they are just waiting for me to mess up because how could a girl like me be on her own bike? In reality, I’m sure they are barely even thinking about me at all, LOL. That brings me to something I really need to work on in general. I get really anxious when people watch me and I really need to make a conscious effort to work on getting over that. People are not worried about me – I know this – but rational thoughts get tossed out the window when I’m placed in front of a crowd. This trait of mine exists in every avenue of life – whether it is work, play, whatever; and I need to take time to grow out of this. I think it will help me have less social anxiety and will probably help my confidence which will have residual effects like an improved posture and overall sense of stability. I just wonder if this is a habit that can just naturally be broken with practice/repetition or is this something that requires more attention and effort to fix. Wow – such a rabbit hole, lol, but I doubt anyone will even read this. Back to the ride – I have absolutely loved the feeling of making it home from a successful ride, or “post – ride bliss.” Chilling on the couch with my honey after a perfect ride (for both of us) is my ideal Sunday evening. Chris’s longboard finally came in so we were able to skate over and get ice cream before we called it a night. I just love our life together and think that we truly have the perfect relationship that is a mixture of best friends and lovers that just keeps getting stronger and better with time. I am so happy. With our economy tanking due to a virus in our country that’s being burnt down all around us, he is my peace. To work on –faster upshifting –downshift through EACH gear when approaching a stop (stop banging down all the gears without releasing the clutch in between) –get over performance anxiety –work on maneuvering the bike when off (in and out of parking spots, getting gas, backing out of garage, etc) –ride the bike into the garage myself! I’m so blessed to have Chris to help, teach and support me on this journey. He reminds me I don’t need to be able to do everything immediately but still pushes me to learn and become a better biker when he knows I’m capable of doing something.

June 11 – Making Progress Two big milestones this week. The first is installing my mini floorboards, the second being my skills improving on the bike. Last night Chris and I rode to Gamestop to pick up a Tony Hawk game, and I was nervous for the ride beforehand given the newness of my floorboards along with the general nerves I get before a ride. The ride ended up being AWESOME. I made sure to pay attention and downshift completely through each gear when coming to a stop, and I was able to do it successfully most of the time, lol. Also had way faster starts, and beat Chris out of the stop lights a few times. The feeling of just riding with no traffic or light in sight is unmatchable, especially in 5th gear when it feels like nothing can hold Jolene back. During these stretches of the ride, my thoughts are always revolving around THIS being what it’s all about, THIS is riding, and this is freedom. It’s an unmatchable feeling. I also felt good when we pulled into eastfield for dinner because I was able to smoothly maneuver around the parking lot that was semi-full without issue. Also I didn’t need help when leaving the parking spot outside of gamestop. taking rides after work used to be kind of a fear of mine, and I was usually reluctant to take them in fear that I would be too braindead after a full workday. The ride last night, however, proved this fear wrong. I think no matter the time of day, day of the week, temperature, WHATEVER it may be, it’s all about your headspace and that is the greatest determinant for the outcome of the ride. I’m glad that I’m starting to feel less and less anxiety prepping for and starting out on each ride, the stomach aches and general feelings of fear are melting away with every mile in the seat. Soon I’ll be scheduling my 600 mile service To work on be more gentle when downshifting, especially to first. Stop stomping on the poor shifter ride the bike into the garage myself keep improving engine breaking/downshifting completely through each gear to 2nd or 1st

June 13 – Passing 500 on my first real trip So many milestones (literally) passed this weekend! 1 – passed the 500 mile mark & 2 – first 100+ mile trip! Minus one close-call, the whole trip/day was amazing with my love. We first headed out to Asheboro Harley Davidson dealership, stopping at a couple gas stations along the way. I passed my previous top speed and managed to hit 65+ mph, and I don’t know if that was Jolene’s limit or if it was user-error. Aside from the wind feeling like it was going to blow me off of the bike, it felt exhilarating to ride fast on the open highway. After we left the second gas station, I was following Chris (a little too closely) and the left turn we were supposed to take snuck up on us so I locked up my brakes and skidded (loudly) down the street, fishtailing straight down the street, missing the turn. Mid-way through the skid, the only thought running through my head was “fuck, we’re going down.” Somehow either my reflexes or my guardian angel, or a combination of the two, were looking out for me and Jolene stayed upright. Somehow I knew to kind of let go of the breaks and handlebars and let the bike do its thing, and sure enough I was able to straighten out and stay upright. It was a sobering experience for sure, and it took a little while to gain my confidence back for the rest of the ride. Chris is a patient angel though. We made it to the Asheboro Harley dealership to pick up our poker chips and chill for a little bit, and we were surprised to see it was crowded. It’s such a nice dealership though, they had a food truck serving Greek food, free beer on tap and the MSF course happening in the parking lot that we could watch while eating our lunch. Chris and I talked about how we always feel like outcasts from the “Harley crowd” but the people we talked to were nice. It started getting late so we headed out to the next stop, the Moonset general store near Uwharrie and Badin Lake. The rest of the ride was uneventful, and Chris and quickly became exhausted lol. I kept wondering to myself if I would always feel this tired from riding. It’s just such a mental thing that takes your full attention and effort at all times, and being hyper-aware of your surroundings at all times. There’s also the physical side of riding that involves every extremity in unison just to work the bike controls. I think that’s what makes coming home from a trip feel so rewarding. Once we made it home, we got burgers at Eastfield and called it a night after we both fell asleep on the couch lol. We took a short ride to pinky’s after detailing the bikes on Sunday and that was also a great ride. Short and sweet.

June 23 – Ready for 1st Service The more experience and riding I’ve gotten, the less I feel the need to write and blog which is a good thing more time spent actually riding. Passed the 600 mile mark and trying to schedule my service appointment this week after I install my new Vance and Hines pipes on Wednesday, so pumped for the new sound and look. I’m feeling so much more comfortable now riding, still have a few things I want to work on but when I think about the first few times I took Jolene out and compare that to how I feel riding now, it’s almost like I’m a whole new person. The things that used to scare me to death are things I can do without thinking twice now. I’m learning that the faster I go, the more comfortable I feel, and that the fears I used to have are pretty irrational. Over the weekend Chris, his mom and I went on a ride through the country before it got too hot outside. It made me happy to see how happy Chris’s mom was after the ride. We talked about how great of a teacher he is and how supportive he is every step of the way. The next day, Chris, his brother and I went on a ride to Statesville Harley and got lunch at Grouchos (Chris chose for me because I always talk about how ive always wanted to eat there, hehe). It was a great ride, minus almost running over a snake haha. One other biker that was at Grouchos joined in with us for part of the ride home, then another biker on the road joined in too. It was cool to hold up the middle, lol. Chris said I did a good job. The sense of community in the biker world is something amazing and it makes me so excited for the future, and how many cool people I will meet along the way.

[alkhale]

Ugh😭 I just need a little taste of the next nascent update

(srry it’s been awhile, with finals finished i had some stuff going on at home and i work on the other stories in tandem with whatever chapter flows faster for me atm and there’s so much with memos i want to catch up on)

Raven levitated the steaming cup down into Pandora’s waiting hands.

She stared at the sleek cup, smoothed out and painted with fine black. Pandora gingerly moved her fingers around it as Raven took her seat, several spaces away from her, at ease. Silent. 

“That’s a really useful power,” Pandora said. “If I had something like that, I’d use it to do a bunch of things at once.”

“I’m constantly at battle with the forces behind it that try and overshadow me any moment,” Raven said.

Pandora took a sip of the herbal mixture, wondering if it was possible to drown yourself with a teacup. No, she wasn’t that dumb–the closest she could get was choking on it and hoping for the best from there.

“It has,” Raven said, taking a soft sip, “Its moments.”

She could hear the distant rumble of the city. There was a bit of a salty sort of tang in the air from the bay lapping around the secluded tower’s foothold. The breeze was chilly, nipping at her cheeks and at her legs. Pandora’s bun was starting to ache a bit from how tightly she’d pulled it together at the top of her head.

“Can I just,” Pandora stopped. She set the cup in her lap and then turned imploring eyes Raven’s way. “Can I just talk for a second?”

Raven took a long sip.

“You’re a mess,” Raven said flatly. “I’ve been blocking you out since you came out of his room. Your emotions aren’t exactly well contained.”

Pandora’s mouth opened and closed like a fish. She folded in on herself, hunching her shoulders and bowing her head. “S…Sorry, um, about that–”

“He’s the same,” Raven said without a hint of emotion. “It comes and goes. Like a whiplash. Don’t beat yourself up over it.”

“Oh,” Pandora couldn’t help the flicker of curiosity. “Does it… Does it have a sort of look to it? Our auras and–”

“Even if I tell you not to talk,” Raven said, answering her earlier question and ignoring the present one, “You’ll talk. If it stops you from giving off any more emotions than you already do so I don’t have to increase my meditation while you’re here, then fine.”

Pandora bit her bottom lip.

Raven merely continued to drink from her tea cup.

“I just really wanted this weekend to be fun,” Pandora rushed out with a groan. The cup sloshed in her lap and she pressed the heel of her palms into her eyes. “The point of me coming was supposed to be fun. I–not that you guys aren’t fun with him–it really does seem like he’s just… just been having a great time here with all of you and he’s doing all this great stuff but–anyway, it’s just… It was supposed to be a little breather. For me, at least. I wanted it to be nice for him. I didn’t want to cause any trouble, I just wanted to spend time with my best friend and do all this great stuff but–”

Pandora groaned, louder. “But stuff just happens even when you can’t–things are always just out of our control–out of my control. I know his mom’s just doing this to mess with him, you know? She’s probably one of the most intelligent human beings on the planet and I mean, she’s Dam’s mom. With him it’s already this–” 

Pandora made a vague gesture with her hands, “It’s like this never ending chess game with him or something! Sometimes I feel like everything is a-a-a move or we’re always thinking around each other while thinking about each other and I’m worried that’s weird? Or it’s wrong? Isn’t that sneaky of me? Of him? Of us? I don’t even know! But he isn’t supposed to be thinking about her–I don’t have any rights to say anything but Dam’s beyond her now. He really is! He’s grown up and he’s kind–he’s so, so kind, and he’s always doing things so fully.”

Pandora made the motion of wrenching her heart out of her chest. “He doesn’t do things often but when he does he does it. Dam’s… He’s…”

“If you’re going to keep talking about him,” Raven said, “and not get anywhere, I’m going to go.”

“Sorry,” Pandora said. “He’s a great guy, you know?” Raven rolled her eyes. “You kinda remind me of a friend of mine back home– And, well, there’s something more to everything that’s been bothering him and I’m worried but then there are things I’m worried about to–”

“You’re talking in circles,” Raven said. “Make points. Address them.”

Pandora’s mouth opened, her jaw went slack, working for a second as she fumbled over her words.

“No,” Raven said, looking at Pandora in slow, absent realization. “You’re always like this, aren’t you? You just talk and work things out from there.”

“That’s what I’m always doing in my head,” Pandora admitted. “I think there’s a word for it.”

“Overthinking,” Raven said. “A mess.”

“Oh, well, yeah, that sounds right too….”

Pandora roughly rubbed at her hair, almost knocking her bun out of place.

“Perhaps,” Raven said. “You need to meditate.”

“Where do I start?” Pandora said miserably.

“What’s making you so miserable in the first place?” Raven said. “Why are you out here–with me?”

Pandora pressed her fingers to her lips before whispering, “My best friend is stressed out and I think looking at me just makes him more stressed out.”

Raven considered the energy thrumming several floors beneath them. “How do you know that?”

Pandora gestured limply to the doors that lead back inside behind them. “He’s been using his katana and his martial art skills non-stop in the training room.”

Raven raised a brow. “He’s always training here.”

“I know,” Pandora said, miserable. “But I asked Bart to pull up the feed. He’s cutting off their limbs or breaking their legs first.”

Raven stared, waiting.

“He only does that when he’s thinking really hard,” Pandora said, lips wobbling. “Otherwise he’d just cut their heads off.”

She filed that away for future reference. “I see. That’s… thoughtful.” Torturous.

“I think he does it because he’s imagining opening up whatever’s bothering him that easily,” Pandora said, shoving her face into her hands.

Raven took a small sip.

“Doesn’t that seem morbid to you?” That’s coming from me.

“A little but it’s Dam,” Pandora said into her hands.

She sighed. Raven waited, holding her cup in her hands and watching the slow ripples on the surface. Pandora turned her eyes forward, staring out at the beautiful city skyline flickering out across the bay.

“I feel so behind,” Pandora said quietly. “I know I’m naive and I try not to be naive, but I can’t help but end up falling back into it.”

“Naivety and optimism walk a fine line,” Raven said. “But they’re not always the same thing.”

“You’re not an idiot for wanting things to go well,” Pandora repeated.

“Wise words,” Raven said.

“A family friend I might be seeing soon,” Pandora credited. “He’s a larger than life kind of guy but… Mama says we’re alike sometimes. If I ever ended up becoming a heart-breaking flirt here and there.”

Pandora stared at the flickering lights.

Raven stilled for a moment. It was a flicker not unlike the lights across the bay from them. A moment. A thought. An emotion that wasn’t her own that bled out from the girl sitting beside her. And then it was gone.

“I wish I could play it all out,” Pandora said quietly. “Get my hands on the keys… It always… It always helps me think when I can’t seem to think about anything else.”

Raven tipped her head to the side. In all honesty, she’d rather be holed up back in her room right this moment opening up the new spell book she’d finally secured through several different means. But if it meant clearing up the ridiculous amount of energy flooding the tower, then she’d sacrifice the night.

“Perhaps,” Raven said. “We can work something around that.”

Pandora turned to her quickly, overturning the tea cup in her lap. Raven managed to stop it midair but the herbal mixture splashed out, spilling over Pandora’s legs.

“What do you have in mind–”

“Didn’t that hurt?” Raven said, staring at Pandora. “The tea was still warm.”

“Oh, no, it’s just a little warm,” Pandora said quickly. “Hardly any heat–I’ve had really hot tea thrown on me before, now, that stuff hurts–”

Raven regarded her in silence.

“I–you know, people–piano now?”

this other part:

“You don’t,” Raven said, dully, seriously, perhaps even with a touch of disgust, “Need to be jealous.”

Pandora looked ashamed for a moment over the top of the piano. “Sorry. I couldn’t help it–I mean, I promise it’s not like that or anything–or anything towards you! You’re honestly gorgeous and wonderful and really, really cool and I wish I could be a bit more like you–”

“Stop,” Raven said. “Now.”

“Sorry, that was weird. Didn’t mean to creep you out. I’ve been jealous a bit before? On different occasions for different people. I’m really jealous of my friend and how he can come up with original songs on the piano and I’m jealous of this one guy for how he’s always doing what he wants and how hard it is to figure him out sometimes–oh, and I really get jealous of how Dam never gets fat. It’s insane. It’s actually insane. I think it’s the genetics and–”

Raven opened the door with a soft glow of her power, a silent threat.

“I’m shutting up now. I’m sorry.”

“Stop apologizing.”

“Sor–” Pandora pressed her fist into her mouth, as though she were about to eat it.

“I’ve never been in such a conundrum with anyone before,” Pandora said, seeming a bit bewildered.

“You’ve never met anyone like me before,” Raven said flatly.

- I’ve always liked raven ever since the old teen titans and i think she can help this idiot

[chrisbbaegopayo]

Hold Your Breath (Stray Kids: Stalker AU) ➻ Chapter 3 (part 2)

....

Genre: Thriller, Angst, Gore, Mystery, Suspense Characters: All of Stray Kids, reader, OCs. Word Count: 2.1k Warning: This story will contain elements of gore, on- and off-screen abuse, torture, mental illness, and stalking. It will feature themes that are not suitable for all ages, readers' discretion is advised. Each chapter will have its own specific warning.

My life got the better of me. More on that at the bottom.

Chapters: Premise | 01 Prologue | 02 Chapter one | 03 Chapter two | Chapter three (part 1) | Chapter three (part 2)

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

She desperately wanted to tell him about the letter, and as a result of the internal debate, she brought it up with Jisung. The earlier established relaxed air was out like a candle, as a more serious tone slowly sunk in. Jisung didn’t say anything for a long time, which left her feeling rather uncomfortable—she wasn’t sure whether he had been angry at her or angry in general at the progress of things.

Fortunately, Jisung saved her the trouble by speaking up, asking her whether she had actually submitted the concern request, or complaint, as she sheepishly replied with a shake of her head. Although Jisung had told her before to go through with filing the complaint, she didn’t actually have a lot of time, being the first week of the school semester and all. She did tell him that she would go through with it the next day—she only had one class the next day, which meant she could easily hop on to the administration offices to file the complaint.

Jisung seemed pretty content with that but had her tell him what went on so that he could stop worrying. And she was inclined to do so, as she really felt like her entire stalker ordeal had made Jisung grow grey hairs or something.

Jisung left after a while, and even though she suggested that she should at least walk him out to where the gate was, he told her that he would be fine, and would text her when he had made it home. She nodded and watched him disappear into the sunset through her window while waving absentmindedly in his direction.

But what caught her eye was the little glimmer—she didn’t know what it was, but it was unsettling, and so she closed off her curtain swiftly, opting to look out to the open through a crack through her blinds.

What was that?

Although she felt unsettled by whatever it was out there, her mind raced and thought of Jisung, who was out there, alone. She quickly sent a text to him, asking him to be careful, and he replied back with, “you’re telling me?”

In the next few seconds, another incoming text from Jisung showed up, which read, “ok, I will be careful.”

She breathed a sigh of relief, before sending an outgoing text to him, saying, “remember to text me when you get home!!” And was given a brief response of, “got it.”

Perhaps that eased her heart a little bit. But then again, something Jisung said made her question herself—why would she be telling him about that when she was the one being bombarded with gifts? Surely, the creepy stalker wouldn’t threaten her friends and family, would they…?

She shook her head. The uneasiness that resulted from that inconclusive deduction made her feel as though she should be on her guard, especially with her friends, but…she really needed to stop watching horror and mystery films. It was going to give her a bad case of overthinking and insomnia if she kept on going with thining too much.

She opted for some quiet studying time, and after an hour or two of productive reading, she turned off her lights and headed to bed.

Sometime in the night, the glimmer went away, presumably packed away…

>>>>>

She did end up filing the complaint after her class of the day. It didn’t take her long to make it to the administration’s office, despite being on the other side of the campus. The lady at the counter gave her a strange look, although not entirely skeptical, but more of a worried glance than anything.

She seemed content about her situation, as she handed the slip of paper off to the desk lady, who told her that the complaint would find its way to the security office. She thanked the lady, and walked off, feeling proud of herself.

Finally.

However, when the security officer got in late afternoon, the mountains of papers and previous complaints and piled up so tremendously that her complaint simply got lost in the pile. It was as though the report had never been filed in the first place, and as it got caught with some useless papers on the desk, it was tossed into the shredder without a second thought.

And with that, yn’s attempt to save herself was thwarted by the actions of a careless and overworked security officer.

The day after, she had gotten ready to attend her criminology tutorial, she met Hyunjin standing outside the classroom. She greeted him with a small wave and was given one in return as they briefly exchanged pleasantries before the doors of the class opened, revealing the teaching assistant standing by the doorframe.

She, along with Hyunjin and a bunch of other students waiting outside quickly made their way into the class, where they all found themselves a seat and settled down. She ended up sitting next to Hyunjin, who then looked over at her, and smiled.

“He seems like a pretty friendly guy,” the raven-haired boy whispered, and she giggled in return.

“I hope so,” she whispered back.

Seemed like the teaching assistant had caught a glimpse of their exchange, and smiled confidently at the small group of student.

“Seems like some of you know each other…” He began, although his smile had been upgraded into a small chuckle.

What caught them off guard was the fact that a guy who looked like he was merely in his mid-twenties had the voice of a guy who was in his…40s? Maybe Hyunjin’s initial assumptions of the guy weren’t accurate after all. But the teaching assistant seemed pretty laid back in the way he talked, so…

“I’ll introduce myself first—I’m Felix Lee,” the teaching assistant said. “And I will be your TA for the criminology course tutorial. I have a master’s degree on the subject, and working towards getting my Ph.D., which centers around the psychology of victimhood in criminology.”

He paused, and then started off again, saying, “I know it may be a mouthful, but I assure you that it will get easier once you get into it. My field is the act of victimization of the victim in a crime.”

He received collective “oh” from the class.

Felix laughed and got on with the class. He discussed the material that was covered during the lecture and did an in-depth analysis for those who were still unsure of what was going on. Of course, people still had some issues with certain terminologies, but Felix was able to comb through the confusion with some everyday examples, bringing the class to the same page.

“Don’t forget to review materials beforehand so you’ll be prepared with the questions that you may have regarding the topic of the week,” Felix told them. "If that’s all for today, then you’re free to go—don’t forget that you’re all free to send me an email should you have any problems!"

There was a collective “ok” before they all shuffled their way out the door.

Hyunjin looked back at her, as she grabbed her bag and made her way to the exit. “You have any more classes after this?”

She shook her head. “You?”

He shrugged. “I have a three-hour break before my next tutorial.”

“Oh, that’s cool—what is it for?”

He thought about it, and then responded with, “I think some liberal arts course.”

She laughed. “You don’t know?”

He shrugged again. “It was an elective, they chose it for me, I think. I just got shoved in some random class that was required for my program. The other courses that you must take in order to graduate? I still need some liberal arts credit this year.”

She nodded. “Right, right. I think I have to do that for next year, it’s kind of bad for me to have to push everything to the last minute, huh.”

Hyunjin laughed. “Hopefully not all the time…”

She shook her hands. “No, I’m usually not like this…I’ve been mostly on top of things, although course selection doesn’t always work in your favour, and there is some overlap which causes some problem.”

Hyunjin nodded. “Yeah, I had a problem like that last year, which is why I was saddled with this liberal arts course this year—anyway, do you want to visit the small cafe that just opened near campus?”

She looked excited at the idea. “Yes! That sounds like a good idea!”

The pair made their way to the newly opened cafe, and spread their course material on top of the little table they were sitting at and studied together for a little bit until the conversation veered mostly off course. After talking about courses, they talked about ambitions, future jobs, as well as hobbies.

The conversation lasted a whole two hours—it didn’t really feel all too long. She found out through the exchange more about his parents, his background. When it came to his hobbies, he didn’t elaborate very much, just that he enjoyed reading sometimes, movies, and certainly other everyday hobbies that people tend to have.

What confused her, though, was the fact that he never really branched further regarding those details, merely just ‘I like this,’ or ‘I like that,’ and it threw her a little off. Perhaps he didn’t feel too comfortable sharing so much with her, but then again, it wasn’t really her place to say anything or comment. Instead, she talked about her own hobbies, entertainment preferences, and he listened, rather content with just listening to her talk.

After she went home for the day, and hopped on her couch, intending to relax, she received a text message. She hoped that it would be from Jisung or Sooji, but it was from Hyunjin, who said that he enjoyed their time at the cafe, and looked forward to their next interaction.

Although he didn’t put it like that, exactly. It was more like, “I had fun today, let’s do this again.”

It seemed a lot like the conversation two people on a date would have…

…no no no no. That was embarrassing. She swore she could feel her cheeks heat up, what an awkward thought, seriously.

Furthermore, her stalker seemed rather silent—this meant that she could focus on her work, hopefully. And for the next two months, it stayed like that until she received a text message one evening that made her feel truly unsafe.

It was an image of her—rather, a series of images of her—as they flooded her messages. Each picture was taken in a span of a few days, as it was evident with the clothes she wore, and which path she took to campus. Sometimes she considered herself lucky to live relatively close to the school, but this might not work to her advantage this time around.

She only scrolled through maybe 15 of them when she started seeing other people in the pictures, and most of the pictures that weren’t of her alone were her with Jisung. There were a few with Hyunjin in them, and one with Sooji.

This meant that he followed her. He knew where she lived. He knew which path she took to the university campus. Who she associated herself with, who her friends were.

And if she thought these were bad enough, the pictures she was set later on were even more disturbing. Maybe the creepy stalker had enough smarts to not be identified, but a gloved hand was seen in the ones that were seen later on. She guessed that maybe the hand belonged to her stalker, as they were position in very threatening ways.

When the images finally flooding her phone, she was sent one message:

“Why do you always spend time with them, why, why…I wish I could get rid of them so you’ll only see me…wouldn’t that be nice, yn? If we were the only people left in the world—you would have no one else to hold on to...”

This was the first time her name was actually mentioned in any exchange she had with him. The first one. And somehow, it felt even more personal than before. It was a rude awakening that this had become something far more than she could ever handle.

But she honestly did not know what to do, what else could she do? Create a fortress out of her home? What if her stalker knew how to pick locks? Or even knew how to do things without leaving a shred of evidence?

She thought of calling Jisung but stopped herself before she could dial the numbers. That might cause more trouble...after all, wasn’t her stalker threatening her…?

What on earth did he want…?

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

My life got the better of me again, as I’m kinda dealing with some personal issues. I swear to make it up by posting some all the character’s backstories, histories, as well as other things. I also ended up in a rabbit hole of research materials...not a criminology major, so I had to do some extra research for that...as well as future research for other things...I’m basing the course structure on some of the syllabi I was able to find online, taking it mostly from Waterloo U’s criminology intro course...

I am going to be picking up the pace a little after this, as the following chapters will be advancing a much faster rate...I think I got too caught up with the details and I need to stop doing that to myself. I’m also veering off course with my original plot, but I think I need to make some small changes in terms of how things happen and give myself a motivation to write chaptered stories...

If things aren’t consistent...I’m not used to writing chaptered stories...I blame myself for not writing out a clear character profile...

[caroline18mars]

A Man On Fire - Chapter 25

A birthday present from me to you all, thanks for reading always!

“Take a walk with me?” Jared whispered as he got up from the table, late lunch had turned into dinner and was meant as a private tête-à-tête for the two of them, but got spoiled by practically everyone in the crew joining them to celebrate the last final touches to the show, tomorrow they were gonna kick off this tour and it seemed that everyone wanted to let loose one last time before the stricter diets and lifestyles were gonna have to be respected as from tomorrow too. Oh god yes, take me away from this too crowded, too loud bunch of egotrippers, Shannon was nice though, he seemed to be the only one, apart from his brother of course, who really seemed to take a liking to her, he had questioned her incessantly about her work and seemed genuinely interested in her. “Yes of course” three simple words but oh that was so very ladylike, everything she had rebelled against since she was a kid, but still she grabbed the hand that he offered to her all gentlemanlike. “I forgot how cold Germany can be in the winter” she shivered as she stepped out into the cold evening air and quickly zipped up her leather jacket that still wasn't exactly winterproof, “here” Jared took his scarf and rolled it around her neck “tomorrow we're getting you a proper wintercoat” oh that Jared-scented warmth that rolled over her body, intoxicating. He grabbed her hand, oh right, they'd never done that before really, his hand was tightly holding hers and it was so comfortably warm “and to think you grew up around here” he dug his free hand deep in his pocket. “I didn't grow up here at all, I was born in Italy, that was always our homebase, we travelled and lived all around Europe for my Dad's work, like a tribe of modern day nomads, I constantly had to change schools and friends..the best way to get bullied, especially if you're 12 and you have an aristocratic title stuck to your name”, oh that came out like a torrent, while she barely said anything about her youth or her childhood, he was just so easy to talk to. “I bet you were never bullied” of course he wasn't, stupid thing to ask a man that was oh so confident all the frikkin time, “nope, I wasn't..I guess I was always on the other side..” he hesitated, it wasn't easy admitting that he had often been the designated bully. “Oh..” she acted all casual, but deep down his confession dissapointed her, he felt her go all quiet “anyway, now we're on the topic of family, you seemed to really get along with Shannon” and boy was he happy about that, a talkative Shannon was a happy Shannon, “yeah, Shannon's great..are you really sure he was the reason you had to fly back here? I don't see him as the guy who'd trash a hotelroom somehow” big brother was definitely a really cool guy. “Well, he did..let's just hope his coke-buddy stays far away from this entire tour, listen you're gonna have to start trusting me a whole lot more if you want this to go anywhere” stop it ok, why are you suddenly so pissed off? Is it because she admitted to being bullied and you don't know how to handle that? Because she's obviously still bullied by Sean and Shayla and you don't want to fire either one of them, because you're about to start a world tour and you actually need them? Or is it just Shannon that is a loose cannon and who's driving you nuts because all you can do is  just wait around for his little Miss Sunshine to appear again and watch their next explosion from the front row?. Her hand pulled back from his and all confused he stopped to see her stand there staring at him with those burning charcoal eyes that nearly glowed in the dark “what is it? You ok?”. Harper cocked her head “what did you just say to me? 'if I want this to go anywhere' what? and where exactly do you want this to go, nowhere at all? I should be lucky to be around mr. Rockstar? Like some privileged groupie, right? Is that it? You're bored already and you asked me to take a walk to tell me that? Fuck off, Jared, just fuck off”. She didn't shout or yell, she just calmly said what she had to say without making a scene, “I don't believe this” she mumbled as she started walking and then running away from him who stood there speechless and heartbroken, what the fuck just happened?

When she reached the hotel and her own room, she was still fuming, did she overreact? Maybe..no, no way, she pulled his scarf from around her neck and threw it on the floor in disgust, stupid ass, how could he be so cold? There was a knock on the door, no, reception guy, I don't need you to bring up my spare key card like you mentioned right now. Thank god, she opened the door, still in a blazing fury though “Hey..” he swallowed hard, “Jared..” she mumbled like he was the last person she was expecting, “can I come in?” please let me in, I'll crawl, I'll beg, just let me in. Harper rolled her eyes and walked back into the room, leaving the door wide open for him, “I'm sorry, babe..” he closed the door behind him and followed her inside “are you,Jared? Really? Because I don't know what to do anymore? With you I don't know my left from my right anymore” no tears Haper, don't give him the satisfaction. “I'm in this for the very long run, and I'm sorry, it just came out all wrong” he breathed as he tried to lock eyes with her, which wasn't easy, her body language said it all, she was just as nervous and insecure as he was. He walked over to her and let his lips crash down on hers, “you're the best thing that happened to me in a very long time, and I'm just not used to it anymore, I guess, I'm sorry, alright?” he whispered as he pulled back to look into her eyes “I'm sorry, I want you, I really do”. Enough, the fight was over, she just couldn't resist him and deepened the kiss when his hands drifted down her back to her butt, in return her hands roamed under his shirt, fingers felt every little bulge of his abdomen, up to where his chest expanded and the ripple of muscles under his skin drove her insane, she wanted him so much her stomach ached in anticipation of the obvious that was about to happen. His fingers impatiently tugged at the zipper of her jacket, almost breaking it as he yanked it down and pushed the jacket over her shoulders, their lips refusing to break contact. The urgency in their actions suddenly died down when he pulled her T-shirt over her head, and he took his time to admire her semi-naked chest “you're so beautiful” he breathed, his fingers digging under the straps of her bra, letting his mouth follow the same path pushing them down her shoulders his fingers digging under the straps of her bra, letting his mouth follow the same path pushing them down her shoulders with a tug of his teeth. Expert hands flicked open her pants and there wasn't even a shrug of her hips necessary as they pooled round her ankles in a second, what a body, what a sensational body with curves in all the right places. Wow, wait a minute, I need to see more of you too, mister, a T-shirt hooked in his long hair, ugghhh, come on, she nervously tugged at his shirt “alright, alright” he grinned as he untangled himself and threw the shirt wherever it wanted to fall. “Come here” that stupid, deliciously horny grin just wouldn't leave his mouth when he picked up her up and carried her over to the bed, this was happening, this was finally happening, he threw her on the mattress and crawled over her on all fours.

Kisses, bites, licks, it was a dazzling mix that trailed up her abdomen, that hot, wet mouth was intoxicating, she lifted her head to look at him when he paused, oh those hands..she let her head fall back in bliss when his hands cupped her breasts, his tongue licking the gap between them. Instinctively she opened her legs to accomodate him so he could pay extra attention to what he was doing right now, oohhhh, ahhhh, yes, the lace of her bra raked against the already hard nipple as he pulled down the cups, she looked up again to see him look at the two globes that were pushed up round and firm on a lace platter. Yessss, oh god yes, finally, his warm, wet tongue swirled around the painfully throbbing hard nipple, now the other one..ahhhghhg..she pushed her hips up in delight, grinding against the rock hard bulge. “What do you want? Huh? Come on tell me” his eyes were glazed over with lust as they connected with hers briefly before he continued his divine assault on her breasts, “uhhhh” was all that she could utter, she had officially lost her marbles, “cat caught your tongue? Lemme guess, is this what you want?” one hand cupped over her warm core and gave it a squeeze, a finger found its' way underneath the lace, whoooohooooo, rip it off, just rip it off. It was like he read her mind, because in the blink of an eye the lace ripped. No, no, where are you going? She felt his body disconnect, ohhh, the last textile barrier, she sat up to help him unbutton his pants but then she was pushed back against the mattress, what? Oh god, what the..no that monster would never fit..he didn't give her time to overthink it, there was the feeling of something the size of an orange being pushed inside of her, a sharp cry left her lips like she was being split in two. This felt so..hot..so very tight..oh god, try not to cum straight away..ohhh, hips that tilted a little, was this little minx urging him on? He kissed her and then looked her straight in the eye as he pulled back a little and then plunged deep inside of her again, it was so hot to see her breathless with every thrust that turned into a firm, steady rhythm. Half an hour later they were a hot, sweaty, tangled mess, one kept firing on the other to go harder, faster, deeper, hands squeezed, nails dug into damp skin, they were both raw and rushing towards a climax that the other seemed to keep on delaying, Harper couldn't keep on going, she needed to cum or she was gonna explode so she rolled from under him and put her hands on his chest while she straddled him and slowly let him slide inside of her with a deep groan. All he could do was admire the view of this wild, beautiful woman taking what was hers, she set the pace and it wasn't slow at all, she was on fire, her sweaty body bucked and grinded, and she let out a low howl as he reached for her breasts, cupping, kneading, tweaking her nipples while she rode out her fury. A ringing in his ears, flashes of light and the tight, warm squeeze in his groin, ohhh..his hips started spasming, and with that he hit her spot so hard, a hot glow, muscles strained to the maximum and then relaxed, strained again as she felt his release shoot up inside of her.

Clutching her heart, she let herself fall next to him, grinning as her orgasm still kicked around her body, Jared put his arm around her and pulled her against him, no distance between them anymore, he just wouldn't allow it. “That was..” he kissed her damp hair, “incredible, I know” she finished his sentence and kissed his chest, the smell of sex still heavily present on his skin, “I really, really lo..like you, my beautiful Coco..I don't ever want you to leave me again” his emotions were getting the better of him, but he meant every single word. Silly man “I like you too, floppy hair, you're a-h..” she stifled a yawn, a cruel jetlag and post-coital bliss? Not a good combination “..mazing” she snuggled a little closer while he pulled the blanket over them, no don't do that, floppy hair, I'll be ready to go again in a few minutes, promise! How long had it been since he had actually slept with a woman, as in hold her all night long, wake up with her?..he couldn't even remember, but everything he had dreaded so much, and pushed away as hard as he could, like commitment and togetherness, a relationship a word that scared him senseless, had gone right out the window the minute he'd first kissed her. He would hold her all through the night and the nights to come from now on, he'd hold her until the morninglight would come creeping into this room and then he was gonna fuck her brains out, simple: sleep, wake up, fuck, eat, work, show, fuck, hold her, repeat..

[arabvllas-blog]

          i don’t actually know how to write intros, i’d rather just kms but let’s give it a try anyway . . . also, disclaimer / i started writing this like three hours ago but right as i was getting to the good stuff my stomach did some freaky weird shit so i had to improvise the rest which is. . . messy, At Best ! but regardless, i hope you don’t judge me too much ? my name is zee, i’m 20 years old and i’m from the gmt timezone. i also use she/her pronouns. under the cut, i’ll be introducing you to ARABELLA HOWARD, who’s small, blonde, and troubled. sounds interesting ? then please give it a like and i’ll hop on your IMs so that we can plot something dramatic and juicy <3

&. 【 is that OLIVIA HOLT ? oh, never mind, it’s just ARABELLA HOWARD. the CIS FEMALE originally from GRANDVIEW. SHE is majoring in FINANCE and is TWENTY years old. i also hear they’re INCISIVE, yet sometimes PITILESS. they apparently told detective’s they were ava’s TUTOR. i have a feeling there’s more to the story than that !

tw: abuse mention b a c k s t o r y : 

arabella elise howard was born to a fairytale — her mother had been a professor with her round glasses hidden by stacks of books, while her father lived life without a worry, flying from country to country and enjoying the best money could buy. it didn’t make sense for their paths to cross, and it didn’t make sense for matthew howard to fall head over heels for the shy yet headstrong theresa wayne, but they did ; he did. and soon enough, he was whispering loving words to a big belly that housed the very product of their love.

but perhaps because it all seemed too good to be true, their happiness was short-lived. on the eve of arabella’s 3rd birthday, matthew’s car skidded along the icy roads, ending the couple’s life. too young to even notice their absence, arabella was handed over to her mother’s sister — she was a toddler reaching aimlessly for the same head of blonde hair that she’d known since birth. except this one wasn’t as kind, and surely not as loving.

leila wayne had loved her little sister, and had taken care of her when their senile parents couldn’t. growing up, there wasn’t one without the other. theresa was leila’s pride, the one wayne that would succeed and remember her big sister on the way up. that was until matthew barged in, corrupting her sibling, feeding her lies and stealing her away across the country. there wasn’t a day that went by that leila was sure theresa would still be alive if not for that man. him and his lies, convincing theresa that leila was too controlling, too obsessed, that she wanted her little sister to stay in the gutter with her.

the more she looked at arabella, and those dark eyes she’d inherited from her father, the more hatred festered in leila’s heart. she was the only living family that could take care of the orphaned howard child; how ironic.

growing up, arabella was almost fooled into thinking her home life was normal. the screaming at every mistake, the poor dinner comprised of day-old takeouts, the wasted mattress on the corner of the room that she curled into, whimpering as the lights went off and leila locked the door for the night. but still, some part of her knew deep down, that she had once known more; known better. and it was those blurry dreams of loving hugs and white-teeth smiles that kept the child, then teenager, alive.  

after here i got sick so bear with me as i try to complete this fajsidas

she was often alone for most part of her teenage years, burying herself in whatever books she got at the school library. because she couldn’t relate to the rest of the peers her age, arabella focused all her attention towards studying and making sure she could one day get as far away from her aunt as possible. she got a competitive streak, often harboring anger and envy towards anyone that got a better grade than her, though it meant she was always pushing herself to do better — but not always better for her, but better than them.

teachers and counselors often considered arabella as a rare gem, supporting her all the way to college applications and assuring her there was no way she wouldn’t get a scholarship with her record. so it was really a slap to the face when everyone started getting acceptance letters but her. until she discovered them ripped apart and half burnt in the trash, courtesy of leila. when confronted, the older woman claimed she was just like her mother. so eager to get away, to act like she was a monster they had to run from. but she refused to let arabella leave, like theresa had. ( i’m sure there would be a way to reverse this but idk enough about american education so let’s just go w it for the sake of the story). it was a tipping point, the last drop of water that would send the vase tipping over. that night, arabella locked her aunt in the same room she had spent her childhood in, lights turned off, the only sound the faint rumble of cars passing by. no matter how much the woman yelled, slammed, begged, she turned her back and packed the little she had been given. two days later, as the cab driver hauled up her luggage in the trunk, arabella unlocked the door to a passed out and starving leila, and left without saying goodbye.

she ended up going to her last choice aka grandview, while living alone in her little shoebox apt that was all hers, with lots of light. and when the opportunity actually came to attend oakridge, arabella was the first to take it. while it wasn’t her dream college, it was still a prestigious one, and since ridding herself of the dead weight in her life, she’d started planning to rise as far as they would let her go. far enough that the whispers in the dark couldn’t get to her.

p e r s o n a l i t y and t i d b i t s : 

very self-centered, only ever concerned about her and what happens to her and will this affect her ? really the last person to go to if you want someone to listen… that one girl that zones out when someone starts monologuing and comes back only when her name is mentioned. has a hard time feeling sympathy, especially if you’re rich.

always overthinks her words and waits 5 seconds before speaking to make sure it’s exactly what she wants to say and if it’s something bitchy then that’s just the way it is. but she’s more reserved than outgoing, so if she does say smth mean you just really asked for it. or it’s finals time. 

driven and dedicated about her academics…. like obviously they all are but she’s a freak about it. i’m talking redbull intoxication feat. one of those pinterest pics of like a bunch of coffee cups just laying around like someone’s got time to spare. if she’s not studying, she’s reading…. likes classics but also occasionally reads NA in the middle of the night because no one will ever know.

is very scared of the dark. can’t sleep without a light on, or two on very hard days. once in highschool some kids decided to prank the teacher and turn off all lights and blinds in the classroom and she had a panic attack that led them all to detention. it was a very rough year, kids are cruel.

tutored ava for a while in english because it meant some cash on the side, but was about to quit before she died simply because ava was getting better grades and that was really a bitch ass of a situation. her first reaction when she heard of her death was that at least she didn’t have to have an awkward conversation with her about it. . . but then she was a shocked and a little sad, i promise. well, i don’t promise promise but. . .

majors in finance, hates it. she was definitely going for a english major but realistically decided it wasn’t worth putting herself in debt for it ( no offense for any english majors. ) doesn’t actually know what she wants to do with her life after she graduates. she only knows how to be a student, not an actual working woman. 

in summary, arabella elise howard is a broke, over-achieving, cold twenty year old who’s only 5′3 and thinks she can still be intimidating.

[jswdmb1]

Pain

“I've been pulling on a wire, but it just won't break I've been turning up the dial, but I hear no sound I resist what I cannot change And I wanna find what can't be found”

- War on Drugs

A lot of people ask me how I come up with ideas for this blog.  Well, that’s not really true.  People rarely ask me questions about much of anything, and when they do it’s usually to ask if I know where the bathroom is.  Still, let’s pretend they do ask me about my writing process because it’s a good lead-in to this particular post.  So, I’m glad you asked how I get ideas for these posts!  Let me tell you all about it!!!

The reality is that I don’t really know what makes a good post and what doesn’t.  I probably get a couple of dozen ideas a day for posts but most just float away from my brain into the ether and are long forgotten. This whole blog came out of an exercise I started a year or so ago of daily journaling so a lot of this is just me writing my thoughts and once in a while I say to myself, let’s post that. I have written lots of stuff that has never seen the light of day and never will (believe it or not this is the filtered stuff).  Sometimes, a post starts and then sits on a shelf forever until something makes it gel later and then it becomes a post.  Other times, I just sit and write it out and hit post without thinking much at all about it.  Those are the ones full of spelling and grammatical errors but are usually the purest thoughts I have about that topic.  Then, there are the songs.

I will often hear a song, or more specifically a lyric in a song, and immediately want to write something about it.  Problem is that sometimes I don’t understand why.  I may not even know what possible subject it could be tied into.  I’ll write the song and/or lyric in a notebook, or maybe even start a post with it, and then it will just sit there.  There are a few of those sitting in my draft queue now and until today, this was one of them.  The song came out about a year-and-a-half ago and I immediately knew it was going to be a favorite of mine.  After playing it a whole bunch, I knew the lyrics were reaching me, but I didn’t know how.  It got cued up in my draft folder and I waited.

What finally broke the ice on it was a separate thing I had been thinking about a lot this week. Some of you have been following my travel blog about my recent trip to Las Vegas (if you want to read it go to jswrollthebones.tumblr.com) and you know that I have been searching for meaning about why I felt a need to take that journey and then take the next step to document the whole thing.  I began to think that there really was no reason and that I just went to have fun (I tend to overthink lots of things), but I sensed there was more to it.  I then thought about the lyrics to “Pain” and how my last two trips out there went.  The trip I took out there in 2015 was the last time my Dad went there.  He was pretty sick at that point, but still able to get around, so I wanted to get him back to a place he had loved his whole life.  I remember talking to him as a kid about it and won’t ever forget the spark in his eye when he would talk about a recent trip to Vegas.  When I graduated college, he paid for airfare and hotel for my first ever trip there myself with my buddies.  After that, we spent numerous times there always really enjoying it. It became a location that I readily associated with good times but more importantly times I got to spend with my Dad when everything else could be left behind.  That last trip in 2015 provided us one more opportunity to do that.

When we got back from that trip, I knew that we would not be able to take another one.  His physical and cognitive skills just wouldn’t allow it. At the time, I didn’t necessarily think about him dying, but I knew that things were not going to improve from that point forward and his ability to handle such a trip would be gone no matter how much longer he lived.  Needless to say, I felt some real pain after we got back.  I vowed to never go back unless somehow, someway, my Dad could go with me.  Of course, that wasn’t meant to be and he passed away early in 2017.  As a tribute, my family wanted to go back to the place he loved to celebrate the first passing of his birthday since he died (August 12th).  It seemed like a good plan, and I did enjoy some fun moments with my family during some sad times, but the pain was real.  And it wasn’t just after the trip, but I could feel it happen as I was there. I immediately turned to the substances I readily had available to numb the pain (alcohol and Ativan).  I kept it pretty under cover during the day, but once everyone went up to bed for the night I would really get rolling.  I would sit at a gaming table and order one “free” bourbon after bourbon until that pain went away.  Sometimes I got lucky and won some money, but other times I just let it go not really caring about results as long as the booze kept coming. It was an awful way to act in a place that my Dad loved so well and it certainly was no tribute to him.  Once the booze and drugs wore off, the pain was still there and I had made it worse.

After I got back from that trip, I felt awful.  It wasn’t the start of my downfall, but it certainly made it clear to me that I was in trouble.  I went into a very deep depression for a few weeks not hardly getting out of bed on some days.  When I did get up, I usually would hit the bottle or the pills after a few hours when the reality of my situation hit me.  I hid it well from friends and family, but it became clear to those close to me that I needed help.  As most of you know, I ended up in the hospital on an outpatient basis and it at least changed my life if it didn’t save it.  I came out of there with a new outlook and some better tools to deal with my problems.  I also decided while there to give up alcohol and drugs to allow my treatment to continue without interference.  In a couple of weeks, it will be almost a year since that all happened.

So how does this tie into my trip last week?  When you go through a period of sobriety, certain milestone events can be hard. Holidays, birthdays, parties, family events and the like can be hard to face sober for the first time.  Then if you are mourning a recent death like I was you will have to get through their milestone days (birthdays, anniversaries, Fathers’ Day, etc.) without a drink or anything else to help you forget it. For the first time on this particular trip, I was letting myself feel the pain head on versus deferring it through numbing agents to avoid feeling what I really was feeling.  A couple of months ago when some good friends suggested a trip to Vegas, I realized that was one of the last places I would need to go to conquer some of my demons as a sober person.  I knew it would be a huge challenge, which is why I booked a few days ahead of time to be there by myself to work through whatever process I needed to work through before they showed up.  I kept myself busy with fun activities that kept me away from some of the temptations, but most of the time I just allowed myself to feel happy when I was having fun, and sad when I started thinking about my Dad.  Once a feeling passed, it was amazing to see that the pain started to fade.  Before I wasn’t able to tackle it head on, but now I was letting it have its moment and then I was done with it.  By the time my friends got to town I felt refreshed and ready to enjoy their company. We had a great time and I’m happy to report that my sobriety stayed fully intact.

When I got home, it took me a couple of days to put this all together.  Part of the reason for that is that I came home so relaxed and didn’t understand why.  I came back the last couple times such a mess, but this time, through some perseverance, I turned that around.  For the past few days, instead of regretting my time spent in Las Vegas, I am instead relishing the week-long sabbatical I took there.  It’s an odd place for sure to have such and experience, but it worked for me and it was worth the time and money spent to do it.  As for the journaling of the whole thing, that was just a way for me to hold myself accountable and not let the experience float away (or worse allow me to devolve back to my old ways).  One powerful lesson that I learned in the hospital was through an exercise where we journaled and then they made us read it out load to the rest of the group.  This blog, and the Vegas blog, serve that purpose and allow me to basically read my journaled thoughts out loud to whomever decides to read this.  It's just another tool in dealing with the pain.

I never know when I’m done with one of these posts if this is going to make sense to anyone and I am particularly unsure about this one.  But I am going to post it anyway as I think that it is necessary for me to be open and honest about my feelings as I come up on a year of sobriety and a commitment to treating my mental health issues as well as I possibly can.  It seems indulgent, just like the whole Vegas blog did, but I take solace in the fact that no one reading this has been forced to do so.  If anything, I hope you can take away from this that while facing whatever pain you have head on my sound scary or even insane, it is actually the best thing you can do for yourself.  The process may not always be pleasant, but I’m confident you will be pleased with the end result.  I’m not suggesting you can make all pain go away, but by at least acknowledging it exists will allow you to begin to understand why you hurt.  Without that, there is no chance you’ll ever make it go away. It took me many years and a lot of pain to figure that out, but hopefully you can get there quicker than I did and start living life as pain-free as you can.  Or, at least understand what to do about pain the next time it shows up at your door and learn to coexist with it.

As always, thank you again for letting me do this and for those of you that read the Vegas blog and put up with my silliness over there.  I don’t say this enough (not at all actually), but those that read this blog mean a lot to me even if I don’t really know who you are.  My goal with this is to continue to try and spread the hope that life can be enjoyed and celebrated whether the times are good or bad. We just have to learn how to deal with what comes our way and I continue to find it my calling to bring that message to as many people as I can.  

Enjoy the rest of your weekend,

Jim

[alexskylar]

The Cuckold and the Rope Party

An erotic tale by Alex Skylar

“I’m telling you, man. If you want to spice up your marriage, then this is a great way to do it!” Ian chuckled aloud.

Brian felt his face burning red with embarrassment. He had confided in Ian that he felt like his marriage to Liz was growing stale, but he didn't expect him to be so vocal about it. As they sat in the middle of a busy restaurant, he was sure the other patrons around them could hear their conversation.

“I don't know,” Brian said quietly, trying not to attract everyone's attention. “I don't think Liz would go for that. She’d be way too self-conscious about having to take her clothes off in front of other people.”

“Are you kidding me?” Ian replied in disbelief. “First off, she doesn't have to get naked. She can just watch, and if she wants to get tied up, she can wear a bikini, or maybe some boy shorts and a sports bra. Nudity is not required. And second, she’d be a hit at these parties. I hope I’m not crossing a line by saying this, but your wife is smoking hot.”

“No, that's not over the line. That's very flattering, actually.”

“I mean, she’s like super hot,” Ian continued. “I would totally bang her if I had the chance.”

“Okay, that may have been a little over the line,” Brian said as he blushed again.

“Sorry,” Ian continued without any actual remorse. “I meant that as a compliment. You should really consider coming to one of these parties, though. There’s one next Friday. Run it by Liz and see what she says.”

Brian had known Ian for over ten years, going back to their time together in college. He had always been a cocky bastard, incredibly sure of himself. He also had a tendency to ogle Liz anytime they were in the same room together. He wasn't usually as blatant as he was today, but it was clear that he had a thing for Liz.

A few years ago, Brian had discovered that Ian had been keeping a big secret. His friend was in charge of a local BDSM group, where he would often organize meetups and parties. As soon as it was out in the open, Ian started trying to get Brian to bring Liz along.

Brian and Liz had also met in college, around the same time that he had been hanging out with Ian. They had both gone after her, but for some reason, she had always chosen Brian over his friend. She was a dance major, which meant that she was incredibly flexible because of her everyday routines.

Now, over a decade later, their sex life was lagging. The interest seemed to be waning for both of them, and Brian knew that if he didn't find a way to spice things up, there would be trouble on the horizon. In order to avoid an imminent failure of his relationship, he had gone to Ian to learn more about his bondage parties. Perhaps if she was feeling the same way, she would be open to attending one.

That night, Brian decided to feel it out with Liz and see what she thought. They were both sitting on the couch watching television in their sweats when he grabbed the remote and hit the mute button.

“I had lunch with Ian today,” he started.

“Oh yeah? How has he been?”

“He’s doing really well,” Brian continued. “His business is really taking off, and they are talking about expanding and opening a few more stores.”

“That's awesome!” she said cheerfully, her eyes still watching the silent images on the screen.

Brian hesitated for a moment, but he quickly overcame his fear and segued into the topic.

“We also talked about this social group that he runs. I guess it's a bunch of people that are into bondage and spanking, stuff like that. He organizes these parties and they all get together. It's supposed to be really kinky and interesting, or at least that's what he tells me. How crazy is that?

Liz finally turned away from the screen and looked at him curiously.

“Really?” she asked. “That is kind of crazy, but I can't say I’m really surprised.”

“Why do you say that?” Brian replied, furrowing his brow slightly.

“He was into that stuff back in college,” she said nonchalantly. “He dated my friend Kristi for a few months and she said he would tie her up and do all these kinky things to her. She said he could get her so wet just by tying her up and teasing her. She also said he was huge.”

“He’s not a big guy,” Brian responded quizzically. “He’s as skinny as a rail!”

Liz burst out laughing, and it dawned on Brian what she was really saying. His face turned bright red again.

“I thought you said size doesn't matter?” He quipped at her.

“Size doesn't matter, but that doesn't mean that big ones don't feel really good,” she snapped back, giving him a teasing look.

“Well, anyway, he was telling me about these parties they have every month. They're called rope parties. Basically, a bunch of people get together at this studio on the other side of town. There are a few guys that are really experienced with rope, but most of the people who go are inexperienced couples who want to learn some tricks for the bedroom. The experienced riggers spend the night tying up girls in different positions, and sometimes even suspending them from the ceiling in these intricate bindings.

“While they do that, Ian takes the couples aside and teaches them some basic ties. He says it's a lot of fun, and you don't have to do anything that makes you feel uncomfortable. If we want, we can just practice stuff on each other and watch the experts do their thing. It sounds like it could be fun. What do you think?”

Liz looked back at the television again and watched it flicker as she thought it over.

“I mean, that does sound interesting,” she said, biting her lip as she contemplated it. “Do I have to get naked? I don't think I’d be okay with that.”

“I asked him about that, and he said it’s really up to you. Some women do get naked, some stay in their underwear, and others keep their clothes on. If you wanted to be tied up by one of the experts, he said a bikini or underwear would be just fine.”

Liz rolled the part of her lip that she was biting, wiggling it back and forth as she weighed the idea carefully.

“Do you want to go?” she asked, looking at him again curiously.

“I do, but I’m nervous about it,” Brian admitted. “I don't know what to expect. It could be a lot of fun though, and maybe I can tie you up when we get home.”

He shot her a leering smirk, and she giggled at him.

“Maybe,” she teased with a wink. “What if the riggers want me to get up there, though? You aren't going to get jealous about another man tying up your wife in just her skivvies?”

Once again, Brian found himself blushing. The idea actually turned him on, but he was too scared to admit that to Liz. If he had his choice, he would have Ian tie her up completely naked. There was something hot about the idea of Ian, the cocky arrogant asshole that had somehow become his best friend, tying up his wife and maybe even taking some liberties with her while she was incapacitated.

“I think I could handle that,” he said with a shrug. “Who knows, maybe I’ll even like it.”

It was Liz’s turn to blush. She giggled and hid her face in her hands, but it was clear that she liked the idea.

“I’ll go,” she said finally. “I don't know about letting a stranger tie me up, but I might let Ian tie me up.”

Brian looked at Liz inquisitively to see what she meant by that, but her eyes were glued to the television like she was trying to avoid eye contact with him. Despite her efforts to hide her inner thoughts, he caught a glint of something in her expression that betrayed her. Perhaps Liz shared his inner fantasy of being more than just friends with Ian. It was a curious idea, and he wondered if the free spirited environment might lead to something even more interesting.

Brian was thankful that the next party was just a few days away. That gave Liz less time to overthink it and back out. He texted Ian the next day to tell him that they would be there, and his friend was ecstatic.

The next few days ticked by at a painstakingly slow pace. When Friday finally arrived, Brian woke up feeling chipper and excited. He hurried through his day at work, then rushed home to get ready for the party.

When he walked into their bedroom, Brian could hear the shower going. Liz emerged a short time later, wrapped in just a towel. When she saw him, a wicked grin crossed her face.

“Do you want to see how I prepared for tonight?” she asked slyly, her hands moving to the edge of her towel.

“Of course,” Brian replied excitedly.

Liz opened her towel and revealed her naked body underneath. Her breasts were as perky and firm as the day they had met, and her legs were silky smooth from a fresh shave, but that wasn't what she wanted to show him. Liz usually kept a small landing strip of hair, neatly trimmed, right above her clitoris. Now her entire mound was bare and smooth. It was the first time she had ever styled herself in that way.

“I thought you weren't going to get naked?” Brian asked, raising one eyebrow.

“Well, it doesn't hurt to be prepared,” she said with a shrug.

Liz was trying to play it off as nothing, but he could see that certain something hiding behind her eyes again. She pulled a pair of black lace boy shorts out of her drawer and slipped them on.

Brian thought about letting it go, but he wanted to see if he could pry a little more and find out what that look was.

“That's true,” he said as he picked his clothes out. “Ian can be quite convincing. I’m sure he could probably get you to do a lot more than just get naked.”

“I might let him,” Liz replied absently, then stopped dead in her tracks.

Her eyes flew open and she looked at her husband with a nervous expression.

“I didn't mean it like that,” she said, quickly backpedaling. “I just meant if I wasn't married, I would consider it. He’s an attractive guy, but I would never cheat on you like that!”

“It’s okay,” Brian said with a chuckle. “I know he’s hot, and I think he has a thing for you, too.”

“Really?” she said. “Why do you think that?”

Liz was trying to play it off like it was no big deal, but Brian had seen the flash of excitement behind her eyes when he had told her that.

“Well, he said every guy at the party would want to fuck you, himself included. Seems like a pretty good indicator to me.”

Liz smiled from ear to ear and her face turned bright red. Brian could see the interest, the excitement, and he didn't want to lose that. This was the moment, his chance to tell her his fantasy, so he summoned his courage and spit the words out before his mind could stop him.

“What if I told you that you could sleep with him? I mean, if that's what you wanted,” he asked quietly, averting his eyes from her.

As he looked away, he saw Liz give him a dead stare out of the corner of his eye. Her eyes narrowed as she tried to figure out if it was a joke or if he was really serious about what he had just said.

“Are you asking me if I would sleep with him, or are you telling me you want me to?” she asked him bluntly.

Brian looked up from his clothes finally and met her gaze head on. Her eyes were still narrowed and her expression was flat and unmoving. He couldn't tell if she was mad or just considering his offer.

“Both?” he responded hesitantly.

Liz had been going through the bras in one of her drawers, still dressed in just her boy shorts. She had one of her more conservative bras in her hand as she turned and walked around the bed to where Brian was standing. She slipped her arms around his shoulder and turned his face so that he was looking her straight in the eyes.

“I love you, Brian, and I would never cheat on you, but if you are giving me permission to fuck your hot friend, then there's no way I would say no to that. So before you answer, make sure you are ready to handle the consequences.”

Liz kissed him hard on the lips without waiting for his reply. There was something in that kiss, a fire that he had rarely felt before, that told him that she wanted this as much as she did. She pulled back after a few moments and looked at him with a hopeful expression as she waited for his answer.

“You can fuck him,” he said finally, “but I want to watch when it happens. Okay?”

Liz jumped on him excitedly and gave him another kiss, then returned to her underwear drawer with a huge grin on her face. She stuffed the conservative bra back in the drawer, then pulled out one that was more revealing and much sexier.

“Maybe this will convince him to come home with us after the party,” she teased.

Brian gave her a sideways glance, then jumped in the shower while she finished getting ready. The temptation to touch himself was strong, but he wanted to save all of his sexual energy in case something interesting happened later.

When he came out of the bathroom a short while later, he found Liz waiting for him in one of the sexiest outfits she had ever worn. Her white button down shirt looked like it was a size too small. It hugged her breasts tightly, but the buttons looked like they were about to break open. She had found a pleated schoolgirl skirt that stopped short of her knees and fit perfectly with the top.

As Brian drank in her beauty, she grabbed a long coat and slipped it on over her clothes. They would need to get to the party first, and her outfit was clearly not appropriate for being out in public. The fact that she planned to wear it in front of a bunch of strangers at the party was an interesting twist, though.

They had a little time before they had to leave, so Brian poured a few glasses of wine to help settle their nerves. As they sat at the table sipping from their glasses, Liz decided to question him one more time on his offer.

“Are there any rules if I decide to fuck him?” she asked giddily. “Should we use protection? Am I allowed to kiss him? What happens if you get jealous?”

Brian laughed and took a long drink. He hadn't thought that far ahead, so he picked his way through her questions one at a time.

“I think you should use protection, but I would be okay if you disagreed. I guess I’ll leave the final decision to you. Yes, you can kiss him. That would be incredibly hot, actually. And finally, I don't think I would actually get jealous, but I don't know what would happen. I guess I would just have to suck it up and deal, since I am giving you my blessing to go forward. I would never ask you to stop in the middle of it unless I absolutely needed to.”

“What if his cock is bigger than yours?” she asked seductively as she reached out and ran her hand up and down his thigh just below his growing bulge.

“Would you like that?” Brian asked nervously, his heart racing.

“I think I would,” she whispered, leaning in closer. “I love your cock, but if I’m going to fuck another man in front of you, I want to make sure he fills me up and stretches my pussy. Can you handle that?”

“I think can handle that,” he said confidently. “In fact, I want to see you take a thick cock. I hope he's bigger than me, so you can tell me how much better he feels.”

Liz grabbed him and pulled him into a fervent kiss. This was the response he had wanted, the spark their relationship had been missing. Even if nothing happened, there was a palpable sexual tension in the air.

Their kiss seemed to last forever, but eventually Liz pushed him away and stood up. She went to the mirror to reapply her lipstick, then beckoned for him to follow her. It was time to leave.

A short while later, they pulled up in front of an rundown warehouse and parked into one of the open spaces. There was maybe a dozen other cars, but the area around them looked abandoned. There were no shops or businesses, just a grey unmarked building with a few doors here and there. Brian texted Ian to let him know they had arrived, and a few minutes later he popped out one of the doors and scanned the parking lot.

Brian and Liz got out of the car and approached him. He shook Brian’s hand first, then turned his attention to Brian’s beautiful wife.

“Liz, you look beautiful as always,” he said with a smile, giving her a big hug. “I’m guessing you're hiding something under that coat that would probably make your momma blush.”

“Why, thank you, Ian,” she said. “I guess you’ll just have to wait and see.”

Liz glanced at Brian with that devilish smile. He could see the lust in her eyes, and he began to think there was a better than average chance of something interesting happening tonight. His friend had no idea he had given Liz permission to accept his advances, which would make it even more interesting to see how the night panned out.

Ian looked at Brian with raised eyebrows, then turned back to the door to lead them inside.

The space inside was a messy hodgepodge or art and creativity. It was usually used as a photography studio, with a huge open space toward the back that was used for shoots. The photo backdrop had been removed for the party, and that area had been designated as the primary spot for the experts to show off their rope work. The rest of the studio was filled with a couple of couches around a coffee table.

There was about twenty people milling about the room, an interesting cross section of different people in various stages of undress. There were men and women of all ages and body types.

In the rigging area, there was an older man in his forties

There were only two men in the rigging area, one of them in the process of tying the other. Both of them were completely naked, showing their bodies with no insecurity. The rigger was an older man in his forties, with a body that was quite fit and toned. His canvas was a younger black man who seemed to be lost in his own world as his rigger shifted his ropes to move him into different positions.

There were one or two other people in the room that were completely naked, with a few others down to bikinis or lingerie. The rest huddled together around the couches, still adjusting to the unique atmosphere. It was obvious that these were the newbies, ready to learn a few rope tricks to take home with them.

Ian led them over to the couches and introduced them to everyone. He pointed out a few of the people in the rigging area and shared their names as well, then turned back to Liz.

“There's a coat rack over there,” he said with a sly grin. “Would you like me to take your coat?”

Liz returned his smug look as she untied the belt and pulled her jacket back off of her shoulders. As soon as she swished the jacket aside, Ian’s eyes took a quick trip and down her body before he let out a slow whistle.

“Be still my beating heart,” he said. “Brian, you are truly a lucky man.”

Liz blushed, then turned back to the others. She was by far the most beautiful woman there, and a lot of the guys responded by checking her out with the same interest Ian had shown her.

After a few minutes of mingling, Ian climbed on a chair, raised his voice, and spoke to the entire room.

“Hello everyone, and welcome to our monthly rope night! I see a lot of familiar faces, as well as many new guests, so I’m just going to take a few minutes to review the rules and let you know what's going on. First off, we will have two areas. Over there is where the rigging will happen. Our Shibari experts will be doing their thing. If you’d like to be tied up and suspended, feel free to talk to them and see what they can do with you. Over on this side, I’ll be showing the newbies a few ties to get you started. There are few rules we ask you to follow, so let's go over those next. First, don't be creepy or rude. We're all here to relax and expand our horizons, so please be respectful. Along those same lines, do not touch someone without asking their permission first. And finally, just have fun!”

Everyone applauded him as he hopped down off his chair and made his way to the group gathering around Brian and Liz.

While the riggers got started with their participants, Ian led the group through some basics. First, they started off wrapping the rope around one arm and finishing it off with an overhand knot. Once they had the hang of it, they moved on to double column ties. Brian followed Ian's instructions and soon Liz had both of her forearms fastened tightly together.

“Now let's try something different,” he said as he moved around between the couples. “Raise her hands over her head, then we’ll pull the rope behind the back and tie it around her waist. This will keep her arms securely over her head, and you’ll see it can open up some interesting possibilities for fun.”

Liz lifted her arms over her head. Her back arched as she did so, pushing her breasts out until they were straining the buttons of her shirt. As Brian gathered the rope behind her, Ian came up to her with an approving smile.

“That shirt looks a little tight,” he said smugly. “Maybe if you undo those buttons, it would give you a little more flexibility.”

“Well, I’m a bit tied up right now, and Brian has his hands full,” she mused back. “Want to help me out?”

Ian laughed as if he thought it was a joke, but Liz gave him a stone cold serious look. He looked to her husband to see his response, and Brian held up a bundle of rope and shrugged.

That was all the coaxing Ian needed. He reached for the top button and worked his way down, unsnapping them one at a time. His hands traveled through the valley between her breasts and down her stomach, slowly undressing her in front of the entire room while her husband worked helplessly behind her. Her breathing grew long and deep as she realized that she was about to make both her and her husband’s fantasies come true.

Ian unsnapped the last button and slid his hands under the shirt to peel it off of her body. His hands glided over her bare skin, sending a shiver of anticipation down her spine. Brian could see how aroused she was just having Ian undress her.

With her shirt pulled back, everyone could now see the sexy black lace bra she had picked out, with a red ribbon that zigzagged across the upper edge of the cups. The attention didn't faze her though, as her eyes were still glued to Ian in front of her.

“Want to help me with this skirt, too?” she asked Ian as Brian looped the rope around her waist and fiddled with making a knot behind her back.

Ian didn't say anything. He just dropped to his knees in front of her and slipped his fingers inside the waistband, then slid it down her long, smooth legs. Brian felt her body shiver in anticipation, and he knew she was loving it.

Ian stepped back and watched her as Brian continued to loop the rope around her. Once they had finished that particular tie, Brian removed the rope again. Instead of redressing herself, Liz slipped her shirt off and tossed it aside so that she was left in just her bra and boy shorts. She turned to her husband and gave him a soft, slow kiss. She wanted everyone to know he was her man when she threw herself at his best friend.

Ian ran through one last binding with everyone, but he stayed close to Liz. By that point, most of the guy's in the room had ogled her beautiful body clad in skimpy lingerie. She had become the belle of the ball.

“Alright, folks, that's it for the lesson” Ian announced after they had wrapped up the tutorial. “Feel free to relax, mingle, have a drink, and watch the experts make their art.”

Ian turned back to Liz and Brian and clapped his hands together.

“I need a subject for my suspension,” he said, his eyes darting back and forth between the two of them. “Liz, would you like to give it a try?”

Liz turned back and gave Brian one last glance, then turned back to give Ian an eager nod. He took her by the hand and led her to the rigging area. They stopped under one of the rings suspended from the overhead beams, a thick metal ring about a foot in diameter. The ring itself was heavy gauge, and the whole system looked strong enough to easily handle Liz’s light figure.

As they stopped under the ring, Ian picked up a bag that he had left there earlier and pulled out several bundled pieces of rope. Brian watched from a distance as his wife stood near his best friend in one of her sexiest bras, her cleavage on display for him to appreciate. He unraveled a few sections of rope, looped them through the ring, then began deftly wrapping them around her body, sometimes running his hands across her skin to shift a section of the rope. After fifteen minutes, her body was floating in the air, suspended from a dozen lines that ran through the hoop and around her body. Each of her legs was supported independently, as were her arms, and her body was splayed out like a dancer in the middle of a midair jump. Ian began moving the ropes, pulling one tighter and loosening another. Liz’s body moved fluidly from one pose to another. It was both erotic and artistic.

For the most part, Ian seemed to go about his work in a non-sexual fashion. He was striving to make her into his perfect sculpture, but Liz was probably seeing it differently. To her, Ian was guiding her body like a puppet master, controlling her movements with a dominance that her husband rarely showed.

Every now and then, Brian would catch Ian’s hands touching Liz in a more suggestive manner. A finger brushing across her breast, or a hand cupping her butt to move her into a different position. They were always subtle and innocent, but it was enough to keep Brian’s heart racing with anticipation.

Eventually Ian started to lower her body in small increments until she was able to place her feet on the ground. He helped her to stand upright, then gave her a long hug. Brian had noticed a few of the riggers doing that, as if they were bonding with their art and bringing that intimate connection to a close.

Liz made her way back to Brian, and her face was beaming with excitement.

“That felt incredible!” she said breathlessly. “I felt like my entire body was floating!”

“You looked beautiful up there,” Brian told her as he slipped his arms around her.

“I felt beautiful,” she said, giving him another kiss. “It was such a turn on. I can only imagine how good it would feel to get fucked while I was suspended like that.”

“Maybe you should find out,” he answered with a wink.

Liz blushed and pushed him away, but Brian could see the idea was already in her head. The only thing that might stop her was the roomful of people around them.

Ian had already started rigging his next volunteer, so Liz and Brian sat on the couch and cuddled as they watched the various riggers work their magic. It was visually stunning to see the different poses they could achieve with minimal effort, and the riggers went about their work with an unspoken calmness. It came across as a very meditative process, an evolution.

After a few hours, the crowd started to thin as some people went home for their own personal experiments with ropes and bondage. Soon there were less than a dozen people left, and Ian found himself without a subject. He turned his eyes toward Brian and Liz on the couch, and found his target.

“What do you think, Liz? Do you want to try it again?” he asked eagerly as he approached them.

Liz blushed and looked at Brian excitedly. With a nod of approval from him, she jumped up off of the couch to follow Ian. Brian’s friend hesitated though, looking back and forth between the two of them with that same sly look on his face.

“Let’s step it up a notch this time,” he said. “Why don't we try suspending you completely naked. What do you think?”

Once again, Brian found himself realizing that Ian was making these advances without even knowing that Liz could take it as far as she wanted. Ian looked down at him as if to ask if he was okay with it, and he gave him a noncommittal shrug in return.

Both men looked at Liz, who was biting her lip sexily as her eyes fluttered back and forth between the two of them. Now that she had her husband’s approval, she reached behind her back and unhooked her bra. With one quick motion, she slipped it off and tossed it aside, exposing her breasts to Ian’s prying eyes. Without waiting for a response, she pulled her boy shorts down as well, leaving herself completely naked.

Ian looked her up and down slowly, taking his time and showing no shame in it. He had wanted to see Liz naked for as long as he had known her, and he was going to drink it all in. Liz didn't try to hide herself, either. Her back was arched again to emphasize her breasts, and she held her hands behind her back innocently as she smiled at Ian. She was showing herself off for him.

“Damn, she's every bit as beautiful as I thought she would be,” Ian said appraisingly as he took her hand. “Let’s see what we can do to you.”

“Wait,” Liz said, pulling back on his grip. “It only seems fair that you should be naked, too. Don't you think so, Brian?”

“It does seem fair,” Brian replied, giving his friend even more approval to take things further.

Ian looked back and forth between the two of them and picked up on the subtle unspoken suggestion. The sexual tension floating in the air seemed to be enough to tell him that he was free to take liberties with Brian’s wife, with his blessing.

“Then let’s do it,” he said.

Ian pulled his shirt off and tossed it aside, then slipped off his shorts to reveal a pair of snug boxer briefs below. As soon as Brian saw the massive outline of his friend’s cock, he started to regret his decision. Ian was only half hard and his cock was already a little longer than Brian’s fully erect cock would be.

Liz seemed to also notice his bulge, and her eyes watched it closely as Ian prepared to remove his underwear as well. He slipped them down quickly and her eyes gleamed with excitement when she saw the sheer size of it.

“Time to get started,” he said, then took her by the hand and pulled her away from her husband.

For more of this story, check out The Cuckold and the Rope Party by Alex Skylar, available only on Amazon!