#as long as you're willing to pay up ofc

[butteredfrogs]

her clothes are giving apocalypse but in reality she actually just spends all of her time in a lab

inspo x

[gingersxng]

Dominate Me

Pairing: f!reader x Mingi

Genre: smut 18+

Summary: your boyfriend allows you to be in charge for one night but the urge to be the one in charge gets too strong when he instead ends up dominating you.

Notes: switch!reader, switch!Mingi ( Mingi’s a dom!), Mingi has a big dick! (OFC), handcuffs, dirty talk, pet names (big boy, horny boy, naughty boy, doll, my girl), blowjob, deep throating, reader is a tease, cowgirl, unprotected sex (DONT), cum cum cum, slight breeding kink, overstimulation, multiple orgasms, handjob, kissing, mating press, creampie, nasty nasty.

a/n: I’ll be answering more requests soon, I’m sorry for not being very good at that but I promise I’ll be better. Hopefully will write other members more too but being Mingi biased makes it hard to keep my hands off writing about him… I don’t even know if you guys enjoy these anymore??

Words: 1.4k

It was usually Mingi who played the dominant role in the bedroom and you would lie if you said you didn’t like it but you had a secret wish to flip the script and take control for once. And only for tonight, Mingi was willing to indulge you.

You prepared yourself, you put on his favourite new lingerie in dark red lace that he bought you for your 23rd birthday, your heart raced as you laid out the handcuffs on the bedside table, it was the only thing Mingi allowed. You wanted to give Mingi something special, a night where you would show him your dominant side that maybe would get him to change his mind, let you take control from time to time.

Mingi finally entered the bedroom, his tall, muscular frame filling the doorway. His dark damp hair and intense gaze sent a shiver down your spine, he really knew how to make you nervous but it wouldn’t stop you from doing this. He smirked, knowing what was about to unfold and allowed himself to be guided to the bed. You pushed him gently onto the soft mattress, he was scanning your delicate body. His eyes didn’t seem to let go of your soft tits, the push up bra worked as it was designed to.

You snapped him out of it and reminded him that you’re in charge, so it would be non of his perverted actions.

"Tonight, you're all mine," you whispered seductively, your voice laced with a newfound confidence. You straddled his waist and leaned in close capturing his lips in a passionate kiss. Mingi responded eagerly, his tongue dancing with yours as your mouths locked together. You could taste the desire in his kiss, a hunger that mirrored your own.

With deliberate movements, you trailed soft kisses down his neck, nipping gently at his sensitive skin. Mingi let out a low moan, his hands instinctively reaching for your tits but you gently pushed them away, reminding him yet again of your roles tonight.

"No touching, my horny boy," you teased, your breath was hot against his ear. "Tonight, I'm in charge."

You reached for the handcuffs, the cold metal contrasting with the heat of his skin. With a quick click, you secured his wrists together to the bedposts, rendering him helpless and at your mercy. Mingi's eyes widened with surprise and a hint of nervous excitement, his cock twitched in his boxers.

"Oh, you naughty boy, enjoying being restrained," you purred, running your fingers along his muscular arms. "Let's see how long you can last before begging for release." You traced your fingers down his chest, playing with the light dusting of hair that led to his happy trail. Your touch was feather-light, sending shivers of anticipation through his body. You kissed and nibbled your way down his torso, paying attention to every inch of his skin. Reaching the waistband of his boxers, you paused, teasing him by gently blowing on the bulge that was already straining against the fabric. Mingi squirmed, his dick throbbing with need. You giggled softly, enjoying the power you held over him.

With slow, deliberate movements, you pulled down his boxers, revealing his impressive erection. His dick stood tall and proud, thick veins pulsing with each heartbeat. You admired his cock, knowing the pleasure it could bring but tonight you wanted to tease and torment him first.

Leaning forward, you ran your tongue along the underside of his shaft, from base to tip, making him gasp and arch his back. You took your time, savoring the salty taste of his skin. Your mouth enveloped the head of his cock, swirling your tongue around the sensitive tip making Mingi moan and buck his hips.

"Fuck, you're driving me crazy" he groaned. You smiled around his length, taking him deeper down your throat. You sucked and bobbed your head, your wet mouth providing relentless pleasure. Mingi's breath quickened, his body tensed as he fought the urge to climax.

"Not yet, big boy" you whispered, releasing his cock with a pop. "I want you to last."

You dragged your fingers lightly down his enormous length and grabbed the base of his cock, you straddled his waist again, pulling your panties to the side you positioned his throbbing cock at your entrance. With a slow, deliberate motion, you sunk yourself down on his length, taking him deep inside your hot, wet pussy. Mingi's eyes rolled back as he felt her tightness envelop him.

"Fuck, you feel so good" he grunted, his hips thrusting upwards, seeking more contact.

You set the pace, rising and falling on his shaft, your pussy muscles squeezing and massaging his cock. Your breasts bounced with each movement and Mingi couldn’t keep his eyes off them. You leaned forward letting your nipples brush against his chest, teasing him more.

"You like it when I ride you, don't you?" You taunted, your voice was breathless. "Do you like being my personal fuck toy?"

Mingi could only nod, too focused on to not come. You increased your pace, your pussy gripping him tightly, riding him like you’ve never done before. Your hands grasped his broad shoulders, digging your nails into his skin as you neared your peak.

"Cum for me, big boy" you urged, "Fill me up with your kids”

Your dirty words were all it took to send Mingi over the edge. He arched his back, his cock twitching as he released a torrent of hot cum deep inside you. You cried out, your own orgasm crashing over you as you felt his warmth filling you up. You continued to jump up and down his cock to ride out your orgasm, his body tensed more and more with each move you did and he was almost about to burst for the second time.

You slowly got off him and he watched how his softened cock slid out of you, all covered in your mixed juices. “Fuuck”

Hovering over him you placed small kissed on his neck down to his chest, all the way back down to his pubic bone. Mingi let out a deep moan when you grabbed his cock and began to pump him, the blood rushed down his dick and in just a few seconds he was fully hard again. “You want me to fuck you again?” You looked at him through your lashes. “Just fuck my cock so I finally can get my hands on you” he begged.

You did as he wished, you placed yourself on his cock and gave it everything you had left to give. Rocking your hips back and forth, round and round and clenching around him hard. You made him cum for the second time tonight, you got off him to undo the cuffs.

Mingis wrists were red and sore, his breathing heavy. He caressed your body as you lied on top of him giving you kisses on your forehead, he told you what a great job you did but he had to get his ways with you before calling it a night.

He rolled you over swapping places with him so you were at the bottom, he quickly grabbed the handcuffs and tied your wrists to the bedpost. You were shocked but not surprised by his actions. “You couldn’t let me have this one night could you?” You snapped. Mingi traced his hand grabbing the hem of your panties, pulling them off you, he guided his cock to your entrance and swirled the tip around coating it with your arousal. “Of course I did, you got to dominate me but now it’s my turn to dominate you as always doll” he purred before shoving his cock all the way in your warm wet pussy. You swallowed a gasp when he hit your sweet spot, his cock rubbing all the right places inside you. “You love it when I fuck your tiny pussy with my big cock, don’t ya”

He grabbed the underside of your thighs, pulling your legs up trapping you in a mating press. It was all back to the ordinary, having Mingi’s fat cock plunging your tight cunt, breeding you full.

“Who’s in charge?” Mingi growled, your words were stuck in your throat and nothing came out. “I said who’s in charge!” He went rougher on you when you didn’t answer. His hard thrusts against your hips made you stutter your words. “Yo-you’re in-in charge mmm ah, you always fucks me the best”

The sheets were stained and sticky under you, so was your insides as Mingi creamed inside you yet again with a big load of cum.

“mmhh that’s my girl”

[yangbbokari]

OT8 SKZ making a bet on you - Hyung Line

Pairing: OT8 SKZ x f!Reader

Genre, AU: angst ofc, lovers to exes!AU

Warnings: cursing, mentions of cheating, many mentions of insecurities. I think that abt it

Summary: you happened to learn one day that the never really loved you and only made a bet with the other members to see if you would fall in love with them

A.N: Not proof read at all and I had this idea pop up inside my head instead of actually finishing my ksm fic

Parts: Maknae line Part 2

BANG CHAN: You've always trusted Chan with every fiber in you so it was a little unexpected when you just so happened to overhear his phonecall. It wasn't as if you intended to listen to it. But how could you not when you knew he was talking about you.

You were walking by his home studio when you heard him call your name. Assuming that he was calling for you, you almost went in. But, when he continued to talk you figured he was on call. So you stood by the door waiting for him to say some nice words about you. Blushing and smiling in the process. But what you didn't expect to hear was,

"...yeah, I'm not even going to lie, toying with her was hella fun. I won the bet so pay up." You couldn't believe you ears. But you stood there just to see how things would esculate. All you needed was for him to say he loved you. Except, thats not what happened. He just chuckled. CHUCKLED!? "That's what I'm saying! She thinks I'm her protector or whatever. She gets so annoying sometimes and I can't stand it but-"

That was all you needed to hear before bolting out of the house. 7 years of trust, love and bonding down the drain because of some stupid bet. Or maybe you were the stupid one. Stupid for ever believing in his lies in the first place. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ LEE MINHO You're currently locked up in a janitor's closet crying to yourself and thinking about how dumb you must've been. There was no warning signs. There was no subtle hints. There was nothing but a lethal bomb ticking off. Ticking off till you completely lost it all.

You thought prom was going to be the best night of your life. That was until you witnessed the most horrific sight.

Minho asked you out to prom during your lunch period unexpectedly. He was one of the most popular boys in school and you were well... a loner. He even offered to take you to dinner to convince you to go with him. But you agreed because this was the dream of like every girl in the school.

He picked you up at 6:30 sharp and drove you to the school. You could barely contain your excitement the entire time. The two of you walked in together but he refused to let you hold his hand. Let alone putting your arm around his. You brushed it off as, "he's not comfortable with it yet." But it was soon discovered that he didn't want to be seen with you at all.

You were enjoying your night but then you excused yourself to the bathroom. When you made it back to the dance floor, Minho was nowhere to be seen. So you went to search for him. You wish you hadn't done that. There he was, in the middle of the science lab, making out with the head of the cheer team. You held you breath as you stood still in the hallway. Still in shock to what you were witnessing. Not to mention what you were hearing.

Minho was saying it with his own mouth and it left you in disbelief. "So, I took that loner girl out to prom. Does that finally win me a chance with you? You know how long I've been waiting for you."

"Don't you think you'll break the poor girl's heart?"

"Oh c'mon! You said if I took that trashy loner to prom then you'd be more than willing to be mine. Please? You already kissed me so it has to count."

Loner girl? That's all you were in the eyes of other people. You should've known sooner. No popular jock would actually ask you to prom. No one would even talk to you. What were you thinking? So you made a run for it to a janitor's closet, making sure no one else was around and sat down, crying to your heart's content. Guess prom wasn't the best night of everyone's life. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ SEO CHANGBIN All you wanted was space. Space for a little while. Your heart wasn't ready to feel that and your brain wasn't ready to believe it. You didn't want to believe it. Did he even really love you all these years or were you just a mere joke to him and his friends?

You had just returned from work and saw Changbin sitting on the couch. You gave him the key to your apartment two months after you guys started dating. This marked your fifth month. Changbin was clearly nervous as he turned the rings on his finger and bounced his leg up and down. Slowly, you approached him. "H-hey, Baby. Everything alright?"

His eyes shot up to you and he was sweating from all the nervousness. "Uh, y/n, I didn't hear you coming in! I-I just wanted to talk about something with you. Something very serious." Changbin put on the best stern face he could. With a concerned face, you look at him. “Are you okay? Did something happen?” He looked like he was on the verge of tears. You were concerned but you wanted to hear him out first.

“Whatever I tell you, just remember that I love you very much and what’s coming out of my mouth right now is of the past. So… I actually started dating with you because… because..” He sighed heavily before continued. “…me and the members made a bet to see if I could make you mine and I agreed. B-but I really love y-”

You cut him off not wanting to hear anymore than you already did. “I think I need some space right now.”

“Baby, I- I said I need some space.”

Locking yourself in the bedroom to cry, clenching at the fabric in front of your heart. How could you fall to their game all this time? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ HWANG HYUNJIN Movie night went wrong… you guess you could say.

The boys and you were settling down for a movie when you scrolled across “To All The Boys I Loved Before”, when Jisung began laughing.

“Yah! Do you guys remember when we made a bet to see who y/n would fall in love with first.” The chubby cheeked boy said. The rest of them laughed and went along with it until they noticed the silence between the both of you and Hyunjin.

“Wh-what!?” You stuttered out. Tears were streaming down your face by now. “WHAT!?” Confused was the perfect word to describe you in the situation. They all turned to you as Felix asked, “Did Hyunjin not tell you?”

Your head shook as you looked between Hyunjin and the other members. Back and forth, back and forth. You wanted to immediately tear your ears off. Open your head, take your brain out, and erase the horrible memories you had just gained.

Tears blinded your eyes as you ran out of the room and before you knew it, out the house. As you ran you could hear Hyunjin calling your name. But you were too grief-stricken to stop and look back. Maybe you should’ve never came here. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Hope you guys enjoyed. I had this on my mind for like a week and I had to write it down before I lost inspo😭 Lemme know if y’all want a part 2. Maknae line is coming soon though❤️

[starlitiris]

how I imagine some hxh characters would react to their s/o having sa trauma

erm hiya folks welcome to my first ever hxh headcanon post

there's only gonna be like 5 characters here, but I do wanna do more than just these guys. i plan on making at least a part 2 for this with different characters. i just don't know who i'm gonna pick yet :/ feel free to make requests for the part 2! this isn't exclusive to the hxh men so if you wanna request any of the hxh girlies then go for it <3

WARNINGS: very brief and non-detailed mentions of sa, implied murder and torture, also very brief and non-detailed talk about sex

Ging Freecss

when the topic comes up in conversation and you eventually open up to him about what you've been through, he listens intently. no matter how much or how little you tell him about it

when you've finished telling him, he doesn't have much to say about it. he nods and hums to let you know he heard you.

his reaction might come off as him being disinterested or not wanting to know about everything you've just unloaded onto him, but he really REALLY does care, and he's glad you felt comfortable enough to open up to him about it

you might apologize for trauma dumping on him, but he'll quickly shut you down.

"don't you dare apologize."

he'll hold your hands, gently rubbing his thumbs against the back of them

if you start to cry, he'll wipe your tears away and pull you in to hold you close (if you're okay with it at the time) while you let all the waterworks out

again, he won't have much to say about it. he doesn't want to pry for more details than you're willing to give, either.

he isn't the greatest at talking about feelings and putting things into words, but he'll make sure you know he cares through his actions

he'll hold you for as long as you need to be held, then do something nice for you. like get you some of your comfort food and put on a nice movie you two can watch together on the sofa

after you open up to him about your trauma, he's more attentive to your comfort when being physically intimate. not that he wasn't before, he just pays extra attention to it now. it's sweet

Uvogin

the topic of sa comes up while you two are hanging out alone together

you make a comment implying that you yourself have experienced that kind of abuse

uvo is slightly taken aback and pries

you kind of awkwardly explain to him what you went through in minimal detail

"… huh."

you aren't sure what to make of this reaction, and silence falls between you two.

then he asks for the name(s) and address(es) of your abuser(s)

this catches you off guard

you know exactly why he wants that information you really don't even bother asking

whether you give him the info he asks for is entirely up to you! <3

uvo may be a murderous bandit but he understands the importance of respecting your boundaries. he isn't a COMPLETE monster!

he won't bring it up again or ask you anymore questions about it, but he will keep it in mind

a few days after you opened up to him, he'll really contemplate what you've told him

and later on that day he'll probably pretty bluntly ask you if there's anything specific you're not okay with. like if there's a certain way you don't like being touched, a certain thing you don't like to do, etc.

and ofc when you tell him he keeps that in mind as well and makes sure to avoid the things that make you uncomfortable

Feitan Portor

he listens quietly as you tell him however much you're comfortable with telling him.

he falls silent for a moment after you finish telling him. you can tell he's thinking.

you start to worry that you should've kept your mouth shut. feitan can be really hard to read sometimes.

"when did this happen?"

"where?"

"who?"

it's up to you whether or not you answer any of these questions.

though, if you chose not to answer any of the questions he had, he'll likely find out who it was that hurt you one way or another

it's inevitable that he'll find out

very quickly after you told him about it as a matter of fact

no matter how much you might not want him to

he will find your abuser(s)

he will approach them

and he will do what he does best

and he'll let you know about it, too

i imagine the way you find out is when he comes home after hunting your abuser(s) down

"i took care of them."

you'll either be very grateful or absolutely befuddled

assuming it's the latter, you ask him what he means by that and what he did

you also remind him that you seriously didn't want him to do anything drastic

"why are you mad? i only gave them what they deserved."

you're stressed that he went against your wishes and sought out your abuser(s) anyway, but he tries to make it up to you by treating you to some tea and cuddles

he's unusually sweet to you that night, but you aren't complaining

as much as you might be super not used to it like at all

Illumi Zoldyck

"oh."

you're not sure how you expected your boyfriend to react to this kind of information

he doesn't seem to react much at all honestly

clearly had nothing to say about it

you just sigh and let it be

illumi is an apathetic person. you knew that going into this relationship, so you really can't say you expected much

nothing in illumi's behavior changes after you tell him until you're in the bedroom with him

"is this okay?"

"is it alright if i touch you there?"

"are you sure you're up for it? we can hold off."

you are oh so very confused

but when you realize why he's being extra cautious, your heart melts

you answer his questions truthfully, you reassure him that certain acts are okay, you tell him if something makes you uncomfortable, and he respects your boundaries fully

again, outside of the bedroom he's just as illumi as he was before you told him about your trauma

but he continues to be extra mindful of your comfort when you're being physically intimate

he might ask less questions overtime as he learns more about what you are and aren't okay with, but he'll always check with you when necessary to make sure you're doing okay

Chrollo Lucilfer

imagine you two are either going on a scenic walk together or laying in bed preparing to sleep when it comes up and you tell him what you're comfortable saying to him

he listens to you intently

he might ask you a few questions about it, but only a couple. he doesn't wanna pry too much.

"when did it happen?"

"was it just the one time?"

"who was it?"

once again, whether you answer any of those questions is entirely up to you.

he doesn't act weird or uncomfortable about it, and gently changes the subject when he sees you're ready to move on

the rest of your day/night continues normally without it coming up again

the next day, chrollo gets to work on finding out everything he can about your abuser(s)

completely without your knowledge

it wasn't that difficult to get the information he needed

once he has what he needs, he tells you he's off to an important meeting and leaves

you didn't bother asking who he was meeting with. knowing the kind of shit he gets involved with, you wouldn't have expected him to tell you anyway.

once he's gone, he wastes no time in disposing of the human garbage that is your abuser(s)

then he cleans up, comes home, asks you about your day and treats you to a fancy dinner

he never tells you what he did

if you do somehow find out, though, he'll be completely honest about it and tell you what you wanna know

and as for physical intimacy, nothing really changes

he was already very respectful of your wants, needs and boundaries before you told him

[sayafics]

As, Bs and Cs - Chapter I

A CRM!Rick Grimes x OFC fic!

This is quite a lengthy chapter to hopefully build up the necessary context and foundations to their connection.

Masterlist

Next Chapter

The world had ended over a decade ago, the walkers consuming the population bit by bit until there was nothing left. The Civic Republic scrounged up who they could, their numbers growing to the thousands.

Still, the ones they had were not good enough.

They were civillians. Normal people who did normal things and didn't understand like the rest of them.

The Civic Republic Military was losing more and more soldiers with every mission, becoming overwhelmed with the number of walkers that roamed outside their walls. There weren't enough people to replace them - enough competent people at least.

In a decade or two, the CRM could collapse, and it would be no one's fault but their own.

They are the ones who had saved thousands of people who couldn't fight, when they should have looked for more soldiers in their place.

The CRM was weakening, and if it crumbled the Civic Republic and all its people would pay the price.

That was when Dr. Greer had proposed a... curious idea.

The Civic Republic was not without its faults, and neither were its people. They had their fair share of criminals who would pay the price with community service, but there was a small percentage; almost minute; who were worse.

Major General Beale had wanted them sentenced to death for their crimes, but Okafor had protested. He argued in favour of their usefulness - the skills they needed to commit the horrors they did was what was necessary in the CRM.

They could find use of them, he promised.

And it seemed Dr. Greer had.

Dr. Greer was a geneticist before the world had ended, with a long and profound career in foetal medicine.

A controlled birthing population - a programme designed so the CRM could gain the soldiers they needed without gaining too many mouths to eat.

The programme had only been a whisper for the last few years, a quiet promise and a tempting future. But the opportunity to implement it had never arised.

Until now.

The Campus Colony had been set aflame, and with it, it had stolen over nine thousand souls.

The perfect opportunity.

Now, all they needed were the perfect lab rats. A way to prove the programme would work - a method to rehabilitate criminals and give the CRM what it needed.

Major General Beale had wanted Okafor to be the first to try, but as whispers of Rick Grimes' rebellious streak took hold of him, he saw it as the sole opportunity to truly have control over the man.

Rick Grimes had spent years trying to escape the Civic Republic, all of his attempts ending the same - in failure. But he had grown daring, even willing to cut off his own arm so he could have a chance to return to his life before the CRM.

When the man had finally agreed to join the CRM after years of rejection, the ease behind his decision only made Beale grow more suspicious.

Rick had changed his mind so easily and had given up on finding his friends and family in a blink.

It made Beale uneasy.

So he would do what he could to keep the man tied to the CRM, even if it came in the form of a child.

***

"I didn't sign up for this."

Rick's voice was filled with fury as Okafor stood before him stone-faced, having recounted what Beale and Greer told him as he passed on the orders to Grimes.

"Yes, you did. The minute you said yes to joining the CRM, you said yes to every condition Beale makes."

Rick scoffs, a hand running through his hair as he paces up and down the sparse space of his living room.

His voice deepened to a growl, "this wasn't part of the deal. This wasn't our deal!"

"I know," Okafor's voice softened. He knew what was happening was wrong, but there wasn't anything he could do to stop it. Not right now.

"But you have to, Rick. If you don't, then someone else will. You're a good man, Rick. The others aren't."

Rick narrowed his eyes, growing sceptical of his words. He couldn't believe this was happening.

Okafor called it a controlled repopulation, a programme designed so the CRM could have the soldiers it needed in the future. But he saw it for what it was, and it wasn't anything good.

"Why do you care so much if I say yes?"

Okaford clenched his jaw, "because it's my fault she's here. And the least I can do is make sure she won't end up being partnered with someone that would hurt her."

"Your fault?"

A grim smile twitched on Okafor's face as he sighed and took a seat on Rick's couch, his head falling into his hands as his shoulders shook with morbid amusement.

"I brought her here. As a 'B' not an 'A'. She lost everyone because the men in our ranks knew no control, and I promised her she would find everything she needed here. And now what? She's a 'C'? A criminal turned into a pet for Greer and her people to study her like she's a fucking lab rat."

A bitter laugh escaped his throat as Rick came to a stop in front of him. He waited, hoping the silence would urge Okafor on.

"My men and I were sent on a covert mission - a retrieval. But one of the recruits got spooked, lit up everything around him as fast as he could. By the time we got him down, it was too late. You could hear her screaming, like it was battering your brain. We went to look for her and found her and her people inside a small cabin a few clicks north."

"What happened?"

Rick's voice was sombre, he knew what had happened.

"They were all dead and she was dying."

Okafor looked up at Rick, eyes wet despite the blank look upon his face - "I brought her back. Said she was a 'B' and spent every day after convincing her to join the CRM. She said no, of course."

He scoffed before he continued, "when she finally got citizenship, shit. Let's just say the world really didn't change much from before. She got herself a life sentence, would've been given death if I hadn't stopped Beale."

Now that sparked Rick's interest, what damage could someone do to have Beale want to sentence them to death. Or better yet, what hold did she have on Okafor for him to still fight for her after the supposed horrors she committed.

"This is a second chance. For things to go right."

Rick shook his head vehemently, "no. This ain't right. This ain't no second chance. This is worse than death. Worse than torture. Look what you're signing her up to."

"But it's the closest she'll ever get. Look, if this works, if the programme is successful and you give them what they want, she'll get her freedom back. Five years, Rick. It's five years and then she is no longer your burden to bare."

Before Rick could protest further, a bellowed voice called him from the front door, the blatant order being punctuated by three heavy knocks.

At the sound of Beale's voice, Okafor's shoulders straightened, and he stood up with a stiff spine as he looked into Rick's eyes, a hazy vision of pleading behind the stoic mask of an obedient solider.

"Say yes, Rick. Don't fight against it. They'll make you take someone anyway. Just let it be her. No one says no to Beale."

Okafor didn't give Rick a chance to reply, skirting past him as he swung the door open and stood at attention, saluting Beale in greeting. Rick followed him instinctively, copying his every move.

Beale nodded at the men to stand down, marching past them. Behind him followed a stern-faced woman, narrow-framed glasses perched on the bridge of her nose as she pursed her lips in distaste at the sight of Rick's apartment. She made her way towards Beale, nodding at Rick and Okafor before she looked over her shoulder and called, "bring in the girl."

They all turned to face the door now, the quiet jingle of chains growing more ominous as the faceless figure of Alara Hunter drew closer.

Rick held his breath when he finally caught sight of her.

She was flanked by four soldiers, their grip on her arms and shoulders so tight Rick could see her skin blanching under their touch. She was dressed in a thin vest, blue jeans, and socks. Her hands were cuffed, and so were her ankles, each one attached to a single chain held by the soldier on her right.

He couldn't help but furrow his brows as he lifted his eyes to track her face only to find half of it concealed behind what appeared to be a muzzle.

Her dark eyes darted across the people standing in Rick's apartment before flickering back to where Rick knew Okafor stood. He could see her throat move as she swallowed harshly at the sight of the man.

Apart from the chains and muzzle, she looked well. Rick wanted to scoff at the thought as soon as it entered his mind. Here she was, a young woman who had lost freedom, who was chained and tied down by the CRM.

But she looked clean and healthy and angry.

"Rick Grimes."

It was Greer who spoke, a pleasant smile upon her face that didn't match her demeanour.

"I believe Okafor has explained to you the purposes of this task?"

Rick clenched his jaw, turning to face the woman. He couldn't help but take a final glance at the woman standing at the door - Alara Hunter.

He turned back, catching Okafor's gaze before he nodded solemnly, "yes, ma'am."

"And so, I believe you are happy to participate in this mission of ours?"

Mission?

He wanted to spit in her face, call her vile and absurd and stupid. This wasn't a mission. It was immoral and unethical and torture.

Still, he held himself back.

He had seen the other men in the CRM: brutes that were all too happy to hurt instead of speak. Cowards who wasted bullets on flickering shadows. Men who had never truly grown up, and behaved like unsupervised children.

It wouldn't be fair to subject her to such a fate because Okafor was right. Regardless of whether or not Rick said yes to Alara, he would still be assigned a partner, and so would she.

He gritted his teeth as he nodded, "yes ma'am."

Beale let out a deep chuckle, moving forward to clap a hand on Rick's shoulder as he spoke, "this may be the best decision you've made, son. You are doing the CRM proud."

Rick looked over his shoulder once more, catching Alara's dark gaze, which grew hopeless as the seconds ticked by, and he wondered for a moment whether the people he left back in Alexandria would be proud.

"There are some conditions, of course."

"Conditions?" He turned back to Beale with a look of incredulity, eyes narrowing as he took a step back and shook the hand off his shoulder, "what conditions?"

"Given your... history here at the Civic Republic, Dr. Greer thought it best to ensure your compliance."

"The hell is that supposed to mean?" It was Okafor who spoke now, drawing forward as his gaze skipped between Rick and Alara, who stood motionless at the door.

Greer spoke now, her voice sounded pleased as she sniffed lightly, "we believed it necessary that your first few copulations were witnessed. Simply to ensure adherence of course."

Rick felt bile burn the back of his throat, a wave of nausea that just grew strong every passing second since Okafor first told him and Greer's plans - "you want to watch us have sex?"

"If you would like to put it so crudely, then yes."

***

The conversation hadn't lasted much longer than that, Rick unable to have much of a say apart from agreeing to their terms.

Okafor had shifted to meet Rick's eyes with his own pleading gaze, and Rick had agreed to Beale's conditions under a certain stipulation.

He had only wanted the first attempt to be witnessed, but it seemed that Greer was unwilling to go any lower than three. Rick agreed begrudgingly, knowing three was still better than the initial seven Greer had wanted.

It was under Greer's command that the girl was escorted to his bedroom, and Rick was unable to hide his look of disapproval and contempt as they looped her chain around a post on his bed. It made him sick to see such a thing, made his stomach twist and turn as he held back his anger with strained difficulty.

As they made their way out of Rick's apartment, Greer turned to him with a leering grin, eyes running over his form as she wished him luck and revealed that she couldn't wait for the performance he put on tomorrow.

Rick froze at that, tomorrow?

Greer could only laugh coyly, an expression that was unsuited for her ageing face. She ran a hand over her slicked back hair, adjusting her bun as she smiled in earnest - "tomorrow is trial day number 1. It seems our experiment started at the perfect time, Miss Hunter begins ovulating tomorrow."

Rick shifted uncomfortably at the fact, unsure of what to say or do. It seemed Okafor was the same, eyes darting between Rick and the closed door over his shoulder where he knew Alara had been hidden.

"I have left you with the booklet instructing you on how to care for your programme partner, as well as how to discipline her, should she become aggressive. Do follow the guide Mr Grimes, we wouldn't want to place our first participant in any harm."

Rick could only blink, hand tightening around the small handwritten booklet Greer had passed him whilst Beale's men were dragging a reluctant Alara to his room. He could only nod, unable to meet anyone's eyes as he reached for the door and pushed it shut.

The last thing he saw was Greer exchanging a victorious grin with Beale and realised that they believed they had won.

And for once, Rick feared they may have been right.

***

After Okafor had left with Beale and Greer, Rick's apartment rung silent. If he hadn't seen Beale's men drag the girl into his room, it would've seemed like nothing had ever happened.

But it did.

Rick wasn't sure what to do - whether he should just sit on his couch and finish his bottle of rum, or if he should go in and make sure his "programme partner" was okay.

She hadn't so much as twitched in the wrong way since they dragged her to his doorstep. Her eyes wandered. They darkened and misted and narrowed, but she never moved too quickly or pulled away too harshly.

Whatever she had done was enough for Beale to have wanted her dead, and for Greer to want her genetics to be passed onto the soldiers she was curating.

Rick glanced at the closed door to his bedroom, wondering what monster hid beneath the chained woman who stood in there. Then he thought for a moment of who he was before the CRM, before Alexandria. Of the beast he had become after months on the road, surviving day to day with his children and his friends- his family.

Okafor had said one of his men had killed her people, and Rick knew that if he had been in her position and everyone he knew and loved had died, he would want to destroy the Civic Republic and all it stood for.

It was in that quiet space of reflection that he realised she may not be the monster they all made her put to be. And if she was, she couldn't be worse than the one that lurked in the shadows of his being. The monster that was chained down by threats. The monster that was trapped in a community of faux civilisation.

Rick steeled his spine, and with every step he took towards the bedroom door, he wondered how exactly he had been dealt such a fate.

***

Alara Hunter hadn't always been angry. She used to be quiet and shy and cry at the smallest inconveniences. She liked to think an echo of that girl still sounded inside her, but sitting on top of a stranger's bed, her wrists and ankles wound in chains and her lips forced shut, she wondered how she had managed to get herself into such a predicament.

She wondered how she had changed so easily.

She wondered why she was always so angry.

She still cried. Of course, she did. But her tears were filled with fury, with hatred. Towards everyone - her father for leaving her when the world ended, her people for shielding her that night, Okafor for bringing her to this God forsaken community. And herself.

Alara was so angry at herself. For letting herself be brought here instead of fighting to die at her people's side, for letting herself get trapped with the very people that slaughtered them, for letting them take advantage of her and get away with that too.

And now, what?

A sex slave for the CRM. A breeding whore. A mindless cunt.

Not an A, never a B. Trapped as a C.

Her heart hammered with rage, her hands trembled and her eyes clouded as she struggled to breathe through the muzzle. Like a dog, they had chained her and tied her down.

She promised herself, with a soundless voice echoing in her mind, that she would kill them all. She would burn them to the ground and make sure they couldn't rise again.

She wouldn't let them win. She couldn't.

The sound of a door creaking open pulled her from her thoughts, and she looked up to find the man who had been assigned to take everything from her. To break her.

Beale hadn't outright admitted that was the reason he agreed to place her in the programme so easily, but she knew. She could see it in the way his eyes lit up with triumph when Rick agreed, how he grinned viciously when Greer was adamant to watch their copulations.

He thought this would break her, but she wouldn't let it.

She stared at the man - Rick. He was tall, tall enough that she was sure even if she was standing she would have to crane her neck to look him in the eyes.

And his eyes, she found she couldn't look away if she tried. Something hollow glistened in them, as though the man was no longer human.

An unfamiliar whisper spoke in her mind, like calls to like. And she wondered how much truth was held behind such a statement.

He was handsome, she couldn't fault him there. But he was a soldier for the CRM and that made him an enemy. It meant regardless of his pretty eyes or gravelled voice, he was just as bad as the rest of them.

Just as bad as Greer and Beale and Okafor.

Rick steps closer to her and Alara can't help but shrink away. It seems he expected her reaction, halting on the spot as his eyes soften. The sight did nothing but ignite a smouldering rage in her heart - if he felt pity for her, he should let her go. Let her escape.

For some reason, it seemed Rick was able to understand exactly what she was thinking, and he spoke placatively as she narrowed her eyes in his direction, "I can't take the cuffs off."

Alara rolled her eyes, that much was obvious. If he wasn't going to help her, then she didn't want to speak to him. She drew herself back further on the bed, her back pressing against the headboard as she turned to look out the small window of his bedroom.

The view wasn't the best, but it was more than the sliver of light that occasionally glimpsed through her cell. She felt the gentle touch of a setting sun heat her skin, she could feel herself flush under its soft embrace as she wondered how many years it had been since she had felt the sun on her face. The wind in her hair.

Her skin had paled in her dark cell, her tan from harsh summers in Georgia stripped from her when she was sentenced. It was then she decided; it had been far too long.

She closed her eyes and counted Rick's breaths as he stood, watching. The setting sun was a timer to the start of her doom, she heard Greer's plans and it was moving too quickly to put a stop to them now.

Rick's breaths were slow and steady, like he was trying to control his own wild beast as he watched her. She pretended they were the sound of a clock ticking, that time had slowed down to let her savour this broken freedom and make most of the hours she had left.

The bed sunk under an unexpected weight and the light warming her face had been blocked by a head. She kept her eyes closed pretending she didn't notice the difference- pretending her face didn't grow warmer under his intense stare.

"Have you eaten? It's late."

She kept quiet, hoping he would think she was dozing off and leave her be. But he saw the way her lashes fluttered, the way her chest rose and fell in quick successions as she struggled to breathe through the mask, the way her fingers twitched when he shuffled upon the bed.

He scratched the back of his neck, unsure of what to say or what to do.

"I could make you something to eat. I- I could make pancakes, Ca-" he took another deep breath, settling a quiet ache in his chest, "or eggs or something."

Her eyes burned as she kept them shut tight, thinking about when the last time she had a warm meal was. She turned away from him, nodding as she reached a hand to run through her hair only for the chain to stop it short of her shoulders. She gritted her teeth at the harsh tug, unable to hide her sniffles and the tears streaming down her face.

Why was she crying?

Was it anger? Fear?

Rick watched her for a moment as she tried to compose herself. She struggled with the limited movement and tangled chains, she screwed her eyes shut and her shoulders raised as she took deep breaths.

Rick couldn't help the apology that escaped his lips as he stood from the bed, nor could he stop the guilt weighing upon his shoulders at the broken laugh she replied with.

***

Rick hadn't eaten much since joining the CRM. Being forced to give up the idea of returning to Alexandria had taken a part of him, had broken it beyond repair. He rarely felt hungry anymore.

At most, he would force himself to eat some slices of toast so he wouldn't stumble during training. Or if he was truly lost in his thoughts, he would make himself Carl's favourite meal and pretend his son was there, eating it alongside him.

That was what sat in front of him now - blueberry and peanut butter pancakes, with whipped cream dolloped on to make a smiley-face and sugar sprinkled on top. He remembered the day Carl had first begged him to make it, and his pleading eyes and mischievous grin had been too precious to say no. It had tasted horrible, all sorts of sticky and sweet lathered in soft bread, but when Carl had asked him so proudly what he thought, Rick could only smile and clear his plate.

The handwritten guide Greer gave him sat on the counter near him, and the page he had left it open on strictly forbade him from giving the girl utensils, in case she hurt herself or him.

He didn't have any plastic cutlery on hand, so he could only sigh as he took the paper plate back to his room to lay on top of the bed.

Alara stared at the carefully decorated stack, and though the muzzle hid the shape of her lips, he saw the corner of her eyes crinkle and he liked to think it was because this small memory of Carl had been enough to make her smile.

He bit his lip before he spoke, "I can take the..." he gestured carefully to her face, "I can take it off, so you can eat."

Her eyes gleamed with hope, her lips burning at the stretch of the mouthpiece wedged between so she couldn't bite her tongue and choke herself to death.

"But I got'a put it back on after, okay?"

Her eyes narrowed, she pushed the plate away as a garbled scoff could be heard through the muzzle. She knew she shouldn't be surprised, it wasn't as though the muzzle was a newly added piece to her prison regalia. No, Beale had ordered it to be placed on her after her first few weeks in the CRM prison cell didn't go too well.

"Hey, look," Rick's voice sounded strongly as he got closer, sitting at the edge of the bed and facing her, "I wouldn't do it if I didn't have to. But it's in Greer's instructions, and if I ignore it, it's not going to end well for either of us."

She looked at him with scepticism in her eyes, but it took one look at the warm plate of pancakes to dissolve any resistance. She agreed reluctantly, and Rick reached around her head to unclip the mouthpiece.

It covered her entire mouth and lower jaw, pressed tight against the skin in a way he knew had to be uncomfortable.

Alara could feel his slow breaths on her neck, and goosebumps broke out marking their way down her arms and chest. Rick felt her shiver against him, and as he continued to unlatch her muzzle, he murmured a promise to try and get some clothes that would fit over her manacles.

When he finally gets the muzzle free, the first sound to escape her was a relieved sigh, making the most of her momentary freedom. She stretched her jaw and Rick leaned away, throwing the muzzle on to the bed as he stared at her with his gaze anew.

When he had first seen her, he couldn't deny her beauty - not with her long, dark hair and her soft brown eyes. But now, seeing her face whole, he couldn't help but be mesmerised by the sight of her.

Alara was young, her youth visible in her face. She looked untouched and unharmed by the end of the world, but Rick knew that thought was a lie.

She licked her lips, the skin cracked and dry from being forced to remain stretched over the mouthpiece. She looked away from Rick, pretending he wasn't there despite how hard it was to ignore that the man sat directly opposite her.

He pushed the plate closer, encouragingly - "eat."

She reached for the plate, unsurprised by the lack of utensils, and ripped off a piece of the pancake. She reached to place it in her mouth, only for her chains to stop her short. She growled lightly in frustration before leaning her head down to take it into her mouth. The awkward position hurt her neck, the muscles already aching from the weight of her muzzle.

She sighed contently, the pancake warm in her mouth and the cream melting quickly. It was sweet and left a cloying taste in her mouth, her jaw tingling as it was exposed to flavours that had been hidden from her for so long.

She looked out the window again where night had fallen, and slowly chewed the food in her mouth as she savoured it. When she swallowed, she turned back to take another piece only to find one waiting inches from her face.

Rick watched her with a contemplative gaze, before encouraging her by saying, "it wouldn't do you any good to eat like that."

She bit her lip, wondering what she should do. But this might be the only meal she gets before the trial if Greer had it her way - she didn't know what instructions Greer had left, so she couldn't risk not taking the opportunity if it stood before her.

Another careful thought entered her mind, pushing her to get close to Rick - close enough, intimate enough that he may possibly choose her over the CRM.

She kept that whisper close to her heart, looking deep into Rick's eyes that resembled the sky and she ate the piece he held for her. He watched her chew and swallow, and something in her begged her to speak.

To show her gratitude or to fill the silence. Something to show him she was human, something to make it easier for him to care.

"This tastes horrible."

It was the first time she had spoken in years - she had given up talking because there was simply no one to listen, and her broken screams had been silenced by Beale's muzzle.

Her voice cracked with every word, rasped and dry. The sound of her voice felt like that of a stranger's.

To her surprise, Rick simply laughed, his eyes glistening with the faint memory of something as he tore off another piece to feed her.

They then chose to sit in silence, Rick feeding her every bite and watching her chew and swallow methodically. By the end, Alara hated to say that she grew fond of the weird taste and wondered when she could try them next.

When Rick stood to dispose of the plate, they both pretended not to notice how he forgot to replace the muzzle.

***

The bed was soft - foreign. After years of a thin mattress on the cold cement floor, she didn't think she could get used to something like this bed again. Nor the feeling of sleeping without a chunk of metal strapped across her face.

It had helped with one thing though, that stupid muzzle. She had learnt to make the most of each breath, quiet inhales for six deep seconds, hold for four and release over eight. Wait and repeat.

It was a structured sound, calculated based on the accompanying breaths that sounded from the ground.

Rick also lied awake, eyes focused on the ceiling as his mind whirred around how everything had changed so quickly. Again.

First the bridge. Then the CRM. And now, her.

For once, he found himself thinking of someone else other than those whom he had left behind in Alexandria, and he wasn't sure if it was a good thing. He thought of her reaction to the pancakes, a ghost of a smile on his face as he reminisced a fading past with his son.

He wondered what colour Carl's eyes had been when they widened in glee. Had they been the bright blue of a summer sky? Or the misty clouds right before a thunderstorm? Carl had always loved thunderstorms, loved to run through the rain and splash in the mud before everything had gone so wrong. Had his eyes been blue at all?

And what about Judith? Who had she grown to resemble? He imagined she would be a spitting image of Lori, with her long brown her and her kind eyes, but she would have Shane's short temper and remarks and it would make her that much more precious to him.

His eyes burned, and he sent a silent prayer to whoever would listen and begged to be reunited with his child. An even quieter whisper confessed he wouldn't mind which one.

Alara's breaths teetered off, her silent counting falling apart as Rick's own grew shuttered in the dark. She wasn't sure if she should say something - he had chosen to stay here, to sleep on the floor and listen to the guide even though he had already ignored it once.

Then she thought of the miserable nights she spent in her damp cell, how she wished there was someone she could share her burdens with so they wouldn't hollow her soul and burn her will.

"How did you get here?" She whispered into the dark, her voice still scratchy from the lack of use.

She heard in sharp inhale, one he tried to cover with the rustling of blankets as he turned his head to look at where she lay on the edge of the bed.

Lying on her stomach was the only comfortable position she could manage. Her head rested on her arms, her legs curled as close to her body as she could manage. She could only look towards Rick in her mangled state, but there was something in her gaze that looked content at the feel of the beds soft embrace.

Even the smell was so unlike the stale wetness that clouded her cell, it had smelt like the air right before the rain fell in autumn. Now, her nose was buried in the faint scent of musk, leather and something earthy, and she liked to think this is what freedom would smell like, had they let her roam outside.

"Someone found me when I was hurt," Rick believed there was no harm in revealing such information, a small part of him hoping the small similarities in their pasts would make her trust him even more.

"They brought me here, I haven't left since."

"Because you didn't want to? Or because you couldn't?"

The silence that rung between them spoke for itself.

"They took everything from me before bringing me here. The only thing I wanted was my freedom, and they've taken that too." There was no hesitation in her confession, only conviction.

Rick watched as she shifted her head so she could focus on the lamp on the nightstand instead, and before he could wonder if she would use it to hurt him, he saw her eyes glisten in the faint shadows of light.

"And now..." her voice wavered for a new reason entirely, "they're going to take my choice from me. And I can't do anything but wait."

A harsh laugh escaped her, her head shaking vigorously on the pillow as she shook her head and her voice dropped to something promising and threatening - "I'm going to burn them all. I'll make them all pay."

"You can't."

He could feel her glare through the dark, but he knew his words were true.

"There is no killing them. There is no escape."

"You don't know that. Not unless you've tried."

Rick lay a hand over his stumped arm, his heart sinking as he remembers all he sacrificed to escape only to stay trapped.

He doesn't say another word for the rest of the night, falling into a fitful sleep.

I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! There are many more to come <3. Let me know if you have any theories or ideas for what might happen next, I would love to hear them! And to the people who have been following me from the start, thank you for being patient during my long break. I hope I gave you guys something worthwhile to come back to <33.

Taglist: @hhhilloklll @bellstwd @classyunknownlover @voodoopoetry @graveyardblossom

[darksigns-exe]

Rest Here With Me - Nick x Noah x Laurie (OFC)

Paring: Nicholas Ruffilo x Noah Sebastian x Laurie (OFC)  Warnings: Swearing, Angst Word Count: 5.7k

To Know You're Mine Masterlist Masterlist

The plan had been for Noah to stay with them for two weeks. Just until he finds a place for himself where he doesn’t have to compete with the roaches (or the two clowns he had for roommates before) for the contents of his fridge.

They’re breaching the end of week four now, and he’s nowhere near finding a place that he can afford. The ones he can get immediately stricken from the list for a variety of reasons. Roaches, rats, very bad plumbing, too far away. The list seems endless, and he’s starting to lose hope that he’ll find anything at all. At this point, Noah is willing to pay someone for a room in their basement. He’d ask Nick and Laurie, but he really doesn’t want to bother them more than he already has. Sure, he’s helping around the house. He’s even, for the first time, really figured out how to work a dryer without shrinking all of his clothes. No one’s going to tell him that he isn’t trying to carry his load here. They’re letting him stay in their house for free, the least he can do is take a little bit of work off his friend’s shoulders. 

Staying with Nick and Laurie has come with the added benefit of getting to spent so much time with his friends. They’ve been together long enough for Noah to consider Laurie equally important to him as Nick. She’s always there to listen to his whining about the girls that scorn him, always there to tell him that he’ll find the right one eventually. And he’s inclined to believe her over most people. With Nick so busy at the tattoo parlour, Noah’s been hanging around Laurie much more. On some days, he goes down to the record store with her, hangs around while she goes about her normal day. He’s glad to help, even if it’s just carrying things around or packing up orders for the online shop. They spend their lunch break with Nick, meeting him half way in-between the record store and tattoo parlour for a quick bite. Noah feels like a part of them. He almost doesn’t remember what it felt like to spend his days without them. 

For now, he’s paused the endless apartment hunting and has turned to something that gives him a little less of a headache. The melody that has been floating around his head has finally made it to the proverbial paper. He’s been slaving away at the bones of it for the better part of the day now, with no real end in sight. It’s slow-going, but at least it’s going. It’s been a little difficult to focus on the music recently. His head has been so full of worries that he can’t find the capacity to really focus on anything else. It feels good to focus on this for a change. The constant dread of having to find a place to stay has been wearing him down like little else. 

A knock on the door finally shakes him out of the loose concentration he’s been in. 

“Come in?”

It feels a little odd to invite Laurie into a room she technically owns, but he appreciates that they’ve given him a space of his own for the time being. It’s not big, but it’s more than enough for him. Laurie pushes into the room, her laundry basket resting against her waist. She sets it down on the pull-out they picked up shortly after he’d come to stay with them. For a very, very brief moment, his head goes back to that thought he tries to push away so desperately. Sometimes he finds himself filled with misplaced envy. There’s a shred of him that wonders how things would be if he’d met her before Nick. If he’d been able to get her before his friend, maybe things wouldn’t have gone so piss poor. 

But he hasn’t, and now he has to deal with it. 

“Come on.” She smacks her hand against his back, “You’re done for the day. Nick’s coming with food, and I’m done with the laundry.”

Her hands linger on his shoulders for a moment too long, Noah thinks. Not in a bad way, no. He likes how she digs her fingers into his skin and always finds the knots that have been bothering him all day. 

It’s comfortable. 

Everything with her is.

He wishes that she wouldn’t make it so damn easy for him to feel this way. If she was just a little less her he wouldn’t have such a hard time pushing this misplaced crush to the back of his mind. Noah swallows the feeling down as best as he can. 

“What did he get?”

“Pizza I think?” Her hands are still massaging his shoulders. “We could watch that film we missed while you were away.”

Out of instinct, he lets his head thump back against her belly. He likes how affectionate he can be with her. The touch has never felt intrusive or out of place. 

She brushes the loose strands of hair from his face. 

“We don’t have to.”

“No, that'd be nice.” He replies, blinking up at her. 

He thinks that she wants to say something, but she remains silent. 

They remain locked in this staring match for a moment longer. If he wouldn’t know it better — no, surely not. Noah banishes the thought before it has a chance to develop properly. That’s his best friend's girlfriend and one of his closest friends. 

Her hands pull away from him as if his skin is boiling hot. 

“I’m gonna get the plates out.” She speaks quickly before rushing out of the room. 

Noah sits in this odd silence for a long while. Surely she doesn’t feel that way. Laurie and Nick have been together for ages. It’s always been them as a pair, and as far as he’s aware they’ve always been happy. He can’t deny that he enjoys the affection Laurie showers him with. He likes how close they’ve become over the years, but he would never think to force himself between his friends. 

Noah doesn’t know what to do with the feeling in his chest. He can’t act on it but ignoring it will do nothing for him either. 

Music buzzes from the stereo when Nick unlocks the door. That itself isn’t unusual. Laurie always has something playing when she’s at home. It takes him a moment to recognise her choice of that evening before he thinks that this isn’t something Laurie would pick. 

He finds Noah leaning in the corner of the sofa, one of the cats comfortable curled up in his lap. He looks up from the notebook in his laps and gives a quick nod to acknowledge Nick’s arrival. The air in the room feels oddly tense, even with Laurie not here. Something is up, and Nick isn’t sure that he likes it. 

Laurie is pacing the length of their kitchen when he enters, her hands nervously wringing together in a way that he hasn’t seen since the false positive some years ago. He doesn’t want to see her like that ever again, and the fact that she looks so wrecked right now does nothing to ease his mind. He approaches, quietly as he can, but her already tense eyes seem to spot him immediately. 

“You’re back.”

“I’m not late, am I?” He automatically checks his watch, just to find that he is, in fact, not late. 

“No — we have to talk about something.”

He hates the look on her face, the tense posture of her shoulders. 

“Before or after food?”

She shakes her head. They’ll eat first, she tells him. It won’t matter if they talk now or later. 

Nick doesn’t enjoy the feeling it leaves him with. He knows that if it’s bad, she would have told him immediately, but she wouldn’t be so anxious if it wasn’t something big at the very least. 

The pointed silence around the table when they sit down to eat doesn’t help. She and Noah are both tense in ways that he really does not like. He knows them both well enough to not consider that an option, but they look awfully suspicious. Something has changed today, and in a way, Nick already knows what she’s going to tell him later. 

He’s seen how close they’ve become since Noah has moved in with them. They’ve always been close and really Nick has always liked that. Noah and Laurie are his favourite people, and he’s glad that they’re this close. He isn’t blind, though. He knows what Laurie looks like when she develops feelings for someone. They’ve talked about it – more than once, and Laurie has made it more than clear that feeling this way has nothing to do with him. And he knows her well enough to know that she would never go behind his back with this. The last (and first time) she’d seen someone who wasn’t him was years ago. Maybe it had felt different hen because the girl hadn’t been his friend and bandmate. He’ll hear her out before making further conclusions. 

They don’t have time to talk until they’re getting ready for bed later that night. Noah had given a curt good-night shortly after they’d finished eating before vanishing into the spare room. Nick hates seeing them so distant so suddenly. He can’t stand the thought that something is keeping them apart like this, even if it’s a good thing at its root. 

“You wanna have that talk?” he asks when Laurie slips under the cover next to him.

She sighs with a weight that could shift mountains, “I’ve been thinking about this for a while, and it didn’t really become clear until today.” 

Nick sits up a little. He takes her hands into his, hoping that it’ll calm her nerves a little. The shaky breath she draws in doesn’t make him feel too confident in that. 

“Talk to me. You know you can tell me everything.” he squeezes her hands, but his heart sinks a little when he feels her hands still trembling. 

Without pushing it further, Nick pulls her against his chest. His arms wrap around her, keeping her as close as he can while her body shakes with quiet sobs. Nick isn’t sure how long they sit like this. It doesn’t matter, either. He’s content to hold her as long as she needs it. Only when he feels Laurie calm a little again, does he speak again. 

“Do you like him?” he asks quietly. 

God does he hope that the words don’t make him sound as if he’s upset about it. 

Laurie is silent for a long while, and Nick suddenly isn’t sure if he’s read too much into the situation. 

“I don’t know when it happened, either.” she sounds so pitiful. 

“Oh, darling.” he sighs, pressing a kiss against her forehead, “It’s not like you have a say in what your heart wants.”  

“I just don’t know why it had to be him.” Laurie pulls away enough for her to be able to look at him, “Why could it not have been someone else.” “I don’t think that Noah realises how easy he makes it for people to fall for him.”

Laurie shoots him a questioning look at that, and it's only then that Nick really realises what he said. He can’t deny that he’s been harbouring a whole host of feelings for the younger for a few years now. But Noah had made it very clear that he had no interest in guys, and really that’s perfectly fine with Nick. It does make the ache in his chest bloom up just a little bit more. 

Laurie’s hands cup his face, thumbs caressing the tops of his cheeks. There’s a sad strain of pity on her face, and Nick recognises it as the same kind of pity he feels for her. The kind that wishes to take the ache away, to make the hurt vanish without a trace. 

It stays, though - no matter which way he turns it. He wants them to be happy above all else, even if that means shoving his own feelings to the side. 

“I’m not going to stand between you, you know that. Even if it could make things complicated. We’ll figure it out. We always have.” 

Nick tries his best to swallow the ache down, for their sake. This whole thing still hinges on Noah’s feelings, but he knows how easy it is to love Laurie. And he can’t possibly blame Noah if he really does feel that way for her. It’ll sting for a while, but Nick’ll get over it. Seeing them happy will be worth it, he reasons. 

“Nicky?” she sounds so utterly defeated, and he doesn’t have to look up to notice the quiver of her lip. 

He does regardless, and the deep-seated furrow of her brows really cements the severity of this all in his chest. 

“You know I love you, right?” it’s Laurie’s turn to squeeze his hands, “Whatever happens between Noah and me will not change that. You will always be it for me. Nothing and no one can change that. I love you.” 

It tears at him. 

For her sake and for his own. 

Seeing Laurie so torn up about this makes his chest ache. The worst thing is that he knows that Noah won’t make the first move. He won’t be the one to start the conversation, and Laurie is way too scared to ruin what they have right now to do it, either. He’ll play matchmaker if that means that they’ll stop trying to avoid each other. 

Maybe his issue isn’t that he doesn’t want them to be together, but rather that they’ll be together without him. If it weren’t for the menial detail that Noah isn’t into guys, he could even see them as a trio. 

All he can hope for is that this won’t break them. 

In the days following that moment, Noah feels himself drifting away from them. The unspoken words still seem to dangle between them, and with every day that passes the wall becomes higher and higher. He returns to burying himself in work. If he works, he can’t think about the feeling that has settled in his chest. The feeling he thinks is the gentle beginning of love. He’d be fine with it under normal circumstances, but as fate would have it, the lucky lady is no other than Laurie. Noah isn’t sure what entity has been cursing him lately, but it’s starting to become a real issue. Maybe if he finds a place for himself, he’ll get over this. 

A sharp knock sounds at his door before it flies open. The lack of courtesy tells him it’s Nick. He doesn’t say anything as he moves across the room towards the pull-out. Nick’s never this quiet. Noah can’t deny the tension that has been hanging over the house for the past few days. He’s tried so hard to keep his interactions with Laurie to a minimum, all in the hopes that it’d make that feeling go away. It’s only made things worse. 

Noah turns his chair so that he’s facing Nick. He feels himself crumbling under Nick’s gaze. 

“You got something to tell me?” Nick asks rather pointedly. 

He feels cornered. There’s nothing to admit because nothing has happened, but he can’t stop the guilt from boiling up in him. At the same time, he isn’t even sure if this is what Nick wants to hear. 

Thankfully, Nick takes the decision from him. 

“I’ve known you for how long? Eight years?” He’s so awfully calm that Noah has no idea if he’s about to blow up in his face or if he’s about to break into laughter, “You’ve known Laurie for almost as long. If something’s up, you can tell us.”

“I- don’t know. I didn’t plan to- I can go.” He offers weakly. 

The last thing he wants is to disrupt what they have. They’re still his best friends, the people who have given him asylum on more than one occasion. And as in return, he worms his way into their relationship like some kind of fucked up parasite. 

“And go where? Are you going to sleep on someone’s sofa again?” It’s not mean, but the sting is still there, “Noah no one’s asking you to leave. I just need you to talk.”

He opens his mouth, but Nick quickly interjects, “Not to me. Talk to Laurie.”

“But you’re —” he gestures feebly towards Nick. 

“Talk to her. Just this once, listen to what I tell you to do, okay? I know you don’t want to have that conversation, but I’m not going to have your inability to talk about your feelings fuck up my relationship or my friendship with you.” He’s never seen Nick look this stern with him, “Fucking fix this. I’m not going to dig you out of this one. If you can't, you better figure out what you’re doing next.”

He’s gone before Noah has the chance to reply, and maybe that’s for the better. 

He sits with his thoughts for the rest of the morning. Laurie’s long out of the door when he decides that he’ll take that first step, even if it terrifies him to no end. 

Noah decides that he’ll stop by the café Laurie likes before he heads to the store. Showing up empty-handed feels like the worst option. 

He gets her one of the sandwiches she likes so much and an iced coffee. The cookie will stay in the pocket of his jacket until she inevitably brings up that a little sweet treat would be nice. His own order doesn’t look too different. 

Hell, she’s coloured off on him so much already.

His heart pounds in his chest as he gets closer to the record store. Noah doesn’t know how he’s even supposed to broach this topic. 

Hey, I think I’m falling in love with you and your boyfriend said to tell you, and I don’t know what that means for us.

Every iteration of the sentence feels bad. Sometimes he wonders how he’s managed to write a single song. The sign of the store coming into view stops him from stewing on it for much longer. Noah stops dead in his tracks. He has to rip the band-aid off now. If he doesn’t do it now, it’ll make things so much worse. 

His grip on the little paper bag tightens, crumpling the handle of it even more. His palms have never felt this sweaty before. Noah doesn’t know which outcome terrifies him more. It doesn’t matter what she’ll say, everything will be different after today. 

Noah pushes through the door. The little bell dings and it makes him wince. Soft music filters from the speakers mounted high up on the wall. He doesn’t recognise the song, but it’s soft and dreamy, and it almost lulls him into a false sense of safety. 

The bright red of Laurie’s hair pops through the crack in the curtain that obscures the back room. The smile on her face dims just a little bit, and Noah can’t deny the sting of it. She doesn’t say anything as she approaches the counter. Noah hates that she doesn’t come rushing around to greet him like she’d done before. 

“I brought snacks?” He says, holding up the bag and tray with drinks. 

The tense look on her face eases a little, but he can still see her chewing on the inside of her lip. 

“Thought we could go sit in the park for a bit?” He feels so awfully helpless, “But we don’t have to. I can just leave yours here and —”

“I’d like that — the park. Not you leaving.” Laurie looks so hesitant. 

He’s never seen her so nervous and fumbly, and he wishes that he could just make it go away again. He’ll swallow his pride and get over this feeling if it means that they’ll be okay again. But this breaks his heart. 

“I’ll get the keys and my bag. Give me two.” She almost sounds as if nothing had changed, “Can you turn off the music?”

Noah gives a quick nod before he sets their lunch down on the counter. He’s done this often enough to know what she wants him to do. After the music, he flips off the lights in the back and makes sure that the lamp in the back is unplugged. It shouldn’t be an issue, but he knows that Laurie doesn’t trust it and will ask him if he’s pulled the plug on it before they leave. She always does. 

When Laurie re-emerges from the back room, she gives the store a quick once over. 

“Lamp’s already unplugged.” He adds before she can even open her mouth to ask the question. 

She gives him the faintest trace of a smile, and that’s good enough for him. Laurie nods and Noah swears that he can see a tinge of pink on her cheeks. 

They’ve taken this walk so often, and yet it still feels so very different today. They’re quiet. Noah doesn’t know what he’s supposed to say just yet. He tries to find a good way to start this talk, but none of the things he can come up with feel as if they do the situation justice. In the end, he decides that he’ll just wing it. Coming up with a big speech doesn’t feel like him, he’ll stumble his way through it, but he’ll say it. That’s what matters. 

Their usual spot is a little bench under one of the trees. It’s shaded enough, but not so much that they’ll be cold. The tray with their drinks stands between them like an impenetrable wall. He watches as Laurie takes the first bite of her sandwich. He feels way too nauseous to eat. Maybe this was a dumb idea after all. But then she pulls her leg up under her body and turns towards him, as if she’s waiting for him to say something. 

Say it. 

“Laurie.” He starts softly. 

She looks up from her coffee. 

“Can we–we should talk about — fuck it — I know you’re with Nick and God this sounds bad —” he draws in a breath to sort his thoughts before the words suddenly bubble up and out of him, “I like you more than I should considering that you’re Nick’s girlfriend and I wish that it wasn’t like this, and I’ll go if that’s what you need, but I just want us all to be like it was before.”

His hands tremble like they’ve never done before. In the long seconds before she answers, his brain runs through every probable option, every scenario that could possibly follow.

Laurie reaches for his hands. They’re always so soft and warm and comforting. She’s held his hand so often, but it feels weightier now. 

“I know you do. You’re not very good at hiding it.” Noah feels his cheeks heat, “It’s okay, though. I’m glad that you told me. I know that’s difficult.” She goes quiet for a moment, “I know that this is a strange situation. You don’t want to cross a line that you can’t exactly uncross again, and I understand that it's scary. Nicky and I have talked about this a few times. He knows that I’m not against seeing more than one person. I’m not saying that that is what has to happen. But I want you to know that whatever you feel for me is perfectly fine.” She briefly glances down at their joined hands, “I won’t lie, it scares me too. I don’t want your friendship with Nick to suffer if something goes wrong here. And I don’t want what we have to suffer, either.”

“What if we just don’t let it go wrong?”

It feels so simple, too simple, but it brings a smile to her face nevertheless. 

“I’m going to try everything in my power to not let that happen.” Laurie sounds so earnest and mixed with the soft look that she fixes him with, he can’t help but believe her. 

“And you’re sure that this is fine? I don’t want to push myself into something I should not be in.”

“It is absolutely fine. If you want to see where this — us — can go, I’m all for it. It doesn’t have to be more than a bit of fun, although I would not be opposed to it becoming more.”

Noah thinks for a long moment. She doesn’t let go of his hands. Her thumbs rub gentle circles into the skin on the backs of his hands. 

It feels like the biggest decision he’ll ever make. A part of him wants to back out and leave them be as they are right now, but there’s a different part of him that begs him to say yes to this. He hadn’t considered this to be an option, but now that he thinks about it, it just makes so much sense. If it means that they’ll all be happy, it’s good. 

Noah shifts their hands around so that he can squeeze hers. 

“You’ll tell me if I mess something up, right?”

She breaks into a relieved smile. 

“Of course.” She replies, “And regardless of this, you know that you can always talk to Nick and me. In fact, I would love it if you and Nick had your own talk about this.” 

He swallows. Nick and he have had plenty of talks, many of them getting into more personal things. But the idea of discussing the parameters of their relationship somehow terrifies him beyond reason. Nick knows more about him than most people do. It’s nerve-wrecking – all of it is. 

“I just want you to be on the same page. This will only work if we all talk, okay?” Laurie’s words ring around his head for a moment. 

He knows that they’ll be so very patient with him. They’ve always been. He has never felt as if there was something he couldn’t tell them. As much as this all scares him, he knows that ultimately they’ll be alright. The brush of Laurie’s thumb against the back of his hand soothes his mind. It almost makes him forget his worries. It feels as if they’re back to normal, except that it’s all different now. Noah’s heart still pounds with the knowledge that it’s more than okay for him to feel this way.

While they sit here, Noah almost forgets that she isn’t just his. Almost. But it doesn’t sting. Laurie looks less burdened now that they’ve talked about it. The constant worried frown has disappeared from her brow. His own chest feels lighter, too. The brick-heavy feeling had slipped from his shoulders, and instead he feels a lightness. A gentle, bubbling feeling that makes him jittery in the best way possible. 

His eyes flit across her face while Laurie tells him about her morning. Noah keeps getting caught on her lips. He can’t look away, can’t stop himself from thinking about what it would be like to finally kiss her. 

“Laurie?” he doesn’t mean to interrupt her like that, but he absolutely has to feel it now. 

She stops in the middle of her sentence, “Hm?” 

His heart thumps so heavily that he’s sure that she’s heard it. Noah’s chest feels so tight all of a sudden.

“Can I kiss you?” 

She’s quiet for a second, breath caught between her lips. Noah doesn’t think that she’s ever been more beautiful. Her skin shines in the warm afternoon sun, the little sparkles of whatever makeup thing she’d put on her cheeks that morning reflect the light so beautifully that it makes her look like some enchanted being. 

“Please.” he knows that he must sound so pitiful, but he’s beyond caring for that. 

The hand, that isn’t still holding on to his, comes to brush against the side of his face. The touch is so gentle, so delicate. He leans into it, lets himself enjoy the warmth of her palm. Noah feels her fingers drift towards his neck before a thumb traces across his cheek. He feels dizzy, heart pounding so fast that he thinks that he’ll pass out at any moment. His eyes fall shut as she steers him closer. The first touch of her lips against his fills his ears with static. He’s kissed enough girls to know what it feels like, but somehow kissing Laurie feels so very different. His hand flies to her waist, and Noah isn’t sure if it’s to keep her close or to steady himself. Either way, he presses closer, just for a moment. It’s over way too soon, he thinks. Noah soothes himself with the knowledge that he can kiss her whenever. She’s his as much as she’s Nick’s. He’s allowed to kiss her, to touch her, to like her – to love her. 

Laurie stays close, even after they part again. He dives back in for another quick kiss, and she giggles so sweetly that it makes him feel as if he’s floating a few inches above the ground. They stay on the bench for a little while longer, idly talking until their phones ding with the same notifications. 

Either you’ve strangled each other or you’ve made up. Can you bring dinner when you come back? 

Noah scoffs at the message. He types his reply saying that they’ll be back soon, before he looks over to Laurie. The softness on her face sends a shiver down his spine. No one has ever looked at him like that before. 

“What d’you wanna get?” 

“What a-” 

“Don’t say pizza. Not again.” She interjects quickly, “If it were up to you, that’s all we’d eat.” 

He wants to protest, but Noah knows that the last few times they’ve asked him, he’s always given the same suggestion. 

They settle on sushi. Laurie holds his hand while they wait for their order, and it all feels so very normal. Nick is already waiting for them when Laurie unlocks the door. His eyes drift between them as if he’s trying to read their minds. Something eases his worry though and he gives Noah a curt nod. 

Nick has cleared off the coffee table in front of the sofa so that they can have their food there. It’s comfortable. The awkwardness of the last week has worn off as quickly as it had made itself known, and Noah is glad that he doesn’t have to sit with the anxiety of losing both of his best friends over a misplaced crush. 

He helps Nick clean up the remnants of their dinner while Laurie gets herself into something comfy. It feels so oddly domestic, so very normal. They move around each other without much issue, as if they’ve been doing this for years. And maybe in a way they have. 

“I’m glad that you told her.” Nick breaks the comfortable silence between them, “She really does like you, you know? It tore her up just as much as it did you.”

He takes a moment to comprehend the words, “She’s so —”

The right words fail him then, but the look on Nick’s face tells him that he knows exactly what he means. 

“I know.” He pulls Noah into a tight hug, “I will fucking skin you if you fuck this up.”

There’s just enough humour in his voice for Noah to know that he’s not in any danger yet. 

“I won’t. I promise.”

“Don’t have to promise me that. We’ll talk about this tomorrow.” Nick says as he detaches himself from Noah, “Let’s get back there. Our girl’s waited for long enough.”

Our girl. 

The phrase makes his heart pound with joy. 

When they get back to the living room, Laurie has already found a comfortable space in the middle of the sofa. The makeup from the day is gone, and her hair is piled up in a mess of a bun on top of her head. Noah thinks that she looks just as beautiful now as she did earlier when they’d been in the park. She pats the cushions to either side of her in a silent invitation. 

“The choices are Raiders of the Lost Ark  and Phantom Menace.” She announces as they find their spots. 

It’s not really a question. They’ll watch Phantom Menace and have a little giggle about it, as they always do. 

Nick slumps down to her right, leaving Noah the slightly more spacious spot to her left. Noah immediately sags against her, his head leaning on her shoulder. Over the course of the movie he ends up leaning somewhat against her. They’ve been close like that before, but it feels so different now. Her fingers are in his hair, gently combing through the strands. Noah lets himself be lulled into a comfortably dreamy state by her touch.  For a moment, he forgets that she isn’t just his — that Nick is sitting on her other side, his hand placed firmly against her thigh. 

The brief and quite frankly misplaced irritation subsides quickly. He’s surrounded by people he adores. Comfortable, safe and loved. They’re his oldest friends. Always there when he needs them. Hell, Noah knows that he could call either of them in the middle of the night, and they’d be with him in an instant. And he’d do the same for them. Because that’s what you do for your friends, right? Except the feeling in his chest feels so much deeper than just friendship. 

They’re more than friends. He feels safe here, comfortable. For once, he doesn’t feel as if he has to be on edge or ready to bolt. 

The realisation hits him then. 

He knows that what he feels for Laurie is more than friendship. He’s sure of that. But when he forces his thoughts towards Nick, the feeling doesn’t really go away. He doesn’t quite know what to do with that realisation. It sits on his chest like one of their cats, heavy but so strangely comforting. It’s a little unnerving, he’s never felt this way for another man, and suddenly he isn’t so sure if this is a new feeling or if it’s been there the entire time. 

Noah decides to deal with it on another day. For now, he’s content to feel Laurie’s hand in his hair and the soft rise and fall of her chest against his back. 

[another-lost-mc]

gmorning my lovely!!! I recently read your first date fic with Karasu and it has me feeling all warm and fuzzy 🥹💘 I was wondering what the ideal first date would be like for some of your other oc’s! I must admit, I’m most intrigued by the idea of a date with Tenebris, Belial, and Azra hehe 🤭 (but ofc if you wanna gush about any others pls do!!!!!)

First date ideas with the OCs! Love it. This got really long. lol

SFW (with a NSFW-ish part at the end) below:

Azra takes you somewhere for dinner, a middle-ground establishment that's not too ritzy but just enough so that he has an excuse to dress up for you. It'll be formal but not too stuffy, with a warm and almost romantic ambience. He's the kind of demon to play coy and bump his foot or knee (or tail) against you under the table during the meal. (If you seem uncomfortable with it, he'll stop.) He's not going to be put off by excuses about having nothing to wear, either. He offers to set up an appointment at Majolish for you to pick out something (charged to his account, of course).

Zee is finally asking you out after denying for way too long that he was interested in you romantically at all. Chances are he's skipping the typical "date night on the town" and inviting you to his home for dinner, because he doesn't mess around and nothing can say how excited or grateful he is than cooking something for you.

Karasu is a bit more traditional so naturally his first date suggestion is dinner at the most expensive joint in town. You can talk him down easily to something more casual when he realizes that his first impulsive choice might've been overwhelming (he'll wait a few dates and then try suggesting it again).

Tenebris invites you to things that aren't obviously dates but they might as well be: picking up more potion supplies, going to the bookstore to check out the new releases, stopping by one of the cafes near RAD after classes are over. He's hesitant to put a label on your relationship and his feelings for you, but he can't help himself and feels more and more tempted to act on them. What shifts these little outings into dating territory, whether he admits it or not, is that he offers to buy you things. If something catches your eye, it's no trouble at all for him to slip it into his own order and pay for everything together. He offers to get you a drink or a snack, or even a full meal if he thinks you're willing to stay with him that long, and orders himself something even if he's not hungry or thirsty. He's content just to spend time with you and give you little tokens of affection. Err, appreciation, he calls them later when Diavolo asks how things went later. Nothing suspicious at all about that, right?

Belial methodically plans out your first proper date but it's highly dependent on the type of date he thinks you want.

If you're a bit shy, he knows the best undiscovered gems in the Devildom where you can get a fantastic meal without the usual crowds of the city's popular eateries. He's dressed down by his standards so you feel comfortable and less insecure about whatever casual outfit you might be wearing. Chances are he rushed over to pick you up as soon as you texted him you might consider going on a date with him (he took that as a decisive yes). His enthusiasm is contagious and it's kind of flattering too - when was the last time someone was so happy and grateful for your company?

If you don't mind being in the spotlight a bit, your first date happens to coincide with an event at Diavolo's castle. He paid for whatever outfit you picked out to wear at Majolish (and he ordered an outfit for himself to match). He picks you up at the House of Lamentation so he can escort you personally, and his choice of transportation isn't subtle. It'll be one of his many cars that you seemed to like most, or maybe you were enchanted by his stable of dreadsteeds more - he can bring the old chariot out of retirement just for you. There's no mistaking his intentions when he leads you through the castle doors with your arm tucked into his.

Metatron is sort of like Tenebris because he invites you to accompany him to do all sorts of random and inconsequential things, but judging by his constant blush and the shy way he keeps looking at you and biting his lip while his fingers brush your hand but he's too shy to take hold of it...well, you get the idea that maybe this wasn't just a platonic outing after all. The Celestial Realm has so many amazing and beautiful places he wants to show you, and all of his suggestions will be what he thinks you'd enjoy. He might even sneak you away to the Human World to show you the places he likes most there, but try not to let Seraphiel find out. Three's a crowd and all.

Curious about who puts out on the first date?

Azra wants you. He wants you so bad. He's trying to be patient because he thinks that's what he should do. This is one of the rare times he drives himself rather than letting Zee drive for him. He might not want to sleep with you on the first date, but he won't be able to resist a car makeout if your goodnight kiss at the end of the night gets heated. He wants to wait until date #2 before doing more, but he'll make it up to you.

Chances are this has been a long time coming, so Zee definitely has high hopes that you'll be welcoming of his many advances once the dinner he's cooked for you is finished. If all you want is a kiss, that's okay too - it'll be the best kiss you've had in a long while, and he won't complain about a cozy little makeout session on his couch before driving you home. (He's very careful about not cutting your lips or tongue with his fangs.)

Karasu is too shy to kiss you after a first date, or probably the first handful of dates. Let him take his time and get used to handholding and hugging and sitting closer than friends should - his affectionate side will bloom not long after. He'll be very obvious when he's ready to move onto kissing chastely, and then kissing passionately and other things after that.

Tenebris will kiss you if you want him to. He kisses your cheek first and he's just close enough to your mouth that you can tilt your head into it, or you can pull away if you don't want more than that. He doesn't mean to be teasing, but he doesn't want to come on too strongly either. (He probably won't go further than kissing on the first date.)

Belial won't make the first move, but if you've given him any indication that a kiss (or more) would be welcome, he's practically vibrating at the thought of getting to touch you. He gets very affectionate and touchy-feely when he's turned on (you might be surprise how affected he is). He brings the back of your hand to his cheek and rubs against it, or he squeezes your waist lightly when he wraps an arm around you, or he just blatantly stares at your lips if you wet them, or even when you talk. He's tempted. Very tempted. He can't bring himself to ask for a kiss no matter how much he wants one. If you're agreeable to a kiss (or more), let him know without any room for doubt and he'll happily oblige you. (He manages to get you both home before he practically carries you to his bedroom. Barely. The backseat of his car looked awfully tempting.)

Metatron is waiting for the right signs from you that not only do you enjoy his company, but that his romantic advances are welcome. Because the line of friends-to-more than friends gets blurrier over time with him, it's hard to pinpoint when your first date really is. It's probably a scenario where you've gotten used to holding hands or cuddling beside each other, and chances are he'll ask if he can kiss you when he thinks you're ready - or perhaps he's waiting longer than he needs to, in which case, feel free to kiss that sweet angel senseless.

[fishmech]

It's just like, damn man communication and getting info cost so much around 2000.

You wanna look up some information on the phone so you can call someone that isn't in your phone book? That's like $4 in modern money.

You wanna call your aunt who lives a couple of states away and you're not paying the extra monthly landline cost for unlimited long distance? $15 in modern money for a 10 minute call in daytime hours, still like $3 nights and weekends, and these are both like "you got a pretty good deal" cases. Worse for most people.

OK so you just want to call your buddy who moved like 25 miles away? Maybe it's free cuz you lucked into still being in the same local call zone, but maybe you're still paying $3 in modern money for a 10 minute conversation because you managed to hit through two long distance zones. Especially if you're on opposite sides of a metro area or something. And if he had a cell phone you were calling, it might mean you paid even more because it registered as a further call.

But that's landline, let's say you were going cell. You might be paying the equivalent of $50 a month in modern money for 120 minutes of call time and no included texting. This service would likely charge you extra for "roaming", that is being out of your designated home calling area, as well as exceeding 120 minutes of talk time (and you would be billed a full minute minimum for any call that connected, mind), and texting once might be 75¢ in modern money on a cheaper provider, as much as $2 modern on others. Your excess call minutes might cost between 50¢ and $3 in modern money per minute and roaming calls would cost similar amounts even when you were within your plan. And on such a plan there was no cell data service so it would be an addon around $5 a month in modern money to have it at all - and prices of between 35¢ up to $5 in modern money per kilobyte transferred. Even if you were using strictly plain text that piled up quick.

You could of course move up to significantly more expensive plans per month in fixed costs to have much bigger pools of call minutes, freedom from roaming charges texts, and data. And to have significantly cheaper per-unit overage charges if you exceeded those. But that would quickly take your bill beyond $100, even $200 a month in modern money for a single line.

And of course if you wanted a couple songs from favorite singer? You ain't streaming it on a cheap monthly plan or likely even paying individually: your ass is paying nearly $38 in modern money for the whole album on CD, maybe $23 in modern money if you got a good sale price. And the artists still got a fraction of a penny off it cuz music royalties have been fucked forever. (of course you could pirate it probably... If you had internet service, if it was fast enough, if you could afford it for generally $36 a month in modern money for slow dialup, often much more if you had broadband available at all)

You wanna watch TV shows? Well like now you could watch the over the air stations for free. With tons of ads on the non-public stations ofc. But this is generally pre digital so there's much fewer stations on the air.

Or you could pay around $85 modern a month to get a pretty decent cable or satellite package and well you know, hope the time the shows you like line up with your schedule and of course it's full of ads too. Maybe you will setup a vcr or DVD recorder to catch what you couldn't be around for, and if you're not willing to wipe your old recording then you're going to need to drop serious cash to have fresh tapes and rewritable DVDs to keep that stuff around.

You want the higher end cable/satellite stuff? Well HBO alone back then was like $28 in modern money for a month on top of the rest of your bill - and most other similar no-ads premium channels were similar.

And let's not forget that this was still a time where getting official copies of shows on any kind of media often just Didn't Happen. Or they'd do it but they'd only put out random single episodes, maybe one full season on a multi season show. You might easily pay $26 in modern money for two half hour episodes or one full hour episode on a tape or DVD. Maybe you'd get lucky and instead be buying a whole season set for $75 in modern money, admittedly a much cheaper price per episode. Otherwise though, it's record it yourself in often pretty bad quality or trading and copying recordings from other people who liked that thing, if you got in touch with any.

And on-demand cable/satellite was just getting started and often required upgrading to a higher package, including paying more to rent a higher end TV box, with miniscule libraries. And the pay per view costs were often like $5 modern to watch a single movie squished to fit your TV, sometimes up to $35 modern for "new releases". Similarly, typical rental store costs were in the ball park of $7.50 to $30 in modern money per item, depending on overnight versus all week and sometimes old release vs new release. That shit added up quick! And Late fees could easily double up or triple up in just a few days.

And of course newspapers and magazines and books all cost money. We generally expect most of these to have some at least limited amount of free access on demand today, whether it's the free few articles a month before the paywall or getting free access digitally through your library. But of course back then, that's no such thing. A lot of online versions of publications were strict pay only, others only posted summaries for free, and that's if you were even online. It may not sound so bad to shell out 65¢ to $2 in modern money for a newspaper issue, or $4-$15 in modern money an issue for various magazines, but you'd be buying them pretty often if you wanted to keep up with things in more detail than they got into on TV. Even if you subscribe and get that discount for everything in a year, that's like maybe $90 a year in modern money for a major city paper, or $70 to $150 in modern money for a magazine depending on its frequency and size and content.

Shits just so fucking easy and cheap these days for real. You want to call someone you don't think about distance charges or roaming, you just fucking call. If you're calling overseas you probably use some app or program on a computer to call for free. A text message does not cost more than sending actual mail, it's nothing. Even all those stupid streaming services, which I don't use personally, you can have like 5 of those damn things, have way more to watch for less than cable back then, let alone modern cable prices, and have somewhat more reliability in what will be available next month!

Even when you're stuck on something like a strict budget, using prepaid cell service with blocks of minutes now, like some Tracfone "I only can afford $15 a month" stuff? It's like shlt at least that's 500 minutes/texts/megabytes of data. Like you're still getting screwed but it's much less so than what you got for that 10 or 20 or 25 years ago, and a lot more places have wifi you can use to stretch your data usage out.

[rinatic]

Jaehyun as a boyfriend

You two met thanks to a mutual friend

At first, jaehyun sees you as a normal person, he doesn't feel attracted to you

But as days go by and you two hang out a lot more

He starts to feel something

He'll be so annoyed with his feelings, it makes him vulnerable and weak, that's why he'll fight with his heart for weeks

He wants to stop those feelings, but it becomes more difficult when you're present

Has a fear of rejection and trust issues :(

Please save him from the "what if-" questions

When he finally accepts his own feelings, he'll keep his eyes on you

Every time you two interact, he'll pay attention to how you act

Boy just wants to make sure you like him back

Or he'll never confess

One day, a big dose of confidence hit him and that's when he decided to confess

In this stage, he doesn't care if the feelings are mutual, he just wants to get it off his chest

He won't be awkward at all when he confesses, he'll be charming as hell

And you do like him so why not?

When you two started dating, jae won't know what to do at first and how to act like a boyfriend

While he doesn't make the biggest effort ever, he's still a gentleman and is trying to be better

He might be skeptical at first, but as time goes and he adapts to you being his girlfriend, he'll get better

The first thing he'll do is taking you to dates in places you've never went to

His love language is definitely quality time and actions of service

So he basically wants to 'show you the world' and make you explore it with him

And he'll keep a cam with him so he can take pics and have memories with you

Is an attentive boyfriend

He forbids you from doing any work when he's around

Also, when you say you want something, it magically appears in your room the second day

He's also that kind of boyfriend who fixes everything, no need to call someone to fix your broken lamp when jaehyun is here

Wants to teach you stuff, like how to take care of things when you travel or when he can't be with you

He doesn't really like to reveal much about himself, he's more of a listener and is always willing to listen to you

He has walls built up around him, and you're the only person who knows his secrets

That's because you gained his trust, and once you trust him too, he'll never let a single person know about your secrets or the things you wish no one knows

You two understand each other without saying a single word

And you two barely argue, he's so understanding and knows how to control his emotions well + he HATES arguments

Unfiltered conversations

He's not sensitive and will speak his mind + doesn't like sugarcoating

Sucks at giving affection, only gives awkward hugs and pats lol

So you'll have to initiate affection with him first

And if initiates it first, which is RARE, it's cute because he actually wants you two to be fair and equal lol

So he's not into pda, yet makes sure everyone knows you're his

Surprisingly, hand holding 24/7 is a thing (bro thinks he's slick)

He also sucks at expressing himself, sometimes you'll think that he doesn't love you but he is actually worshiping the ground you walk on

Just doesn't know how to show it

Poor boy

Isn't controlling at all, lets you do what you want as long as you don't hurt yourself, he likes independence and is more of a hypeman lol

Knows that you like hearing him speak english so he secretly studies it more to show you how fluent he is

And he talks in a deeper tone just to hear you simp over him lol

Always shows off his body in front of you 'accidentally', like after working out, he wipes his sweaty face using his shirt instead of a towel

Highkey enjoys receiving praises and compliments from you that's why he does this

When he's away, he makes sure to send you a playlist that he made specifically for you

"This is only for you, y/n." With that cute smile of his

Ugh

Okay

You better listen to the playlish 3953728294 times daily and don't you dare question his music taste, better than yours ofc 😊

[callabang]

☕️ serving on a jury

genuinely it's the craziest thing !!!!!

i know like 90% of cases don't go to trial and if they do they're like 2 days long, mine is five WEEKS long

it's not over yet so cannot discuss any actual details ofc but even just jury selection was crazy, online everyone is like "just say xyz to get out of it" but in my experience they is not like a FREE OPINION SHARING portion of the event.

also when you're talking about eligibility you're in front of the DEFENDANT. so many people were like i have to go on vacation for one day so i can't determine the fate of this person's life. also apparently hot take if you are serious about being anticarceral i think you gotta be willing to sit on the jury. anyway i did feel like a huge chump when i got selected but now i'm glad i was virtuous and did not try to wiggle out

i AM very fortunate that i have a job that pays me when i'm on the jury so financially it's not a hardship, that said the sheer logistical prospect of reorganizing 5 weeks of my life did freak me out big time !! luckily it's a low key shocking thing to tell people so everyone is very sympathetic for the most part.

it's hard to sit all day and listen to kind of grueling testimony in that by the end i am very very tired. i am thinking about it a lot outside of court. also i don't know why anyone would want to be a lawyer

also also the most wild thing is that they just give you instructions verbally out loud once about things like "when to show up" and there's no way to check or confirm and they never email. new york state criminal court is operating like it's 1975

truly i have 6000000 more thoughts but i'm ending it there! everyone who is capable of serving on a jury in the US should do so if only to see how the justice system works

send me a ☕️ and a topic and i’ll talk about how i feel about it

[datenightfright]

It's me again! Only last week i saw your post, spent months out of tumblr, but what a great surpise was here for me when i came back. Iwas the one who asked for the nyarlathotep post last year, the one he's a mean bastard with the reader, and aaaa you did SUCH A GREAT JOb. I loved it. This comes as no surprise ofc but you write villains and cruelty like no one.

So here i come with another request if you're willing to write more for this deranged cultist...

I thought. The ✨️aftermath✨️. The reader finally gives in, and submits. To placate him, they begrudgingly decide to worship nyarlathotep a lil, and things get... spicy~

Honestly, I love writing for the Lovecraft Mythos, not enough people request it.

Something has changed within you, and Nyarlathotep is only slightly worried. You'd been so quiet in the days following your release from punishment, so listless, so lifeless he had to wonder if he went too far. He wanted nothing more than to take you into his arms and hold you, kiss you until your lips bled, but he had to remain strong. You'd made such progress, he didn't want to be selfish and undo all your hard work.

Even so it was hard on him, keeping distant. He ached for your touch, a deep yearning had instilled itself in his heart, he needed you, wanted you, desired you, and yet, there were still oceans between you two.

So when you approach him in his study one night, he's shocked. He doesn't keep the smile from his face as you look about. Strange artefacts piled on the shelves, books in unknown languages, a pleasant smell of old pages and book glue fill the air. He loved it here, and often came to think about his troubles in front of a fire place.

"Hello," He says, your eye travel back to him almost lazily. "To what do I owe the pleasure of your company." You stand in silence for a moment, blinking slowly, considering your options. Eventually you move in closer to him, stopping just short of his chair. He watches you intently, dying to know what's going on in that pretty little head of yours.

He watches as you take a deep breath, then kneel before him. He sits up now, rapt with attention. "I want to worship the Crawling Chaos," You confess. You place a hand on his knee. He would never admit it to anyone, not even himself, but he very nearly came right then and there. He smiles down at you, thrilled at this development.

"Proceed," He says, hoping this is going to go the way he wants it to. Your hand travels up his leg, sending little shock waves throughout his body. He often takes a human form for you, so you're not so intimidated by his alien contours, and today, it's paying off.

You make quick work of his belt. Lifting his hips is the only help he gives so you can pull his trousers down. He watches delighted as you stare at his massive cock. He watches you swallow thickly as you work out how best to go about your task. You stare so long he almost tells you what he wants, but you manage to pluck up the bravery to touch him. He relaxes into his seat, worrying at his bottom lip. You begin stroking him, and he's cursing himself at how close he is already.

He tries so hard not to make a sound. He wants to sound aloof, distant and not at all the desperate slut for you that he is, but when you finally lick a path from base to tip, he can't help the whimper that escapes.

You lap up his precum in an agonizing fashion, taking your time, savoring him. By the time you give his weeping head a proper suck, he's breathing heavily, sweating, clawing at the armrests of his chair.

"Enough!" He means for it to sound forceful, but he's so out of breath it comes out as a pathetic gasp. You hear him and immediately stop, looking panicked. He stares at you, hard, wanting nothing more than to pump you so full of his cum your belly distends and you taste it in the back of your throat. He's so weak from you already, he doesn't understand how he's going to go about it. "Go to your room," He commands, "Take of all your clothes and wait for me." You scramble to do as he says, which pleases him.

He takes a few moments to gather himself together. His hands shook so badly from pleasure that he had trouble pulling his pants back up to his waist. He takes five minutes, five agonizing minutes, to get control of himself again. When he finally manages it, he stalks towards the door, promising you a world of pleasure.

[psychelis-new]

I wanted to ask for the game but all of them had been asked I guess 😭 it's been so long and I haven't seen your posts on my dashboard at all I thought you quit here 🙇🏼‍♀️

Hey^^

Actually no, not all of the questions have been asked but it's okay anyway. I am still occasionally posting, maybe you just didn't notice nor think about checking my blog or sending an ask... :)

Uhhh... sorry to use your ask as an example but y'all if you care about someone (even just for what they post) why don't you check on them? Why don't you show you care about them/what they do before assuming stuff about them/giving up in fear of being too much (or any other reason)? You're not a burden nor annoying... Wouldn't you appreciate it if someone checked on you (especially if you weren't doing too well) instead of leaving you alone because they assumed (not real) stuff about you? If you don't wanna be lonely, stop self sabotaging: lower your walls a little and be willing to take the first step sometimes; be bold and dare. And if the other rather stay alone, they will tell you or make you understand (and that's okay!). But you won't be doing anything wrong to check on them and show you think about them. It will still help them to read a word from you (wouldn't it be so for you too? Once you let go of your wounded ego that tells you you're better off alone and you deserve that and others are just pretending...)

This is not about me, but about your relationships: it's an habit I have been noticing a lot recently to assume stuff (often untrue, whether about you or others or how they see you or what they may be doing... ---an excuse from your mind to block you and save you from being turned down/abandoned prolly) and not dare to ask or say anything/reach out others because of that (and solely rely on tarots/astrology for answers). So, hear me out (and feel free to let go of my words ofc but): if you want to have deeper connections, take the first step sometimes, make an effort (it will pay off! Be it just for what concerns your self confidence). Do not always wait for others to reach for you or show interest in you first and only. Show your heart and be curious and vulnerable. You can survive a "Sorry I don't feel like talking"; you can reach for someone else too if that's the case or you can allow them space (but at least they'll know they're cared for). Do not give up.

[cohendyke]

Hiiiii :)

I just saw you on my feed talking about the show „Under the bridge“ which I started and am totally obsessed with because I love lily Gladstone and ✨butch women✨ but on a more serious note I wanted to ask if you are maybe personally a fan of Lily ? Because just like I said I’m a fan of her and I have been following her for 3 years now and with the on going situation about the met gala, her playing a cop in this show.. and not really speaking up about Palestine the way I expected, makes me kinda sad and uncomfortable. I know celebrity worship is not positive in any way but I always liked her acting and also the way she seems to be when not on camera. I know I can’t say much about her because I don’t know her personally but I said to myself kind of ironically before the met began „I‘m gonna stop supporting everyone who will be there“ but I kinda meant it and seeing lily there made me sad knowing that she would be willing to pay 75k for this sh!t is not it for me. Idk maybe I‘m overreacting I‘m just not really happy about what‘s happening lately when I thought some celebs actually stand on the right side but it turns out most don‘t care one bit about others and us the working class ofc.

Could you maybe tell me your thoughts on this ?

To start off I don't really keep up with the met gala/celebrities in general and I haven't heard of any specific controversies with the met gala this year? All I really know about it is that it's a fundraiser for the costume section of the met museum and she was there this year. so even if she did pay for the ticket the money goes directly to that non-profit cause. Take this with a grain of salt though because I really don't put any effort into keeping up with events like these. maybe i should but i'm just not particularly interested :) anyway this is quite long so i will put the rest under a cut.

as for her playing a cop- i think it's a good thing- her character occupies such a nuanced space; she's queer, a first nations woman adopted into a white cop family. yes she's a cop as well, but she's also a victim to that institution in a lot of the same ways reena was, and i think it makes for a great plot where she's forced to reckon with the institution she's a part of even though she is a marginalized woman in many ways. (i dont want to cite any specific things from the show because i don't really want to spoil anyone since the newest episode came out only yesterday, but there are several parallels between her and reena.)

As for her activism, with celebrities in general i don't necessarily look to them for moral guidelines. that isn't to say that i support any celebrities in any way with heinous views, but i'm also not keeping tabs on everything a celebrity who's work i enjoy has said about x y z issue. while i, too would imagine that she is sympathetic towards palestinians, i think it's not really fair to expect lily to take on every single issue concerning indigenous people around the world, seeing as indigenous people in north america alone are still in a shitty position (in terms of mmiw, threats to their land, mental health crises, natural disasters, and these are issues off the top of my head.) i think i also hold this opinion because i am a pretty privileged white woman and i think it would be beyond hypocritical to point at lily and go "you're not being a good activist for palestinians even though you're indigenous yourself!!" and this goes beyond whether i think of myself as a good activist or not. i also think that since she's really just 'broken through,' she doesnt want/maybe has been told not to rock the boat in that way in order to protect her future career, though i honestly dont know. it's not an excuse for not speaking out, but it's just something that came across my mind. again, take this all with a grain of salt.

[geddy-leesbian]

(screenshot because I accidentally hit post while trying to copy paste something and had to delete it oops)

GOD THE LEON ONE IS SO FUCKED UP CHSBSNALFLF

first off, the timeline is different than the actual game. Luis is able to get some suppressant for Leon before any shit gets burned.

Luis gets captured again, and taken to Saddler. He had injected all the suppressants he had with him just before getting carried off, so Saddler couldn't re-infect him. But it turns out that isn't even Saddler's plan.

“That Agent Kennedy is proving to be quite a thorn in my side, much like you. I need him to live long enough for him to appreciate his gift and go home to spread it to the rest of the world, but he's starting to cause too much trouble. You like him, don't you?” “This isn't about him. Say whatever you want about me, but keep his name out of your mouth.” “But you'll want to hear this. He's quite fond of you. He doesn't want to admit it, but I've been in his head. He likes it when you tease him. He trusts you. You could send him on wild goose chases over and over, and he'd keep following you until time ran out.” “No. Never.” “It doesn't have to just be wild goose chases. Doesn't he owe you a dance? If you were to tell him that he had more time than expected, that he needed a break to relax before moving on, he would listen.” “You really think that I'm that selfish? That I'm willing to trade his life for mine? That I'm willing to trade his life for a dance?”

“Do you really think that you're not? You already chose your life over his. He doesn't have any suppressant. You used all of it on yourself, just so that you couldn't be re-infected. If you were willing to die for him, that was the time. Had you left all of it behind and accepted your own fate, he would have enough time to escape with his life and mind intact.”

Then he gets handed over to Krauser, who is pissy and a lot less concerned about Leon staying alive. So he gives him an ear piece, puts a tracker on him, chains him up again somewhere and says that he can either call Leon to come rescue him and Leon won't get hurt, or Krauser will abandon Saddler's plan and use Luis as the bait in a trap for Leon. (And ofc beyond that point he says he'll kill Leon if Luis isn't cooperating with the plan, and brags about being the one who taught Leon everything to the extent that Luis is actually worried.)

Luis just plays along, thinking that he'll be able to outsmart Krauser and somehow get Leon to the machine. Then Krauser sends him some pictures: His machine completely smashed, as well as everything being set on fire. It's 100% impossible to save Leon, and he breaks down sobbing and admits everything.

Leon's already made peace with the fact that it was a matter of when, not if, he'll die on a mission, so he's pretty chill about the whole thing and just asks Luis to kill him before his infection gets too bad 🙃

-

DON'T WALK AWAY is angsty but not that fucked up. it all started one night when I was listening to one of my many Serrennedy playlists, and forgot to loop it so after the last song spotify decides to autoplay Don't Walk Away. a song that I had never had any strong feelings about. but then I realized I'm a Fool because it is so Serrennedy and I've been sleeping on it

I know just what you're doing. You don't want to put the hurt on someone. You've been trying to convince yourself you're better off if you just turn and run.

But I'm gonna hold on tight. I've got a feeling you'll only happen once to me. And no one, not even you, is ever gonna make you wrong for me.

Don't walk away! Or are you looking for a price to pay? Is that your master plan? Don't walk away! I'll do everything to make you stay. I've got to make a stand. Don't walk away! I'm not afraid. Don't walk away!

so yeah the fic is just right after RE4 when Leon and Ashley are waiting to get picked up, and Luis is trying to slip away because he thinks he's a shitty person who doesn't deserve Leon, and Leon's like fuck that you're coming with me

[digitallovergirl]

　　PAINT ME LIKE ONE OF YOUR FRENCH GIRLS! . . . ⯎

🎨🕸 ₊˚⊹♫ . . . ASTV Characters x Artist! Reader

this includes: miles morales (both 1610 and 42,) hobie brown, gwen stacy, pavitr prabhakar, peni parker, peter b parker, and margo kess!

authors note: yes, this was the secret option. From the poll. As an artist of many kinds myself, of course I had to do this!! I've also wanted to do something astv related since I do plan on rewatching the movie (which means the intense interest will come back with it!) sooooo, if you guys like this one, I'll probably do more <3

warnings: none

1610! Miles G. Morales is the type of boyfriend who would hype up your art 24/7. Like, of course any of the people in the spider society would hype their partner art, but Miles knows from a personal level how hard it can be to show your art (because it takes a certain level of confidence that not all artists have.) So whenever you decide to show it to him, it goes like this:

"Hey, Miles? I finished this painting and I-"

"Show me it. My eyes would like to be blessed."

42! Miles G. Morales would wait until your commissions are open (if you do those, ofc,) just so he could request for you to draw you and him together. He would also pay more than he's supposed to and would not allow you to pay him back because he is a firm believer that you deserve the world and paying over the limit isn't even the worse thing he has done.

Hobie Brown is SKILLED at annoying you/distracting you while you're being your artist activities. He doesn't' do it to actually throw you off, he does it because it gives him an opportunity to see what you're working on that day. It also gives him a reason to just... hug you—because even you seem to forget how long you send in the studio

I feel like Pavitr Prabhakar is the type to learn how to do anything art related. From the terms to painting, he wants to be able to have long conversations about the things you like. And despite you already doing that, he likes being able to respond and agree on certain things. So if that means he gets to learn more things while doing so? you can bet he will do it.

Gwen Stacy would be the one try to stay up with you while you draw. Especially if you are a night owl (or if you're in art school and you have to stay up to finish an assignment,) the two of you just ended up chilling until Gwen not-so-secretly falls asleep. #gwenisn'tanightowl

Margo Kess, being the high-tech girl she is, is getting you the best art supplies she can from her universe. Every time you go to see her, she just smiles and hands you a bunch of supplies because she likes how you react each and every time.

Peni Parker will literally do everything in her power to get you references. I mean, this girl is willing to go into dangerous places just to get you a rock if you need one. She'll even be willing to sit down and use her for a pose reference, as long as you let her talk your ear off a little while you do so.

Peter B Parker is showing off every piece of art you make. Even though sometimes it is a little over the top, you know that he is trying to show how proud and amazed of what you make to his friend and family.

[onlyseokmins]

i am READY for the sleepover - matching pj set worn, hair in two braids done, retainers in, stuffed animal in hand. i'm here to ask for advice. i'm sooo nervous being the new person at my workplace next school year (first year teacher). wondering if you have any stories about getting to know colleagues or getting settled in a job!

Sleepover time w/ aeris sounds like a party, come join me in my stuffed animal kingdom! I'll clear space for u! ❤️

Omg and congrats on ur new job bby 🫶🏼 that's saur exciting!! But it's def intimidating ahhaa as ur local introvert I dread interacting with people but I would def suggest going to whatever networking/social events are going on that you feel comfortable attending. Even if it's not w/ ur immediate peers, it's always a good way to meet other people and learn what they do - you never know when you might need their assistance when you least expect it! But also respect your inner gut and if you don't like the crowd and/or don't feel/want to do smth, don't do it.

Don't be afraid to ask for help. You will never look stupid. Where I work, even the smallest of action requires like 5 peer reviews and 10 signatures to complete so it's p natural for me to pester people relentlessly. But I think there's a lot of respect gained taking the plunge to ask others instead of holding back out of fear and not moving forward. Plus you get the answers you need - and it might open up discussion for improvement in the area that caused confusion and prevent others from being confused as well. Chances are, someone was just waiting for the question to be asked! Plus, if nobody can figure it out, maybe you can make that breakthrough! How cool is that?

Latch onto your seniors if you can! If you're not assigned a mentor or someone to guide you through your new hire position, find someone that will be willing to show you the ropes. It always feels better to have someone in your corner that you feel safe asking questions and understanding how things work. Likewise, don't be afraid to provide the same kind of help to fellow or later on, other new hires. You know what they went through and they'll appreciate your guidance.

Don't be afraid to shine! No one likes a show off but there's no reason to hold yourself back out of fear of standing out. I think professionally doing the best where you excel is really important to show how you shine and if you're proud of your accomplishments and work, the only people that are jealous and rude are the ones that didn't take that leap to do what you're doing.

Haha sorry this got long but a major piece of advice I have truly is make sure you're comfortable in your job. Not everything will be sunshine and roses and ofc it's easier said than done in leaving places that make you unhappy, but at the v least - make sure your rights, pay, and benefits are being honored. I had to fight HR quite a bit for mine and finally got them but don't be afraid to secure yourself. It's what you're deserved to earn for your hard work.

And lastly - enjoy yourself! There's nothing better than being satisfied with yourself, your work, and your job. Wishing you all the luck, aeries - you'll have to tell me all abt it! When do you start? August?

💤 Sleepover Weekend